Once I arrived, I realized that the woman had made an understatement.
People weren’t just in a bad mood; they were pissed off and walking around like they hated life. I’m pretty sure they came to the party just to take a break from working on their resumes.
When I went on stage, you could hear a pin drop. Lots of tension but few laughs. Every punchline hit with just a sort of “ho hum I hate this company” stare. After about 5 minutes of this, I knew I needed to do something, so I paused, looked around and said “So there’s not a lot of snow here in Iowa, and I heard you all have had a pretty mild winter. In fact, I understand the only thing around here that’s frozen are SALARIES.”
The audience EXPLODED!!!
I thought the roof was going to come off the place –They loved it . . . and me. After that one joke, I could do no wrong. The energy changed, and their event turned into a shining success. The client was relieved too – I had saved her party. AND even she knew that by not addressing things, people were getting angrier and angrier about the situation, so she was happy that I broke the ice.
I was able to come up with that humor because I paid attention – during the call and when I arrived. The client had mentioned the raises AND the weather, and when I got there, I noticed that it was pretty warm for December. I didn’t write the joke in advance, but I was able to make the connection on the spot because of the research I had done.
If you’re looking to connect with clients and potential clients, use humor that they can relate to. The weather is good for more than just small talk, it can lead to a funny line and instant likeability!
Look at humor as one of your tools in your sales tool box - it changes the energy, helps you make fast connections, and gets people to remember your message! There are many ways to use humor in business. I can show you how!