I’ve just returned from an extended business trip to the Twin Cities
of Minnesota where I enjoyed a healthy dose of Minnesota Nice. If you’re
unfamiliar with this, it’s a way of being in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
The cordiality and devotion that Minnesotans extend to one another, and
guests like myself and my wife, is so commonplace that someone just had
to give it a name.
Minnesota Nice isn’t just about opening doors or waving people into
traffic, it goes much further with their concern, caring, and
compassion. People take the time to listen, to understand, and to
empathize. I’m not saying that people in other states or countries do
not do this; I am acknowledging the degree to which it pervades
Minnesotan culture.
How people sell could benefit from the empathizing present in
Minnesota Nice, rather than the typical peddling and pushing of products
and services. By taking the time to not just hear, but fully understand
what buyers are thinking and feeling, salespeople more quickly build
rapport while comprehending needs more fully. Acknowledging buyers’
thoughts and feelings, during the course of a conversation, demonstrates
caring and concern, setting the stage for sharing solutions that
address what they feel and think they need.
Logic makes people think while emotion makes them act. When you
Empathize Then Solutionize, you engage buyers in the collaborative
style of selling we practice in Sales Yoga that enrolls buyers in the emotion of buying. People talk themselves in to buying because they feel it’s the right thing to do.
Is that a better way to sell? As they would say in Minnesota, “You Betcha!”