Does empathetic diversity belong in tech sales?
Expert in Sales, Strategies, Processes, Adtech, and Advertising for Growth | Advocating Measurability, Sustainable Growth, and Humanity!!!!
What does it take to be good at sales? If you ask the veterans, they will have an answer. If you ask sales gurus, they will have a different answer. If you ask a younger person using automation, they will answer differently. You have two schools of sellers who have learned from their managers or mentors over the years, and you have another group trained in different sales methodologies (Consultative, Value-Based, Solution, Challenger, etc.). Undoubtedly, both schools have produced results and have not. I have combined both schools with varying successes. The underlying thing that has worked for me is "empathetic diversity." This approach to customers prioritizes understanding, emotional intelligence, and a genuine connection to the customer and their business. If willing, hunters and farmers alike can leverage empathetic diversity to drive revenue. My theory is that as the economy gets tougher, customers will resist sellers who do not demonstrate genuine empathetic diversity. We must dig deeper into the person and business and ensure the solution meets both needs. The work we all do relies on the people doing the job. We can't serve one without the other. Now, this is all subjective. Some people have worked long and hard to develop a partnership over years. My thoughts are more about starting from scratch or in the early stages. If you have a long-standing customer relationship, you have demonstrated empathetic diversity.