Introduction
Humans deal with emotions all the time. However, it’s not always possible to explain why we feel a certain way or what we are supposed to do about it.
Daniel Goleman, in his book ‘Emotional Intelligence’, explains that emotions can be studied and people can be taught how to understand and manage them! When applied to sales, this skill becomes a performance superpower. That’s why emotional intelligence training for sales became a must-have.
What if you start to recognise your customer’s hesitation, pick up on their emotional state, and adjust your approach at that moment only? This is how emotional intelligence improves sales, and exactly that is what emotional intelligence (EI) training does for sales professionals. It can reshape their ability to connect, influence, and close deals by helping them read beyond the words.
According to the research, salespeople with high emotional IQs have a 20% lower turnover rate. This creates a huge advantage for the salesperson and the company.
Key Takeaways –
- EQ is the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions.
- According to the research, salespeople with high emotional IQs have a 20% lower turnover rate.
- According to Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence (EI) is essential in sales as it allows salespeople to understand and manage both their own emotions and their clients.
- Salespeople with high EI tend to close more deals by picking up signals and handling objections with empathy.
- Key traits of salespeople with high EI are adaptable, optimistic, driven, and empathetic.
Build a high-EQ sales team in 6 steps –
- Assess Your Team’s Current EQ Level
- Train on Core Emotional Intelligence Skills
- Encourage Active Listening and Empathy
- Promote a Supportive and Open Culture
- Use EQ in Sales Coaching & Feedback
- Track & Reward EQ Growth
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence (EI), also known as emotional quotient (EQ), is the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions.
High emotional intelligence includes the recognition of emotions in oneself and others, using emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discerning between and labeling different feelings, and adjusting emotions to adapt to environments.
Types of Emotional Intelligence and Its Role in Sales
According to Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence (EI) is super important in sales because it helps salespeople understand and manage both their own emotions and those of their clients.
Salespeople with high EI can read emotional indications, build trust, and handle objections with empathy, making their interactions more genuine and persuasive.
Here are five types of emotional intelligence, each playing an important role in improving sales performance.
1. Self-Awareness
This is the foundation of emotional intelligence- self-awareness is the ability to evaluate yourself socially and understand how others are considering your behavior.
If you’re self-aware, you know how you’re feeling, how you’re acting, and how you appear.
This knowledge can make you a great salesperson. Practice self-awareness consistently to improve emotional intelligence techniques for sales.
2. Self-Regulation
Self-regulation is the ability to remain calm in emotionally trying situations.
While many factors influence your feelings and may be beyond your control, if you’re highly self-regulated, you’re good at controlling your reactions.
You can make instant and straight-to-the-point decisions even if the world is falling apart around you.
Self-regulation is a necessary skill for people planning to go into sales jobs because it greatly improves sales performance with emotional intelligence.
3. Motivation
Emotionally intelligent salespeople are driven by internal motivation, not just external rewards. This makes them more resilient after rejections or setbacks, proactive in following up with leads and persistent without being forceful, as they focus on long-term client relationships.
4. Empathy
Empathy is understanding how others feel and putting yourself “in someone else’s shoes.”
While no one can completely know for sure if they’re feeling what someone else is, if you’re highly empathetic, you’re good at intuiting what their feelings might be. This works as benefits of emotional intelligence in sales that allows you to connect with others emotionally.
5. Social Awareness
Social awareness is picking up on social cues and communicating well with others.
It requires being quick on one’s feet in conversations. Socially aware salespeople are often excellent listeners who can easily figure out what’s important to their clients they speak with.
If you’re socially aware, you’re also good at perceiving power structures and group dynamics and appealing to the proper people.
Such skills will help build rapport, resolve conflicts, and influence decisions.
Role of Emotional Intelligence in Sales :
Emotional intelligence in sales helps build genuine relationships through empathy, making customers feel heard and valued, which promotes trust and loyalty.
EI also improves communication, enabling salespeople to pick up on subtle signals, handle objections with empathy, and adapt their approach to different personalities.
During negotiations, emotionally intelligent sales professionals recognise nonverbal signals and adjust their techniques and work style accordingly, increasing their chances of closing deals.
Ultimately, EI boosts resilience, helps handle rejection gracefully, and strengthens customer retention through ongoing emotional support, making it a major working component of sales success.
Traits Of Salespeople With High Emotional Intelligence
1. They’re empathetic
If you want to understand what it takes to close a deal you are making as a salesperson, you need empathy for that situation.
Being able to put yourself in your customer’s shoes is one of the most important but underrated skills a salesperson can have.
Too frequently, we strive to make people understand our point of view without taking the time to understand theirs. This is why empathy is a must-have component of emotional intelligence for sales professionals.
2. They have solid self-control
No matter how good you are at sales, you’ll have to face near-rejection.
It’s difficult not to be affected by this, and even the most experienced salespeople will have moments when they feel down and start to question what it is they’re doing.
Emotionally intelligent people, however, have excellent emotional self-control and can identify their negative feelings and work through them without letting them affect their performance.
3. They understand their own strengths and weaknesses
Practically self-awareness is a key component & brilliantly boosts emotional intelligence in the workplace.
A self-aware sales person will have numerous advantages over an oblivious one.
To start with, everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, but not everybody is willing to adjust accordingly, playing to their strengths and trying to improve in areas where they might fall short, right?
4. They’re adaptable
If you’re unwilling to bend, you might be successful with one type of client or in a kind of sale, but you probably won’t get much ahead.
Adaptability is one of the most important traits a salesperson can have, whether it’s adapting to different buying styles, different sales cycles, or adapting to adversity. You really never know what sales will throw your way.
Learning how to move forward even when you’re out of your comfort zone is a skill that the sales profession has always asked.
5. They’re optimistic
It’s difficult to have high emotional intelligence if you’re cynical, and it’s just as difficult to be a salesperson if you’re not an optimist as well.
Optimism isn’t easy to learn, but it is possible. As you develop your EQ and subsequent confidence in yourself and your abilities, your optimism is likely to increase as well, until it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.
EI training for sales teams will help you become an optimist by nature, ultimately boosting your belief in your own abilities.
5 Ways Emotional Intelligence Training Boosts Sales Performance
- EI Improves Customer Connection– EI training helps sales professionals develop empathy, allowing them to understand customer emotions and build trust-based relationships.
- EI Improves Communication Skills – Salespeople who receive this training learn to read verbal and nonverbal signals, respond effectively, and narrate their messages to relate well with different customer personalities.
- EI Strengthens Objection Handling– EI training will provide sales professionals with emotional control and active listening skills, enabling them to handle objections calmly and turn hesitations into opportunities.
- EI Increases Resilience & Motivation– By managing emotions effectively, sales teams become more resilient to rejection and maintain a positive mindset, improving long-term performance.
- EI Optimizes Negotiation & Deal Closing – Understanding emotional triggers and decision-making psychology helps salespeople tackle negotiations strategically, leading to higher close rates and better customer satisfaction.
How to Build an Emotionally Intelligent Sales Team?
Step 1: Assess Your Team’s Current EQ Level
Use EQ assessments to identify strengths & weaknesses and observe how your team handles rejection, customer objections, and stress.
Step 2: Train on Core Emotional Intelligence Skills
The skills include,
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Active listening
- Emotional regulation
Step 3: Encourage Active Listening and Empathy
Teach your team the art of active listening, focusing entirely on the customer, asking clarifying questions, and avoiding interruptions. This will help you easily increase sales with emotional intelligence.
Step 4: Promote a Supportive and Open Culture
Create a work environment where your sales team feels comfortable discussing emotional challenges.
Step 5: Use EQ in Sales Coaching & Feedback
Instead of just saying, “You need to close more deals,” use EQ-based questions to encourage self-awareness:
“How did you feel when the prospect hesitated? What could you have done differently?”
Step 6 : Track & Reward EQ Growth
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Tracking emotional intelligence KPIs ensures your team is developing real behavioral changes, not just hitting short-term sales targets.
So, do this to increase and use emotional intelligence for your team.
FAQ’s
- What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence (EI), also known as emotional quotient (EQ), is the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions.
- Why does emotional intelligence matter in sales?
Emotional intelligence matters in sales because it helps salespeople develop customer relationships, communicate well, and adjust to changing situations.
- How does emotional intelligence improve sales?
Emotional intelligence improves sales by developing a sense of trust and building rapport.
- Can salespeople be successful with low emotional intelligence?
Initial success can be achieved with low emotional intelligence, but higher EQ is more likely to lead to improved sales performance.
- Can poor emotional intelligence affect sales?
Yes, poor emotional intelligence can affect sales.
- Do people with high EQs make more sales?
Yes, salespeople with high emotional intelligence (EQ) tend to make more sales.
- What are some strategies for developing emotional intelligence in sales teams?
- Self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence.
- Improve social skills through experiential learning.
- Develop mindfulness
- Cultivate empathy
- Practice resilience
- How does emotional intelligence contribute to building strong relationships with clients?
Emotional intelligence contributes to creating rapport with customers by speaking their own language and showing interest in their feelings.
Conclusion
While product knowledge and sales techniques are undoubtedly important, emotional intelligence is the differentiator that turns good salespeople into top performers.
Investing in EI training creates a customer-centric sales team capable of achieving long-term revenue growth.
