Sales Training: Salesmanship and Empathy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Boye

...could you give an example of how a person would learn empathy as a skill--or perhaps a description of the way it would be taught? What would either process, learning or teaching, actually look like with regard to instilling that change into a person who lacked empathy?

Here is a brief tutorial: http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/chap13/chap13c.htm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent Smith

Here is a brief tutorial: http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/chap13/chap13c.htm

Thanks. An informative article.

But I keep going back to Jeff's words: "Listen with an intent to understand." I can't help but think that is a foundation to empathy. And there is sort of a catch22 that bothers me. If in lacking empathy, there is no current intent to understand (my own premise derived from Jeff's words), then how could one learn empathy without an intent to understand? Not impossible, of course, but it seems that it would require some major morphing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacquesWerth

...as if being liked is very important in selling (it is not).

I think I know someone who would disagree with your claim.

Who can identify the source of these two quotes?

Quote:

...what works in smaller sales may become quite inappropriate as the size of the decision increases. Although I hated the projector seller, I liked his product enough to buy it. But with the larger decision, seller and product become much harder to separate. Although I liked the computer system, there was no way I could buy it without also buying a relationship with the seller.

Quote:

So it should be comforting to know that, as the sale grows larger, the customer puts more emphasis on the salesperson as a factor in the decision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bridger480

Who can identify the source of these two quotes?

I know this one: SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham (President and founder of Huthwaite, Inc.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacquesWerth

Even Jeff, who I have no doubt is very empathetic, sprinkles his article with the word �Like� as if being liked is very important in selling (it is not).

Jacques, Willy Loman would have absolutely disagreed with your post. According to him, it wasn't just a matter of being liked--you had to be well-liked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MitchM

It's one-in-the-same - a poor salesman has a poor selling template.

So when a salesperson poorly executes a good selling template what do you call that?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bridger480

So when a salesperson poorly executes a good selling template what do you call that?

An oxymoron! A student still learning. A bad day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Houston

I know this one: SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham (President and founder of Huthwaite, Inc.)

You are correct! Tell him what he's won, Bob.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JacquesWerth

Even Jeff, who I have no doubt is very empathetic, sprinkles his article with the word �Like� as if being liked is very important in selling (it is not).

I don't know how I missed this.

Care to qualify that statement Jacques or are you of the belief that it applies to "all" sales?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent Smith

I don't know how I missed this.

Care to qualify that statement Jacques or are you of the belief that it applies to "all" sales?

Perhaps we missing out on building trust

Sales Training: Salesmanship and Empathy

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