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Why Salespeople Fail at Empathy
Blog / Sales Training / Sep 6, 2018 / Posted by Colleen Stanley / 4901

Why Salespeople Fail at Empathy

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Defining Empathy and Understanding Why Salespeople Fail At It

Sales organizations understand the power of empathy and more sales managers are teaching this powerful EQ skill. They are well-intentioned but often miss the mark. In an effort to help salespeople make an emotional connection with prospects, they teach validation/paraphrasing skills, not empathy skills.

Note: Validation/paraphrasing isn’t empathy; it’s active listening.

For example, a prospect says, “We are really frustrated with slow response time from our current vendor.” The salesperson hears the opportunity for empathy and says, “That must be frustrating. So, if I’m hearing you correctly, you’re tired of your current supplier not returning calls and emails quickly
enough.” It’s a nice try, but this salesperson missed the opportunity to emotionally connect with the prospect. Empathy is the ability to demonstrate that you know what your prospect is thinking or feeling.

And, if you really understood the prospect’s frustration, you would do a better job of describing the thoughts and emotions around it!

Step out of your sales shoes and into the shoes of your prospect. Slow down and think, really think, about what’s going through his head. Is he frustrated with the slow response time because it feels like he was a victim of bait-and-switch selling? (The prospect signed the contract and the salesperson moved
on, failing to deliver on any of her wonderful promises.) Or is the prospect frustrated about slow response time because he’s forced to spend too much time seeking answers, which takes him away from growing his business?

Once you’ve tuned into the prospect’s thoughts and emotions, simply state them. “Mr. Prospect, if I were sitting in your seat, I’d be feeling like the subject of a bait and switch. You received a lot of promises with few deliverables. And you are probably wondering if my company is going to any different.” That’s empathy.

When a prospect shares a problem, don’t try to sell or solve the problem. First, demonstrate that you “get” your prospect’s world. Apply empathy and step into your prospect’s brain, heart, and shoes. Talk like a real person. The result will be real conversations and real sales results.

Good Selling!

About Author

Colleen Stanley is the author of Emotional Intelligence For Sales Success, and Growing Great Sales Teams. She is an international sales keynote speaker and has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Sales Bloggers in the world for the last 3 years. She is also the creator of the Ei Selling® System.

Author's Publications on Amazon

Emotional intelligence plays a vital role in every stage of the sales process. It’s easy to get defensive when prospects challenge you on price or to quickly cave and offer discounts in response to pressure. Those are examples of the fight-or-flight response--something salespeople learn to…
Buy on Amazon
Finally, a business tool that sales managers don't have to plug in, recharge, or invest in software - the dynamics of old-fashioned principles that build high-performance sales teams. Using powerful lessons learned growing up on an Iowa farm, Stanley weaves "heartland" principles with tactics and…
Buy on Amazon
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