Humor and compliments can be powerful tools to build rapport, overcome objections, and close deals in sales. But not all prospects and personalities respond to them the same way. How do you tailor your humor and compliments to different types of prospects and personalities? Here are some tips to help you use them effectively and appropriately.
Before you crack a joke or pay a compliment, you need to know who you are talking to and what they care about. Do some research on their background, industry, role, goals, challenges, and preferences. Use social media, LinkedIn, company websites, and other sources to get a sense of their personality and style. Are they formal or casual, reserved or outgoing, analytical or creative, serious or playful? How do they communicate and what kind of humor and compliments do they appreciate?
Once you have an idea of your prospect's personality and style, you need to match their tone and level of formality. Don't be too casual or familiar with a prospect who is more professional and reserved. Don't be too stiff or formal with a prospect who is more relaxed and friendly. Use the same language and jargon they use, and avoid slang or acronyms they may not understand. Adjust your humor and compliments to their level of interest and engagement. Don't force them or overdo them if they don't seem receptive or comfortable.
I would agree with this statement but add in; keep pieces of your authentic self in there always. This helps people see you're not "creating a character" to simply get their business, and parroting what they want to hear back to them. For example; If you're a naturally bubbly and friendly person but your prospect is very serious, this does not mean become somber and direct. Know the professional and polite line. Make a cherry remark you normally would, but maybe not five. People value true connection and interactions as well as their time. If they can see you are making the most of it, while being your authentic self and providing them real solutions they will like you all the better for it.
The best humor and compliments are those that are relevant and sincere. They should relate to the topic, situation, or value proposition of your conversation, not distract or derail it. They should also be genuine and specific, not generic or exaggerated. For example, instead of saying "You're awesome" or "That's hilarious", you could say "I admire your leadership skills" or "That's a clever analogy". Make sure your humor and compliments are appropriate and respectful, not offensive or intrusive.
Humor and compliments can be used strategically to achieve different objectives in sales. For example, you can use humor to break the ice, lighten the mood, or diffuse tension. You can use compliments to build trust, show appreciation, or reinforce value. However, you need to be careful not to use humor and compliments too often, too soon, or too randomly. You don't want to come across as insincere, desperate, or unprofessional. You also need to balance humor and compliments with other communication skills, such as listening, questioning, and storytelling.
Finally, you need to test and learn from your humor and compliments. Pay attention to how your prospects react and respond to them. Do they laugh, smile, nod, or thank you? Or do they frown, sigh, roll their eyes, or ignore you? Use their feedback to adjust your humor and compliments accordingly. You can also ask for feedback directly, by saying something like "Did you find that funny?" or "Do you agree with that?" Learn from your successes and failures, and keep improving your humor and compliments skills.
Genuine connection with another person stems from being at peace with yourself first. I am not talking about normal amount of social anxiety that we all experience now and then. From my experience until I fully accepted my flawed and imperfect self - I didn’t feel that communicating with prospects was easy or effortless and I would read these types of articles trying to figure out “how to tailor my jokes” to a prospect.