Empathy – The Newest Sales Technique

I have previously discussed important sales strategies in this blog, including the never-ending discussion regarding the true value of resisting price competition and urging sales efforts to always sell profitably. Then there is the discussion of value-added salesmanship that explores the added value you, your company and your products provide the purchaser, all of which support higher prices and more intrinsic value.

Currently, the most significant trend being developed and offered by many progressive companies is called “empathetic salesmanship”. This strategy requires a mental attitude shift that essentially puts the salesman on the customer’s management team. The empathy part means the salesperson discards his commitment to his own sales agenda and completely engulfs himself in helping the client to determine and develop the best possible program for the client which, hopefully, will include goods and services provided by the selling entity but with a higher priority of solving problems and designing better solutions for the client’s own needs, even if it results in no sale or a smaller sale of the seller’s own product line.

The strategy being that in the end, the goodwill created and the great results accomplished will provide larger and more valuable sales relationships in the long-term and eliminate price issues and competitive loyalty issues, creating strategic alliances that become very valuable over time, far more valuable than a simple sale would be.

That’s the long-term strategy – putting your customers needs first. In the end, as a direct offshoot of the effort, it results in excellent long-term sales and relationships. This strategy can be implemented for almost any aspect of client service or needs as follows:

1. Providing very creative payment terms and conditions, solving delivery issues, inventory requirements, supporting production schedules, and facilitating larger, broader, deeper sales by designing a program that may include “just in time” shipping, off-site warehousing, drop-shipping to clients or job sites, critical path delivery, etc.

2. Providing training programs that help solve technical issues.

3. Providing assortment solutions without requiring excessive inventory commitments.

4. Providing product design services specifically responding to the unique requirements of your customer’s client base without a required commitment to excessive inventory or expensive design services.

5. Providing co-insurance, legal support, software support, advertising support, trade show alliances, specially created sales programs and lead or referral services.

6. Provide awards and other public relations opportunities. Creating special events that will generate additional sales revenues.

There is no limit to the enormous variety of ways a sales force can support the needs of its clients with an empathetic approach, creatively identifying and solving problems for the client and creating strategic alliances that result in huge marketing opportunities for your own sales efforts. It’s a true win-win solution taken to the next level.

You may have seen the add on TV where the manager is looking for “Thompson”, presumably wanting to give him a raise because he is such a great employee but he can’t find him because he really did not work there. “Thompson” was a vendor sales rep and yet was so visible and effective the manager thought Thompson worked for him. You get the point, that’s success in today’s very competitive world. That’s empathetic problem resolution and service. Perhaps that’s the real goal and objective of empathetic sales efforts, having the client believe you are working for him, a by-product of solving problems and creating better programs, increasing your client’s productivity, revenue and of course, sales of your products. Call us if you need help.