Before people decide on what they think of your message, they decide what they think of you.
A customer’s impression of your brand is critical; that’s why the customers are always right. Competence can attracts, but it takes empathy to consistently close impossible deal.
When faced with a sales decision: my first question is hardly about product quality but about trust. Can I trust you?
We were entertaining a friend for a few days, and one evening we took a stroll down my street, and my friend wanted to buy something from a particular shop. My response was, “oh, we don’t buy from them.” Did they have the products we wanted? Yes. But for some reasons, I’d rather walk an extra mile than shop from that store. Let’s be honest; every family has opinions on what store to buy from and why. I don’t hate the lady as a person, but I don’t deal with her because she lacks empathy.
Empathy and competence are top traits needed in sales, but when it comes to closing impossible deals, empathy trumps competence.
Contents
The Five Components of Trust
There are five major components of Trust, and you may fool some of the people some of the time and get away with lucky sales, but if you lack customers’ trust, you’ll struggle with closing deals.
- Integrity
- Competence
- Consistency
- Loyalty
- Openness
You can rehearse for competence, but you can’t fake the qualities of empathy. Humans sense when salespeople fake these things. They may not act on it, but most of the time, it hits like a primal instinct.
Leading with Empathy
How does my small “beef” with a small store affect her sales on the street filled with hundreds of families? Well, in my three years on this street, that small shop became smaller and had far less patronage because . . . as customers, we decide what we think of her first before deciding on patronising her business.
Now let’s move on from small streets to a larger market with big brands like Nike. In 2016, Colin Kaepernick sat during the US national anthem to protest against police brutality and racial injustice. The following week, he kneeled during the anthem, and things escalated from there. Trump got involved; he demanded the NFL fire players involved in such a protest. It was intense. In September 2018, when Nike celebrated its 30th anniversary of the Just Do It slogan, they decided to pick their ambassador from the social arena. So they turned down a list of star athletes and opted for an outed NFL Quarterback who took a kneel during the national anthem.
Why?
Was there a backlash from the public?
Yes, there was. People burned their Nike products.
A Lesson on Empathy in Consumer Brand Marketing
Of course, the Kaepernick case was pretty intense and highly polarised, but as muggy as the situation seemed, Nike stood firmly on the side of the Demographic that benefited their sales. They took side with an athlete that embodied what they represented as a brand, and it was summarized in that one slogan: Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. Just Do It.
As a salesperson, always remember that the fate of your product is decided within the social arena. The pole was a divided opinion between the baby boomers and the more progressive and spirited young ones. Nike was willing to sacrifice the baby boomers, and that decision paid off.
I could go on and on out of share love for Phil Knight and everything Nike embodies. Nike is top on the list of businesses that understand the power of Consumer brand marketing.
In Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping point, he made an important note on Mavericks. Mavericks are nonconformist. They are highly influential, and no, they are not social media influencers. These are regular folks who take their time to inquire about products and easily convince a family member and friend to try a product, and usually, they are good for their words. They are kids and mums, and they matter within the complex network of sales marketing.
First Impressions Might be all You Have
Mavericks are competent when it comes to consuming product data, and they can easily turn opinions of people toward or away from their products. The bottom line is you need Mavericks to close impossible deals on the broader market.
I watched a documentary on a failed Fyer Music festival that took many influencers to trend but was brought down by a teenage boy’s tweet.
The teenage boy passed one honest comment on the incompetence of the brand and it spiralled and brought a whole organisation to the ground.
Here’s why Empathy Trumps Competence, Especially in One-on-one sales
You can hire an expert to write catchy sales copy. You could design the most flashy logos but when a customer walks into your store none of that would matter if customer service is zero to none.
I took a customer success management course (don’t ask why. I was in a dark place with employment). It started with a desire to boost my CV so this writer with zero experience in Customer Service could get a job in that field. It never worked out. Thankfully. I learnt the importance of retaining customers through marketing. I also got to learn that the sales funnel is an intricate network of built on referral from loyal customers. That means a deal doesn’t close after purchase.
Also, I’ve come to observe that some deals close before they even begin.
The first time I went shopping for a wedding dress, I had a list of stores recommended to me and my experience in the first store was just impressive. They didn’t have the dress I liked in the size that suits me, but while I was walking out, I told my sister that that was the store I was shopping from. Why? Empathy.
The next store I entered was far bigger but their service was so poor I couldn’t wait to run out.
I’ve recommended every Tom dick and Harry to that first store. Months after my visit, I still champion for them because I was in love with their culture. The odd thing is my wedding theme didn’t require a gown anymore yet the sales was succesful because I’ve directed several brides to them, and every one of them loved the store.
Let’s talk about competence
I once knew a competent dressmaker. I was impressed by her work. It was neat, and from my first dress, the fitting was just perfect but then something happened and it opened my eyes to her greed. That was the last time I’d do business with her and I can never recommend anyone to her.
Was she competent? Highly! But she lost out on a business deal with me because she put competence before empathy.
Final Words
Competence and empathy are great qualities in sales; but it’s the order that matters. The best leaders and salespersons put empathy before competence. This is a fact and has been widely researched by the Harvard Business Review. If you want to close impossible deals, try leading with empathy.
MORE: How to Implement Empathy in Your Marketing Strategy for Better Result
