Doors open and close in our lives because of emotional intelligence—
or its absence. Nowhere is this truth more evident than in the sales profession.
Sales professionals must straddle the fine emotional lines between being:

•Assertive but not pushy

• Conversational but not overly loquacious


• Energetic but not tempestuous (manic)


• Callous to rejection but sensitive to concerns
  •Empathetic but not absorbing

Think of any doors that have been slammed in your face and assess the
approach you used. Was your approach emotionally intelligent? Probably
not. More than likely, someone took offense at your approach, took a hold
of the door handle, and... slam! Conversely, look at the doors that have
been opened and that have paid dividends. Chances are your approach was
different. You played your cards right—a metaphor for emotional intelli-
gence at the strategic level—and reaped rewards for doing so.
A door of awareness in your brain swings open and closes in syn-
chronicity with the doors that open and close in the material world. That

1

INTRODUCTION TO EQ

Five Critical Levels of Awareness

“Being aware is more important than being smart.”

—PHIL JACKSON

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CHAPTER ONE