Here's how you can adapt to different selling styles using emotional intelligence.

Understanding your prospect, audience's style is crucial for making your message easy to understand from their perspective. Different prospects have different preferences: some are tech,savvy, some have high economic value and prefer simple explanations, some are very analytical, and others prefer an informal approach. By knowing your prospect's style, you can tailor your approach to suit each one.Emotional intelligence helps you better understand and see from your prospect's perspective, fostering a genuine desire to help them solve their problems. Consider what your audience's style is and what their needs, interests, goals, and expectations are.

Everyone likes talking to people they think are like them. It’s human nature. That’s why, when talking to a prospect or customer, it’s important for you to be like them. You’ll find greater success if you deal with a Type A personality, with a Type A personality. I’ve learned after living in Atlanta for a long time that conversations move at a different pace than they do where I was born in Chicago. You don’t have to have multiple personalities to be a chameleon. You just need to listen and respond accordingly. Plus, you need to react early in the customer’s buying cycle.

Everyone likes talking to people they think are like them. It’s human nature. That’s why, when talking to a prospect or customer, you need to be like them. You’ll find greater success if you deal with a Type A personality. After living in Atlanta for a long time, I've learned that conversations move at a different pace than they do where I was born in Chicago. You don’t have to have multiple personalities to be a chameleon. You just need to listen and respond accordingly. Plus, it would help if you reacted early in the customer’s buying cycle. Understanding Customer's Pace and Style: Matching Personality Types: Active Listening and Mirroring: Adapting Early in the Sales Cycle: Continuous Feedback and Adjustment:

When you can understand how to communicate both from a thinking and emotional perspective this can really help develop your sales ability. It's crucial to be able to flex your selling style and ensure you are able to reach your prospect in their language and connect with their feelings about purchasing. Using a personality framework like DISC or Clarity 4D to understand and develop these skills and abilities can help considerably.

Being able to read and respond to customers emotional cues, salespeople with high EQ can build rapport and establish a connection with their customers. The can also navigate difficult conversations and objections with empathy and understanding, which can lead to a more successful outcome.

Active listening means listening without assuming or judging that you already know what the other person is trying to say. It involves listening with empathy to what they're saying, genuinely caring and being interested in their message. You focus on what they're saying and thinking, visualizing their perspective. Mirroring their body language and asking Socratic questions (a series of open-ended questions) encourages reflection. Active listening goes beyond just hearing the words spoken. It's also about paying attention to the other person's nonverbal cues to understand their needs and goals.

Instead of active listening in sales, you can employ several alternative strategies to effectively engage with prospects and customers. Here are a few: Probing Questions Leveraging Data and Analytics Providing Value-Added Content Social Selling Building Rapport Showcasing Product Benefits Empathizing with Challenges

A way to show you were actively listening is by starting a sentence with, what I heard you saying was....and ending with, is that correct?

Active listening is a crucial component of emotional intelligence that enables sales professionals to understand and respond effectively to their clients' needs. Letting them know "I hear you". Pay close attention to verbal and non-verbal cues, listen carefully to what the client is saying, noting the specific words and phrases they use. Do they express enthusiasm and emotions, suggesting they are more expressive or reserved, or are more analytical? Non-verbal cues are just as important, observe the client's body language, facial expressions, and eye contact. Are they leaning forward and engaging actively, or do they appear reserved and hesitant? These non-verbal signals provide valuable insights into their comfort level and engagement.

Rapport is the precursor to empathy. We can’t pretend to have empathy. Empathy is not about shifting the conversation to what you want to say or judging your customer. It’s about being fully engaged and present to someone else’s emotions.

-Find Common Ground: Identify shared interests or experiences to create a connection. Mentioning mutual connections or common interests can foster familiarity. -Personalize Communication: Tailor your approach based on the client’s personality. For example, use data-driven discussions with analytical clients and focus on personal stories with relationship-oriented clients. -Be Authentic: Be genuine and honest in your interactions. Authenticity builds trust and fosters a deeper connection.

I support 100% the RAPPORT BUILDING since all the sales process is looking to establish connection and trust among your prospects, customers and yourself. It's all about finding common ground between both parties. I have several examples that sales process started with the "wrong foot" and whenever I found the common ground, and created rapport, the relationship dynamics improved dramatically bringing the business to our company or increasing the level of investment in our product or service. I recommend, fist than anything else, to "investigate deeply" what "moves" your client and in an soft and honest approach deliver the common ground between you two.

? Pause Before Responding: Take a moment to think before you react. This helps you control your immediate emotional response and respond more thoughtfully. ? Stay Calm: Practice deep breathing or mindfulness techniques to keep your emotions in check during stressful situations. This helps you remain composed and rational. ? Use Neutral Language: When addressing a concern or issue, use language that is neutral and non-confrontational. Avoid blaming or accusatory statements. ? Acknowledge Emotions: Recognize and validate your own emotions and those of others. Saying things like, “I can see this is frustrating for you,” can help diffuse tension.

Do this Simple. Understand Your Audience Tailor Your Message Be Clear and Concise Listen Actively Use Nonverbal Cues Adapt to Different Styles Be Empathetic Ask for Feedback

Remember words only represent 7% of communication. While body language accounts for 55%. Consider aligning your gestures with different personality styles: When conveying empathy to amiable's and expressive's, use mirroring and warm, consistent eye contact to show alignment and engagement. Employ open gestures and active listening with nods to foster a deeper connection. For drivers and analytics, adopt a confident posture with direct, focused eye contact to demonstrate your competence. Tailoring your body language to personality types enhances interactions and exhibits higher emotional intelligence in the workplace.

? Ask Open-Ended Questions: Encourage clients to share more about their needs and concerns by asking questions that require more than a yes/no answer, such as “Can you tell me more about that?” ? Personalize Responses: Tailor your responses to show that you understand their specific situation. Use phrases like, “Based on what you’ve shared, it sounds like…” ? Share Similar Experiences: If appropriate, share your own experiences or those of other clients to show empathy and understanding. This can help build a connection and show that you’ve dealt with similar issues.

FOLLOWING UP is the most crucial step in sales process and where most of us fail. 80% of sales require 5 follow-up calls after the meeting. 44% of sales reps give up after 1 follow-up. 92% of sales pros give up after the 4th call, but 80% of prospects say no four times before they say yes.

Based on my experience you have to become the DEVIL'S ADVOCATE inside your company. If you truly defend your customer's goals, strategies and let your customer know that you will always defend the interests you both agreed upon the client will feel you are not solely a supoplier but a PARTNER and even a CONSULTANT! You have to become the PERSON inside your company that knows more about your client services / products.