Improving Emotional Intelligence To Make More Sales

Sales training has fewer cultural differences than it once had to other locations in the world. These days, many sales companies around the world are embracing the same methods of training in sales. One such skill or capacity is Emotional Quotient (EQ) or, to use a more everyday term, emotional intelligence.

But what is emotional intelligence and why is it important to sales training? Well, we recognise someone as smart if they have a high IQ. But do we appreciate someone who keeps their emotions in check during sales? Someone who is in touch with their feelings, but remains composed, understanding, and empathetic to those around them during sales? Someone who never has an emotional outburst? We’re not quite talking about Mr. Spock of sales here, but salespeople who are more likely to be able to build an emotional connection with others; to make people like them, and to think more clearly. 

In fact, research has shown that business consumers who like their salesperson are an incredible 12 times more likely to make the sales deal. That’s one heck of a sales closing skill! But can it be learned in training? It can. With the right guidance under a sales training expert, any salesperson or leader can improve their EQ – leading to improved sales, better value deals, and increased sales retention of current customer clients. It will also lead to a happier sales employee – in both a professional and personal sense. We would recommend that you take a free Enneagram test to start with, as this will help you understand your personality and other personality types so you can be a better communicator. 

Is Remote Or In-Person Training Better?

Training in sales management can be performed in a number of different ways. It can take the form of hands-on coaching, guiding a sales team or manager directly; or it can be done remotely, allowing your sales team the autonomy to learn at times that suit them. But which method of training achieves the best results in a B2B sales environment? Online or in-person?

Distance learning and ‘in-class’ learning aren’t just the binary ways of delivering sales management training and sales training, as there’s a lot of nuance within these respective methods of developing your sales team. Instead of seeing these options as opposing one another, a wise way to develop training within your business is to take a bespoke approach. Just one training approach may work for some of your managers and sales team, but others may benefit from another approach. For example, a sales team that is currently extremely busy and feeling pressure from having to meet sales targets may benefit from the flexibility of e-learning systems. On the other hand, team members who are struggling to create meaningful relationships with current clients during retention or potential clients during the closing of deals may benefit from face-to-face training from an experienced salesperson. 

Topics and areas that require strengthening within your sales team can also be best suited to particular methods of training. This is precisely why it is best to find a training provider or coach with the ability to be flexible to the needs of your organisation.