In March 1992, at a campaign event, an AIDS activist named Robert Rafsky confronted then-candidate Bill Clinton about the AIDS crisis.
Clinton responded directly with the line, “I feel your pain.”
If your back hurts lately, and getting out of bed is getting harder, you probably remember this. (I’m with ya!)
That line struck a chord with the electorate and was part of the math that led Clinton to the White House that Fall.
It’s also an important lesson for each of us who runs small businesses.
Your customers aren’t looking for someone to tell them what to do or what to buy.
Your customers are looking for someone who understands them and feels their pain.
Your customers are looking for empathy.
Showing genuine (seriously, don’t fake it) empathy toward your target customers and what they’re going through is a great way to build trust as a business.
When your customer looks at your website, social media, marketing collateral, and, more importantly, your ACTIONS, and feels like you understand what they’re going through, they begin to trust you.
How do I show empathy?
Spend some time going through your communications with current and former customers.
LISTEN to their words. How are THEY talking about the pain point and problem you solve for them?
Reflect those words back to them
“We understand how (feeling they express) it can be to (problem they have).”
“No one should have to (their words).”
The more you incorporate your customers’ own words into your marketing, the more you prove that you HEAR them and “feel their pain.”
To be sure, Bill Clinton’s expression of empathy was baseline. However, back then, it felt novel in a politician.
You’ll need to be more direct and sincere in your expression of empathy to come across as authentic to your ideal customers.
How will you show empathy through your business this week?
Find this helpful? Share it on LinkedIn or Instagram, or subscribe below to get content like this delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning.
0 Comments