The Essential Skill in Building B2B Sales Pipeline

​Are your sales teams securing client meetings, but have little in pipeline? Do they obtain a sale, but client usage is low? Are your client satisfaction scores less than stellar?
 
The solution may be to build the critical, but often overlooked, competency of emotional intelligence (EI).
 
In my recent study of the top skills of high performing B2B salespeople, sales leaders indicated that listening skills and customer service orientation were the most essential skills of high performers. EI is the required foundation for both competencies. Seem too simple? Keep reading.

​As our economy shifts, sales roles and competencies must adapt for businesses to remain competitive. Sales models are exceedingly relationship-based. The salesperson must develop new relationships and nurture existing clients by prioritizing customer experience. EI is the cornerstone. While social skills seem like a no-brainer, the other elements of emotional intelligence may surprise you.
 
What is EI and why is it critical for sales?
Emotional intelligence is how well you understand and regulate your own emotions and understand those of others. If authentic, EI is the ultimate relationship and trust builder with clients. Here’s how the five components of EI drive sales performance:

• Self-awareness. Understanding your values, strengths, weaknesses and triggers allows you to be proactive, to use your strengths with confidence and know when you need support. Top salespeople are confident in their abilities and aware of the root cause of shortcomings and reactions.
• Self-regulation. The companion to self-awareness, this ability includes self-control, adaptability and self-monitoring and allows you to master your reactions. High performers are calm under pressure and place distance between the situation and their reaction. They can self-monitor their sales productivity for consistent results.
• Social Skills. Interpersonal skills make it easier to do business with you. Social and interpersonal skills require self-awareness and true acceptance of others’ thoughts, ideas, values and opinions. Top salespeople can put aside their own agenda and lean into the client’s perspective for the best solution for the client. Pipeline progresses if the client feels heard and the solution fits the need.
• Motivation. You are driven toward your goals with initiative, perseverance and a growth mindset. Top salespeople don’t internalize setbacks. They learn from them and move forward.
• Empathy. This is the trust building cornerstone and pipeline builder. The ability to share, understand and feel others’ emotions and experiences allows you to put yourself in others’ shoes. Active listening, the most vital skill for B2B sales, requires empathy. Top salespeople fully understand the client’s needs. They address client concerns honestly and effectively. These quality conversations build pipeline.

How do you develop EI in your sales teams?
Great news! EI is learnable and client relationships can improve with commitment to development. Leaders can support EI development in the following four ways:

1. Create self-awareness opportunities – Executive coaches, manager coaches, individual assessments and values exercises are helpful tools for self-awareness development.
2. Provide feedback – Provide consistent and timely feedback and coaching for EI behaviors. Multi-rater (360) assessments can be used to obtain feedback from clients, peers and leaders.
3. Foster a learning culture – Encourage employees to create a development plan based on feedback. Create a coaching culture and consistently coach toward mastery of EI.
4. Recognize it - Build a culture that promotes these behaviors by sharing success stories and highlighting the role of these competencies in the success.

THE BOTTOM LINE
EI is a learnable competency that will improve client relationships and increase pipeline yet is often overlooked in development programs. Cultivating a culture that promotes, coaches and recognizes these behaviors can build a sustainable competitive advantage.
 
Rochelle Ramos is the Principal Coach and Consultant at The Development Source, LLC. She helps small and mid-size businesses achieve business goals through talent and organization development strategies.