Skip to main content

Don't Frighten People with Your Ambition, but Balance your Ambition with your Empathy in 5 Ways

Ambitious people tend to give people the impression that they are too focused on their own success and will manipulate others to achieve their own goals.  Many such people, including some poor salespeople, tend to look upon every transaction as an opportunity to make a sale and get out.

On the other hand, Empathy people are those that have a long term perspective. They always think of others before thinking of themselves. They do not think of closing the sale as much as they think of opening long-term customer relationships.

A good salesperson balances between ambition and empathy.  Because he knows that if he is too ambitious, he will frighten away customers; if he is too empathetic, he will not be assertive enough to ask for the sale.

There are 5 ways that good salespeople balances between ambition and empathy:

  1. Ask Questions and Never Make Any Assumptions.  When you ask questions and listen to the answer, you put yourself into the other person's shoes.  One can never be ambitious if he listens to others!
  2. Do your Research to know the prospect's history.  This will give you an idea why they do things in certain ways.  Like some Japanese companies, they like to ask you for your family background.  This is their way of knowing if there is a good fit between you and them.
  3. Get Ready Alternatives.  Yes, let the prospect have at least 3 choices: the high price, middle price and low price.  Not just in terms of pricing, but also other things like delivery, color, accessories and specifications.  Don't be like Henry Ford, who said in 1926, "Customers can have any choice of color as long as it is black" and saw his Ford Motor Company being overtaken by new start-up General Motors. 
  4. Get Your Technical People Along When Meet the Prospect.  Because technical people are seen to be more technical and not sales oriented, the prospect will have a different attitude towards you the salesperson.  The prospect will be more open, and once he is opened, you can better understand his needs.
  5. Give the Prospect an Irresistible Offer. An Irresistible Offer is an offer that the prospect cannot resist, and yet does not make you broke. It is not a low price offer but simply an offer that best meets the prospect's most dominant needs presented in an attractive manner. For example, if your prospect wants to go green, an irresistible offer would be to let him be the first to go for the green option if he can decide today.  In this way the prospect is happy and you the salesperson will close the sale. Isn't this a sure-win win-win deal that balances between ambition and empathy?  
By Andy Ng, Sales Coach and Trainer at Asia Trainers.  Come for our Irresistible Selling course (last run for 2013) on 29 Nov 2013 Friday 2 to 5.30 pm.  Details of this course and our other courses are found here. 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kindness as a Way of Life: How Kindness can Reward You 6 Times Over

Kindness as a Way of Life by Andy Ng Kindness is a universal language that transcends cultural boundaries, enriches human connections, and has the power to transform lives. It goes beyond mere acts of charity or random good deeds. To me, kindness, when practiced as a way of life, becomes a profound philosophy that can shape our interactions with others, the world around us, and even our own well-being. In this article, we will explore the multifaceted aspects of kindness as a way of life, touching on non-violent communication, the limitations of traditional charity, the potential harms of helping, the deliberate cultivation of kindness, and the incredible rewards it brings. 1.       Non-Violent Communication Non-violent communication (NVC) is a key component of practicing kindness as a way of life. Developed by Marshall B. Rosenberg, NVC emphasizes empathetic communication that seeks to understand and connect with others on a deeper level. It encourages active listening, empath

New Age Mobile Numerology

Many people look at 'mobile number change luck' with skepticism, they say, how can just one simple mobile number change create so many changes in a person's life?   Also, the mobile numbers are given to us by random by the telcos, how can our fate be assigned by the telcos at random? Besides, isn't it true that our lives and fates are determined by birth and what we do, how can a small mobile number, which is a modern invention, have any effect?  How about people in the past without mobile numbers?  You mean they don't have a life without mobile numbers, right? One more thing: you cannot just change your mobile number and expect your life to change. If this is so, wouldn't everybody be rich just by changing their mobile numbers? Finally, isn't this kind of fortune-telling thing more of psychology and blind faith than science?   If so, how can we trust anything that is not proven and not science? Today let's resolve all these doubts and I welcome your co

If Not You, Who Else?

I learnt this very powerful 5-word phrase from Singapore's highest ever box-office movie ever: "Ah Boys to Men II". In one scene, the recruits were about to start their 3-day field camp.  Their Officer-in-Command asked them, "Before we moved out, anybody not feeling well?"  All the soldiers replied loudly, "No Sir!!!" "Gentlemen", continued the Officer, "Every time the training gets tougher, one thought comes to your mind, 'Why Must I Serve National Service?' "My answer to you is, 'If Not You, Then Who Else?'" Wow!  What a powerful phrase!  If Not You, Who Else may mean: You are the most suitable person, and we can't find anyone better than you.  This is appreciation at the highest level How can you push this responsibility to someone else? I am making a request to you specifically, please don't reject my request Can you find me another person more suitable than you? Please refer me anot