What’s an empath? It’s a person with the uncanny ability to understand the mental or emotional state of another individual. We’ve always stated the importance of using empathy in our sales training sessions in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria and Toronto. Understanding people’s feelings is one of the key attributes of successful Salespeople. Empaths do it better than everyone else. Are you one? Read on and find out.
The consultative sales process focuses on using five success skills
- Asking Great Questions: This is the basis of needs analysis. Great Questions = Great Answers
- Actively Listening: Listening to the words and feelings expressed by the decision maker
- Paraphrasing: Repeating what the buyer said in your words for clarity in communication
- Summarizing a Client’s Full Needs: Capturing everything that the client is looking to achieve
- Projecting a Positive Personality: Having fun, smiling and enjoying using the first four skills
Where empathy fits in
In the process of using these five skills, your ability to sense what your buyer is feeling is a large step toward understanding the client needs and motivators. It’s a major catalyst in establishing rapport, confidence, trust and respect in a client’s mind. Empathy puts you in the client’s world seeing it from their perspective with little to no regard for your personal feelings with what’s being talked about and shared. Successful Salespeople invest time in developing their ability to empathize with what a buyer is expressing to them.
What empaths do
Empaths do not sense what their buyer is feeling. They feel it. It’s as if the emotions and mental state of the client is being uploaded into the brain of the Empath. This Salesperson doesn’t quickly move away from these things – they gravitate toward it wanting to fully understand and acknowledge what feeling is being expressed. Empath Salespeople will even paraphrase the emotion to ensure they are accurate in understanding its scope.
Here are a few examples
Client: I loved that car. It was the best one I’ve ever owned.
Empath Salesperson: Is it the one that you compare every other car to?
Client: Yes, very much so.
Empath Salesperson: Does anything else come close?
Client: No, not really. I’ve had a few great cars…not like that one though.
Empath Salesperson: I know what you mean…it’s like you can still picture it in your mind right now.
Client: Oh yeah.
Empath Salesperson: And you ask yourself…why didn’t I just store it somewhere to keep it forever.
Client: What is super important is that we do our homework before making this decision.
Empath Salesperson: I agree…Doing the necessary research and considering all options means you make the right decision the first time.
Client: Yes, for sure. We can’t afford to make a mistake.
Empath Salesperson: Tell me more…I sense that there’s a few things at stake here.
Client: Well, we have very specific timelines in place. We’ve promised delivery of the product in 90 days to a new client who has the potential to be a very large one this year.
Empath Salesperson: Making the call to them saying “Sorry, we going to need another month” means you may not get a second chance…
Client: We won’t get a second chance. They’ve made that part of our deal. We can’t be late.
Empath Salesperson: OK, so we need to practice due diligence and make sure we deliver on all commitments. That means thinking about every detail well in advance.
See the difference?
The Empath Salesperson wants to feel the depth of the buyer’s emotion. They want to ask questions to understand it’s intensity. The ability to paraphrase and capture that immediately puts them at an advantage over other Salespeople who are busy focusing on their product and how great it is. It’s much easier for a decision maker to trust an Empath Salesperson because they’re on the same page – they get it. They understand the client.
Don’t underestimate this power
This can be the fast track toward developing strong buying relationships based on trust. The Empath Salesperson is sincere and authentic and always delivers on commitments. When they can’t due to a circumstance beyond their control, they feel upset, angry and almost sick to their stomach because they feel like they violated the trust that their buyer placed in their care. They will do almost anything to avoid that. They will have arguments with their Sales Manager when required and ruffle whatever feathers are necessary to deliver. That’s why the clients of the Empath Salesperson are their champions. Finding Salespeople with that kind of commitment is uncommon.
The other side of the Empath
Empath Salespeople can also be prone to job stress and emotional frustration. They are also some of the most positive minded people who transfer their energy to other people. Empaths need balance and the opportunity to vent and confide in someone who wont judge them and offer advice when asked for. Smart Empaths find ways to burn off their feelings with hobbies, working out or finding a way to recharge their batteries.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Are you thinking that you or a close friend or co-worker is an Empath? Take this test and find out how to harness your ability while creating some guidelines for self-preservation.
If you’d like to learn more about the Five Success Skills at the start of this BLOG, check out our online program The Sales Skills Incubator ($199 Canadian) or our book SHUT UP! Stop Talking and Start Making Money available on Kindle and paperback on Amazon. If you’re a Sales Manager looking to train your Salespeople and give them the skills to succeed, give us a call or send us an email.
Thanks!
Dave Warawa – PROSALESGUY
We are looking for a half day on site sales training session for our sales staff in Vancouver in June. I was hoping to connect about quotes and training topics.
Thanks,
Laura O
Thanks for your interest in our training programs, Laura. I will reach out with you directly.