Get a Laugh and Make the Sale

When one survey asked women what they liked best about the man
of their dreams, most replied "he makes me laugh." We don't
often think of laughter as one of life's most important
necessities, but it is.

People of every age and culture love to laugh. Studies show
laughter lowers your blood pressure and generally increases your
life span.

You can bring home a lot more sales if you learn to make
customers laugh. It sets the customer at ease and immediately
sets you up as someone who is fun to be with. You don't have to
be Jerry Seinfeld to do it. Here's how:

1. Don't go for the belly guffaw. Trying to put the customer on
the floor in stitches can fall flat. Instead, go for the much
easier smile. A quick quip or witty observation can do the
trick. Once she smiles, you're half-way to a sale.

2. Make fun of yourself. Self-depricating humor lets folks know
you are down to earth. It can also tell people you understand
their situation. You've been there yourself.

For example, if you sell shoes, develop a quip about your big
feet. Sell computers? Have a funny story on how hard it was
for you to install your first printer.

3. Be very careful about who your humor makes fun of. Almost
all jokes and one-liners are at the expense of someone. You
don't want to seem insensitive or accidentally insult a person or
group your customer cares about.

Reconsider old favorite jokes before retelling them. A line that
was hilarious in the 1980s might be inappropriate today. A joke
that worked fine in Oklahoma City could get you stared at in San
Francisco.

4. Get humor from experts. What do Jay Leno, Jim Carrey, and
Bob Hope have in common? They don't always write their own
material. They buy jokes from others.

You can do the same. Pull ideas from Reader's Digest (one of the
world's most successful magazines--and it's full of humor!)
Rework jokes to fit your style and today's topics. Subscribe to
joke and humor services. Type "morning show prep" into any
search engine and see where your favorite DJ's get all their
funny stuff. Many of these services offer free humor written
fresh by professionals.

5. Remember funny lines you hear on TV and in movies. This is
so simple it hurts. A LOT of the funniest people on TV and radio
have watched hundreds of movies. They have an amazing knack for
remembering funny lines that fit whatever situation they are in.

Humor doesn't have to come naturally to you. If you weren't the
class clown in school, don' t worry. You can learn to be funny.

Memorize half-a-dozen good one-liners. When a situation arises
where one of your memorized quips would fit, let it fly. Don't
be shy or tentative about it. Say your line loud and proud.
If you let the customer know you aren't sure your line is funny,
they will be quick to let you know you bombed.

And here is one last trick comedy experts use (but won't admit
to.) After you deliver your humorous line, look the customer in
the eye and chuckle. Then wait. Don't say anything. Nine times
out of ten the customer will start to laugh...or at least smile.