“It’s time to let it out. It’s time to laugh until you cry, scream until you spit. Show your heart and show some tears. Sing at the top of your lungs. Jump for joy. And when tons of stuff stuffs up your nose, blow it loud and blow it proud. It’s time to let it out.”

       That was the message behind Kleenex’s advertising campaign in 2007. They interviewed hundreds of people on the street and asked them to tell their stories. Their goal? To create an emotional attachment between consumers and the brand. Now as managers and sales people, you may not see how this is relevant, but it is. It can be extremely beneficial to look at the way that advertisements capture an audience’s attention because in the end isn’t that the goal of every great salesperson? So, you want to land a customer, but first you need to make a connection. Kleenex’s campaign provides insight into two key proven sales techniques: empathy and stories.

      Empathy is all about the emotional connection, and it is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. This characteristic is closely tied to the second key, story. If you combine the two into any sales pitch, you will have a greater chance of closing.

 Here’s an example (a story if you will):

 A man and a woman are strolling through a car parking lot looking for the perfect vehicle. A salesperson comes up and asks them what they are in the market for and if he can help. The man responds, “We are looking for a large car. We have two young daughters that we have to get safely to and from school and sport’s practices. That is really our main concern right now.”

       So, now you know what their needs are, an important factor in selling that we covered earlier (So You Think You Can Sell?). How are you going to tie in empathy and a story? The salesperson can share with the family many of the success stories of a certain vehicle. Maybe describe how it protected a family in a crash or how it lasted a family numerous years without ever putting their safety in harms way. Make sure to use proper facial expressions, which help further convey empathy.

      These two characteristics compliment each other extremely well and they can make even the greatest sales person better. So, go ahead and test it out the next time you are trying to close a sale and let us know if you see results.