- Empathy is the ability to understand the emotional state
and feelings of others.
In sales, if you can put yourself in your customer's shoes,
then you can sell in a way that feels comfortable for them
and actually starts to build a relationship.
So how do you develop empathy?
Have a service orientation.
To be empathetic, you have to be willing to serve.
You have to be genuinely interested in helping others
get what they want before you are able to get what you want.
In sales, that means focusing on the customer needs
before you think about your own quota.
But it requires you to go a step further than that.
Even if you have great ideas on how to grow their business
or enhance their bottom line, you have to focus first
on what they are telling you.
Tailor your approach.
Every customer is different,
and every situation is different.
As a sales professional, you need to tailor your approach.
Adjust your message, your tone, and your body language
based on what your customer needs in the moment.
Tailoring your approach tells the customer immediately
that you are willing to adjust your needs
to better suit theirs.
Let's take a look at two examples of this.
- Oh, pleasant surprise seeing you today, Rachel.
How are you?
- Oh, you know, I'm good.
Just running errands, thought I'd pop in.
(laughs)
Um, you know, I was thinking about adding some work trucks
to the fleet, so I was kind of wondering about auto loans.
- Okay, is there anything in particular
you're wondering about?
- Yeah, I want to know about those floating loans.
My dad has a car rental business and he buys his cars
with one of those programs, so what's the benefit there?
- Well, I'd be happy to walk you through it.
- So Vin, you said you're looking to upgrade some equipment
at the factory.
- Yes, I'm so excited,
we finally get to upgrade our 3D printers.
I feel like I've had the models I have now for ages.
I'm so ready to get rid of them and come into the future.
- That is exciting.
Any ideas on what you might like to buy?
- Tons of ideas.
So many things on my wish list.
But I have a pretty good idea of what I can actually afford,
and one thing's for sure, I'll be buying them on credit.
- Well you're in the right place.
Let's see if we can't figure out exactly what you'll need.
- Notice how in each situation,
Paul allowed the customer to define how fast they moved,
what they talked about,
and the direction the conversation took.
He also matched each customer's energy and body language.
That is tailoring your approach.
People feel comfortable with people
who communicate like they do.
Okay, continuing on with another way to build empathy.
Validate their perspective.
Take the time to not only listen to
your customer's point of view,
but validate their perspective.
Let them know you clearly understand
where they're coming from
and can relate to what they're saying.
For instance, if they say that money is an issue right now,
rather than just glossing over it
or listing ideas of why your product is a great investment,
take the time to think about what it's like
to be faced with a buying opportunity
when money is tight.
Express that you know how it's tough
being pulled in two directions.
Examine your attitude.
You may be saying all the right things
and following the steps, but what is your attitude saying
about your empathy level?
Really ask yourself, are you more concerned with
making a sale or understanding your customer?
Having empathy is as much about what you do
as what you make the customer feel.
That's why tone of voice, body language, and point of view
come so much into play here.
The bottom line is, if customers feel you understand them
and their position, they can relate to you,
and if they can relate to you,
then liking you and trusting you with their business
is a whole lot easier.
Take a moment and download the exercise file
that goes with this video.
There, you'll find some scenarios that you can walk through
to practice building and applying empathy.