Developing Self-Awareness in Sales
This key factor of emotional intelligence can help reps consistently show up at their best
Self-awareness is often defined as a person’s ability to identify their own emotions and be aware of how those emotions impact their decisions and behaviors.
Why is this important in sales?
Because emotions are contagious. Most of us know this from lived experience, but science also supports it. It’s a fundamental, but often overlooked, aspect of human social interaction. For sales reps, this means self-awareness can foster positive experiences (and more business!). Without it, reps could be leaving money on the table. Self-aware reps recognize this and can better control their emotions and thinking in the moment. This makes for more positive sales calls.
Self-awareness is a crucial component of emotional intelligence (EQ)—a differentiator in sales that allows companies to double revenue and sell an average of 12% more than sales teams without training in EQ. We explore all five aspects of EQ in our e-book, The Sales EQ Playbook.
Becoming Self-aware
Without self-awareness, people may find there are significant gaps between what they think and how they act—which makes for blind spots and confusion in their interactions with others. Essentially, without self-awareness, the brain is on autopilot, steered by thoughts, emotions, and memories both good and bad. The good news? People—including, of course, sales reps—can bring awareness to what’s happening inside of them, rewire their brains, and improve their client interactions.
For individuals that want to develop self-awareness, they may integrate a few practices into their lives, including:
Meditation: By providing a way to observe thoughts, feelings, and behaviors without judgment, meditation can help people notice their mental and emotional patterns more easily. Meditation doesn’t have to be intimidating! We recommend starting with just two to three minutes, focusing on your breath. Try silently counting your inhales and exhales to keep your mind focused. Want a little more guidance? Try an app like InsightTimer, Calm, or Headspace.
Journaling: Journaling creates a dedicated space for reflection on thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and over time can spur greater understanding of patterns and triggers. All of which support self-awareness. Try journaling at the end of the day—even just a few sentences can make a difference! Here are a few prompts to get you started:
What was the most challenging thing about today?
What is something you learned today?
What small change can you make in your daily work that supports your goals?
How did you use your strengths today?
Regular reflection: If structured approaches don’t work well, making space at the middle and/or end of your day for reflection can be meaningful. Simply set aside two to three minutes and consider:
What has happened in the last several hours?
How do you feel about it?
Are these thoughts and feelings something you want to carry with you for the rest of the day or into tomorrow?
Coaching Self-awareness
You can’t change what you aren’t aware you’re doing. That’s why regular coaching is so crucial for a successful sales program. Yet helping your team develop greater self-awareness may feel tricky. Here are some tactics to get started to get you started.
Foster Self-Reflection
Encourage daily reflection as a regular part of work life. At the end of the day, ask everyone on your sales team to spend a few moments reflecting on their sales conversations that day, what went well, what could be improved, and what they learned. This exercise can also be done after every single in-home sales call.
Create a Safe Space
Whether one-on-one or in a group setting, create a safe and supportive space to share constructive feedback with your reps and point out where and how their behavior influences others. This fosters trust, allows people to become aware of their blind spots, and helps them cultivate self-awareness.
Cultivate Mindfulness
Encourage mindfulness on your team by sharing helpful tips such as taking a full moment before a sales call to breathe and focus on the present moment. This can help reps be more present in the interactions that follow with prospects. Another method is to encourage reps to set an intention for a sales call, which helps them to focus on a strategic outcome to improve.
Encourage Accountability
Empower your team by asking them to develop their own developmental action plan, outlining the areas they are most passionate about improving and the steps to get there. This gives them a sense of ownership and commitment to the process of developing better sales skills while encouraging self-reflection.
Be a Role Model
Ask for feedback on your own blind spots, model vulnerability, take responsibility for your actions, and aim to build an environment of trust and open communication.
Accelerate Self-awareness
Reps who understand how their emotions shape their decisions and interactions are better equipped to build trust, influence outcomes, and create positive experiences for their clients. It supports personal growth and better performance on the job.
This crucial skill can be learned and strengthened with the right tools and practices. Solutions like SPCloser are designed to help sales professionals sharpen their self awareness, build emotional intelligence, and close the gap between intention and impact. By leveraging SPCloser, sales reps and leaders alike cultivate higher EQ, foster healthier team dynamics, and drive real, lasting business results.
Give your team the tools to consistently show up at their best—start a free trial now.
