Relationship marketing The impact of emotional intelligence and trust on bank performance Troy Heffernan The Plymouth Business School, The University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK Grant O’Neill School of Marketing and Management, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia Tony Travaglione Curtin University, Perth, Australia, and Marcelle Droulers School of Marketing and Management, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia Abstract Purpose – The two aims of this paper are to explore the development of trust for relationships between staff and customers in the banking sector and to investigate possible links between financial performance of relationship manager and their levels of emotional intelligence (EI) and trust. Design/methodology/approach – An internet survey was undertaken, where respondents were asked to complete an EI test and questions relating to trusting behaviour. These data were integrated with financial performance data supplied by the bank. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis was used to identify links. Findings – Trust was found to be made up of three components: dependability; knowledge; and expectations. Further, there were significant correlations between both trust and EI, when compared to the financial performance of a relationship manager. Research limitations/implications – The methods used by the bank to collect performance data have limited the analysis that could be conducted. Practical implications – Increased awareness by the relationship managers of their own emotions, and how they perceive and act upon the emotions of others, should favourably impact financial performance. Originality/value – This paper is an important initial step in highlighting the significance of EI and trust in the relationship marketing/selling arena. Keywords Emotional intelligence, Relationship marketing, Banks, Financial performance, Trust, Australia Paper type Research paper Introduction The banking sector is becoming increasingly competitive around the world. This is particularly true in the area of small-medium business banking. Further, the core and actual product being offered to business customers could be considered reasonably homogenous. Consequently, there is an increased need for banks to differentiate The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0265-2323.htm Relationship marketing 183 Received September 2007 Revised December 2007 Accepted January 2008 International Journal of Bank Marketing Vol. 26 No. 3, 2008 pp. 183-199 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0265-2323 DOI 10.1108/02652320810864652