Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success

Book description

Even skilled salespeople buckle in tough selling situations—getting defensive with prospects who challenge them on price or too quickly caving to discount pressure. Those are examples of the fight-or-flight response—something salespeople learn to avoid when they build their emotional intelligence.

Studies have shown that emotional intelligence (EI) is a strong indicator of success. In Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success, sales trainer and expert Colleen Stanley shows how closely EI is tied to sales performance and how salespeople can sharpen their skills to maximize results. Readers will discover:

  • How to increase impulse control for better questioning and listening
  • The EI skills related to likability and trust
  • How empathy leads to bigger sales conversations and more effective solutions
  • How emotional intelligence can improve prospecting efforts
  • The EI skills shared by top sales producers
  • And much more

Emotional intelligence plays a vital role at every stage of the sales process, from business development to closing the deal. When customers can get product information and price comparisons online, the true differentiator is the ability to deftly solve problems and build relationships—EI territory!

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Forward
  7. Introduction
  8. Part I: The What, Why, and How of Emotional Intelligence and Sales Results
    1. Chapter 1 Closing the Knowing-and-Doing Gap: When You Know Better, You Do Better
      1. Understanding Emotional Intelligence
      2. Emotional Intelligence and Sales Results
      3. The Business Case for “Return on Emotions”
      4. Action Steps for Improving Your Emotional Intelligence
    2. Chapter 2 The Art and Neuroscience of Sales: The New Way to Influence
      1. Selling to the Old Brain
      2. The Emotionally Intelligent Response
      3. Walk a Mile in Your Prospect’s Shoes
      4. Putting It All Together
      5. Action Steps for Improving Your Ability to Influence
  9. Part II: Emotional Intelligence and the Sales Process
    1. Chapter 3 Prospecting: The Real Reason for Empty Sales Pipelines
      1. Are You a Sales Marshmallow Grabber?
      2. Drive-By Relationships
      3. Sales Reality Check
      4. Are You Stressed Out?
      5. The Neuroscience of Prospecting
      6. Action Steps for Improving Your Prospecting Results
    2. Chapter 4 Likeability: All Things Being Equal, People Buy from People They Like
      1. Would You Buy from You?
      2. It’s All About Them: The Prospect and Customer
      3. Know, Relate, and Build Likeability
      4. Are You Showing Up or Living It Up?
      5. Are You a Joy Giver?
      6. Action Steps for Improving Your Likeability
    3. Chapter 5 Expectations: You Get What You Expect
      1. Partnership or Vendor-ship?
      2. What’s Your Mindset?
      3. Set and Manage Expectations to Create Raving Fans
      4. Action Steps for Improving the Way You Manage Expectations
    4. Chapter 6 Questioning Skills: What’s Your Prospect’s Story?
      1. Listen Before You Leap
      2. Use the “3Ws” Formula
      3. Make Your Prospect’s Brain Hurt
      4. Get to the Real Pain
      5. Determine the Commitment to Change
      6. Agree and Align
      7. Action Steps for Improving Your Questioning Skills
    5. Chapter 7 Reaching Decision Makers: How to Better Connect and Meet
      1. How People Make Decisions
      2. Are You Meeting with Mr. No?
      3. Are You Asking the Right Question?
      4. Action Steps for Improving Your Ability to Reach Decision Makers
    6. Chapter 8 Checkbook: Get Paid What You Are Worth
      1. What Is Your “Money Talk”?
      2. Learn to Deal with Good Negotiators
      3. Are You Willing to Walk?
      4. Examine Your Sales Pipeline
      5. Conviction and Confidence
      6. Action Steps for Improving Your Ability to Get Paid What You Are Worth
    7. Chapter 9 People Over Process: The Key Traits of Emotionally Intelligent Sales Cultures
      1. Are You Learning or Lagging?
      2. There Is No “I” in Team
      3. It’s Better to Give
      4. Action Steps for Building Emotionally Intelligent Sales Cultures
    8. Chapter 10 Take the Lead: Sales Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
      1. How Do You Show Up?
      2. Do Your Words and Actions Align?
      3. Teaching Rather Than Closing
      4. Tough Love, Sales Leadership Style
      5. The Most Overlooked Motivator of Them All
      6. Best Practices for Sales Leadership
      7. Action Steps for Improving Your Emotional Intelligence in Sales Leadership
  10. Index

Product information

  • Title: Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success
  • Author(s): Jill Konrath, Colleen Stanley
  • Release date: November 2012
  • Publisher(s): AMACOM
  • ISBN: 9780814430309