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How to Use Humor to Win at Sales #445
Yesterday I cut my finger chopping cheese, but I think that I may have greater problems. That’s a pun, a play on words. When it comes to selling, a little bit of humor can go a long way building rapport with your prospects. But humor is touchy. If you say the wrong thing, it’s like stepping on the third rail. It can kill a deal. This is the topic for today. How to use jokes to win a deal.
Today’s Chapter: Selling with Humor
What is black
and white
and red all over?
The Tao of Sales Babble
Bearing gifts of amusement
Brightening the buyers day
Finding common absurdities in life,
Laughing out those absurdities.
The Master Seller
Generates trust with fun.
Today’s Story
Pat and Chris were on a sales call with Lee’s company for nearly an hour. Chris was taking the lead and doing a good job but the prospect was reluctant to go forward. They agreed that Chris’s solution would solve most of their challenges but they had been burned once before by a vendor and Lee certainly didn’t want to repeat that experience!
Pat had been quiet but decided to speak up. “A lady walked down the street and saw the perfect dress in the window. She stepped into the boutique and asked the sales lady “May I try on that cute dress in the window?” The sales lady replied; “Sure, but wouldn’t you be more comfortable in a dressing room?”
Everyone on the call laughed. The joke created a pause in the tension. Pat then went on to say “What makes us different from the competition is our experience serving companies like yours. Like the dress sales lady, we have a good idea what you really mean when you speak. We listen”.
Lee sat back and nodded. In 20 minutes, Chris closed the deal and winked at Pat, a good days work done.
Take Action Quote
Joke telling has mostly gone out of style in business. It’s too easy to offend someone given that many jokes belittle someone and when selling to a large group you might step into some doo doo. There are three types of prospects in the world. Those who get the joke and those who don’t.
But I think if you’re careful you can use humor to build rapport. I love the subreddit r/dadjokes. It’s a great resource for sweet, clean, relevant and funny puns that make sellers human. It’s not about memorizing and repeating, but listening and finding funny connections that will make people chuckle. But at the same time why do thieves have a hard time understanding puns?
Because they take things literally! Do you?
“Puns are the highest form of literature.”
― Alfred Hitchcock
Look, there’s a fine line between a numerator and a denominator. Only a fraction of people will find this funny. So be careful what you say, but not too careful. Be human.
For jokes about sales go here. But be careful who you repeat these too.
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Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers. Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help, showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com
You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast. Look here https://www.salesbabble.com/sales-podcast-free-advice/
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