As artificial intelligence continues to flood sales channels with automated messages and chatbots, genuine human connection has become increasingly rare. This scarcity has created a marketplace where emotionally intelligent sales professionals stand out dramatically. Anthony Vizzari, Senior Vice President of Seventh Level, the largest B2C sales training company globally, has observed firsthand how high-EQ salespeople are now outselling their counterparts by margins as high as ten to one.
When Trust Hits Rock Bottom
Anyone who’s checked their email lately knows the problem. Automated messages, chatbots, and AI-generated pitches have created widespread skepticism among potential customers. “Trust is at an all-time low in the marketplace, especially when it comes to sales reps,” Anthony says. “Prospects are very burned out by automation and manipulation these days.” The issue gets worse when companies pretend their automated systems are actual humans. “When prospects suddenly find out they weren’t speaking to a human being, it breaks that trust,” he explains. This growing distrust has created an opportunity for sales professionals who can genuinely connect.
Creating Emotional Safety
While emotional intelligence generally refers to understanding emotions in yourself and others, Anthony sees it differently in sales. “It’s that safety element,” he says. “How do you create emotional safety with the prospect in front of you so they feel confident, certain, and like you have their best interest at heart?” This focus on creating safety addresses the negative perception many people have of salespeople. Anthony worries this perception is worsening with AI adoption: “Human beings know right from wrong once you’ve surpassed a certain age. My concern with the robots is they can’t distinguish what’s right from wrong.”
Connecting Authentically
Anthony has seen the power of human connection across hundreds of events he’s run, from small gatherings to conferences with 20,000 attendees. “Buyers are more informed, more educated, but also more skeptical and overwhelmed with information,” he notes. “Their inbox – they open up their emails every day, and it’s pitch after pitch after pitch.”
This digital fatigue creates an opening for genuine human interaction. “Nothing beats that human connection from people with a higher level of emotional intelligence,” Anthony explains. “The engagement and drive from people who attend is always way higher than anybody just watching a video or going through some automated chatbot.” The results speak for themselves. “The best salespeople with emotional intelligence are outselling everybody else ten to one,” he says.
Improving Human Touchpoints
Sometimes, simple shifts toward human connection deliver immediate results. Anthony often helps companies revise their automated systems. “I audit their reminder sequences for upcoming appointments,” he says. “When I change the automated reminder process to a manual personalized reminder process, the show-up rate increases up to 55% in some instances.” People respond more positively when they receive communications from real humans rather than automated systems. The improvement comes from that simple change – ensuring prospects know they’re dealing with a person, not a program.
Developing EQ Skills
Good news: Anthony believes everyone has emotional intelligence capabilities that can be developed. “I think everybody has a level of emotional intelligence inside them. Many just haven’t unlocked it,” he explains. Part of the problem is that “we live in a society where many people are guarded” and aren’t forming independent opinions. “When you watch a video on YouTube, people go to the comments section before thinking of their own comments,” Anthony points out. “A lot of people are just pulling from others rather than using the most powerful tool human beings have, their own mind.”
For sales professionals looking to build their EQ skills, Anthony recommends focusing on active listening. “Get rid of the script,” he advises. “Too many salespeople sit there focusing on a script. They’re more worried about the next question they’re going to ask than what the prospect is actually saying.” By truly listening instead of just waiting to speak, sales professionals can understand customers on a deeper level, something no AI can currently match. “Active listening is the one skill that would significantly help increase emotional intelligence when speaking with people,” Anthony concludes. In a world of automation, this human skill may be the most valuable of all.
Follow Anthony Vizzari on LinkedIn to learn how emotional intelligence is redefining sales success.
