Two Essentials for Sales Success

The perfect combination for sales success is the perfect blend between empathy and ego. These are two seemingly contradictory qualities, but in practice, they compliment each other well. I’ll begin by exploring the value found in empathy and then finish with ego.

Empathy, as it relates to sales, can be defined as:  the important central ability to feel as the other fellow does in order to be able to sell him a product or service, [this] must be possessed in large measure. There is a strong distinction between sympathy and empathy, especially in the sales context. It is much easier for salesman to understand what a buyer must be feeling, than actually agreeing with those feelings. This is the best way to get back honest feedback from prospective and/or existing clients. In summary, as described in a sales article I came across:

A parallel might be drawn in this connection between the old antiaircraft weapons and the new heat-attracted missiles. With the old type of ballistic weapon, the gunner would take aim at an airplane, correcting as best he could for windage and driftage, and then fire. If the shell missed by just a few inches because of a slight error in calculation or because the plane took evasive action, the miss might just as well have been by hundreds of yards for all the good it did.The important central ability to feel as the other fellow does in order to be able to sell him a product or service, must be possessed in large measure.

The second key aspect is ego. This extends beyond just the money-making aspect that so often drives salespeople. It involves a competitive spirit, someone who doesn’t like to lose. This salesperson must also understand that ‘no’s’ are a inherent to any sales jobs. So the self image the salesperson has of himself can’t be so sensitive that a no throws him into a state of permanent despair. At times, it can be a difficult roller coaster to ride, but finding the balance is crucial. The article summarized these two qualities the following way:

The salesman’s empathy, coupled with his intense ego drive, enables him to home in on the target effectively and make the sale. He has the drive, the need to make the sale, and his empathy gives him the connecting tool with which to do it.