The Next Big Thing in Sales: Emotional Intelligence - Deiric McCann, Genos International

“Around 54% (of salespeople) describe their lifestyle as stressful. And more than a third reported that their career negatively impacts their personal life. Selling causes so much burnout that the annual turnover rate among salespeople in the U.S. goes as high as 27%. This is twice the rate in the entire workforce in general.”

According to a recent article in Sales Hacker, "With such toxic levels of stress, professionals who lack emotional intelligence often become the first casualties to fall by the wayside."

The difference between top and bottom sales performers may not be product knowledge or sales technique, but the ability to manage themselves and relate effectively to others: their Emotional Intelligence.

Without EI, salespeople can struggle to establish rapport with prospects and clients, manage stress effectively, and stay motivated in tougher times.

The two core foundational skills underpinning the success of emotionally intelligent salespeople are Self-Awareness and Awareness of Others. Self-Awareness is the ability to recognise one's own emotional reaction to what's going on in the sales environment - how it's affecting your behaviour, what you say, and the decisions you make; while Awareness of Others is the ability to notice how those around you are responding to their interactions with you - how it's affecting their behaviour, what they say, and the decisions they make.

No other profession demands so much

Every day salespeople are told 'no!' and are knocked back as the try to drive their case with clients, whilst all the time having to deal with the time-based pressure of sales quotas.

A critical differentiator of effective and successful salespeople is the ability to effectively manage the impact these highly emotional events have on their stress levels - remaining healthy and motivated. Self-Management is all about managing your mood and emotions so that stress levels remain manageable - especially when under the pressure of the challenging or difficult emotions created by the so called 'normal' pressures of a salesperson's life. Whether you’re a corporate salesperson or an independent business owner and entrepreneur – understanding and developing your emotional intelligence can be transformative for your life, business, and client engagements.

Join Deiric McCann at EQ Connects for his keynote session: “The buying brain: How to increase sales performance with EI”. Stop by the Genos International booth to try a Genos Emotional Intelligence assessment for yourself.