Empathic Marketing Lessons Learned From My Scythe Wielding Days
Stories from the Crypt of Online Marketing – Vol. 6
How to differentiate yourself as a business leader in today’s economy
My dad was, and still is, a practical man. Growing up, he would often give me odd jobs to do on the farm that seemed unrealistic to accomplish, at least to my 10-year-old self!
He didn’t give me these jobs to toughen me up or help build my character. No. They needed to finish. Was available. Tag, I was there to make them.
One summer our lawn mower broke down and the front lawn was getting longer. In Daddy’s infinite wisdom, he tested me by delegating me to “mow” the lawn.
With a hand scythe.
Being the obedient daughter that she was and trying to hide the look of disbelief I desperately wanted to give her, I took this curved monstrosity from her hands and got to work.
It didn’t work out so well.
When my dad got home from work, my left hand was covered in nicks and cuts from the blade. It wasn’t a pretty sight and he was angry.
As he stood by the sink and cleaned everything up, he asked what had happened. I told him what seemed pretty obvious to me: that the scythe was heavy and the grass too short, leaving little room for error when cutting the blades.
Your answer?
“Well, be more careful next time.”
Like I said, he was a practical man.
I remember feeling completely desperate at the total lack of compassion I was receiving.
Where was the empathy? Where was the concern for my well-being?
I’m sure it was there; He just missed the expressing part and sent me back to the front yard in the morning.
I wonder if you’ve ever been in a situation as a consumer where you expected more compassion and less practicality.
Think about how you felt. Pissed off. Frustrated. Not heard.
Now turn that around and think of a situation as a business owner where a customer or customer has come to you with a problem, concern, or complaint.
Did you respond with compassion or practicality?
Although my story happened when I was 10 years old, it doesn’t matter the age or the year. Everyone wants to be heard, understood and treated as if they are important.
So when it comes to your marketing message, do you need to tweak it so your audience knows that you have empathy for their needs?
They don’t care that you need the sale.
What they need is that you understand what they are going through and that you care.
This is what will create a long-term sustainable business. Not the outrageous and direct marketing style that we are done with now.
They are not the “ignore and placate” tactics that many service companies use when it comes to addressing the needs of their customers.
I know that in my industry this is a rampant problem.
I have lost count of how many new customers come to me feeling more than frustrated with your website or the marketer has hidden them. He disappeared. He didn’t respond to emails (or if they did, it was weeks later), didn’t answer his phone, or completely dismissed and ignored their urgent needs.
They were so glad they found me because we helped them right away and continue to respond quickly to all of their needs.
As for my efforts with the scythes, my dad finally told me to stop mowing the grass and fixed the mower. At the rate he was going, it would have been Christmas before he did the lawn!
But the silver lining: The rabbits got a ton of fresh cut grass every day that week.
My lesson from this story? Being an empathetic business leader is what will set you apart from many others, just as it has for me and my business.
By putting yourself in the shoes of your clients, your referral rate will skyrocket and your business will prosper!
For the success of your business,
Susan
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
1. Empathy-based marketing isn’t just the right thing to do, your customers expect it. Read 3 Ways To Use Empathic Content Marketing – The Importance Of Empathy-Based Marketing
2. The best way to engage your audience on social media and increase your reach on social media is by using the empathic marketing model. Read How: How To Use Empathic Marketing In Your Social Media Strategy
3. Take advantage of what your customers want in a website. Read These 3 Ways To Make Your Ecommerce Site Focus On Your Customers, Not You: 3 Ways To Build A Website For Your Target Market
4. Book: The New Psychology of Selling Sales EQ: How Ultra High Performers Leveraging Sales Specific Emotional Intelligence to Close a Complex Deal
5. Book by Mark W. Schaefer Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins