4 Reasons To Use Humor In Sales

People have told me that I'm a funny guy. I take that as a compliment because my sense of humor has come in handy on many occasions. In school I was typically one of the smaller kids in my class and got picked on quite a bit, and humor was a good way to diffuse a threatening situation.

I'm not advocating that you dress like a clown or act silly. The goal of using humor is to lighten the mood and maybe get a smile.

When I got into sales I found that a quip helped me get a smile from a prospect. People like to laugh and it helps immensely to get them on your side. With that in mind, here are a few pointers I've learned.

1. It puts your client at ease. If you're always serious, people will stay away from you. And the minute someone discovers that they are dealing with a salesperson they put up their defenses. A smile and a funny comment about something innocuous like the weather will tell your prospect to let down their guard.  
2. It relieves the tension when discussing a serious topic. I sell life insurance, which can be a heavy topic. Discussing someone's death (nobody is going to live forever) and how it will affect their surviving family members is serious stuff. Humor can loosen them up a bit. Living in a resort area, I typically dress pretty casually. I let them know that I may wear a tie, or a coat, but not both, "unless I'm coming to your funeral to pay respects". It usually gets a little chuckle and that's all I want. 
3. Humor helps you keep their attention. Many times when giving a group presentation I notice that my audience is distracted, mostly by their phones. Telling a joke of some sort may get a few laughs from the ones who are paying attention. The others then look up with the "what did I miss?" response. Over the years, I've used the same jokes and have placed them in the same spot of my presentation. Works every time.
4. Humor keeps me from getting bored. Let's face it, we say the same thing a lot when we're in sales. And even though I try to use the same material, I do tweak it from time to time to keep it fresh and interesting to me. Sometimes, I'll even throw something very subtle into the mix just to see if people catch it. Some do, some don't. Depending on the audience, I may call them out for not noticing a joke. 

Recently I was giving a presentation to a group of teachers in a school regarding their benefits. It was at the end of the day and many of them were ready to go home. One of the insurance products we had was "guaranteed issue", which meant they could get the policy even with pre-existing conditions. 

"It doesn't matter if you had a heart attack last week," I said as their eyes glazed over. "Or if you had cancer last month. You can get this policy even if you're missing a forehead," I exclaimed. One younger lady giggled, and a few more got the joke. A few looked around, trying to figure out what just happened. 

Humor can be your friend in sales as long as you stay professional. Don't make jokes about religion or politics, but a well-placed intelligent joke will always work in your favor.

Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.