Empathy in Sales -- Literature

Empathy in Sales -- Literature Review Empathy is the ability to imagine one's self in the position of another and to appreciate situations and circumstances from the other's point-of-view. It is largely a characteristic possessed more by some individuals than by others and there is substantial evidence suggesting that empathy is important to the success of sales professionals. In general, social marketing has been used by business organizations to promote products and services for many years with considerable effectiveness in influencing consumer behaviour (Evans 2008).

Lancaster and Reynolds explain that, in principle, direct sales (such as through sales calls) are actually elements of social marketing that are designed to influence social behaviours in ways conducive to the interests of the marketer (2005: 321). By definition, sales are always intended to benefit the seller irrespective of whether or not the transaction is also necessarily in the best interests of the prospective buyer.

However, sellers and marketers may approach sales from two diametrically opposite perspectives: they can focus either on convincing the customer, a-priori, that the customer needs the product without actually considering the transaction or its potential benefits and consequences from the buyer's point-of-view, or they can make a genuine attempt to consider the transaction from the perspective of the buyer as well. While it may seem counterintuitive, salespeople who employ the latter approach to sales are often more successful than their counterparts who employ the former approach (Abelson, Frey, et al. 2004: 91).

The importance of empathy in connection with its use as a motivational tool was first understood by psychologists long before its use for sales by commercial marketers. Social psychologist Albert Bandura concluded that empathy plays a pivotal role in both social learning and cognition and also that it is a critical component in forming knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs more generally (Fishbein & Middlestadt 1997: 188-89; Evans 2008: 23).

In the context of sales, empathy means putting ourselves into the customer's shoes, seeing the transaction from his or her perspective, which requires effective listening skills and a specific interest in understanding the customer's message rather than focusing exclusively on the content of the sales pitch to the customer (Harris 2002). According to Harris, "Empathy is easier to describe than to actually use.

How, for example, can a manager really understand what it means to deal with angry customers every day? How can a first-year employee relate to the trials and tribulations of a senior-level executive? The answer lies in truly suspending judgment and accepting, for the moment, that the messages carry validity." (2002:295) To date, research into the role of empathy in sales has focused mainly on the different results of sales pitches manifesting empathy and those lacking any elements of empathy; there is little information differentiating genuine expressions of empathy from contrived expressions of empathy employed tactically for the purpose of completing sales.

However, it appears that any believable expression of empathy facilitate through active listening techniques often go quite far toward establishing trust on the part of customers and that trusting relationships generated in connection with expressions of empathy by salespeople during initial interactions can last for the long-term.

According to Carter (2010: 26), "Empathetic listening by the salesperson demonstrates concern about the customer." However, it might be expected that genuine expressions of empathy are more effective than contrived expressions of empathy, simply by virtue of the operational concept of believability, since the latter also depends on the ability of salespeople to pretend they are empathetic and on the relative inability of customers to recognize vacuous flattery and transparent attempts to establish rapport strictly in a manipulative sense to accomplish the sale.

In that regard, there is considerable reason to expect that failed attempts to exhibit disingenuous empathy are more damaging to the prospect of the sale than making no such attempt simply because thinly veiled attempts at manipulation of this nature typically result in suspicion rather than in any meaningful rapport. (Campbell and Davis 2006: 44).

In fact, "[r]epeated use of persuasive messages or tactics can signal to a customer that a sales call representative is driven by an ulterior motive rather than a sincere desire to build a long-term relationship" (Campbell and Davis 2006: 45). Active listening to what the customer has to say is important but not at the expense of failing to solicit specific information from the customer that is relevant to the sales pitch.

As Brown and Levangie suggest, "Do not fall off the other side of the horse and never ask any questions! Ask appropriate questions as a sign of respect and interest, but not as a means of entrapment and false empathy" (2006: 68). This proviso is consistent with the recommendations of other analysts according to whom another important ability of the sale person is to "ask rather than tell" (Harris 2002:330).

The broader analysis of the perceived quality of retail service is not predicated on empathy but on the four other traditional standards: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, and assurance, (Baumann, Burton and Elliott 2007: 82), all of which also contribute to establishing the trust and rapport with the customer that are known to be crucial to the success of promotion and sales efforts. Meanwhile, a large volume of research literature specifically supports the importance of empathy in the sales-customer relationship.

Likewise, there is evidence of a direct link between customer satisfaction and customer behaviour that is directly influenced by the element of empathy established during the sales process. Ideally, sales efforts should incorporate a total package that consists of the factual and logical argument supporting the proposed exchange of value or sale and that considers the customer's use of and benefit from the product after the sale.

This comprehensive package typically includes information about the sale and any support services (tangibles), a commitment to help the customer (responsiveness), knowledge and courtesy (assurance), and most importantly, indications that the seller genuinely cares about the customer's welfare and needs (empathy). On one hand, "This set of dimensions can and probably will change over the usage portion of the transaction cycle. The value of this set of dimensions can be increased, held the same, or decreased according to the seller's desires and capabilities" (Crosby, Devito and Pearson 2003: 22).

On the other hand, empathy is a blend of sympathy and compassion; therefore it is susceptible to being perceived as maudlin, which is extremely detrimental to sales because it detracts from the sincerity of the salesperson. "A person who displays empathy is, it appears, to be congratulated for having fine feelings; a person who shows or expresses sympathy has good cultural instincts and training; a person who shows compassion seems motivated, at least in part, by values and precepts" (Berlant 2004:24).

Furthermore, it is important that salespeople recognize the degree to which the very nature of their profession often results in their being stereotyped as having ulterior motives in their persuasive efforts. In that respect, there is an inherent danger associated with any attempts at logical persuasion may be viewed by customers as a manifestation of that preconceived notion about salespeople.

From that perspective, expressions of genuine interest in the customer and empathy may be among the most effective ways of overcoming that pejorative presumption about salespeople and their motives (Campbell and Davis 2006). "Interpersonal communication between salespeople and customers has been widely discussed as an important part of successful sales interactions.

More specifically, an important aspect of the communication process is the ability to listen effectively and knowledgeable, prepared salespeople develop more meaningful relationships by listening to customers, than salespeople who do not." (Carter 2010: 25) Finally, Weitzul has pointed out that successful sale people who manage to employ empathy to their advantage exhibit what is referred to as an Active-Passive-Sensitized behavioural style that is normally defined as being "Team-oriented, concerned with group accomplishment, and occasionally moody. However, he also shows a high degree of empathy, sympathy, and compassion for others.

Frequently a significant contributor in a service-oriented sales role" (Weitzul 1993:49). This characterization of the necessary qualities for successful salespeople is very different from the.