Sales EQ

JEB BLOUNT is CEO of Sales Gravy, Inc. He advises many of the world’s leading organizations and their executives on the impact of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills on customer experience, strategic account management, sales, and developing high-performing sales teams. He is the author of eight books, including Fanatical Prospecting, People Love You, People Follow You, and People Buy You.

• Foreword Anthony Iannarino xiiiChapter 1 The Mysterious Brown Bag 1The Lesson of a Lifetime 2A Front-Row Seat into the Mind of a UHP 4Chapter 2 A Perfect Sales Storm 7Meet the Ultra-High-Performance Sales Professional 9Chapter 3 The Irrational Buyer 11Nail-Biting Suspense 12The Answer 12The Reason 13To Buy Is Human 14The Secret Ingredient 17Approach Buyers the Way They Buy 18Chapter 4 Pattern Painting, Cognitive Biases, and Heuristics 20Pattern Monster 21Pattern Painting 22Mental Shortcuts 23People Act on Emotion and Justify with Logic 24Chapter 5 The Four Levels of Sales Intelligence 28Innate Intelligence 29Acquired Intelligence 30A Thirst for Knowledge 31Technological Intelligence 32Emotional Intelligence 33IQ + AQ + TQ + EQ—A Powerful Combination 33Chapter 6 Shaping Win Probability 35Poetry 36Win Probability Is the First Rule of Ultra-High Sales Performance 36Fanatical Prospecting 38The Law of Replacement 39Disciplined Qualifying 40Mapping Stakeholders 40Aligning the Three Processes of Sales 41Sales EQ and Human Influence Frameworks 42Chapter 7 Dual Process 44Sales EQ Balances the Scales 45Four Pillars of Sales-Specific Emotional Intelligence 46Chapter 8 Empathy 48The Foundation of Sales EQ 50Empathy Scale 50Intentional Empathy 52Regulating Empathy 54Chapter 9 Self-Awareness 56Self-Awareness Is the Mother of High Sales EQ 57Psychometric Assessments 58Get a Coach or Mentor 59Ask for Feedback 60Write Down Your Goals and Plans 60360-Degree Review 60Self-Reflection 62Chapter 10 Sales Drive 64Developing Drive 66Physical Fitness 68Develop Mental Toughness 70Chapter 11 Self-Control 72Managing Disruptive Emotions 73Genesis of Disruptive Emotions 74Fight or Flight 77Cognitive Biases 80Developing Self-Control 84Rise Above Emotion and Choose Your Behaviors 93Chapter 12 Shaping Win Probability Begins with Qualification 95Chasing Ugly Deals 96Define the Strike Zone 97Qualifying Methodologies and Shortcuts 97Nine-Frame Qualification Matrix 101Measure Every Prospect against Your Ideal Qualified Prospect Profile 104Murder Boarding 107Chapter 13 Engagement and Micro-Commitments 109Testing Engagement 110Tune In to Emotions 111Micro-Commitments 113Leveraging the Value Bias and Consistency Principle 114Getting Caught Up in Emotion 115Chapter 14 Stalled Deals and Next Steps 118The Bane of Sales Organizations 119The Cardinal Rule of Sales Conversations 120Getting Past the Next-Step Brush-Off 122Ledge 123Disrupt 124Ask 126Chapter 15 Sales Process 128Disruptive Emotions Disrupt the Sales Process 129Winging It 130Complexity Is the Enemy of Execution 133No Sales Process 133Aligning the Three Processes of Sales 137Chapter 16 Buying Process 139Mapping the Buying Process 140The Danger of Getting Out of Sync 140Average Salespeople Dance 143Shaping the Buying Process 143Get There First 145Leverage 147Average Salespeople Become Buying Process Puppets 148Chapter 17 The Five Stakeholders You Meet in a Deal 150The Higher the Risk, the More Stakeholders Involved 151Know Your Audience 152Hearts Before Minds 154Basic 155The One Question Ultra-High Performers Never Ask 157BASIC Mapping 159Chapter 18 Decision Process 160Influencing the Decision Process 162Aligning the Three Processes of Sales 163The Five Questions That Matter Most in Sales 163Aligning Decision Making with Social Proof 164Chapter 19 Do I Like You? 166No Second Chances with First Impressions 167Likability: The Gateway to Emotional Connections 168Connect 168Pitch Slapping 170Ten Keys to Being More Likable 172Connecting Is the Gateway to Lowering Emotional Walls and Discovery 173Chapter 20 Flexing to Complement the Four Primary Stakeholder Personas 175Four Predominant Stakeholder Personas 176Director (DISC Equivalent: Dominant) 177Analyzer (DISC Equivalent: Conscientious) 178Socializer/Energizer (DISC Equivalent: Influential) 179Consensus Builder (DISC Equivalent: Steady) 180Style Personas Shift 181Chapter 21 Sales Call Agenda Framework 183Greeting 184Call Objective 187Check Your Stakeholder’s Agenda 188Frame the Conversation 192Emotional Contagion: People Respond in Kind 194Chapter 22 Do You Listen to Me? 197Why People Don’t Listen 198Four Principles of Effective Sales Conversations 199The Fine Art of Listening 201Active Listening 202Listen Deeply 203Activating the Self-Disclosure Loop 204Chapter 23 Discovery: Sales Is a Language of Questions 207The Tour 209Alpha and Omega 211Joe the Interrogator 212Ask Easy Questions First 214The Power of Open-Ended Questions 216Avoid the Pump and Pounce 217Fluid Dual Process Discovery 218Developing Go-To Questions 221Chapter 24 Do You Make Me Feel Important? 225The Most Insatiable Human Need 226How to Make People Feel Important 227The Law of Reciprocity 229Obligation and Win Probability 231Chapter 25 Do You Get Me and My Problems? 232You Can’t Differentiate When Everything Looks the Same 234The Age of Transparency 235Do You Get Me? 236People Buy for Their Reasons, Not Yours 237The Power of Language 238Message Matters 240The “So What?” Smell Test 241The Fine Art of Bridging 242The Three-Step Bridging Framework 244Chapter 26 Asking: The Most Important Sales Discipline 248Closing 249Afraid to Ask 250The Assumptive Ask 252Shut Up 254Chapter 27 Turning Around Objections 258How Salespeople Create Objections 259Status Quo Bias and Why Buyers Object 260You Cannot Argue Stakeholders Out of an Objection 263Five-Step Objection Turnaround Framework 263Chapter 28 Do I Trust and Believe You? 270Emotional Baggage 271You Are Always on Stage 272One Brick at a Time 273Chapter 29 Amache 275Notes 281Training and Workshops 288About the Author 290Acknowledgments 292Index 294