LinkedIn Opportunities to Grow Your Business

Chris Brogan had an interesting and informative blog offering guidance for using LinkedIn more effectively.  Brogan notes that beyond a professional profile, LinkedIn invites you to post and share information.  Why should you do that?  Because you can tell prospective clients and customers what you find interesting and useful.  When you share information, you spotlight your knowledge and skill set.  When you share information, you explain to prospects and existing clients what you can do for them and how you can serve their needs.  The goal of posting and sharing is to tell your unique story and provide reasons as to why someone who is looking to renovate their bath or kitchen should buy from you instead of online or down the street at a competitor. 
 

Who should you connect with on LinkedIn?

• Connect with prospects, architects, designers, builders and others who you hope to do business with.
• Connect with those you know could benefit from your expertise.
• Connect with manufacturers and representatives that you are aligned with. 
• Connect with those you respect and who can serve as mentors.

If you want to connect with friends that are not necessarily business prospects, Facebook and Twitter may be better platforms. 

Brogan points out that LinkedIn is simply a piece of software that you can use to build a better professional network and grow your business.  Similar to most other marketing mediums, you won’t get much out of the platform if you simply show up.

No Means Know, by Daniel Chinitz (Creative Bath Sales)

It was a quiet day at our showroom; the phones were only ringing occasionally and the freshly vacuumed carpeting remained smooth from footprints.  And then I heard it…the automatic bell on our showroom door just announced a visitor had arrived.

I peered out the office window to take a look.  Didn’t recognize them; probably first-time visitors.  I always stay in the office for a minute or two to give customers a little time to acclimate.  We don’t want to come on too strong and put them on the defensive as soon as they walk in.

Then the phone rang. It was a customer looking to check on an order.  I didn’t want the potential new sale to walk around too long without being welcomed so I ask the caller if I could have a little time, and I would call them back within an hour.  I wrote down their name along with a fast note as a reminder on my legal pad.  I learned a long time ago not to rely on my memory and to not plaster my desk with those little sticky notes that can get easily covered up or lost.  I took a walk out into the showroom to greet my potential customer.

They’re a young couple with a baby.  He is dressed very casually, almost to the point of looking like he just finished cutting the grass.  She is dressed well with a lovely necklace and a nice ring on her finger.  I wonder if they have money.  But I’ve learned not to judge by age or looks as you never know.  They stopped in front of our top-of-the-line vanity display. 

I approach with a smile and said “That company can build anything you want.  Custom sizing and design is their specialty.” We determined at one of our staff meetings to never ask “Can I help you?”  We want conversation, not a brush off.  I also make sure to look at both of them, not just the guy.  We learned at a seminar how important it is to treat everyone equally. 

“I’ll bet it costs a pretty penny,” the husband states.  She doesn’t say anything but is busy testing the drawers.  “It definitely costs more than what home centers sell but you get a lot for your money,” I respond.  He nods but says nothing so I introduce myself and welcome them to our showroom.  “Have you been in before?” I ask.  The lady looked up from picking up the baby’s toy that just bounced off the furniture.  “No, this is our first visit.  I’ve driven by your place a million times but never found the time to stop.”

“Well, I can see you’ve been busy” I answer looking at her baby. I’m actually thinking that I am sure glad to be past the baby stage in my life, but I keep my happy face on.  “Are you working with a builder?”  “Yes” the husband answers.  “Do you know John Smith Contracting?”

I don’t know the name but ask for his information.  Luckily I have my tablet with me so it’s not a big deal to take some notes.  I’ll be sure to call this builder up to see if he would like to come in and join our growing family of contractors that we partner with.  I explain how we work to this nice young couple as we always have some key points we want to get across at the beginning of the sale.  We have periodic staff meetings to fine tune our approach techniques.

“I’ll be sure to call Mr. Smith to see if we can all work together.  Is it your main bath that you want to remodel?”  “They both say “Yes!” at the same time and laugh.  “We just bought this house in New Town and the hall bath is a wreck.  The master bath isn’t much better but we can live with that one for now.  But the hall bath is embarrassing.  It’s not that big but we’ve done a little drawing.”  She pulls out her sketch with measurements and apologizes for how it looks.

“Actually this is very detailed and well done.  You should see what I usually get to work with” I say while studying her work.  It’s always nice to toss out a compliment now and then.  “It looks like you will need a vanity; do you want furniture or cabinetry?”  We love asking that question.  At one of our staff meetings, we determined that was a good question to get the conversation going about the difference in order to increase our chances of selling better merchandise.  After she worked the drawers in our top quality display, I showed her our next level down piece so she could compare.  She picked up on the quality difference right away.

“You bought in a great neighborhood and this level of product is appropriate for your area.  Folks in your town usually buy based on quality and value.  How long do you think you will stay in the house?” I asked.  This got the conversation over to quality vs. price and allowed me to figure in what we called our “30 Second Sales Pitch.”  It starts like this:

“We’ve been in this business a long time and strive to deliver the best value around.  May I give you our 30 second sales pitch?” I ask with a smile.  This always gets a little laugh, but we like to ask permission first before launching into our “why buy from us” pitch.  Clients tend to listen better.  We like to give them a few solid reasons to use us instead of the price choppers and Internet companies.  Again, we figured this all out in a few staff meetings.  The goal is to make customers nervous to buy elsewhere by talking value versus having the lowest price.

But then it turns out she didn’t really like the display vanity all that much.  She was starting to walk over to one of our cheaper lines.  We discussed how to handle that at a staff meeting too.  “What don’t you like about it?” I asked to bring her back to our top shelf vanity.  She frowned a little at it and commented that she didn’t like the color or the fact that it had legs.  “Dust gets under there and I have enough to clean without having to deal with what’s under the vanity every day” she said. 

This gave me the opportunity to let them know that the piece came in their choice of 35 finishes and could be built to the floor.  “Plus we can add a kick space type design to the bottom so you can get your feet underneath to get even closer to the mirror or bath cabinet.  And that way the bottom won’t have scuff marks you have to constantly clean off.”  She really liked that idea.  Usually when a customer says “no” they just need to “know” more. 

The baby was getting restless and they were making signals that it was time to move on.  We made an appointment for them to return when they could get a sitter as I keep my calendar on the tablet.  We agreed at our last staff meeting to never leave the office without it.  Now I had time to talk to their builder, get him on our team and pick his brain about the job to see what else I might need to know.   I walked them to the door, thanked them for coming in and told them I looked forward to their next visit.

The automatic doorbell signaled their departure as I started to return to the office. The note on my legal pad reminded me to find out about that other customer’s order. Plus I wanted to get a sketch done of the vanity I had in mind for my new customers.  They’re going to need to “know” a little more.

Daniel H. Chinitz is the Managing Director of Creative Bath Sales since 2002, representing decorative plumbing & hardware manufacturers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Washington DC, in the East, as well as Arizona, Nevada/Las Vegas in the West.  Previously, he owned a Bath Showroom and Plumbing Supply in New Jersey for 15 years.

An Easy Button to Make Your Web Site and Social Media Pages Much More Interesting

Developing content in today’s technologically advanced connect world could not be easier. Here are six easy steps to up your game.

1. Post multiple pictures and videos of you and your projects on your web site and social media platforms.
2. Use your smart phone or tablet camera and shoot a walk-through video of your showroom and then post it on your web site and social media platforms.
3. Make a recording that offers guidance to prospective customers on what they should expect from a professional showroom. Encourage your prospects to listen to the recording on the way to the showroom.
4. Make a recording that offers guidance on how to prepare for a remodel or new project.
5. Make video recordings of existing customers with them explaining why they relied on your showroom for their remodeling projects and what they most liked about working with you.
6. Video your design team members and have them relate their passion for design and customer service.

Making videos and recordings is easy with a smart phone.  If you need to make edits, that’s no problem either.  Upload your files into Windows Media Maker or iMovie.  You don’t have to be a professional film editor to enhance your videos.  If you know how to cut and paste a document in Word, you can intuitively use these video editors.

Cool Stuff for the Bath and Kitchen From CES

Kohler Sensate Touchless Faucet

­­The Consumer Electronic Show (CES) is the world’s largest technology showcase and the 2019 edition held in early January offered the latest head-turning advancements for the bath and kitchen.  Here are several products that caught our eye.

Kohler’s Sensate Touchless Kitchen Faucet won a Best of Innovation Award.  The Sensat Touchless Kitchen Faucet turns water on and off through voice commands or motion-based interactions. Fill an eight-ounce cup of water or a large pot of water to make pasta with a hands-free voice command. A sensor on the faucet valve monitors water usage, which is displayed on the KOHLER Konnect app for convenience and will issue an alert if unusual usage is detected. KOHLER Konnect offers support in select products for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit.

Kohler Nume 2.0 Intelligent Toilet

The Kohler Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilet has water efficiency checks that make sure only the water that is necessary to remove waste is used. The Numi 2.0 features smart lighting that makes it easy to see your way around the bathroom even in the dead of night — and those lights are interactive, multicolored and dynamic so they can adjust to the setting. The toilet has personalized cleansing functions that make sure the toilet is set to individual specifications, including a heated seat, drying functionality and voice control. The Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilet has high-quality speakers built right into it, and those speakers come equipped with Amazon's voice assistant Alexa. If you have a question while you're sitting on the toilet, just ask Alexa. You can also run your home automation processes while in the bathroom. You can even have Alexa queue up your favorite playlist and watch the toilet's lights sync up to the beat. Your bathroom can double as your own personal dance club if you so desire. The Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilet is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2019.

TOTO NEOREST NX2

TOTO's NEOREST NX2 Intelligent Toilet with ACTILIGHT and Flotation Tub with ZERO DIMENSION were also named CES 2019 Innovation Awards honorees. TOTO's NEOREST NX2 is its most beautiful intelligent toilet with its most advanced cleansing technology. It offers innovations consumers appreciate: high-tech sensor operation with auto open/close and auto flush; integrated WASHLET personal cleansing system with warm, aerated water to cleanse, warm air dryer, heated seat, and in-bowl catalytic deodorizer; and energy- and water-saving features. The NEOREST NX2's ACTILIGHT bowl cleansing technology is completely safe for the environment. It uses a plain water pre-mist that reduces waste and grime's sticking.

TOTO's Flotation Tub simulates zero gravity by offering bathers the experience of total weightlessness. TOTO's research revealed that the ZERO DIMENSION bathing posture completely relaxes mind and body. Special massage jets produce a therapeutic flow of warm air bubbles enveloping the entire body. A stream of warm water flows from the height-adjustable Neck Spa, an ergonomic pillow that keeps the neck and shoulders comfortably warm. HYDROHANDS massage jets create the experience of real hands massaging the lower back. All functions are easily operated using the control panel on the inside of the tub.

Kitchen Aid Smart Display

KitchenAid's Smart Display is a multi-functional smart home device with a 10-inch screen that offers home chefs a variety of tools and applications including step-by-step recipe instructions, shopping lists and smart home control via a central hub with Google Assistant. Usevoice commands to watch YouTube, look up recipes, research restaurants or enjoy live music or TV. 


The KitchenAid Smart Display also has exclusive cooking content courtesy of the Whirlpool-owned app Yummly. Open Yummly with a voice command to see personalized recipe recommendations based on prior use. Select a recipe, and Yummly can walk you through the cooking steps. A new Yummly Pro service even offers video guides for recipes hosted by celebrity chefs. KitchenAid is striving to release the Smart Display in the second half of 2019 and estimates the price between $200 and $300.

Whirlpool Smart All-in-One Washer and Dryer

Whirlpool's Smart All-in-One Washer and Dryer was a CES 2019 Innovation Award Honoree for its ability to complete a load of laundry. That's right, imagine washing and drying a load of laundry without having to move items from one machine to another. Whirlpool brand's newly upgraded laundry unit features smart laundry capabilities through the Whirlpool app, and coming soon in 2019, voice control with a compatible voice-enabled device will be available to make laundry easier from start to finish.

Bosch Projection and Interaction (PAI)

Bosch unveiled its Projection and Interaction at CES. PAI is a miniature smart projector that converts any surface into a touchscreen and gesture-based display. The PAI offers a recipe and cooking catalog that is connected to Bosch's other smart appliances. The PAI can identify individual ingredients to suggest recipe ideas or start the oven in advance. But most impressive is its unnecessary but fun ability to divide cakes into perfect portions for slicing.

Heatworks showcased a Wi-Fi- Connected Countertop Dishwasher which won a Best of Innovation Award in the Home Appliances category. The estimated cost is around $300 and should be available sometime in 2019.

Folidmate

Foldimate featured a functioning version of its laundry-folding robot at CES. It's essentially a large appliance that lets you feed in a full load of laundry for folding. It can fold about 25 articles of clothing – of various materials and sizes – in under five minutes. It won't handle all items such as towels, bedsheets and baby clothes. Other than those items, reviewers gave Foldimate high marks.

What Makes for an Effective Decorative Plumbing and Hardware Showroom Email?

Fifty percent of US consumers cite email as their preferred method of contact from brands, according to Gartner L2’s Digital IQ Index.  What makes for an effective email from a brick-and-mortar retailer?  It certainly isn't a discount coupon offer.  According to the survey, open rates for discount offers declined from 20 percent in 2017 to 18 percent in 2018.   

What does work are informative emails.  Consumers want information that makes their customer journey easier and their buying decisions more informed.  Another effective strategy is to send VIP-related emails - they have the highest open rate, averaging 25 percent across all price points.  A British retailer sent a VIP email touting a sample sale at their store, which achieved a 60 percent open rate.  The retailer sent the same email to different percentages of its email list.  The content of the emails were exactly the same, the only difference was the subject line.  The email that received the highest open rate was the one that touted VIP status - the less effective email had a subject promoting further reductions.  The lesson for decorative plumbing and hardware showrooms is focus your marketing efforts on information and education.  Offer guidance for budgeting for a new bath, selecting different products, working with a professional showroom, and preparing and living through a renovation, among other topics. 

Price Is a Story, Not a Strategy

In another brilliant blog post, Bernadette Jiwy (The Story of Telling) reminisced about the buzz that occurred when Ron Johnson, the genius behind Apple stores, was named CEO of J.C. Penny.  Immediately, Johnson tried to reverse Penny’s decades-long practice of offering continuous sales and discounts, and replaced them with small store compelling customer experiences inside a large department store.  Johnson’s goal was to convert Penny’s into a place where people wanted to congregate instead of a place where you buy stuff at a discount. Penny’s stock soared when the strategy was announced and the entire brick-and-mortar industry waited with bated breath to see if Johnson would succeed.

Johnson and his strategy crashed and burned.  Penny’s stock price nosedived 37 percent, and Johnson was ousted after just 17 months.

Penny’s core customers had come to believe and expect that when they visited the store, they would get the best deal available.  When discounts were eliminated, the core base stopped coming.  The lesson is that price is never logical and different customers have a wide range of the definition of value.  Why would someone pay more than $10,000+ for a Hermes Birkin bag when you can buy an equally functional purse for a 100^th of the cost?  Similar to beauty, value is truly in the eye of the beholder.  That’s why price is rarely ever the real reason a prospect will walk out the door - price may be the excuse, but rarely the reason for not trusting a showroom with the customer's bath or kitchen remodel.

The phrase "one price fits all" arguably does not apply to most decorative plumbing and hardware showrooms.  Different market segments have different expectations of showroom pricing strategy, which will likely differ vastly from other brick-and-mortar retailers.  If you walk into Tiffany to buy jewelry, the pricing and discount structure will be different from a Kay Jewelers.   Do you really believe that you can exact an extra discount from Starbucks?  Do you expect to get 25 percent off on a new iPhone? 

Pricing strategies in many showrooms are designed to create the illusion of savings.  Showrooms that, as a matter of practice, automatically offer a discount encourages loyalty from the kind of customer who wants a deal.  The manufacturer suggested retail price is discounted, giving customers the feeling that they have saved money and the satisfaction of telling the story of the deal they received.

Seth Godin, in his new book This Is Marketing,  explains “On the one hand, you can tell the story that price is price.  Tesla told this story to luxury car buyers and they breathed a sigh of relief. But when Uber tried to match pricing to demand, it cost their brand billions in trust.”  Godin notes that for small organizations in particular, the hard part isn’t the mechanics of charging different amounts - “It’s the storytelling.” 

Your pricing is the part of the story that you ask your customers to believe.  As Jiwy points out, “It pays to understand what story the people you choose to serve want to believe.”  What pricing story do your customers want to believe and what do they actually believe?

Amazon Sells Junk

Seth Godin had another brilliant blog this week titled Managing Reputation in the Age of Infinity.  Godin writes,

“Amazon Sells junk.  More junk every day. And they know this.  They sell junk that would never, ever be sold at a Wal-Mart store (or a decorative plumbing and hardware showroom). That’s because in order to get into a store, a buyer, a human being with a reputation, has to allocate shelf space. The easiest way to lose your job as a buyer is to put brand-destroying lousy products on a valuable shelf.

Amazon, on the other hand, has infinite shelves. And no buyers. As a result, they’re relying on an algorithm that rewards low prices and high ratings. But the best way to lower prices is to make junk. And the best way to high ratings is to fake them.”

Godin continues by explaining that it costs Amazon nothing to promote another unknown third-party reseller, to manipulate ratings, to sell bad product and if they get caught, so what? If the products don’t work, they can be returned at no cost, but what does the consumer do if the shower valve they put behind their marble wall doesn't work? Who pays for the repair?

On the upside, having infinite shelf space enables unknown brands to be found.  The bad news is that in abdicating reviews by professionals who know what they are taking about to consumers, you transform the filtering process, while wasting time, money and goodwill, writes Godin.  “The uncertainty that comes from not knowing if it’s what you hoped for adds cost and tension for everyone.”

Amazon is not the only culprit, Godin points out.  Facebook ads (unvetted, like the ads you see on network TV) are also not to be trusted.  It’s not dissimilar to the claims by peddlers pitching tonics in the late 19^th century that swore they transformed lives for the better.  It’s the latest unregulated "quack" remedy that’s sure to cure your chronic disease, explains Godin.

Here’s the main point.  The Amazons and Facebooks of the world are promoting products that will show up everywhere that an individual or organization believes scale is more important than trust.  That’s where the brick-and-mortar showroom has an advantage.  There’s no reason to trust any unknown product your customers can buy on Amazon, Build.com, faucets.com or any other online etailer.  And because there are so few brands that are recognized by consumers in the decorative plumbing and hardware universe, showrooms have an advantage because they feature professionals who know what they are talking about and are trustworthy.  What do you do to promote trust?  Please share your thoughts on the DPHA Facebook page or with our LinkedIn group.

Redefining Retail in 2019, by Phil Hotarek (Lutz Bath & Kitchen), an Education Committee Member

At times, elements of the retail industry may seem to change at light speed, while certain staples stand the test of time.  As professionals in the decorative plumbing and hardware industry, we feel responsible in knowing how to best navigate our businesses to avoid falling behind while avoiding taking a wrong turn.  With heightened awareness of our landscape, we are provided with the knowledge and tools to best navigate through the ever-changing world of retail.  Here are trends that are expected to redefine retail strategy in 2019. 

Connecting to Culture 
Consumers continue to shop with emotion verses shopping with their wallets.  An increased exposure of business practices has created a consumer conscience that has caused buyers to research beyond the dollar.  Your ability to connect with your local culture and attitude will help you appeal to consumers that shop with emotion.  This requires demonstrating social consciousness, corporate responsibility, product integrity and follow-up service. 

Experiential Shopping
Retailers have had to tap into creativity to develop new ideas that attract consumers with the added convenience of shopping today.  Creating an experience is one way to draw walk-ins from new customers and visits from previous clients. Decorative plumbing and hardware products are perfect for creating experiences, becuase they provide potential clients with the opportunity to get a realistic vision of what might go in their homes.  Creating an experience can also be connected to your marketing strategy by sharing customer experiences on social media platforms. 

The Multi Channel Standard
Brick-and-mortar locations play a pivotal role in the sales process, with storefronts being the primary point of sales.  However, the storefront cannot be the only source for generating business.  With access to information on virtually any platform or app, it is crucial for your brand to have a multi-channel presence.  Understanding that different age demographics have their own platform preference is key. 

• Website Presence - Your website should be product and design oriented, easy to navigate and searchable on Google and other search engines. 
• Facebook - Baby Boomers 
• Instagram and Snapchat - Millennials
• Linkedin - Professional presence, relevant articles and blogs
• Twitter - Newsworthy bits and event planning
  

Having a multi-channel presence is the essence of effectively utilizing today’s technology to cast a wide net for lead conversions.
 
Offering a Niche > The “One-Stop Shop”
Direct to consumer products are becoming increasingly popular to combat the convenience of the “One-Stop Shop.”  Offering niche products is the perfect foil to selling convenience.  Consumers have discovered that purchasing everything from one place out of convenience does not always yield the best results in quality or satisfaction.  Highlighting specificity is the key to creating a better connection with the consumer, while at the same time demonstrating the value of your expertise.

Two World Views

Seth Godin is one of the most admired and respected minds in marketing today. He is the author of more than a dozen books and publishes a daily "must-read" for anyone who runs a business. What makes Seth special is that he looks at the world through different lenses, constantly challenging the status quo to take fresh new approaches that work more often than not. He was among the first marketing minds to understand that the way people purchase had changed and recognized that it is necessary to change messaging in order to effectively respond to the paradigm shift that had taken place.

 

Today’s marketing requires telling stories that resonate with the people you want to reach, because the story is meaningful to them and makes a difference in their lives. The challenge, according to Seth, is to change your worldview. Many of us are still living in the world that says all people want as much stuff as possible for as cheap a price as possible. That’s why we have Black Friday sales, self-storage units and the belief that offering discounts is the way to convince customers your showroom is the right one for their bath remodel. There is always somebody happy to push you to buy something you don’t need because the object of the game is for you to have more stuff. That’s a world view based on scarcity, with the belief that most people don’t have enough stuff and are always questioning how do I get more?

But there’s a different view that is not so obvious. It’s a view not based on scarcity, but rather on abundance. In an abundant economy, it’s not about acquiring more stuff, because when we are honest with ourselves we know we have enough. What we don’t have is connection and time. We’re lonely. Study after study finds loneliness to be a pressing and disturbing societal problem.

Think about your customers. How many of them are lonely?  How many of them have excess free time? Think about your team and yourself - do you have too much time on your hands? If you want to create a tribe of raving fans in a world of abundance, you need to provide your customers and team members with connection and meaning where they can be at their best.

What does this look like at a decorative plumbing and hardware showroom? It’s not about specialty finishes, gallons per minute, quartz versus stone, and so on. It’s not about how much margin you need to cut in order to make a sale. Those may be nice, but will discounts and product mix provide connection or meaning? What will? Start by answering these four questions:

1. Who are your next customers?
2. What are the stories they have told themselves before they visit you or your showroom?
3. How do you encounter your next customers in a way that they trust the story you want to tell about what you have to offer?
4. What changes are you trying to make in them, their lives, their story?

What can you and your team do to change your prospect’s life, provide meaning or build connection?

Negotiating with Loved Ones

Derek Gaunt, from the Black Swan Group, provided great guidance on how to negotiate with those you love. When you negotiate pricing or a business transaction, the consequences of failure are not as high as when you fail to reach an effective solution with a spouse, partner or child. Black Swan notes that when you are connected to someone on a deeper emotional level, you naturally hold them to higher standards than you do to individuals involved in business transactions. That’s why Black Swan recommends different approaches for loved ones than you might use with team members, suppliers, contractors or other business associates.

The first step is to demonstrate an understanding of what you know - I realize that you are upset; I know I let you down, etc. Once you demonstrate understanding, it’s easier to gain influence.

Another key is to recognize that logic may not work. If your partner has vowed to lose weight, and you catch them eating a piece of chocolate cake, it’s probably not going to end well if you tell them they are increasing their chance of heart disease or their possibility of becoming a diabetic, or that they are less likely to be promoted because of their physical appearance.

Empathy is a highly effective negotiation tool, Derek related at a recent industry conference. Black Swan advises that using empathy with loved ones requires extra effort. Slow down your reaction time and identify the emotions that your partner, spouse or child are expressing. Let them know you understand. Allow loved ones to vent and say "no". Listen with the goal of understanding the problem/challenge instead of thinking about what you might say next. Be mindful of your tone of voice and use of language. You may need to use your late night DJ voice.

Keep your emotions in check. It’s difficult because human instinct is to focus inward. If you consciously focus on your counterpart, you have less time to focus on your own emotions and thereby gain greater insight into the problem or situation that you want to resolve.

One lesson to be taken here is that everything is a negotiation. It’s only natural to avoid uncomfortable situations. Every negotiation, especially those with loved ones, requires the ability to connect and demonstrate an understanding. When you use tactical empathy and look through the lens of your loved ones, most negotiations will result in a successful outcome.