Great post about the emotional component of sales -

Imagine if it were true, for example, that almost nobody buys a product or service anymore simply because they need it, or because its price is the right price? That, even in an economic downturn, they have to want it as much as need it before they buy? It’s a difficult concept to grasp because, at the end of the day, it’s not about rational thought.

Talks about How Customers Think (Gerald Zaltman, Harvard) says only 5% of consumer purchasing behavior is based on rational thought processes.  So for great sales, marketing, and customer service, more emotional intelligence needed!

Especially in these tough times, people want simplicity and authenticity.

The Myth of the Rational Buyer: How Too Much Thinking Can Hurt Your Brand | Design Finds You | Fast Company.

In Leaders Worth Following I wrote, “in times of trouble, true leaders provide both comfort and challenge…. They blend head and heart to be trustworthy, courageous, and authentic – to take care of their people and walk together toward a compelling purpose.”

I’d like to emphasize the power of that purpose – it builds trust.  Not just internally, but externally as well.  Leaders with purpose, who build organizations with purpose, have a unique level of transparency and direction:  Their work is FOR something, and people can see and feel that.

Take Triodos, an alternative bank in Netherlands and branches in Spain and Britain, which invests in green, social, and cultural projects.  They have a clear, compelling mission that they live.  In times of challenge while most banks are struggling, Triodos experienced a five times increase in deposits last month.

Managing director Oliver Marquet’s explanation is they are clear about what and why they do:  “Transparency is absolutely key and explains why we hold on well in crisis.”  I suspect the transparency is driven by that clear purpose – one that also creates optimism and hope for employees and customers.

The article in Reuters today “Ethical banks win new customers” also gives the example of the Ecology Building Society in UK, whose deposits are doubling.  The bottom line: these small, purpose-driven organizations are more trustworthy because they care.

A new blog looking at stories of great customer service from business:

“RunByHumans tells stories of truly exceptional customer experiences. These stories highlight companies where employees are allowed to act like real human beings. The employees go above and beyond the call of duty to wow customers with their common sense and empathy.”

Fascinating article on new trend in training for hotel employees — the point is that old “follow the script” approaches don’t really work. To create a great hospitality experience workers need to notice their guests, think, and respond authentically.

This is a major shift and challenge for training. Most training I’ve seen, especially in hospitality, is totally behaviorally oriented. Follow the script. Problem is, people are a lot more complex. Instead in our emotional intelligence trainings, we get people to look inside and understand how to connect in a way that’s authentic for them.

Hotels train employees to think fast
By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY

Excerpts…

The new-style training programs aren’t limited to how to check in a guest or how to stack dishes in a pantry. Instead, they’re aiming to build distinctive organizational cultures that will add to the bottom line by keeping guests satisfied and loyal for years to come. Out of favor are scripted lines that hotel workers utter regardless of whether the customer appears happy, angry, tired or rushed. Now, hotel workers are being trained to speak for themselves, and to help guests in more meaningful and less conventional ways.

The new training pushes employees to understand who their guests are and why they’re at the hotel, and to anticipate what they might need.

[JF: sounds like emotional intelligence!] “Our guests value the design of our hotels, but what they really remember are the people,” says Michelle Crosby, human resources chief at lodging giant Starwood (HOT). “Their loyalty was often to a specific (employee) who’d gone out of their way for them.”

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Starwood decided to focus its training on its workers’ emotions after examining training practices at customer-service leaders like Disney (DIS), Nordstrom, Southwest Airlines (LUV) and JetBlue (JBLU). Crosby, the Starwood executive, says that for too long the industry has been too insular, resisting good customer-service ideas from other industries.

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In other words, emotionally intelligent employees connect at a “heart level” with guests and meet their needs in a way that’s authentic and memorable: The result is customer loyalty.

The missing link is emotionally intelligent leaders who foster a context where people like this can work that magic.