For sales professionals, empathy in sales is essential because, without a relationship, there’s no trust. Don’t reserve it exclusively for deals you’re trying to close immediately. We have Jerry Acuff, CEO & Founder at DeltaPoint, as our guest this week on the I Own It podcast with host Ben Reinberg. Jerry was a reluctant salesperson. When he realized his dream of becoming a college football coach wouldn’t come true, he stumbled into sales. He says so himself that he would never hire himself. Every step of the way, Jerry has remained humble to his success. Jerry drops his vast amount of knowledge with us; do what is right by your customer—even if that means they don’t do business with you—trust is the most important thing you can have with a customer. Empathy in sales has to be there right along with trust and the art of listening well. “People buy things from people they like; people buy from people they like and trust.” Jerry’s expertise has led to numerous awards and recognitions, including the title of one of the 50 best salespeople of all time and one of the top 10 sales experts in the world, according to salesgurus.net. Jerry has been featured on MSNBC and the ABC Radio Network, as well as on TheStreet.com, WSJ.com, Fortune, Sales and Marketing Management Magazine, Investor’s Business Daily, Managed Care Pharmacy Practice, Fast Company, Selling Power, and “Selling Power Live.” He shares his passion for selling and building business relationships in his 3 best-selling business books: The Relationship Edge, The Relationship Edge in Business, and Stop Acting Like a Seller and Start Thinking Like a Buyer. Jerry is the CEO and founder of DELTA POINT in Scottsdale, Arizona. DeltaPoint works with sales and marketing leaders to implement innovative ways to sell and market in today’s crowded marketplace.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices