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How To Use Empathy In Sales For Conversions

In business, empathy is a relatively new field that is gaining popularity as a valuable tool for salespeople.

Defining Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share mutual feelings. In other words, it’s being able to put yourself in the same situation as your customer.

If you can’t put yourself in their shoes, you won’t be able to understand them, thus making it nearly impossible for you to sell.

How Does Empathy Help Sales?

This represents a means to developing relationships. Empathetic salespeople don’t see their clients as just another sale, but rather as someone who is sharing a part of themselves and opening up to them about a real challenge or struggle.

Imagine you are sitting in your living room, watching TV, and suddenly there is a knock on the door. You open it up and find that someone dropped off a package for your neighbor who lives two doors down from you. What do you do?

Most would ask to sign for the package, take it from them and then close the door. You, however, decide that you would walk the two doors down to your neighbor’s house and drop off their package, as well as let them know they have a package to pick up at their neighbors’ house.

Ecstatic that you took the time to drop their package off for them, your neighbor has had an empathetic gesture impressed on them.

By putting yourself in your neighbor’s shoes, you were able to understand what they wanted and needed. In doing so, a great relationship was established.

This tactic allows you to gain trust from your clients so that when it comes time for you to sell them something, they will be much more likely to accept your offer.

Using Empathy For Conversion

1. Listen

Listening is the most important part of being empathetic in sales, for if you are not able to understand a client’s problems, it will be difficult to offer a meaningful solution. Furthermore, it provides opportunities for upsells or cross-sells.

2. Reading Body LanguageΒ 

Empathetic salespeople can read the subtle cues that come from their client’s body language, which allows them to adapt their pitch on the fly. Paying close attention using this tactic provides key insight on the right approach.

3. Offer Solutions, Not Problems

Do not add to the problems of a client by offering an extremely expensive solution if their issue is related to money.Β 

People want to feel as if they matter and don’t want to feel like you are trying to sell them something just because you can; or that they are just another number in your sales conversion statistics. They want to be acknowledged and given credit for the feelings that they have. Your product or service must solve everything and not add to a list of burdens.

4. Identify With The Customer’s Problems

It’s easy for us to identify and connect with our own problems, but it takes a truly empathetic salesperson to identify and genuinely connect with the problems of another person. Identify their needs and desires.

5. Don’t Be Afraid To Fail

One of the most important parts about empathy in sales is that you will need to take some risks.

There are times when your empathetic approach towards your clients may not work, often requiring many failed attempts before finally succeeding. You must take risks and learn from your mistakes in order to adapt and adjust your tactics.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes when dealing with clients because it’s all a part of the process of learning how to use empathy in sales properly.

6. Don’t Force Anything

People are sensitive, especially when you start talking about their problems or feelings, so you need to be careful not to force anything on them.

For example, if your client seems uninterested in what you’re saying, try adjusting your approach towards them rather than continuing to ramble about something that they clearly don’t want to hear.

Some clients just want someone to listen to them, but others will want you to give them a solution to the problem that they have.

Keep The Conversation Going

Finally, empathetic salespeople know how to keep the ball rolling when conversing with clients. This also means following up after a conversation to offer additional products and/or services down the line.

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