A study by the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that 33
percent of clients left financial broker and advisor offices feeling like they
had been talked into buying something they were not sure about. The fact
that such a statistic exists is proof enough to conclude that many of these
advisors lack empathy. The emotional ledger should be settled beforethe fi-
nancial ledger—not afterwards. While such a statistic does not indict every
advisor (as many clients are skittish about every purchase), it does impli-
cate those who are selling a product for the sake of selling a product—with
little or no regard for the clients’ needs.
Manipulations of this sort are precisely the behaviors that sabotage all
hopes of a long-term relationship. This sort of opportunism, for the sake of
reaching today’s sales goal, ultimately leads to a demise in client relation-
ships and one’s sales career. As empathetic sales professionals know, such
tactics are not necessary if you have an eye and an ear for legitimate needs
that can be resolved with your product or service.
PERSONALLY SPEAKING
“Find purpose in life so big that it will challenge every capacity to
be at your best.”
—DAVID O. MCKAYSteven is passionate about motivating people to get their estate plans
in order. He is the director of sales for an estate-planning firm and has seen
firsthand the devastation that comes to families that are not proactive with
their estate planning. He witnessed the compounding toll of long-term
care, taxation, and, ultimately, probate on his own family’s estate. Steven
knows that procrastination and denial are the chief culprits, because most
folks do not want to think about dying, much less plan for it. But he knows
that the only thing surer than death and taxes are your death taxes, if you
don’t prepare ahead of time.
Steven’s personalized story to potential clients is effective because he
communicates empathy. One of his peers in the firm informed me that his
close rate is twice that of the previous director of sales. This is due to his
sense of conviction he communicates in his story. He is not selling a prod-
uct; he is offering a solution.
Conviction in the solution that you bring to the table is the hallmark
of highly successful sales professionals—the more personal the story the
better. Empathy will keep you going after a thousand nos, if you know you
200 SELLING WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE