Monday, December 27, 2010

Empathy helps you connect with your reader


Empathy helps you connect with your reader. Failure to empathize with the reader is the fundamental error of the careless writer. It is the error on which he builds all his other errors.

I just saw a terrific example of the value of empathy. In a blog post titled “The Worst Sales Email EVER,” inside sales expert Trish Bertuzzi quotes a very un-empathic email she received. She comments, in part:

“There is absolutely nothing in this email to show that the sender took the time to learn anything about me or my business. There are no like-customer references, no acknowledgement of my role or business challenges and the email is filled with marketing speak.”

Read her entire post. It is a practical, real-life lesson in the value of empathy.

The Takeaway: Before writing anything – even an email – build empathy by visualizing your intended reader. And if you are selling something, you need research in addition to empathy.

See disclaimer.

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