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Does the idea of empathy in a business setting make you queasy? Is it a bit too soft-sounding for you to think it has a place in your hard-driving sales organization?
There was a time not so very long ago that many business leaders did not recognize the value of emotional intelligence. They focused on the hard, more technical skills and did not appreciate how skills like good communication, social intelligence, dependability and, yes, empathy could contribute to the success of their teams and their organization.
Today, however, business leaders understand that a person’s emotional IQ is a critical factor in building relationships both internally and externally. Especially for customer-facing employees in sales and service, the higher their emotional intelligence, the more effective they can be at helping their customers to succeed. Empathy can help you succeed in sales…especially at the executive level.
Think about it. If you could see things clearly through an executive’s eyes (that’s what empathy is all about), imagine how much insight and compassion you would have into your customer’s perception of you and your offering, their buying style and decision making, and, ultimately, whether or not they are likely to sign the deal. Empathy can serve your business goal of increasing sales revenue and helping your customers to succeed. With empathy, you do more than sympathize with your customers. You can use your understanding of them and their situation to make smart decisions about the way you interact, the way you present your solution, the way you follow up, and the way you add measurable value to the executives you sell to.
How can you develop empathy? Executive sales training experts say you need to stop and think deeply about the other person’s perspective to understand their needs, their wants, and their motives. This is, by the way, what successful sales negotiations rely upon…having a complete understanding of the other side’s point of view.
To better sell to executives, you need to learn how to:
- Listen truly…with your ears and with your eyes for non-verbal cues.
- Be fully present.
- Be encouraging and smile to show you welcome customers’ thoughts and feelings.
- Be genuinely interested in what makes people tick.
As you build your capacity for empathy, you will find you are better able to persuade and help executive-level buyers. Fundamentally, empathy does have a place in executive sales because it helps build relationships that are trusting, long lasting and mutually beneficial. Isn’t that what you look for in your executive-level client relationships?
Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/executive-selling-training-coaching/
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