Empathy Is the Key to Sales Success
Empathy is the best way to build lasting relationships and ensure your own success
Claire Philliskirk is a digital consultant at O2 (Telefonica UK), a telecommunications provider that has moved toward helping businesses along in their digital journey. Claire has never missed a sales target and was recently named the 2016 Best Woman in Technology Sales Europe at Women in Sales Awards. In this episode, Claire talks about the importance of empathy in building a relationship with a client to ensure long term success. Tune in to find out some other ways you can improve yourself to become a top seller like Claire.
Tweetable Quotes:
“To be a really good salesperson, you’ve got to be in touch with the emotional side of selling.” Tweet this
“I take a step back and think ‘What am I going to achieve by selling this? How am I going to help the customer?'” Tweet this
“What we really need to make time to do is sit back and look at why, what worked, what didn’t work.” Tweet this
“I like to see myself as an extension to their business.” Tweet this
“It is so important, when you’re selling a large solution to a company, to make sure the right stakeholders are involved.” Tweet this
“If you go into any sale or opportunity with a sincere agenda, something good will always come of it.” Tweet this
Key Takeaways:
[:25] Scott introduces today’s guest — Claire Philliskirk
[1:20] What are the top three things that have made Claire such an amazing seller? The first is her dedication to learning.
[2:05] What does dedication to learning mean to Claire? How does she apply it?
[3:21] The second item on Claire’s list is empathy.
[4:23] The third thing that makes Claire an excellent salesperson is realizing her passion for sales.
[5:21] Is Claire passionate about her field, her role or product, or is it a combination of everything?
[6:51] Claire takes time out to teach the rest of her team what works in her environment. Does that help make Claire a better seller?
[8:52] Scott gives a shout out to Nudge!
[9:20] What is Claire’s role today? How did she get to #1?
[11:38] Claire quantifies her results. Exactly how well has she done?
[12:37] What made it possible for Claire to create the most significant deal the company has seen?
[16:14] It’s important to identify all the relevant stakeholders, and how the product affects them. Listening to the client, and being transparent, are also contributors to success.
[17:35] How did Claire get into sales?
[21:45] How would Claire articulate what sales is really all about?
[24:50] Sales helps you to learn and grow faster than almost any other profession.
[26:44] Which area has Claire found to be the most challenging?
[27:54] How does Claire leverage social media to get more stakeholders to the table? Claire shares an example.
[30:11] It all comes back to empathy, understanding what makes them tick, and building that relationship with your stakeholders.
[31:02] What tools does Claire use to help her understand her customers better?
[31:55] What do Claire’s mornings look like? Absolute chaos.
[32:53] Claire has routines in other parts of her life.
[34:42] Scott has a bonus for you! Craig Rosenberg, the Funnelholic, is hosting the 2nd Annual TOPO Summit in San Francisco on April 12-13, and Scott will be there too! Find out more at top1sales.wpengine.com/topo! Scott’s giving away a ticket to the event on February 24, at the Sales Success Community — be sure to check it out!
[35:35] Scott guesses that Claire is a night owl and he is right! What are some things that Claire does in the evenings to set herself up for success?
[37:59] Claire engages in journaling to record her day. How does she use that information?
[39:35] What does Claire’s information diet look like?
[42:56] How would Claire describe her style as a seller?
[45:34] Claire always sets the expectations with clients, and focuses on finding out more about their needs, especially in the first meeting.
[48:43] Is there a particular sales methodology or process that Claire follows? Claire elaborates on CCV, Creating Client Value.
[51:06] What is the difference between Claire’s level of success and the average performer?
[52:40] Women in sales are a minority, but women are consistently at the top in sales.
[55:09] How does Claire think about closing a deal?
[56:56] How does Claire decide which opportunity to pursue?
[59:00] Advice from Claire!
[1:03:02] What does Claire want to know and learn from other top sellers?
[1:04:08] Claire answers her own question — Once you’ve reached the top, do you just stay there?
[1:06:15] Claire’s father is the most successful salesperson she knows.
[1:06:45] Claire challenges you to analyze your past actions and share the wealth of information you’ve generated with someone else.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Top1.fm
Nudge
Claire Philliskirk on LinkedIn
TED Talk by Adam Grant – Are you a giver or a taker?
“When I grow up I want to be in Sales” – said no one ever…, by Claire Philliskirk
Craig Rosenberg – The Funnelholic
2nd Annual TOPO Summit
Taming Tigers by Jim Lawless
LinkedIn
Twitter
TED
Brendon Burchard
Upgrade Your Life with Pat Divilly
Brian Mayne’s World of Goal Mapping