Empathy

When you have an appointment and you are listening to your client do you tend to be sympathetic or empathetic? Do you understand the difference? Most unsuccessful sales people are sympathetic. They tend to feel bad for the client and are unable to process the information they received and therefore can’t create a plan that benefits the customer. Empathy is simply recognizing emotions in others, and being able to "put yourself in another person's shoes" – understanding the other person's perspective and reality. To be empathic, you have to think beyond yourself and your own concerns. In sales the best sales people are empathetic and use empathy to better understand the client’s needs. When you are empathetic you understand what the client is going through and it makes it easier to create a plan beneficial to them.

When you put yourself in your prospects or client’s shoes you can relate to their needs. An example of an empathetic sales idea is the feel, felt, found technique made famous by Tom Hopkins. “I understand how you feel.” This wording lets a customer know that you heard him or her and can relate. “Initially, other people felt that way.” You are letting him or her know that this initial thought is common, meaning that the situation can change. “What they found, however, was that after doing this then that happened. How do you become empathetic? You listen better. You might have seen that on this blog (http://vincentferrara.blogspot.com/2015/09/listen.html) already. Cover your mouth, don’t speak, listen and learn. Learn everything about your client or prospect, when did they meet, when did they get married, who their children are, what do they like to do when they aren’t working, all of these little things will make you a more empathetic sales person. When you have an issue with a prospect or a client being empathetic and understanding their needs, wants and a little about them makes it is easier to resolve their issue. Your empathy can’t be fake it must be genuine. So learn how to be an empathetic sales person and watch your sales grow.