Empathy is one of the most important things that any person in sales can have. In fact, it is one of the most important things that any person, regardless of occupation, can have. Empathy can tell you when a sale has gone cold, or when it may just be waiting to be returned to at a later date. It will be the tool through which you will know how to make your clients happy, and how to avoid losing clients over misunderstandings.
The Fundamentals of Emotional Intelligence
Knowing when someone else is happy or sad can be important, but what about when they are inquisitive, or frustrated? How do you read the reasons behind this shift in behavior, and how do you react to them the right way? The fundamentals of your emotional intelligence will often be in the ability to trace these reactions and changes to their source.
Even the vaguest of motivations can offer you some insight into the mind of a client, and give you directions on where your next move should be in relation.
Keeping It Grounded
Your position, as a salesperson, is to sell. That means that all of the emotional intelligence in the world is not going to help you if you are not using it to sell a product or service to a client. With that in mind, remember to keep your empathy grounded in reason and purpose. You should not always begin and end every conversation with a statement on how a client should buy what you are selling, but you should be thinking it. The higher your EQ, the easier it will be to know when to step in to support a sale, and when to stand back until the timing is right.
Support Your Supporters
EQ is also about knowing how to support the people who are responsible for where you are today. That may mean just keeping in touch with your clients, or it may mean personally visiting an associate who has provided you with some valuable sales leads and treating him or her to a lunch. The right response is always going to be what is most appropriate, and often times what is most appropriate is reciprocating any kindness that is done in your favor. You want to keep a positive feedback loop going between you and as many people as possible, because that will definitely be beneficial when you elect to expand your business.
