When it comes to sales performance, human connection sells as much as logic. One classic study at L’Oréal found that salespeople selected for high emotional intelligence outsold their peers by more than $91,000 a year.
For the sales department at Breakthru Beverage Group (BBG), one of North America’s largest beverage distributors with more than 10,000 employees, that insight has become a way of life. And few people embody it more vividly than Trav Gislason, the company’s Director of Field Coaching and Development for the West Region.
Part behavioral theorist, part rock-band frontman, and part coach, Gislason approaches leadership as both science and art. He’s a certified emotional intelligence and Gallup Strengths practitioner who speaks fluently about self-awareness, habit formation, and positive psychology. Yet he’s also the host of the Breakthru Selling podcast and the co-founder of the company’s employee band, BBGB & Friends. To Gislason, emotional intelligence is something to be practiced in motion, whether that means helping a sales rep build empathy with a client or finding harmony on stage with colleagues.
Meeting Busy Sales Leaders Where They Are
For most sales teams, time is the scarcest resource. Reps are in the field all day, managers are on the move, and inboxes rarely stop pinging. According to the Annual Leadership Development Benchmark Report, one of the biggest challenges learning professionals face is reaching busy leaders in the flow of work. And across 20+ interviews with L&D leaders responsible for emotional intelligence, a majority have referenced the importance of reinforcing learning and practice with “just in time” opportunities.
Gislason’s team took that challenge seriously and developed their curriculum accordingly. Gislason launched the Breakthru Selling podcast, an internal podcast to meet sales reps where they are, on their phones, in their cars, and between client calls. “I try to personalize the podcast with interviews of subject-matter experts and coworkers,” he said. “It creates authenticity and keeps people engaged in the skills we want to teach.” Each episode mixes consultative selling techniques with reflections on behavior change and habit formation, giving even the most tenured reps new ways to grow.
That behavioral lens also shapes BBG’s Building Leaders program, a performance-based coaching model. Every frontline and second-line leader undergo 12 hours of coaching training rooted in positive psychology, promoting self-awareness. To sustain learning, they use a proprietary Coaching App built in-house.
Through the app, leaders record feedback using the Situation-Behavior-Impact framework (SBI), identify one core skill—like relationship building, or presentation skills—and receive nudges to practice those skills during the week. “It’s not about theory,” Gislason said. “It’s about getting specific and helping each leader know exactly which behaviors to strengthen. “Sales professionals don’t have much time for classroom learning. They need a habit focus, practiced frequently, that yields a measurable difference.”
In essence, Breakthru has engineered a system that applies emotional intelligence to the daily rhythm of sales.
Practicing Emotional Intelligence Through Connection
Breakthru Connect, an employee-led engagement group at BBG-Colorado, is built to drive connection between employees.
One event created through Breakthru Connect is Voluntober, a dedicated month to community service with the goal of logging 1,000 volunteer hours. “It’s one thing to do a class about authenticity and social responsibility,” Gislason said. “It’s another thing to actually go out and do a real project together.” Whether teams build playgrounds, pack food boxes, or lead local cleanups, employees discovered that empathy and connection deepen fast outside the office.
“These programs are hugely important,” Gislason said, “and the people and people-first mindset are what make them work.”
Creativity and Inclusion: The Corporate Band With an EQ Beat
Few companies can say they’ve turned emotional intelligence into music, but Breakthru can. Gislason and BBG Colorado’s Executive Vice President Nate Phippen founded BBGB & Friends, an internal cover band that plays everything from classic rock to modern hits at company events What began as a fun side project quickly evolved into a model for inclusion and collaboration.
“One of our founding principles is that if you want to be in the band, you’re in,” Gislason said. “”We will find a spot for them. Also, we must say yes to ideas before we say no.” The band now has four guitarists, three singers, and a rhythm section, all volunteers from different departments.
Psychologists have long noted that creative group work amplifies empathy and attunement. As Goleman wrote on emotions, “When people make music together, their brains literally sync, mirroring each other’s rhythms and emotions.” In that sense, BBGB & Friends isn’t just entertainment. It’s a live demonstration of how shared creativity cultivates trust, psychological safety, and belonging.
For Gislason, the band reflects his broader leadership philosophy: that connection fuels performance. “Everybody has emotional intelligence,” he said. “The question is how we bring it into the work we do and the lives we live.”
3 Lessons for Sales Leaders Looking to Implement EQ Training
If, like Gislason did, you’re interested in bringing emotional intelligence to your sales reps or leaders, consider these three main lessons from his work and examples shared:
- Coach one behavior at a time. This emphasizes practicality and applicability.
- Meet people where they are. They can listen to podcasts on planes, watch micro-reflections in an app, or jump on a quick coaching call to talk through a problem.
- Build community to deepen connection. Breakthru created volunteer teams, established a company band, rolled out their own internal podcast, and created volunteer rituals that encourage employees to connect with each other outside of work.
When the rhythms of connection, feedback, and creativity are woven into the culture, emotional intelligence comes to life and becomes an engine for sales success.
