Empathy Is Underrated

Bernadette Jiwy had another powerful blog post (The Story of Telling) this week evaluating the three most common selling techniques.

 

Describing features and benefits is the first and most commonly used sales approach.  "This cabinet box is made of plywood with an MDF door that comes in 125 different finishes and is guaranteed never to crack."  Focusing on features and benefits helps assure that customers understand what they are buying, how it works, what it does and how much it will cost.

 

Storytelling is a second common sales technique. Using case histories, testimonials and empirical examples help customers imagine what a new kitchen or bath might look and feel like in their home and how it will make them feel every time they cross the threshold.  Storytelling is an art and a powerful sales technique. The challenge for many showroom professionals in using storytelling is their approach.  Too often the focus is the mechanics of storytelling instead of the actual reasons for storytelling, Jiwy notes.  "Tell to sell" worked in the age when advertising was the primary means to get the word out.  Today, however, the primary reason you tell stories is to build trust with your customers.  If prospective customers are going to invest with you and your team, they need to believe that you are the best resource to deliver the kitchen or bath of their dreams.  You can earn trust through effective storytelling.

 

The third and "by far the most overlooked and under-utilized sales technique is to listen before pitching." Jiwy points out that it is far easier to sell something that customers want than it is to make customers want to buy something.   Savvy sales professionals know they can only sell something that customers want if they know what those wants are.  To understand and assess what your customers want, you need to actively listen and understand "the stories, frustrations, challenges and goals of your prospective customers."