Active listening. Using open probes and being an active listener can help your customers feel like you care about their needs. Open probes can include "tell me more," "why do you say that" etc. The best and simplest way to be an active listener is to use playbacks. Playbacks are short rephrases of what the other person just told you. For example, if a customer says, "I love dogs, but finding a kind dog walker who is local is difficult.," you can rephrase or playback by saying, "So you're having a hard time finding a kind, local dog walker." It sounds simple and redundant, but it does two things: this allows your customer to know that you heard what they said (implying you are listening to them) and it allows them to say "yes, that's right," "no, what I meant was..." or "yes, and...".

So, open probes, active listening, and using playbacks are three simple ways to help "sell with empathy."

Elijah Ezendu

Senior Partner, Shevach Consulting

Posted on Jan. 10, 2011

Recommended by:
Lauren Harper

Apart from those mentioned by Sarah Gogin, the following pointers drive 'selling with empathy' to prority status in the process-action path of sales reps.
1. Identify key interest of prospective buyer
2. Using appropriate tone and engaging words to convey empathy
3. Presenting a win for the buyer's interest instead of focusing only on yours.
4. Evaluate the deal to ascertain key drivers of success: Identifying budget, purpose, timing, competitive outlay, extent of fit mapping, personality integration, as well as conducting SWOT and realistic loss potential analysis.
5. Enhancing relationship towards acceptance through unambiguousness and concern for solution to buyer's need: Painting a clear picture of your proposition as the best-fit solution, pointing out 'why and how' in a heartfelt way.
6. Driving your acknowledgement of the buyer's view and winning point beyond receiving acquiescing response to a point of 'ACTION YES'.

Dr Elijah Ezendu
http://advancingci.blogspot.com/
http://advancinghr.blogspot.com/