This is Really Really Funny!
Posted by Frank Belzer on Tue, Sep 06, 2011 @ 05:56 AM
How many times has some humor brightened an otherwise dull day?
How often has a funny email from a friend helped to do just that?
Did you click on this post, this article because you hoped to read something “really funny”?
Don’t be embarrassed if you did, that is apparently our nature and you are not alone. Here however is the irony – my past 4 or 5 posts have received some of the best feed-back ever; people were helped, techniques tried and sales closed because of some of the tips and instruction provided and yet many folks simply passed them by, maybe you were one?
Why do we stop to look at a car crash? Why is reality TV such a hit? Why do we click on a blog post that promises “funny” over “useful”?
To make the point further try this: Create an email that you will send to 20 prospects, people that have not spoken to you or already engaged with you in some fashion. For the first 10 emails put something typical in the subject line – “great new offering from ____saves thousands” and then for the next ten put something like “check this out it is so funny” or "hysterical" and then start the email with something humorous that is happening in your space.
Put read receipts on both and watch what happens. People like Funny.
An old sales veteran told me once (when we were going dealership to dealership in the 80's) never to say I had something great or good - he would walk up and when asked "what are you selling?" he would say "oh nothing you want or need, just junk and trinkets and stuff" - Inevitably they would come right over and want to see everything and he would always sell!
Another rep I worked with was great at telling people that they couldn't afford what she was selling - another consistent over achiever by the way.
I heard a story last week from a sales manager about his best rep - she always starts with "you don't need it and you don't want it!" - turns out they do.
I think the reason for this then and now is quite simply that the pressure is gone. When you start by saying this is funny not serious, it won't fit, you don't want it or you can't afford it we remove the dreaded fear that prospects have of being closed - you can't close me because I don't need it - then natural curiosity just takes over.
Funny isn't it?
