About This Episode

As sales professionals, we’re always trying to put ourselves in the buyers’ shoes, right? 

We’re always looking for ways to empathize, sympathize, and show the buyers that we understand what they’re going through, how to solve the problems they’re facing, and how we can help. 

But what does putting yourself in the buyers’ shoes really look like? How do you actually do that? 

On this episode of the Sales Engagement podcast, we sit down with Vincent PhamVan, Founder at Vyten Career Coaching for a talk all about buyer empathy, underserved opportunities, and why you should never be late as a sales professional. 

It’s Not the Savings that Matter

Here’s the thing about selling: all that selling is is connection solutions with problems. 

At the end of the day, as sales professionals, we’re in the business of solving problems. That’s it. And if the thing that you’re selling isn’t actively making someone else’s life better, that may be a good wake up call that it might be time to start selling something else. 

Because to the CFO that is saving a quarter of a million dollars a year, the savings isn’t the point.

Sure, it’s nice to save that money for the company, but the thing that matters to them is that the savings allowed them to go from “meets expectations” to “”exceeds expectations.” And that might lead to their promotion. And that promotion may be the thing that leads to them being able to take their family to Disney World. 

So you’re not really selling savings. You’re selling solutions and a better life. 

It’s All About Empathy & Expertise

Have you ever been in charge of selling a solution that you’re not passionate about? Or a solution that you don’t know much about? 

How do you plan to succeed in making someone’s life better by selling a solution that you know nothing about? 

Vincent knows about this first hand. 

One of his first sales jobs was selling to ecommerce stores. Stores who’s back end was on Salesforce or Adobe Magento or Shopify. 

And he didn’t’ really understand the buying persona that they were selling to. But for three years his entire success hinged on understanding that persona.

So what did he do? 

He started a Shopify store. He connected with a site that printed t-shirts on demand, and launched his own business selling on Shopify. But he didn’t do it because he wanted to make a bunch of money selling shirts.

He did it so that he could put himself in the buyers’ shoes. So that he could empathize with their problems and speak to the solutions that his company was offering. 

Because when all is said and done, you’re selling a feeling. You’re asking the prospect, “How would it feel to be proud of hitting send on that weekly update? If you sent that email and just got the response, “Good job?”

That’s what you’re selling. 

Seize Every Chance You Get

We’ve all been given chances that we felt unqualified for. 

Chances or opportunities that should have gone to someone else. Someone more qualified. Someone with better credentials, or a higher pedigree, or more experience. 

But you can have the right pedigree, the right background, and all of the right experience. But it doesn’t mean that you’re going to give it all you’ve got. That you’re going to give every ounce of yourself to whatever project or initiative is put on your plate. 

If we can’t connect with our prospects, we’re not going to get far in this sales world. It takes empathy, connection, and compassion to exceed in sales.

And even a little goes a long way. 

This post is based on a podcast interview with Vincent PhamVan. To hear this episode, and many more like it, you can subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast.

For more engaging sales conversations, subscribe to The Sales Engagement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or on our website.