PSL460: Emotional Intelligence and Sales
Credit Hours:
3
Contact Hours:
This is a 3-credit course, offered in accelerated format. This means that 16 weeks of
material is covered in 8 weeks. The exact number of hours per week that you can
expect to spend on each course will vary based upon the weekly coursework, as
well as your study style and preferences. You should plan to spend 10-25 hours per
week in each course reading material, interacting on the discussion boards, writing
papers, completing projects, and doing research.
Faculty Information
Name:
Phone:
CSU-Global Email:
Virtual Office Hours:
Course Description and Outcomes
Course Description:
In this course you will examine the underlying relationship between being personally motivated to succeed and
its impact on sales performance. The course will explore the factors that lead someone to be motivated within,
to make the independent decision to achieve sales excellence.
Course Overview:
An analysis of the relationship between emotional intelligence and successful salespeople are evaluated in this
course. You will gain knowledge of how high-levels of emotional intelligence can help them achieve sales
success. In addition, this will allow you to learn how to increase emotional intelligence and also assess their own
level of emotional intelligence. Finally, this course will provide you with action plan for improvement with selfmotivation and independent decision-making skills.
The readings range from examples of real companies to articles and cases involving the application of learning.
On completion of this course, you should be able to identify what emotional intelligence is and how emotional
intelligence can be used in the sales environment.
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Define emotional intelligence.
2. Understand your top strengths.
3. Understand motivational factors to balance the demands of new clients.
4. Understand how to overcome sales rejection.
Participation & Attendance
Prompt and consistent attendance in your online courses is essential for your success at CSU-Global Campus.
Failure to verify your attendance within the first 7 days of this course may result in your withdrawal. If for some
reason you would like to drop a course, please contact your advisor.
Online classes have deadlines, assignments, and participation requirements just like on-campus classes. Budget
your time carefully and keep an open line of communication with your instructor. If you are having technical
problems, problems with your assignments, or other problems that are impeding your progress, let your
instructor know as soon as possible.
Course Materials
Required:
Stanley, C. (2013). Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success: Connect with Customers and Get Results. New York,
NY: Amacon. ISBN-13: 9780814430293
**All non-textbook required readings and materials necessary to complete assignments, discussions, and/or
supplemental or required exercises will be provided within the course itself. Please read through each course
module carefully.
Course Schedule
Due Dates
The Academic Week at CSU-Global begins on Monday and ends the following Sunday.
 Discussion Boards: The original post must be completed by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. MT and Peer
Responses posted by Sunday 11:59 p.m. MT. Late posts may not be awarded points.
 Mastery Exercises: Students may access and retake mastery exercises through the last day of class until
they achieve the scores they desire.
 Critical Thinking Activities: Assignments are due Sunday at 11:59 p.m. MT.
Week #
1
Readings

Chapter 1 in Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success

Lassk, F. G., & Shepherd, C. (2013). Exploring the
relationship between emotional intelligence and
salesperson creativity. Journal of Personal Selling &
Sales Management, 33(1), 25-38.
Assignments


Discussion (25 points)
Mastery (10 points)

Chapter 2 in Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success


Chapter 3 in Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success
Conrad, L. (2011). Prospecting requires patience. Bank
Investment Consultant, 19(8), 36-38.

Chapter 4 in Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success


Chapter 5 in Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success
Boe, J. (2011). Overcome objections and close the sale.
American Salesman, 56(8), 10.
Chapters 6 & 7 in Emotional Intelligence for Sales
Success
2
3
4
5

6
7






Discussion (25 points)
Mastery (10 points)
Critical Thinking (70 points)
Discussion (25 points)
Mastery (10 points)
Critical Thinking (70 points)






Discussion (25 points)
Mastery (20 points)
Critical Thinking (70 points)
Discussion (25 points)
Mastery (10 points)
Critical Thinking (70 points)



Discussion (25 points)
Mastery (10 points)
Critical Thinking (70 points)

Chapters 8 & 9 in Emotional Intelligence for Sales
Success


Discussion (25 points)
Mastery (10 points)

Chapter 10 in Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success



Discussion (25 points)
Mastery (20 points)
Portfolio (350 points)
8
Assignment Details
This course includes the following assignments/projects:
Module 2
Critical Thinking: Emotional Intelligence Results (70 points)
This assignment, adapted from Robichaux (n.d.), has three parts.
 Part 1: Answer 12 questions below
 Part 2: Add up your points from the 12 questions to get an Emotional Intelligence score.
 Part 3: Answer three questions that will help you write a 2-3 page analysis of your findings from the first
two parts of this assignment.
Part 1: For the first step in this CT assignment, please go through and answer each of the following questions with
“yes” or “no.”
In his writings, Goleman (1998) offered twelve questions to ask yourself to see if you work with emotional
intelligence.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Do you understand both your strengths and weaknesses?
Can you be depended on to take care of every detail? Do you hate to let things slide?
Are you comfortable with change and open to novel ideas?
Are you motivated by the satisfaction of meeting your own standards of excellence?
Can you stay optimistic when things go wrong?
Do you see things from another person's point of view and sense what matters most to that person?
Do you let customers' needs determine how you serve them?
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Do you enjoy helping co-workers develop their skills?
Can you read office politics accurately?
Are you able to find "win-win" solutions in negotiations and conflicts?
Are you the kind of person other people want on a team? Do you enjoy collaborating with others?
Are you usually persuasive?
Part 2: For the second part of this CT assignment, please add up the number of questions to which you could
answer “yes.” How many “yes” answers did you have? If you were able to answer “yes” to six or more of the items,
this indicates that you are working well with EI and also work with maturity in the workplace.
Part 3: For the final part of this CT assignment, please prepare a 2-3 page paper answering the following questions.
1.
2.
3.




What was your score on the EI survey? Do you agree with the results? Why or why not?
How does your high maturity level or low maturity level at work impact your day-to-day interactions with
your employees and customers?
Brainstorm at least five suggestions for increasing your EI score. You can use your textbook (specifically
Chapters 1 and 2) and the module lecture to assist you with portions of this assignment.
Your submission should be at least 2 to 3 pages in length and include all three parts of this assignment.
You must cite at least one other credible source besides the textbook.
Please format your paper according to CSU Global APA guidelines.
Include a cover page as well as a reference list.
Module 3
Critical Thinking: Improving Prospecting Results (70 points)
Chapter 3 of the textbook discusses five action steps for improving prospecting results. For this CT assignment,
please read through the following scenario and develop an action plan for improving your prospecting results.
You have just been hired as a sales manager for a large company. For your first task, the CEO has asked you to
develop an action plan for helping the sales team improve its prospecting results based on the following five action
steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Make a decision
Ask yourself the tough questions
Plan for success
Manage your emotions
Get an accountability partner or coach
For this CT assignment, please read through the information in Chapter 3 regarding these five action steps. Once
you have read through the information, your assignment is to create an action plan for a struggling salesperson
using these five action steps. What specifically would you include in each area to help this salesperson improve?
Your plan should include all five of the above steps.
Your submission should be formatted according to CSU Global APA guidelines, and the body of your action plan
should be 2-3 pages long.
Module 4
Critical Thinking: Improving Your Likeability (70 points)
Sales success in part relies on being motivated within and also being happy with yourself. As mentioned in Chapter
4, people buy from people whom they like. It is much easier for people to like you if you first like yourself and are
motivated within to be successful.
For this CT assignment you will create an action plan to increase your likeability and, ultimately, sales results. Refer
to Chapter 4 for actions steps and Mackay 66. There are three steps that you can take:
1.
2.
3.
Examine your self-regard to see if you are showing up confident, relaxed and authentic.
Create your own Mackay 66.
Show up and live it.
For each of these three steps listed above, evaluate and write a summary of how well you are doing these steps in
your current job or in a past job. After you complete the evaluation, write a plan for improving in these areas.
What specifically do you need to change in order to be more likeable by the customers and increase your sales
potential?
Your paper should be 2-3 pages in length. Please format it according to CSU Global APA guidelines when preparing
your paper. Please include a cover page and at least two outside references. The CSU-Global Library is a good place
to find these references.
Module 5
Critical Thinking: Overcoming Objections (70 points)
One of the hardest aspects of sales is overcoming objection. Many times, salespeople will give up after the first
objection from the customer. Being a successful salesperson means overcoming objections and being confident in
yourself to know that the customers are not rejecting you, but what you are trying to sell them. Managing your
expectations is essential and can help with overcoming objections.
For this CT assignment, assume that you are a sales manager. As the manager, you have been tasked with creating
a plan for helping your sales staff overcome objections. In order to create the plan, you have decided to create a
training response to the typical objections that many salespeople hear. The five typical objections are listed below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
They believe it will be a hassle to switch companies.
Your company is not as well branded as the competitors.
They can possibly do the work internally instead of using your services.
The timing is bad.
They have an existing relationship with other another.
For each of these five objections, you will create a response plan for overcoming the objection. How would you
handle each of these objections in order to make the sale? Remember that your responses should be geared
towards the sales staff and be in a training format. Your paper should be 2-3 pages in length and follow CSU Global
APA guidelines by properly citing any references you use.
Module 6
Critical Thinking: Overcoming Personalities (70 points)
Chapter 7 introduced Dr. Marston’s four categories of people that sales people will likely encounter.
These include the following:
1. Driver or Dominant
2. Influencer or Influenced
3. Steady Relator or Steadiness
4. Cautious Thinker or Conscientious
This CT assignment will have two parts.
Part 1: Prepare a brief summary of each of these personalities. In addition, analyze which of the personalities
would be the most difficult to work with during the sales process.
Part 2: Brainstorm ideas for dealing with these different types of personalities.
Your submission should be a 2-3 page essay and include Parts 1 and 2 of this assignment. Follow CSU Global APA
guidelines with proper citations and references.
Module 8
Portfolio Project: Understanding Your Emotional Intelligence (350 Points)
For this Portfolio Project, you will have two parts to complete.
Part One:
Based on the three main elements listed below, provide an analysis of yourself. Include an evaluation of each
element and also include suggestions for increasing your emotional intelligence within each element. Finally,
analyze the relationship between emotional intelligence and sales. Why are these elements essential in order to be
successful in sales?
1.
There are three main elements of emotional intelligence. The first element is understanding how well
you know yourself and your own behaviors. When you have a good understanding of yourself, you will
learn the reasons, beliefs, and experiences that cause your behaviors. This will increase your emotional
intelligence.
2.
The second element is understanding how well you know or can read others. Being able to read others
and understand them is essential in the sales environment. Without having this understanding, you will
have difficulty in influencing, persuading, or leading them to think your way. This is an area that many
people struggle with.
3.
The third element is understanding your skill level for interacting with others. When you know yourself
and know others, you have a better chance of being able to communicate, read body language and voice
tones, and see beyond the obvious.
Many of these skills can be developed through continued training and also by working with people who have high
levels of emotional intelligence.
Part Two:
For part two, complete the following emotional intelligence quiz (link below) and provide an analysis of your
findings, including your score, in an essay paper. Include Goleman’s five components of emotional intelligence
listed below and your score from the quiz.
Goleman (1998 & 2000) is a researcher who has explored how emotional intelligence is related to sales success.
Below are the five components of emotional intelligence shared by most successful sales people:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Self-awareness: knowing one’s strengths, weaknesses, drives, values, and impact on others
Self-regulation: controlling or redirecting disruptive impulses and moods
Motivation: relishing achievement for its own sake
Empathy: understanding other people’s emotional makeup
Social skill: building rapport with others to move them in desired directions
For part two, complete the following emotional intelligence quiz by using the following link:
http://scotconway.com/emotional-intelligence-test.html
After completing the quiz you will receive your results via email. Provide a summary of your emotional intelligence
score. Do you agree or disagree with your score? Explain your position.
In addition, read through the five components of emotional intelligence shared by successful sales people listed
above. Provide a self-evaluation of each of the five components. Include suggestions for improving in these areas.
Finally, discuss how each of these five areas can help sales people be successful. What is the correlation between
emotional intelligence and sales success?
Your total paper should be 6-8 pages in length and include Part 1 and Part 2 of this assignment. Your paper must
be formatted according to CSU Global APA Guidelines, and you will be graded on your inclusion of all components
of this project.
Course Policies
Course Grading
20% Discussion Participation
10% Mastery Exercises
35% Critical Thinking Activities
35% Final Portfolio Paper
Grading Scale and Policies
A
95.0 – 100
A-
90.0 – 94.9
B+
86.7 – 89.9
B
83.3 – 86.6
B-
80.0 – 83.2
C+
75.0 – 79.9
C
70.0 – 74.9
D
60.0 – 69.9
F
59.9 or below
In-Classroom Policies
For information on late work and Incomplete grade policies, please refer to our In-Classroom Student Policies
and Guidelines or the Academic Catalog for comprehensive documentation of CSU-Global institutional policies.
Academic Integrity
Students must assume responsibility for maintaining honesty in all work submitted for credit and in any other
work designated by the instructor of the course. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, fabrication, facilitating
academic dishonesty, plagiarism, reusing /re-purposing your own work (see CSU-Global Guide to Writing and
APA Requirements for percentage of repurposed work that can be used in an assignment), unauthorized
possession of academic materials, and unauthorized collaboration. The CSU-Global Library provides information
on how students can avoid plagiarism by understanding what it is and how to use the Library and Internet
resources.
Citing Sources with APA Style
All students are expected to follow the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements when citing in APA
(based on the APA Style Manual, 6th edition) for all assignments. For details on CSU-Global APA style, please
review the APA resources within the CSU-Global Library under the “APA Guide & Resources” link. A link to this
document should also be provided within most assignment descriptions on your course’s Assignments page.
Netiquette
Respect the diversity of opinions among the instructor and classmates and engage with them in a courteous,
respectful, and professional manner. All posts and classroom communication must be conducted in accordance
with the student code of conduct. Think before you push the Send button. Did you say just what you meant?
How will the person on the other end read the words?
Maintain an environment free of harassment, stalking, threats, abuse, insults or humiliation toward the
instructor and classmates. This includes, but is not limited to, demeaning written or oral comments of an ethnic,
religious, age, disability, sexist (or sexual orientation), or racist nature; and the unwanted sexual advances or
intimidations by email, or on discussion boards and other postings within or connected to the online classroom.
If you have concerns about something that has been said, please let your instructor know.