Is there a place for authenticity in sales? In this video, Jane Gentry explains how authenticity is measured for sales people, and how to wield it wisely in client relationships.

Authenticity is unquestionably valuable for sales leaders as well as face-to-face sales people. When we look at authentic leaders, we’re measuring for teachability, transparency and vulnerability. For salespeople though, we look at their ability to balance courage and empathy.

Defining Courage and Empathy for Salespeople

We define courage for a salesperson as the ability to ask difficult questions, push back on the client and challenge their thinking. Salespeople need to peel the onion and ask probing questions. On the other hand, empathy is the ability to put yourself in the shoes of your client, understanding their needs, and being sensitive to their perspective.

Sales Tip: How To Stay Authentic and Be Effective

The key to authenticity in sales is the ability to balance courageous conversations with empathy for your customer. Too much courage without empathy will alienate your customer. While too much empathy without enough courage, leads to accepting undesirable behavior from a customer, stalled deals, and giving up margin when you don’t need to give it away.

Empathy and understanding is the crux to authenticity, but it needs to be balanced with courage to be truly effective.