| The challenge facing many sales managers and | | | | sales responses practiced during role plays. The |
| business owners is the transfer of selling skills that | | | | salesperson loses control of the call and turns into |
| made them a top sales producer to their sales | | | | a high priced answering machine. "What is your |
| team. When you take on the role of a sales | | | | price? Who else are you doing business with? |
| manager, it's no longer about what you can | | | | Why should we choose your company?" The |
| produce; it's about what you can get others to | | | | result is a price driven sale; not a value driven |
| produce. In the words of Jack Welch, former CEO | | | | sale. It's helpful to understand how the brain |
| of GE, | | | | works in order to understand the emotions and |
| "Before you are a leader, success is all about | | | | resulting action of a salesperson. |
| growing yourself. When you become a leader, | | | | There is a portion of the brain that receives all |
| success is all about growing others." | | | | incoming stimuli called the amygdala. It is an |
| Hard working sales managers and business | | | | almond-shaped mass of gray matter residing in |
| owners invest hours in coaching and training their | | | | the brain's temporal lobe and is referred to as the |
| sales teams. In far too many scenarios, their | | | | "reptilian brain" or the "old brain." The amygdala's |
| efforts fall short. The sales team doesn't | | | | job is to receive and screen all stimuli reaching the |
| consistently execute their new prospecting and | | | | brain. It's like a gatekeeper at the front desk. Just |
| selling skills. The excuses vary from "I forgot" to | | | | as a salesperson must gain likeability from the |
| "I'm uncomfortable" or "I'm getting ready." | | | | gatekeeper in order to reach the decision maker, |
| The driven sales manager listens and invests even | | | | a salesperson must also gain likeability from the |
| more time and energy on teaching selling skills and | | | | amygdala to influence buying decisions. |
| techniques. Stop the madness! The reason your | | | | Take the case study of a salesperson that has |
| sales team isn't executing may have nothing to | | | | been taught old sales methodology of overcoming |
| do with selling skills; it has everything to do with | | | | the objection seven times. The aggressive |
| lack of soft skills - otherwise known as emotional | | | | salesperson sounds the alarm in the amygdala |
| intelligence skills. | | | | which goes into either fight or flight mode. The |
| Right now you might be thinking: | | | | result is a prospect that is on the defense or a |
| • So what the heck is emotional intelligence? | | | | prospect that ends the call early. Either scenario |
| • Why should sales organizations care? | | | | results in no closed business. |
| • Is it the latest fad? | | | | This knowledge of the brain is also important |
| • Can soft skills really produce hard sales | | | | when educating your sales team about their |
| results? | | | | responses during a sales call. When faced with a |
| In layman's terms, emotional intelligence is the | | | | tougher prospect, are they able to manage their |
| ability to perceive one's emotions, understand | | | | emotions and think rationally or do they go into |
| why the emotion is felt, and adjust actions to | | | | fight or flight mode? |
| achieve better outcomes. Here is the business | | | | An example of a fight response is when a |
| case for "return on emotions": | | | | prospect is pushing for a discount early in the |
| In analyzing data from 40 different corporations, | | | | sales call and the salesperson tersely replies, "You |
| the differentiator between average and star | | | | get what you pay for!" An example of a flight |
| performers was the level of emotional intelligence | | | | response in the same scenario is, "Sure, we can |
| versus pure intellect and expertise. (Goleman, | | | | give you 10% off" with no discussion of a |
| WEI, cf. Jacobs and Chen, 1997) | | | | concession strategy. The rational response is, "I |
| American Express financial advisors sales | | | | certainly understand your request for a discount, |
| increased 18% after attending an emotional | | | | however, let's back up and ask each other a few |
| competence training program. (Consortium for | | | | questions to determine if: |
| Research on Emotional Intelligence in | | | | 1. The problem is big enough to worry about or |
| Organizations) | | | | fix. |
| The U.S. Air Force found that by using emotional | | | | 2. We are the most qualified company to fix it or |
| intelligence to select recruiters, it improved hiring | | | | address the challenge. |
| practices that provided a gain of $3 million | | | | 3. Your company is committed to investing |
| annually. (Consortium for Research on Emotional | | | | resources to solve the problem. |
| Intelligence in Organizations) | | | | Then, we can start discussing budget and |
| People with high emotional intelligence make more | | | | resource allocation. Does that sound like a good |
| money - an average of $29,000 more per year. | | | | plan? " |
| (Bradberry and Greaves, Emotional Intelligence | | | | The emotionally intelligent salesperson controls his |
| 2.0) | | | | emotions to deliver a response that redirects the |
| Emotional intelligence training is the key to | | | | sales call to a qualifying conversation. |
| improving sales performance because it bridges | | | | Research shows that highly successful people |
| the knowing and doing gap. We have worked with | | | | excel at managing their emotions. Take the |
| thousands of salespeople and watched them | | | | profession of trial lawyers such as a litigators or |
| execute a sales role play flawlessly during a | | | | prosecutors. Is it knowledge of the law that wins |
| training workshop. Then, the salesperson ends up | | | | trials or is it the lawyer's ability to manage the |
| in front of a tough prospect, starts buckling and | | | | many dynamics that occur in the court room, i.e. |
| gives away free consulting and/or discounts. The | | | | a tough judge or opposing attorney saying, "I |
| salesperson knew what to do, however, didn't do | | | | object" every 60 seconds? The answer is both. A |
| it. | | | | good lawyer needs knowledge of the law and the |
| On the other hand, a salesperson, attending the | | | | ability to manage a tough opponent. |
| same training workshop, faced with a similar | | | | Now, let's look at the profession of sales. Is it |
| tough selling scenario, sailed through the | | | | expertise that wins deals or the ability to manage |
| appointment. He applied his new persuasion and | | | | all the dynamics that occur when interfacing with |
| selling skills, didn't buckle and converted the tough | | | | multiple buying influences and personalities? The |
| prospect to a client. What was cause for the | | | | answer, again, is both. Help your sales team |
| different outcomes? The same instructor | | | | become more self aware by slowing down and |
| delivered the same sales content which yielded | | | | debriefing sales calls. Analyze any non-productive |
| different results. This puzzling behavior led us to | | | | emotions and actions experienced during a tough |
| explore emotional intelligence in order to discover | | | | sales call and figure out the root cause of the |
| the missing link between sales training and sales | | | | emotion. |
| results. | | | | • Was she intimidated? |
| Emotional intelligence training helps sales managers | | | | • Was he too worried about having the |
| better diagnose performance issues and become | | | | answers versus having the questions? |
| more effective in their role as sales leader and | | | | • Was she too concerned about herself and |
| coach. Sales managers with this knowledge base | | | | not the prospect? |
| develop sales teams that consistently achieve | | | | The number one attribute that highly successful |
| revenue goals, even in tough economic times. Ei | | | | people do to improve self awareness is slow |
| Selling™ is a unique selling approach that | | | | down. It is in downtime that people can be |
| integrates a consultative sales process with | | | | introspective and reflect on their actions or |
| emotional intelligence skills. It identifies gaps where | | | | inactions during the day. Daniel Goleman, author of |
| soft skills coaching is needed instead of or in | | | | Emotional Intelligence, writes about Richard Abdoo, |
| parallel with sales skills coaching. | | | | CEO of the 2 billion dollar company Wisconsin |
| Emotional Self-Awareness: First Things First: | | | | Energy: "Richard has a firm resolution to reserve |
| A successful sales manager has multiple titles: | | | | eight hours a week for solitary reflection. In his |
| teacher, doctor, counselor and coach. The | | | | words, 'You have to force yourself to spend |
| common denominator in all the titles is the | | | | some time away from the hustle and bustle of |
| responsibility of helping individuals get better. The | | | | your job in order to get down to reality again.'" |
| first step in helping people improve is proper | | | | Downtime allows you to ask thoughtful questions |
| identification and diagnosis of the problems and | | | | and ponder: |
| challenges. | | | | • What was the reason for my reaction? |
| As a professional sales manager, the first area of | | | | • What would have been a better response? |
| diagnosis is to examine your salesperson's self | | | | • What can I do differently to prevent getting |
| awareness - the foundation for emotional | | | | into that type of selling situation? |
| intelligence. Emotional self awareness is the ability | | | | A best practice to establish in your sales |
| to recognize personal feelings, know why you're | | | | organization is to teach your sales team to slow |
| experiencing the emotion, and guide the feelings | | | | down in order to speed up. When a person has |
| to a better result. In simple terms - "know | | | | time to think, the result is greater clarity, |
| thyself." | | | | creativity and positive change. Create technology |
| Many well-intentioned sales managers invest hours | | | | free zones and turn off the electronics. The |
| in training sales techniques, only to have the | | | | emotionally self aware salesperson takes time to |
| salesperson present solutions too soon, discount, | | | | figure out what stimuli causes a reaction. In |
| or not set agreements to meet with all the | | | | layman's terms, what are your hot buttons during |
| buying influences. These poor selling behaviors are | | | | a selling scenario? The emotionally intelligent |
| not fixed with more sales technique training. | | | | salesperson knows that stimuli cannot always be |
| Instead, work with your sales team on managing | | | | changed (tough prospects and customers), |
| emotions triggered by tough prospects that lead | | | | however, one thing can be controlled...the reaction. |
| to poor sales execution. | | | | Be a great sales teacher, doctor, counselor and |
| When a salesperson allows emotions to run wild, | | | | coach. Proper diagnosis leads to the right |
| the brain freezes up. There is no recall of the | | | | prescription for change and results. |