Editors note: This is the fifth article in a series called The Decision Maker
Although the auto Industry is slowly moving away from attracting and hiring the typical ‘car guy’, and towards more customer service-focused employees, including women, the change isn’t happening fast enough to keep up the increased expectations of your male and female consumers. The only way to combat this is to train for EQ!
Until we can make the industry an attractive place to work, training for EQ is our best bet for creating more positive moments when interacting with our customers, especially the female consumer.
What is EQ?
EQ is that good stuff like having self-awareness, listening skills, and empathy. Emotional intelligence is having the capacity to blend thinking and feeling to make optimal decisions —It’s critical to building your sales to women. One of the main reasons women walk out is because they don’t like the way they were approached or treated.
Sales associates with high EQ can read people’s nonverbal cues and adjust their approach based on the needs of each consumer.
How Do you Train for EQ?
Focus your training on soft skills (EQ) and layer in the IQ (product knowledge) as you go.
Here are the skills you’ll want to train for increased EQ
Enhanced Emotional Literacy & Recognize Patterns
Get your team to accurately identify and interpret both simple and complex feelings by frequently acknowledging recurring reactions and behaviours during interaction with customers.
Consequential Thinking
Have your team practice evaluate the costs and benefits of their choices when interacting with customers. Give your team scenarios to role play through; they can talk through the cost or benefit to reacting in particular ways.
Optimism
Take time to have your team practice taking a proactive perspective of hope and possibility in all situations. Positive behaviour breeds positive behaviour and an optimistic outlook is the fuel to an optimistic culture.
Increased Compassion & Empathy
I saved the best for last! Recognizing and appropriately responding to others’ emotions plays a significant role in how EQ comes full circle. Understanding how to flip the lens, show compassion & empathy for situations will go a long way in customer satisfaction.
At the core, emotional intelligence is something you need to own and essentially BE. By being smarter with feelings, you will more accurately recognize emotions in yourself and others. This knowledge will help you make decisions and craft effective solutions to the customer interactions you face each day.
Watch Magic Happen!
When you blend EQ and IQ, you will receive maximum engagement from your female consumer. The EQ skills you provide your team members will go a long way to turning transactional moments into interactional experiences. Magic happens when you can blend both the world of transactions and experiences.
