#영감19 - 사업을 더 크게 성공 시킬 수 있는 네 분야의 공감 방식

만약 당신의 사업이 그럭저럭 잘되고 있으나, 여기서 더 큰 성공을 하고 싶다면, 모든 분야에 공감을 더해야 한다. 이 글의 가장 중요한 키워드는 공감이다. 공감의 사전적 의미는 남의 감정, 의견, 주장 따위에 대하여 자기도 그렇다고 느낌. 또는 그렇게 느끼는 기분을 말한다. 글의 핵심은 공감을 통해 상대방의 상황과 감정을 이해하고 접근해야만 더 크게 성공할 수 있다고 독자를 설득한다.

 

왜 공감이 중요한가? 홍수처럼 수 많은 정보가 넘쳐나는 소셜미디아에서 많은 사람들은 정작 그들과 관련없는 정보나 연결고리가 없으면 그냥 지나치기 십상이다. 그런 이들을 잡기 위해 정보는 점점 과장되거나 자극적인 내용들로 사람들의 이목을 끌려고 발버둥친다. 그럼에도 불구하고 공감이 성공에 중요한 이유는 진정으로 사람 대 사람을 연결할 수 있는 최고의 방법이기 때문이다.

 

1) 영업 부문

간단하게 말하면, 상대의 공감과 함께 물건을 파는 것이 제일 중요하다. 특히 B2B 거래시, 공감은 질문을 통해 잠재고객을 이해하는데 경청하는 자세가 아주 중요하다. 고객으로부터 우리와 거래하려는 이유, 불편한 점 등 상대방의 상황을 이해한다면, 사업운영하는데 크게 어렵지 않을 것이다.

 

2) 소셜미디아를 통해 잠재고객 구축

많은 소셜 인플루언서들은 그들이 갖고 있는 비밀을 무기삼아 상대방에게 접근한다. 하지만 그런 방법은 결코 오래가지 않는다. 상대방에게는 없지만 당신이 가지고 있는 지식, 가치 등을 공유하여 잠재고객을 모아야 한다. 고객들은 당신이 공유하는 지식과 정보에 더욱 신뢰하고 접근할 것이다.

 

3) 마케팅

소셜미디어 유저들은 하루에도 수 많은 광고를 마주하고 지나친다. 그렇지만 우리가 익히 알고 있는 세계적인 기업들은 우리가 생각하는 만큼 광고 횟수가 많지 않다. 왜 그럴까? 세계적인 기업은 고객의 영혼이 와닿는 공감 내용을 사용하여 접근한다.

예를 들어, 페라리, 애플 그리고 에어비앤비를 보면 공통점을 찾을 수 있다.

페라리는 차 자체에 가치와 열정을 부여한다. 그저 보통차를 소유한다는 개념 그 이상을 보여준다. 사람들은 아이폰을 구매하기 위해 줄을 선다. 애플은 아이폰에 일반 휴대전화 그 이상의 가치를 집어넣었다. 에어비앤비는 여행자이 겪은 불편함과 욕구를 그대로 채워넣은 사례이다.

 

4) 더 나은 직원 고용

직원을 고용하여 기업을 유지하는 일은 굉장히 중요하다 하지만, 단순히 직원을 고용만 하여 끝나지 않고, 그들에게 영감을 주어야만 한다. 무엇을 위해 고용되었고, 무엇을 위해 일하는지 말이다. 여기서 공감을 이용한 직원 간의 연결이 아주 중요하다. 공감을 통해 그들과 인생, 열정, 목표 등을 공유할 수 있기 때문이다.

 

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4 Ways Empathy Will Lead You to More Success

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If you feel increasingly anxious, disconnected and lonely despite the fact that we've never been more "connected" in human history, you're not alone. The very tools that intended to connect us are actually driving feelings of loneliness and separation. Instagram and Facebook are dominated by influencers trying to monetize the separateness and exclusion they create, or marketers trying to sell another product. It's challenging to feel a real human connection anymore.

Luckily there is an antidote. We don't need to rely on the droves of influencers selling the "secrets" to look, live or succeed like them. We all have the power to go inside ourselves and tap into the power of empathy. The antidote is empathy.

Empathy is the ability to cognitively and emotionally understand another person's experience. Put simply, it's the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. In a world with disconnection and narcissism, empathy is the best way to connect with others.

In business, true connection leads to successful business relationships, good company culture, and other benefits. Here's a look at the 4 major ways that empathy can help you succeed in business. 

1. Sales and Business Development

When people ask me how I was so successful with business development (I've closed over $100M in my career), they're surprised to hear the answer. They expect me to respond by stating the latest CRM or the highlighting latest sales hack. The answer is easier than that: I sell with empathy.

Leading with empathy allows you to better understand your potential customers. In B2B sales, this is especially important. By asking questions and genuinely listening to the answers, you can better understand the other person's motivation and constraints. You can understand their world, and that understanding can guide you to connect with them. 

Also, when you sell through empathy, you become a collaborator instead of a person who just wants to sell something. Empathy helps you understand that the prospect's problem is your problem too, and together, you can solve the problem.

There's always an expert on social media who will be happy to sell you the sales "secrets" you need. At the end of the day, you just need more empathy. If you lead with empathy, everything else takes care of itself. 

2. Building an audience on social media

The issue with bad influencers and "gurus" is they derive their power by creating separation from you. They want you to feel that they are better than you, that they have secrets you don't, and most importantly, that you cannot be the source of your own happiness or success. They want you to engage them (aka: buy their products) in order to get new results. 

The opposite of this is empathy. When you communicate through empathy, you connect on a more human level with your audience. Instead of feeling "less than," your audience will feel seen, heard and understood. Instead of making them feel inadequate, you'll be giving them permission to accept where (or who) they are and give them hope to make whatever changes are necessary.

Empathy will also help you stay focused on empowering your audience. Since you can connect with the parts of people who feel lost, unsure or behind the learning curve, you can put your focus on creating content that empowers them with the hope, knowledge or worthiness they lack.

When you come from a place of empathy, your audience will connect with you on a deeper level and be nourished by the content you share. Imagine what social media could be if all influencers did this. 

3. Marketing 

One big mistake marketers will make is speaking "at" their prospective customers. Consumers are constantly bombarded with messages about different products and why they should buy them. Yet if you stopped to look around, you'll notice that some of the biggest brands do not do much marketing. 

What do they have in common? They started movements by connecting with the soul of a customer. They use empathy to truly understand who their customer is on a human level and what drives their behaviors.  

Here are a few examples from Ferrari, Apple, and Airbnb:

• A brand like Ferrari doesn't need to tell you to buy a Ferrari, or that they're really fast cars. Instead, they put that passion into building a product they know resonates with the feeling a customer wants to experience when they get behind the wheel. 

• For many years, customers would line up to get the latest iPhone from Apple because the product said something about who they are as a person. I don't remember consumers lining up for Dell laptops. 

• Airbnb didn't become more valuable than Hilton because it makes a better hotel booking website. They became a $30 Billion-dollar business by tapping into a traveler's desire to belong anywhere and feel connected to the cultural fabric they're visiting.

4. Hiring great talent

Talented people are the key to building and sustaining a great business. With so much competition out there, it's not enough to say that you raised a big round of funding or have a great idea. You need to inspire them to join your mission.

Again, most people instinctively move into the sales process, selling the candidate on the business and the opportunity. Yet a great leader will use empathy: asking the candidate to share more about their life, personality, passions, and goals. 

In doing so, a leader can connect with the person, not just the resume. In today's startup world, treating someone as a person, and caring about their interests, is a source of uniqueness and differentiation. The candidate will likely feel seen, heard and accepted. They'll also notice that you care, and that will go a long way in feeling desired.

Final Word

These four examples show how empathy can help create the connection we've lost in our digital society and while also leading to more success in your business or career. Instead of chasing the latest fad, or following the influencer who says they know it all, consider how you can strengthen and hone your ability to be empathetic. It can guide you to a life of success and fulfillment.