Humor can be a powerful tool to break the ice, build rapport, and persuade your prospects in sales presentations. But how do you know if your jokes are landing well and influencing your sales follow-up performance and results? In this article, you'll learn how to measure the impact of humor on your sales follow-up using four simple steps.
Before you crack a joke, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with humor. Do you want to make your prospects laugh, relax, trust you, or remember you? Do you want to highlight a pain point, a benefit, or a differentiation factor? Do you want to overcome an objection, a challenge, or a competitor? Having a specific humor goal will help you choose the right type of humor, tone, and timing for your sales presentation.
Not all humor is created equal. Different types of humor can have different effects on your prospects, depending on your audience, industry, and context. For example, self-deprecating humor can show humility and likability, but it can also undermine your credibility and authority. Sarcasm can be witty and edgy, but it can also be offensive and misunderstood. Puns can be clever and memorable, but they can also be corny and annoying. You need to choose a humor style that matches your personality, your brand, and your message.
This is a fantastic perspective and not easily mastered. I would suggest to first begin on learning personality types and how to speak effectively to each, using your personal style of communication. A break in conversation that is not about the conversation subject is a great time to use personal experiences that are widely humorous and relatable.
Once you've delivered your jokes, you need to pay attention to how your prospects react. Are they laughing, smiling, nodding, or clapping? Are they engaged, interested, curious, or impressed? Are they asking questions, sharing feedback, or requesting more information? These are positive signals that indicate that your humor is working and creating a connection. On the other hand, are they silent, confused, bored, or annoyed? Are they frowning, shaking their heads, or crossing their arms? Are they ignoring you, interrupting you, or rejecting you? These are negative signals that indicate that your humor is backfiring and creating a distance.
a joke is "why did the chicken cross the road?" Humor is different from a joke so before you can answers a question- best to ask the right question
Finally, you need to measure the results of your humor on your sales follow-up. How many prospects did you convert into leads, opportunities, or customers? How long did it take to move them along the sales funnel? How much revenue did you generate from them? How satisfied and loyal were they with your product or service? How likely were they to refer you to others? These are hard metrics that show the impact of your humor on your sales performance and results. You can compare them with your previous or average numbers, or with your peers or competitors who use different or no humor.
Strategizing the use of humor is not something I would recommend. True humor is authentic and unique to the present moment, which is unique from all others and not something you can truly plan for. I recommend only using humor when appropriate to the moment and with discretion. Although beneficial if used appropriately, it can also adversely affect a call if it’s not well received by the prospect. My advice is to just be yourself and don’t overthink it. Getting out of your head and being present in the moment, whether with or without humor, will do much more than the best attempt at forcing a joke ever could. A good sense of humor undoubtedly helps, but authenticity and honesty are what matter most and will always reap the best results.