EMPATHY in Sales and Marketing
Today’s Lesson for our Digital Sales Transformation course, we spoke about BANTT. Budget, Authority, Needs, Trust, Timeline. So to identify Needs, what do we need? Why will people share with you their problems? The answer? Because they know you care. Yes! you need EMPATHY to identify their needs.
This video will probably Sum it up.
Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?
What is Empathy
This video will probably Sum it up.
Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?
Empathy is having the ability to understand o feel the experiences of another person from their perspective. It’s about putting yourself in their position and viewing the situation through their eyes — what are they thinking? What are they feeling? Why are they having these thoughts and feelings?
For those in sales, it can seem as though empathy is the antithesis of what the industry values. Being Empathetic does not definitely lead you to a sale. But your sincerity to understand the customer’s needs or problems will help you to build genuine TRUST and CONNECTION. When you’re able to understand where they’re coming from, the greater ability you have to influence and guide them to the right solution.
How to lead with empathy
To lead with empathy means to prioritize other people’s emotions. As a salesperson, this requires reflecting on existing habits and adopting ones that widen your understanding of your customers’ emotions, thoughts, and experiences. This may include changing your perspective, being more present, actively listening, asking clarifying questions, or stop to think before responding.
People don’t remember what you say, People remember how you make them FEEL
Change your perspective
The key to becoming more empathetic? Get out of your own head and into your customer’s. When you share a customer’s experience and validate their emotions, it creates an authentic connection built from mutual trust and understanding. Likewise, when you show a sincere willingness to not only understand their struggles, but to find the right solution that relieves them of their frustration, you’ll both attain a better outcome.
Be present
While thinking three steps ahead is a useful skill, it usually means you’re absent from the present moment and more focused on getting to the last step. People can sense this and will likely feel that push, whether it’s intentional or not.
More Haste, Less Speed
Take the time to slow down and be present. When you allow yourself to focus on the current moment, you are better equipped to accurately identify and manage not only your own emotions, but your customers’ as well. Likewise, being present allows you to successfully navigate tense exchanges and steer conversations in a direction that feels natural to the customer.
Listen Actively
Being present also means listening actively. Are you truly hearing what your customer is saying or are you selectively hearing the parts you want to hear that match your understanding? Remove any bias or assumptions and truly listen. This means paying attention to not only what they’re saying, but how they’re saying it and what they’re not saying. Likewise, pay attention to their body language — you may discover their actions don’t match their words.
Being an active listener also means asking the right questions.
If a customer briefly mentions something that is followed by a strong emotional response, don’t be afraid to dig a little more. Asking clarifying questions can help uncover the full story of their situation.
However, don’t expect immediate or detailed answers unless you’ve established some form of trust or connection. By framing questions in a way that reflects a genuine desire to help, you’ll instill trust and give the customer the confidence to share their experiences.
Stop to think before responding
If your customers are emotionally charged, what you say has the potential to make or break the relationship. Your choice of words then become super critical.
How to choose the right words to use? See the situation from their point of view, and respond to them from a place of understanding. Leading with empathy allows you to manage the emotions of yourself and accurately recognize the emotions of others.
As a salesperson, we are not meant to sell. Our goal is to help solve their problem. The key to becoming a more empathetic salesperson isn’t what you do or say during your next sales call — it’s about what you do or say in all your sales calls.
CARE for the People you meet and LEAD with EMPATHY!
Originally published at https://medium.com on August 3, 2019.
