These small acts of neglect add up over time and can come back to haunt
you—when you may need the help of one of the people you failed to treat
courteously.
Recently overheard as a salesperson was leaving an office: “Don’t you
just love dealing with him? He is always so pleasant.” If that’s the only im-
pression you leave with your clients, chances are you will come out a winner.
LIKES AND DISLIKES
As part of our study on selling with emotional intelligence, we asked
clients who had regular, daily exposure to sales professionals the following
questions: “What kind of salespeople do you like? And dislike?”
Listed are the six most common responses for each category. Generally
speaking, people prefer those who pay attention to them much more than
self-centered attention seekers.
People naturally take a liking to those who are interested in others and
who are unpretentious, honest, and respectful. It doesn’t take a Ph.D. to fig-
ure out these aspects of human interaction, but obviously, from the feedback
I’ve received, not all sales professionals have done the emotional math or ex-
ercised enough self-inspection to ensure that their conduct measures up.
BIG EMOTIONAL NO-NO’S
The next question we asked was, “What are the biggest mistakes you’ve
seen sales professionals make?”
The “Likability” Quotient 207I like people who...
- Pay attention to my opinions
and ideas
•Talk to me on my level
- Show me respect
•Tell the truth
- Make an effort to connect with
me - Have a sense of humor
I dislike people who...
•Are disingenuous and
manipulative
•Can’t see past their own noses
•Pretend to be something they
are not- “One-up” and always shift the
conversation back to themselves - Use candor at the expense of
others - Are overly serious about
everything