Title is a quote by Judith Orloff
A foundational element of Carew sales training programs is the importance of truly understanding customer needs. To provide sales professionals with a repeatable process to follow when it comes to understanding customers’ needs, we developed LAER: The Bonding Process®. Those familiar with LAER can attest to its power in helping to identify customers’ needs from their perspective and clarify what’s important to them more efficiently. Not only that, but LAER helps us to build stronger relationships with customers through better communication — it’s not called The Bonding Process by coincidence!
LAER: The Bonding Process® strongly emphasizes empathy – in fact, it has a whole step dedicated just to empathy! It’s called the “Acknowledge” step, and it is symbolized by the “A” in L-A-E-R. In the Acknowledge step, you let your customer know that you hear them and you care about what they have to say. Whether it’s through a supportive statement, a restatement, or some positive nonverbal gesture, such as the nod of the head or a facial expression, you are empathizing with your customer’s problem and letting them know you care about them and what they’re saying. The beauty of LAER is that it doesn’t have to be used solely in a professional setting! It transfers seamlessly to personal relationships you have with friends, family, spouses, and co-workers!
Empathy is extremely important right now. We’re all struggling to cope with the changes around us and adjust to our new normal. As we navigate these choppy waters, we could all benefit from a little empathy from others, so try to operate with empathy at the forefront of your minds. The power of a simple, “I hear you” or “That must be hard” can go a long way when it comes to helping your counterpart deal with their stresses, frustrations and problems. Sometimes all people need is to feel heard and to know someone cares about what they’re going through!
Whether you’re Zooming with a customer about how COVID-19 has affected their business or FaceTiming with your brother about how he’s struggling to keep his children busy during their school’s Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) days, be especially aware of what you’re doing to empathize with them. Keep LAER at your side to remind you to pause and acknowledge what you’re hearing them say—it’s the best way to show empathy!
