There are a number of different phrases and statements that help demonstrate that you have empathy for your target audience. Empathy is important, because it offers the “human touch” in business dealings and marketing. You don’t have to act like a pushy used car salesman to seal the deal if you master these empathetic words and phrases and use them in face-to-face meetings and in your sales letters online.
The various statement can be used in different situations in order to meet certain business goals. Here are just a few words and phrases you and your sales team and customer service team can use to close deals more often and soothe any ruffled feathers.
Making Sales
There are a number of ways to offer your products and services and close the deal without seeming too pushy or lacking in empathy. The important thing to remember is that people don’t want to be sold to as much as they want to be understood.
The starting point should therefore always be your customers – their needs, desires, ethics and other considerations when they buy something. Do they have a family? Are they green?
By understanding the ideal customer in your niche, you can create just the right products and services and generate brand loyalty. They will feel you “get them” as a person and are not just trying to sell them stuff.
When dealing with prospective customers or writing sales letters, use phrases like:
* Personally, I would recommend you to…
* Would you like to try our new X?
* X is a good fit for you because you can accomplish Y easily.
* You know how frustrating it can be to try to do X? Y can help ease your pain.
* Have you ever had trouble with X? We did too until we started using Y.
As you can see, the tactic of asking open-ended rather than “yes or no” questions works well because it demonstrates you are interested in them, and your answers show empathy.
Making Customers Feel Valued
* Thanks for getting in touch with us. How can we help you today?
* I appreciate your patience.
* Thank you for remaining so positive.
* Your business means a lot to us.
* We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us today.
Dealing with Difficult Customers
Simple courtesy costs nothing. You and your sales team and customer service people should all train to be polite, no matter how rude any customer is who contacts you.
“How can we help?” opens the conversation. Then, depending on what they say, you can respond in a number of ways to show that you empathize, such as:
* I understand. If I were in your position, I would feel the same way. Let’s see what we can do to fix this.
* I feel your frustration. Let’s sort out this situation together.
* I would be asking the same questions as you are.
* You are totally right. Have you tried X solution?
* I would come to the same conclusion. So, what would you like our next steps to be?
Try to ensure the outcome is a win-win for everyone. And be sure to end the conversation with:
* Is there anything else I can help you with today?
If they say yes, you can respond with phases like:
* Great! Let’s get started.
* I’d love to help you with that.
* Give me just a minute/second to I figure this out for you.
* That’s awesome/great! How can I help?
* Let’s see if we can sort this out together.
A few simple words of empathy can mean a lot, so practice these words and phrases until they are second nature and see what a difference they can make for your business.
