I used to think that the words empathy and sympathy were the same. Of course I know now that they are completely different.
Sympathy is when you feel sorrow or compassion for the other person like when someone close to them may have passed away.
Empathy is basically putting yourself in their shoes.
I believe in sales and sales support that you really need empathy for the customer or client. Unfortunately a lot of people forget that.
I used to work part time in a bar. It was a job that I really enjoyed because it was fun and most people that were there, were there to have fun. One day I was asked about a particular product that we had for sale. Unfortunately we didn't have any on stock so I told that customer that I also wanted that product and was disappointed that we didn't have it available either.
I think that the customer (and my boss) were quite impressed with my response.
How many times have you had a service staff member answer your question that left a bad taste in your mouth?
There are ways to do these things and to show empathy to the customer is one of those things. It is just a subtle tweak in your language but it will make all the difference.
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