Empathy for Your Customer
By Ryan Taft
Step into the shoes of a homebuyer on a search for the perfect home in the perfect community.
When customers approach the new home sales office, what are they thinking? Here are some of the thoughts that are likely rushing through their minds:
- “What will the salesperson be like?”
- “Should I be afraid?”
- “I’ve heard it’s a tough market.”
- “Don’t forget to ask about incentives.”
- “Don’t let that salesperson control or manipulate.”
- “Was my cousin Ralph correct when he said it was a lousy time
- to buy?”
- “I must not show how much I like the home.”
- “This is really scary.”
Many salespeople fail to see the world through the eyes of their customers. Top performers not only consider the customers’ stresses and concerns but also adopt their paradigms and understand their mindsets. It’s the difference between sympathy and empathy, between feeling sorry for a person and actually feeling what a person feels. Having empathy for your customer is a skill you can learn and practice.
A top performer in a tougher market will recognize the customer’s burden of both past experiences and negative perceptions. The customer not only has less experience with home sales than a salesperson but often has had bad sales experiences along the way. Customers make assumptions about salespeople based on relatively limited encounters.
For example, a customer’s entire knowledge of salespeople may be comprised of a past condo purchase that didn’t go well, a timeshare presentation that was particularly abrasive, the last new home community they visited, or having rented the movie Glengarry Glen Ross. They’re working with limited knowledge and a wealth of assumptions.
Now let’s throw on top of that the homebuying stresses associated with a challenging market. A top performer will understand how market conditions tend to elevate the customer’s fear level. The buyer will question the wisdom of the decision, his or her own understanding of the situation, and the opinions of other people. Buying a home is a stressful decision in any market. When a tougher market is added to the mix, it becomes truly laden with anxiety.
Successful sales professionals will assume the customer’s desperate need for respect and attention in times of stress. The best of the best understand how critical it is to start strong and to use this one and only chance to make a great first impression.
Top performers understand their critical role in alleviating buyers’ fears right out of the gate.
