Emotional intelligence skills are soft skills that produce hard sales results.

The word ‘soft’ is enough to turn off any hard-driving business executive. After all, doesn’t it mean that a salesperson can’t stand their ground, is in touch with their “inner child” and won’t negotiate the tough business deals? Wrong. Research conducted by the Sales Executive Council shows that the best salespeople are assertive. They are comfortable taking control of the call and hold firm on their price during tough negotiations.

Assertiveness is not a hard-selling skill; it is an emotional intelligence skill. In simple terms, it’s the ability to ask for what you need without being aggressive. Top salespeople are good at asking for what they need in order to conduct mutually profitable business. That might be requesting and getting meeting time with the right decision-makers. It’s the ability to stay firm on your price, protecting margins and your job.

Emotional intelligence is a new competitive weapon for sales organizations competing in a global, information-loaded world. What is emotional intelligence? In layman’s terms, it is the ability for a person to perceive