Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own and others' emotions. It can help you build stronger relationships, communicate more effectively, and improve your customer retention. In this article, you will learn how to use EI to get to know your customers better and meet their needs and expectations.
Before you can use EI to understand your customers, you need to assess your own level of EI. How well do you handle stress, feedback, and conflict? How empathetic are you to others' feelings and perspectives? How flexible are you to change and uncertainty? You can use online tools, such as the Emotional Intelligence Test or the EQ-i 2.0, to measure your EI and identify your strengths and areas for improvement.
I will keep it short; Empathy: Understand and validate customers' feelings. Social Awareness: Notice emotional cues and signals. Effective Communication: Tailor language to resonate emotionally. Conflict Resolution: Handle complaints calmly and respectfully. Adaptability: Adjust approach based on customer emotions. Emotionally Intelligent Marketing: Appeal to emotions for loyalty. Feedback Interpretation: Understand underlying emotions in feedback. Using emotional intelligence in these ways helps to better understand and connect with customers, leading to improved satisfaction and loyalty.
EI is crucial when interacting with potential buyers. As a salesperson we will all encounter different type of personalities and even angry people. Speaking in a calm manner, being able to listen and put yourself in your buyer's shoes and showing empathy will help de-escalade a stressful situation.
Head of Operations at The Uniform Guys AU | Physiotherapist | RAID SCUBA Diver
We can always turn to objective tools to assess our own EI. However, the best way to determine or EI level, accompanied by factors including stress management, empathy, feedback reaction, and conflict management, is to be critiqued by your colleagues or from someone who directly observes you. These people are the ones who can tell you the nitty gritty details about your EI.
To better understand your customers using emotional intelligence, try to connect with how they feel, listen carefully to what they say, ask questions to understand their thoughts and feelings, adjust how you talk based on how they seem to be feeling, and use what you learn to make them happier and solve their problems better.
Absolutely. Every customer has different emotions dealing with a problem. The best a could do is give them the confidence that they would be looked after and their priorities were pur first. I didn't like trying to calm down crying women when their vehicle suffered a major problem. Single moms were definitely the hardest to get to stop crying. I definitely used my budget for accidents to help them out. Who else would look after them. They would spread the word to her friends and I got a lot of business as a result.
One of the most important skills of EI is active listening. Active listening means paying attention to what your customers are saying, both verbally and non-verbally, and showing interest and respect. It also means asking open-ended questions, summarizing what you heard, and clarifying any doubts or confusion. Active listening can help you understand your customers' needs, preferences, pain points, and emotions better and show them that you care.
Listening is a skill. This is why we have two ears and one mouth. You can only find out your buyer's problems by listening them. Even an angry buyer will eventually calm down, if you put yourself in their shoes, listen them, showing empathy, and showing genuine desire in helping them and fix a certain issue.
Simply, you have to actively listen to your customer and whatever request they have or question they're asking, you need to be precise on what to reply and what to do based on what they've said.
Another key skill of EI is empathy. Empathy means putting yourself in your customers' shoes and trying to feel what they feel. It also means acknowledging their emotions and validating their experiences. Empathy can help you build rapport and trust with your customers, as well as anticipate their expectations and desires. To empathize with your customers, you can use techniques such as mirroring their language and tone, expressing appreciation and gratitude, and offering support and solutions.
As previously mentioned, empathy and putting yourself in your customers' shoes will only help you being perceived as a genuine consultant and partner, rather than a salesperson who is just trying to sell something. Human beings tend to like others who resembles them. This is why mirroring your customers' tone and body language will help you be perceived as someone your customers would like to work with.
A third skill of EI is adaptability. Adaptability means being able to adjust your behavior and communication style to suit different situations and personalities. It also means being open to feedback and learning from your mistakes. Adaptability can help you improve your customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as deal with challenges and conflicts. To adapt to your customers' styles, you can use tools such as the DISC model or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to identify your customers' preferences and tendencies, and then tailor your approach accordingly.
The best personality, a salesperson should have is "chameleon". This approach will help you adapt depending on your buyers' personality type. There are also buyer personalities who hate being insistent with them, while others appreciate being persuaded. This is why understanding your customers' personality is crucial. Another aspect is understanding the regions your buyers' are from. People based in Asia tend to be more indirect, especially when it comes to feedback. Europe and US are different. This is why understanding where your customers are coming from will help you shape your approach.
A fourth skill of EI is self-management. Self-management means being able to control your own emotions and impulses, especially when facing stress, pressure, or frustration. It also means being able to stay calm, positive, and professional in any situation. Self-management can help you avoid emotional reactions that can damage your customer relationships, such as anger, defensiveness, or apathy. To manage your own emotions, you can use strategies such as breathing exercises, positive affirmations, or self-reflection.
Head of Operations at The Uniform Guys AU | Physiotherapist | RAID SCUBA Diver
The most important thing to always remember when dealing with rude, agitated, angry, or disrespectful customers is to be CALM. Same goes when you're also dealing with stress, pressure, and frustration. Whatever things you're about to say or whichever actions you're going to do, make sure you calm yourself first if you aren't in the workplace or when dealing with customers. You cannot make rational decisions or say the appropriate words if your mind is not CALM.
Managing your own emotions is something that is learned over time. A salesperson is someone who solves other people's problems. You cannot sell something if you don't have a solution to someone else's problems. Self-management is something that successful salespeople learn over time. As Brian Tracy said, the best way to deal with an angry customer is to speak to them calmly, and they will eventually calm down.
The good news is that EI is not a fixed trait that you are born with or without. It is a set of skills that you can develop and improve over time. To develop your EI skills, you can use resources such as books, podcasts, courses, or coaching. You can also practice your EI skills in your daily interactions with your customers, colleagues, and others. By doing so, you will be able to better understand your customers and retain them for the long term.
Seek Feedback and Act on It: Encourage open and honest feedback from your customers about their emotional experiences with your products or services. Use this feedback to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments to better meet their emotional needs and expectations.