How do you react when you encouter resistance?

How do you feel when you run into resistance? You may experience resistance from a prospect or customer who has objections to your product or services. Or maybe you have a coworker who is challenging to work with. Perhaps you manage people who resist prospecting or submitting reports on time.

For many of us, when we encounter resistance, we feel it coursing through our bodies. We feel anxious, self-doubt, uncertainty, and fear. And then we react!

Successful people and leaders know that emotional intelligence is essential for overcoming resistance. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify and regulate one's emotions and understand the emotions of others. Recognizing and adapting to emotions is critical in stressful situations, such as working with customers who voice objections or leading a team of coworkers who may not buy into your ideas.

People feel, have an emotion, and then react. Maybe we are happy, so we smile. Maybe what we hear makes us mad, so we get angry. Perhaps a customer states your price is too high, so you fear you will lose the business and offer a heavy discount. How we respond to different situations can positively or negatively impact our prospects, customers, and coworkers, so we must be constantly aware of our Emotional Intelligence to reduce stress, stay calm, and communicate positively.