Soft skills hard facts (2) slideshare
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I created a deck from an article written by Colleen Stanley, founder and president of SalesLeadership Inc. As an improv trainer for the workplace, I am asked a lot about soft skills, and the benefits. This is a great testament to soft skills training.
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Soft skills hard facts (2) slideshare
- 2. Research supports the POWER of soft skills training. Soft skills are the new weapon for companies competing in a global, information loaded world. Hiring the person with the highest IQ isn’t enough, unless it is accompanied by high emotional intelligence. See more at: http://www.soldlab.com/soft-skills-produce- sales/#sthash.2eRzEUza.dpuf
- 3. In analyzing data from 40 corporations, the differentiator between average and star performers was the level of soft skills versus pure intellect and expertise. American Express Financial Advisors sales increased 18 percent after attending an Emotional Competence Program. The U.S. Air Force found that by using emotional intelligence to select recruiters, they improved hiring practices, which provided a gain of $3 million annually. People with high emotional intelligence make more money - an average of $29,000 more per year, according to the latest book byTravis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, "Emotional Intelligence 2.0." - See more at: http://www.soldlab.com/soft-skills-produce- sales/#sthash.2eRzEUza.dpuf
- 4. Self-awareness, being focused Why it matters? Hours of training cannot help you if you buckle under pressure from a tough client or prospect If a sales person cannot handle pressure and freezes up, it becomes a transactional sale versus a value sale. In sales, expertise doesn’t always win deals, but the ability to manage all the dynamics that occur when interfacing with multiple influences and personalities. Becoming more focused, slowing down and being more concerned with the prospect than oneself, a salesperson will excel.
- 5. Assertiveness-Confidence A sales person benefits when they keep things moving and disqualify poor opportunities early in the sales cycle. Be fearless, not afraid to make firm decisions. An assertive sales person will take initiative and do what needs to be done, without dwelling on the past.
- 6. Empathy-”I feel your pain.” One of the biggest problems companies face is the salesperson’s inability to relate to the prospect. Prospects can sense true empathy, it builds trust and furthers the relationship. An authentic, honest and selfless approach to sales will yield big results.
- 7. By incorporating soft skills training, companies can address the bigger, and sometimes hidden challenges for their sales teams. Soft Skills are just as important as IQ, you can’t afford to leave a gap. Improv training teaches soft skills, and offers a vehicle to practice these skills until they becomes instinctual.
- 8. Consultative SalesAbility Soft Skills-Emotional Intelligence EstablishingTrust Resourcefulness Empathy Confidence Storytelling
- 9. Innovative and Progressive. Appeals to today’s Agile workforce. Interpersonal communications and soft skills are the most difficult to teach, it goes way beyond product knowledge. Improv training focuses on soft skills and emotional intelligence-what most companies do not cover with their existing modules.
- 10. Improv tools used in business are becoming more and more appealing in today’s uncertain and ever changing economy. Well known institutions like MIT, Duke, Stanford and Harvard have integrated improv into their business curriculum. Companies like Twitter, Google, Accenture and Cigna have all endorsed improv as an innovative way to train and run their companies.
Editor's Notes
- Research supports the power of soft skills, often referred to as "emotional intelligence" skills. They're the new weapon for companies competing in a global, information-loaded world. It's no longer enough to hire a person with the highest IQ, unless that IQ is accompanied by high emotional intelligence.- See more at: http://www.soldlab.com/soft-skills-produce-sales/#sthash.2eRzEUza.dpuf
- (1) Emotional self-awareness - This is the foundational skill for emotional intelligence.Many well-intentioned sales managers invest hours in sales training, only to have the salesperson buckle under pressure from a tough prospect or client. That's when the sales manager needs to understand that it's no longer about sales technique; it's about teaching their team to manage emotions being triggered by tough prospects.When a salesperson allows emotions to run wild, the brain freezes up, resulting in a transactional sales meeting versus a value sales meeting.Research shows that highly successful people excel at managing their emotions. Take the profession of trial lawyers, such as a litigators or prosecutors. Is it knowledge of the law that wins trials, or is it the lawyer's ability to manage the many dynamics that occur in the courtroom, from the judge to the opposing attorney?The same applies to sales. Is it expertise that wins deals, or the ability to manage all the dynamics that occur when interfacing with multiple buying influences and personalities?Help your sales team become more self-aware by slowing down and debriefing the sales call. Analyze any nonproductive emotions experienced during a tough sales call and figure out the root cause of the emotion. Was the salesperson intimidated? Were they too concerned about themselves and not the prospect?Here's the rule: no awareness, no change, same outcomes. - See more at: http://www.soldlab.com/soft-skills-produce-sales/#sthash.2eRzEUza.dpuf
- (2) Assertiveness - The assertive salesperson knows how to state what they need without becoming aggressive or pushy. They're good at moving the call forward and disqualifying poor opportunities early in the sales cycle.A salesperson scoring low in assertiveness often ends up in chase mode because they aren't comfortable setting firm agreements for the next step. Or they do a lot of practice proposals because they're not assertive enough to ask for a meeting with all the decision makers.It's the "knowing and doing" gap. The salesperson knows what to do because the sales manager has taught them the strategies and tactics for all of the above. The lack of doing comes from poor skills in assertiveness.Sales managers often misdiagnose this problem and continue to provide even more sales skill training when the salesperson really needs focused attention on assertiveness training or reassignment to another department. - See more at: http://www.soldlab.com/soft-skills-produce-sales/#sthash.2eRzEUza.dpuf
- 3) Empathy - Ever heard the expression, "I feel your pain"? In other words, I am empathetic to your situation. Empathy is the ability to step in another person's shoes and see things from their perspective.Wonder if that skill is of value to customers. Regarding empathy, the biggest problem companies face is the inability of salespeople to focus and be present. This ability, or lack of it, often is taught by senior management.Think of the last company meeting you attended? How many participants were really present? You know, no one checking their BlackBerry while a colleague was speaking? Anything that's repeated often becomes a habit, and the habit of not being present shows up during sales meetings.Many salespeople are losing the ability to focus on the prospect for one hour without checking something electronic or thinking of the next thing on their to-do list. We all know when a person isn't fully engaged, and so do your prospects.Teach your team the lyrics to an old song, "Love the One You're With." Quit worrying about what just happened and what's going to happen, and be present.So get soft this year and start working on the right end of the sales problem. Incorporate soft-skills training with consultative sales training - because soft skills do yield hard sales results. - See more at: http://www.soldlab.com/soft-skills-produce-sales/#sthash.2eRzEUza.dpuf
- 3) Empathy - Ever heard the expression, "I feel your pain"? In other words, I am empathetic to your situation. Empathy is the ability to step in another person's shoes and see things from their perspective.Wonder if that skill is of value to customers. Regarding empathy, the biggest problem companies face is the inability of salespeople to focus and be present. This ability, or lack of it, often is taught by senior management.Think of the last company meeting you attended? How many participants were really present? You know, no one checking their BlackBerry while a colleague was speaking? Anything that's repeated often becomes a habit, and the habit of not being present shows up during sales meetings.Many salespeople are losing the ability to focus on the prospect for one hour without checking something electronic or thinking of the next thing on their to-do list. We all know when a person isn't fully engaged, and so do your prospects.Teach your team the lyrics to an old song, "Love the One You're With." Quit worrying about what just happened and what's going to happen, and be present.So get soft this year and start working on the right end of the sales problem. Incorporate soft-skills training with consultative sales training - because soft skills do yield hard sales results. - See more at: http://www.soldlab.com/soft-skills-produce-sales/#sthash.2eRzEUza.dpuf