The ‘E’ Word Will Make Your Salespeople Stand Out

(By Loyd Ford) There’s an ‘E’ word that salespeople often miss. If they used it more it could separate them from other sellers, and close far more sales. What’s that ‘e’ word?

Empathy.

Empathy – of course – is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. By understanding your prospect’s needs, wants, and pain points, you can tailor your sales approach to address those specific concerns. To do this effectively, you must be willing to become a familiar face to your potential clients. The more familiar you are, the more time you put in with the prospect, and the more effort you put in to become valuable to them, then the more likely you are to become seen by them as a true value-based resource for their company.  

Effectively learning how to sincerely use empathy with advertisers and buyers can make your prospects feel heard and understood, building trust and increasing the likelihood of a sale. 

Showing empathy can also help you uncover additional opportunities to provide value to help build long-lasting relationships with your customers.

Another skill that is particularly valuable in separating you from other salespeople buyers and businesspeople see regularly is the ability to actively listen to your customers. No, really.

Active listening involves not just hearing what your customers are saying, but also paying close attention to their tone, body language, and other non-verbal cues. It also means asking thoughtful questions and responding in a way that shows you understand their needs and concerns.

U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson said you should always watch the visual communication of the person you are speaking with closely. Especially watch their eyes and their hands when they talk. He also said if you really want to know what someone is really thinking, keep them talking. The longer they talk, the more likely they are to share their real feelings.

By actively listening to your customers, you can build stronger relationships with them, gain a better understanding of their needs and preferences, and ultimately provide more effective solutions to their problems. This can set you apart from other salespeople who may focus more on pushing their products or services without truly understanding the customer’s perspective.

Finally, using creativity effectively in sales is so important I have a list of ways for you to use creativity to increase your sales:

1. Tailor your approach to the customer. Every one of your potential customers is different, and a one-size-fits-all sales approach is unlikely to be effective with everyone. Use your creativity to find unique ways to connect with each customer and understand their specific needs and preferences.
2. Develop unique solutions. Most salespeople use standard sales pitches and solutions, but when you use your creativity to develop unique approaches that are tailored to your customer’s needs, you really stand out. This can involve bundling different products or services in a unique way or developing a new product or service that meets a specific need that you know they are thinking about solving.
3. Radio has a special ability to use creative marketing and messaging. In order to get your customer’s attention, you need to stand out from the crowded and noisy choices available to advertisers today. Use creative marketing and messaging to differentiate yourself from the competition and capture your customer’s interest.
4. Most salespeople don’t prepare as well as they should for each interaction with potential clients. When you do your homework, bring ideas, interesting data about their industry, and options for them to look at that can help them in their business, you stand out every time.

Let’s not forget how critical and important it is to prospect often and create many multiple interactions with potential clients to get to know them and to allow them to get to know you and how you value helping them and their business. Not simply selling them a product or service.

Sharpen these skills and learn how to craft your selling around service, solving problems, and creating unique opportunities that showcase the value of your products and services for their unique situation and you will stand out and sell more than others because your clients will believe in you. Don’t forget the ‘E’ word.

Loyd Ford is President and Chief Strategic Officer at Rainmaker Pathway Consulting Works (RPC) and helps local radio solve sales and programming challenges in the 21st Century. Reach him anytime at 864.448.4169 or [email protected]. Read Loyd’s Radio Ink archives here.