The greatest Improv isn’t! Have you ever sat back and watched, in awe, some of the worlds greatest comedians deal with hecklers or improvise their way through a series of jokes? What looks like wonderful spontaneity often isn’t spontaneous at all! The comedians prepared for the situation – they had come back lines ready to go – all they were waiting for is the situation to use them.
There are lessons that you can apply from the comedy world that will help make your sales pitches more effective and profitable.
Need to build a connection
Every comedian knows that when they start their comedy routine they need to build a connection with the audience. Pay attention to their comedy routine and you will notice that they almost always start with jokes about themselves.
In your pitches you should apply the same principle. Before launching into your content you need to establish a rapport and connection with those you are presenting to. You can achieve this before you start your pitch by “meeting and greeting” as many people in the room as possible, and by sharing your story and background early on in your pitch.
Need to know their pain points
A successful comedian knows and understands what the pain points or tension areas are for their audience. When they make jokes about those topics they know that they will get the loudest and longest laughs.
When delivering a sales pitch you need to follow a similar path. Your sales pitches need to present your expertise and solutions as they solve the clients most pressing pain points. If you can show how you solve their greatest issues the client is far more likely to sign you up. Find their greatest itch and help them scratch it!
Need to have a tailored solution
In the previous point I said that comedians deliver jokes about the audiences greatest frustrations. They also know that some frustrations are common across the country – but the specifics change. For example Sydney audience and Melbourne audiences will both laugh at jokes about football players misbehaving and doing inappropriate activities. But in Sydney the footballs are famous NRL players, and in Melbourne it’s AFL players. The structure of the joke won’t change when the comedian tells it, but the subtleties such as names or references will change to reflect the audience.
A varied range of clients can use your products, services, and solutions. But no two clients are identical. When presenting your solution to your perspective client you need to tailor your description of your products and solutions to meet the individual needs of the client. It is the same solution – the description of the solution subtlety tailored for the audience.
You don’t need to make your clients roll around in the aisles laughing until their stomach hurts to make the sale. But if you follow the lessons above you and your clients will enjoy the sales pitching process more and you will find yourself laughing all the way to the bank. J
