How's your empathy?

A salesperson's ability to listen empathetically is discussed. The proper handling of customer complaints is essential if a customer is to be kept and expressing empathy appears to be an important element in the complaint handling procedure. Empathy is defined and suggestions are given which can help salespersons learn to use this important skill. The skill of responding empathetically requires the salesperson to communicate an accurate understanding of the situation presented and shows an understanding of a customer's experience or emotions (e.g., happy, angry, confused, proud). Ten exercises and appropriate responses are presented to familiarize the reader with various ways to express empathy. (kbc)