Posted on: 14 January, 2002
Author: Ron Sathoff and Kevin Nunley
When one survey asked women what they liked best about the manof their dreams, most replied "he makes me laugh." We ... think of laughter as one of life's most ... but it is.P When one survey asked women what they liked best about the manof their dreams, most replied "he makes me laugh." We don'toften think of laughter as one of life's most importantnecessities, but it is.People of every age and culture love to laugh. Studies showlaughter lowers your blood pressure and generally increases yourlife span.You can bring home a lot more sales if you learn to makecustomers laugh. It sets the customer at ease and immediatelysets you up as someone who is fun to be with. You don't have tobe Jerry Seinfeld to do it. Here's how:1. Don't go for the belly guffaw. Trying to put the customer onthe floor in stitches can fall flat. Instead, go for the mucheasier smile. A quick quip or witty observation can do thetrick. Once she smiles, you're half-way to a sale.2. Make fun of yourself. Self-depricating humor lets folks knowyou are down to earth. It can also tell people you understandtheir situation. You've been there yourself.For example, if you sell shoes, develop a quip about your bigfeet. Sell computers? Have a funny story on how hard it wasfor you to install your first printer.3. Be very careful about who your humor makes fun of. Almostall jokes and one-liners are at the expense of someone. Youdon't want to seem insensitive or accidentally insult a person orgroup your customer cares about.Reconsider old favorite jokes before retelling them. A line thatwas hilarious in the 1980s might be inappropriate today. A jokethat worked fine in Oklahoma City could get you stared at in SanFrancisco.4. Get humor from experts. What do Jay Leno, Jim Carrey, andBob Hope have in common? They don't always write their ownmaterial. They buy jokes from others.You can do the same. Pull ideas from Reader's Digest (one of theworld's most successful magazines--and it's full of humor!)Rework jokes to fit your style and today's topics. Subscribe tojoke and humor services. Type "morning show prep" into anysearch engine and see where your favorite DJ's get all theirfunny stuff. Many of these services offer free humor writtenfresh by professionals.5. Remember funny lines you hear on TV and in movies. This isso simple it hurts. A LOT of the funniest people on TV and radiohave watched hundreds of movies. They have an amazing knack forremembering funny lines that fit whatever situation they are in.Humor doesn't have to come naturally to you. If you weren't theclass clown in school, don' t worry. You can learn to be funny.Memorize half-a-dozen good one-liners. When a situation ariseswhere one of your memorized quips would fit, let it fly. Don'tbe 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 admitto.) After you deliver your humorous line, look the customer inthe eye and chuckle. Then wait. Don't say anything. Nine timesout of ten the customer will start to laugh...or at least smile. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com