The Path to Being a Trusted Advisor

Do you need to be a ‘sales talent’ to succeed in sales?

Not really. You need to be seen as a trusted advisor rather than a salesperson. 

Today’s sales are all about being a solution-oriented professional who can offer customers solutions to their problems. Research proves it: 87% of B2B buyers expect sellers to be trusted advisors- Read more about buyers’ expectations with Salesforces State of Sales Report.

Becoming a trusted advisor is not easy, but one short route is commonly overlooked – empathetic listening. 

Let me share an everyday-life story illustrating how listening without judgment helped a retail worker earn my neighbor’s trust in just one dramatic conversation. 

One sunny morning, my neighbor poured milk over her cereal to enjoy her breakfast, but she was disgusted at the first bite. The fresh milk that she had bought just a day earlier went sour! 

In a millisecond, she felt this anger build up inside her. Without much thinking, she grabbed the milk carton and drove to the local grocery store where she was a regular customer. 

There was a young woman behind the customer service desk. My neighbor slammed the milk on the counter and started venting her frustration and disappointment. She admonished the store for incompetence and inadequate refrigeration. 

The young woman listened empathetically until my neighbor had finished. She sincerely apologized and handed her a full cash refund for the milk. 

And just as my neighbor was leaving, the young woman said: “Just so you know, ma’am, this milk is not from our store, but from the superstore two blocks up the street.” 

Only then my neighbor noticed the superstore name printed in bold letters on the milk carton. She immediately remembered that she had gone to that superstore a day before to get a garden hose and bought the milk there – not in this grocery store! 

She was red in the face but not from the anger. Her attitude melted on the spot and turned into an embarrassment. However, after that day, she cannot praise the staff of that grocery store enough. 

She became their customer for life.

—- 

When things go wrong with a client or potential customer, being an empathetic listener is one of the easiest things we can do.

Take my quiz to see how good of a listener you are. 

Let me know in the comments what your score is!