concern, to forget this fact for a second. If you think that this is
about you, you won’t last long.THE GAME IS WHEEL OF FORTUNE—
THE WORD ON THE BOARD IS SE––INGOur clue is that this word describes what a sales professional must be
looking to do every hour of every day with every client to achieve success.
Which letter(s) would you like? A good majority of contestants in the sales
profession would ask for the letter Land spell selling.However, the emo-
tionally intelligent answer would be to ask for an Rand a Vand spell serving.
Within that dichotomy lies the foundation upon which emotional intelli-
gence can be built.
Is it even possible to think of serving others before serving myself,
when I so clearly have something to gain by selling? The question I’d like
to propose is, “Why would any sales professional wantto sell any product or
service to a client who did not truly want or need that particular product
or service?” To make a quick buck? The odds are that, sooner or later,
clients will discover this motive, and their anger will turn the short-term
financial gain into a long-term loss of clientele. Emotional intelligence is
an imperative in our relationships with clients. Today’s client has devel-
oped a keen sense in sniffing out self-interest.
IT’S THE RELATIONSHIP
I recently ran into Greg, a fellow who years ago worked for Larry, a
friend of mine who is a seasoned sales veteran. I had not seen Greg in years,
and our conversation quickly turned to Larry, whose mantra has always
been, “It’s all about the relationship.”
Greg said, “Back when I worked for Larry, I never really believed him
about everything being about the relationship. I thought the best way was
to show the client what I knew and what I could do. But now, in my new ca-
reer, I see how right Larry was. It really isall about the relationship. People
have to come to a place where they feel comfortable with me as a person. I
just wished I would have believed it earlier.”
Larry’s mantra, though simple, is hard to improve upon. “It’s all about
the relationship.” And it takes emotional intelligence to build that rela-
tionship and to keep it working.
x Introduction