The Seller’s Guide to Empathy
Build trust and connection with this critical EQ skill
Empathy is a key trait of high-performing sales reps, and one of the five key components that make up emotional intelligence (EQ). In the context of EQ, empathy is the ability to understand and share a customer’s feelings and perspective. In a world where 64% of U.S. consumers feel that companies have lost touch with the human element in the customer experience, empathy is an essential business differentiator.
Empathy allows sales reps to go beyond surface-level interactions and more effectively discuss and explore the emotional aspects of the customer’s decision-making process. Big purchases do involve emotions. When reps understand the sentiments behind buying decisions, they can tailor their approach, effectively address concerns, and offer personalized solutions. All of this fosters trust and facilitates long, mutually beneficial partnerships.
We dive into every aspect of EQ in our recent e-book, The Sales EQ Playbook, available free for download. For a deep dive into empathy and how to develop it among your reps, keep reading.
Why You Need Empathy in Sales
“People want to buy from people,” says Daniel Nackovski, co-founder of European SaaS leader SaaSiest. “People want to do business with people. They don’t want to do business with businesses. And an empathetic salesperson creates the difference.”
Empathy creates tangible benefits:
Empathy Builds Trust
When reps can identify with each buyer’s emotional state and circumstances, they can build trust with prospects. Research shows that 89% of buyers are more likely to buy from a company if they feel like their goals are understood. This makes empathy a crucial avenue to sales success.
Empathy Helps Solve Problems
Many in-home reps have one opportunity to sit down with a prospect and convert them into a customer. This means they need to nail that conversation. Being empathetic is crucial.
Empathetic reps ask personalized questions and offer solutions to the buyer’s unique problems. As a result, the buyer shares more freely, building rapport and giving the rep more insights into their needs.
Empathy Focuses the Conversation
Sales reps with high EQ can get into a customer-centered mindset. This focuses the conversation on the customer’s unique needs, feelings, fears, and desires. As a result, reps ask more targeted and relevant questions, and buyers have a better sales experience.
How to Improve Empathy Skills
Empathy can—and should!—be practiced and developed. While some reps on your team may already have a high EQ and empathy skills, many likely have room to improve. Below are a few ways that sales teams can practice and improve their empathy skills.
Active Listening Exercises
Active listening is a critical component of empathy. Help your reps cultivate active listening skills by completing this active listening exercise monthly. The process is simple:
Have reps work in groups of two.
Give the group a prompt, such as: Share a recent challenging conversation you had with a prospect.
One rep shares their experience for two to five minutes while the other practices active listening skills (undivided attention, eye contact, non-verbal cues like nodding).
The “listening rep” should then paraphrase what was said, verbally reflect on and share the speaker’s feelings, and ask two logical, open-ended follow-up questions.
Then, have the reps switch roles.
At the end, each rep can share feedback.
Perspective Shifts
In writing or in a small group setting, have reps share a common conflict they face. The rep should write or share their own perspective and reaction to the situation first. After that, they should attempt to switch perspectives and explain the situation from the other person’s perspective.
Consistent Coaching
Consistent, EQ-informed coaching actively models, teaches, and reinforces crucial empathy skills like active listening, understanding the customer’s perspective, and open communication. Coaching is an opportunity for reps to improve their sales approach, participate in conversations that build trust and exhibit authenticity, and practice self-reflection.
Tools like SPCloser can amplify existing coaching programs and fill in critical gaps in small teams. Our AI-powered coaching platform makes every call an opportunity to learn, offering personalized, EQ-informed feedback immediately following the sales call.
Turn Empathy Into a Sales Advantage
Empathy isn’t a “soft skill”—it’s a measurable sales advantage that can make every conversation more authentic, every relationship stronger, and every call more effective in closing deals. The best sales teams don’t just talk about empathy—they evangelize and scale it across the organization.
SPCloser helps your team leverage EQ through AI-driven coaching that offers reps instant, personalized feedback on every call—so empathy, trust, and emotional intelligence become second nature.
Ready to see how SPCloser can help your reps become more empathetic and close more deals? Book A Demo Here.
