Whether you’re building your own B2B telemarketing team or looking for a B2B partner to assist with your telemarketing campaign, it’s important to find telemarketers with high emotional intelligence (EQ).
Here’s why you should hire emotionally intelligent people, and how you can achieve this:Why is it important to hire emotionally intelligent people?
The founder and CEO of AudienceBloom and guest writer for The Entrepreneur Jason DeMers discusses five major benefits:
- Better communication – While experts may disagree on the actual number, there's little debate that most communication is done through voice tone and body language. Emotionally intelligent employees are better at understanding people around them as well as expressing themselves.
- Even temperament – Emotionally intelligent employees can manage their emotions, which leads to a more stable and more efficient work environment.
- Co-worker rapport – Emotionally intelligent people relate to others easily and have more effective communication skills. They also provide additional support to the team in difficult times, making them incredibly valuable.
- Client needs – Engaging with clients, addressing their needs and building lasting relationships is difficult. A high level of emotional intelligence will make this easier, and when things go wrong, will also help defuse stressful situations.
- Proactivity and foresight – Emotionally intelligent employees are more proactive in their engagements with others because of their ability to better understand that person’s emotional state.
They're also better able to understand their own emotions and communicate their needs to their managers or coworkers, helping avoid even emotional distress that may have greater consequences for those around them.
How to select for emotional intelligence
American Business magazine Inc explores the hiring advice of Harvard Business Review op-ed writer and senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, Annie McKee:
- Ask about experiences with people – Your questions should delve deep into a person's experience with people and relationships. Engage with them about conflict or challenges and gauge their response. Failure to discuss their own emotions or the emotions of others could indicate a lack of emotional intelligence.
- Talk to references – There's nothing wrong with letters of recommendation, but it's best that you actually speak to references. This will allow you to ask more about the individual in question, even asking the reference directly about the emotional intelligence of the applicant.
- Don't use a personality test – There is debate around the use of personality tests, with McKee believing that they aren't a good fit for measuring EQ since they aren't designed for gauging an individual's emotions and responses.
These tips will help you choose B2B telemarketing employees or find a partner agency that suits your needs.
GCL – an emotionally intelligent B2B telemarketing partner
GCL is an international B2B telemarketing and lead generation agency with over 30 years of experience. We've worked with many clients, including the likes of IBM, KPMG, Adobe and Volvo. Our telemarketers understand the importance of emotional intelligence, which is why our service is unscripted and available in a language that is relevant to your region. If you’d like to know more about our services, be sure to contact us today.
If you’d like to learn more about emotional intelligence and the role it plays in your approach to marketing, be sure to read our ebook Connecting With Your Leads Using EQ: Understanding The Critical Role Of Emotional Intelligence In Marketing.
