How To Make More Sales By Using Humor

If you are a salesperson doing a PowerPoint presentation or you simply have to talk in front of a large group of people, then you know how hard it is to get your ideas across. Here is one trick I've learned the hard way that will help you and will make your job a whole lot easier!

Use humor! Use humor!! Use humor!!! (...as you see, I like repeating)?

????????Humor will put your clients/listeners/readers at ease and will help break the ice as well as set a tone with the audience that helps to loosen everyone up a little. Everybody (from Donald Trump and Bill Gates to John Doe) loves to laugh and disconnect for a little from this, otherwise, overly serious world.?

????????If you have a natural talent for humor, then go for it -- make your own routine, but keep it relatively simple and try not to overdo it. If you feel uncertain what to do, use the services of professional humorists who can help you! Humor will make a presentation much easier to listen to and much more fun for you to create and present it.?

????????All different types of humor work best in different situations. Some speakers always start with a joke, or tell a funny story in the beginning of their speech to break the ice.?

????????But not everyone has a talent for telling a joke or a funny story right. There are too many examples of bad stand up comics...Relax! There is an easier way!?

????????Use cartoons! They are perfect to communicate your thoughts and your message, and have proven to be one of the best marketing tools. A recent New Yorker survey shows that newspaper readers typically check the cartoons out first before reading the actual articles.?

????????Cartoons are great, because they will deliver your message at a first glance. A good cartoon can attract your clients' attention and make it easier for you to do the rest!?

????????Where do you get cartoons? Probably one of the best online sources is eToon.com (http://www.etoon.com), a cartoon licensing company created by Vlad Kolarov (http://www.evlad.com), a professional cartoonist with over 27 years experience. At eToon.com you can select from tens of thousands of cartoons and get licenses for multiple purposes.?

????????Doing it is extremely easy. You can search for a cartoon by topic, keyword or author. After choosing the best cartoon for you, you can find out how much it will cost to license it, pay for it with a credit card and then you can download it.

The licensing fees are quite reasonable for most businesses and individuals. For example, you can download and use a cartoon in a PowerPoint presentation for only $35!

There are, of course, occasions when you can not find a suitable cartoon...No problem! Just email a cartoonist for a custom made one. Vlad Kolarov can make a custom cartoon for you in usually 24 hours. The cost, of course, is a bit higher, but it is definitely worth it! (You can email Vlad here: http://www.evlad.com/contact-info)

Cartoons work great not only for presentations, but in other ways too, such as:

-- Advertising: Many Fortune 1000 companies (from Coca Cola to Volkswagen) use cartoons in their ads. There is a reason why!

-- Email Campaigns: Cartoons are fun and they will grab your clients' attention

-- Company Newsletters: If you want your employees to really read your newsletters, give them something fun!

-- Training Manuals: a fun way to break up the often boring training sessions. Cartoons provide grait visual aid and reinforce important information by making it easy to remember.

-- Fax Cover Sheets: fax cover sheets beg for a good cartoon!

-- Websites & Intranets: give your clients/employees a great reason to check in on all your company information too.?

????????All in all, cartoons are an original, extremely effective way of marketing and delivering across important messages to your clients and prospects. They make you stand out from the crowd and your business a success. About Author

Dessy Oundian is a Publisher and Online Marketer. http://www.2articles.comDessy Oundian is a Publisher and Online Marketer. http://www.2articles.com

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com/author-guest-6.html

How To Make More Sales By Using Humor

If you are a salesperson doing a PowerPoint presentation or you simply have to talk in front of a large group of people, then you know how hard it is to get your ideas across. Here is one trick I've learned the hard way that will help you and will make your job a whole lot easier!

Use humor! Use humor!! Use humor!!! (...as you see, I like repeating)?

????????Humor will put your clients/listeners/readers at ease and will help break the ice as well as set a tone with the audience that helps to loosen everyone up a little. Everybody (from Donald Trump and Bill Gates to John Doe) loves to laugh and disconnect for a little from this, otherwise, overly serious world.?

????????If you have a natural talent for humor, then go for it -- make your own routine, but keep it relatively simple and try not to overdo it. If you feel uncertain what to do, use the services of professional humorists who can help you! Humor will make a presentation much easier to listen to and much more fun for you to create and present it.?

????????All different types of humor work best in different situations. Some speakers always start with a joke, or tell a funny story in the beginning of their speech to break the ice.?

????????But not everyone has a talent for telling a joke or a funny story right. There are too many examples of bad stand up comics...Relax! There is an easier way!?

????????Use cartoons! They are perfect to communicate your thoughts and your message, and have proven to be one of the best marketing tools. A recent New Yorker survey shows that newspaper readers typically check the cartoons out first before reading the actual articles.?

????????Cartoons are great, because they will deliver your message at a first glance. A good cartoon can attract your clients' attention and make it easier for you to do the rest!?

????????Where do you get cartoons? Probably one of the best online sources is eToon.com (http://www.etoon.com), a cartoon licensing company created by Vlad Kolarov (http://www.evlad.com), a professional cartoonist with over 27 years experience. At eToon.com you can select from tens of thousands of cartoons and get licenses for multiple purposes.?

????????Doing it is extremely easy. You can search for a cartoon by topic, keyword or author. After choosing the best cartoon for you, you can find out how much it will cost to license it, pay for it with a credit card and then you can download it.

The licensing fees are quite reasonable for most businesses and individuals. For example, you can download and use a cartoon in a PowerPoint presentation for only $35!

There are, of course, occasions when you can not find a suitable cartoon...No problem! Just email a cartoonist for a custom made one. Vlad Kolarov can make a custom cartoon for you in usually 24 hours. The cost, of course, is a bit higher, but it is definitely worth it! (You can email Vlad here: http://www.evlad.com/contact-info)

Cartoons work great not only for presentations, but in other ways too, such as:

-- Advertising: Many Fortune 1000 companies (from Coca Cola to Volkswagen) use cartoons in their ads. There is a reason why!

-- Email Campaigns: Cartoons are fun and they will grab your clients' attention

-- Company Newsletters: If you want your employees to really read your newsletters, give them something fun!

-- Training Manuals: a fun way to break up the often boring training sessions. Cartoons provide grait visual aid and reinforce important information by making it easy to remember.

-- Fax Cover Sheets: fax cover sheets beg for a good cartoon!

-- Websites & Intranets: give your clients/employees a great reason to check in on all your company information too.?

????????All in all, cartoons are an original, extremely effective way of marketing and delivering across important messages to your clients and prospects. They make you stand out from the crowd and your business a success. About Author

Dessy Oundian is a Publisher and Online Marketer. http://www.2articles.comDessy Oundian is a Publisher and Online Marketer. http://www.2articles.com

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com/author-guest-6.html

Using Spontaneous and Observational Humor

Imagine this. I arrive at a junior high school auditorium for a teacher inservice program. While setting up my session, I note two unrelated signs posted one above the other. Most of the 300 arriving faculty members had seen those signs many times.

An impromptu quip will hit the target more often than a canned joke.

Imagine this. I arrive at a junior high school auditorium for a teacher inservice program. While setting up my session, I note two unrelated signs posted one above the other. Most of the 300 arriving faculty members had seen those signs many times. But probably none saw them as I did. In my opening remarks, I shared with them, "This is a unique facility. Look at the sign over the back door. 'Restroom--Capacity 475!'" That fresh and creative bit of humor helped me attract interest and build a relationship with the audience.

Spontaneous humor is a wonderful way to connect with an audience. An impromptu quip will hit the target more often than a canned joke. Audiences are flattered when the humor is created just for them. The teachers knew the comment about the signs was not a part of my script. And often, an improvised touch of humor lends a fresh appeal to your entire talk.

Here are four keys to the effective use of spontaneous humor:

1. Preparation
2. Observation
3. Courage
4. Practice

First, let's look at preparation.

What? Prepare to be spontaneous? Of course! Have you ever visited a comedy club and observed how the stand-up comic has an "off-the-cuff" ad lib for nearly anything that comes up? Think of those times when the comic chats with people in the front row and makes a witty remark if someone happens to be from Chicago, or works in the medical field, or is visiting the club with someone other than his or her own spouse. Such exchanges appear to be very spontaneous. But in reality, the comic is often making the "spontaneous" remark for the 50th or 100th time! The seasoned comic has prepared to be spontaneous.

In speaking situations, it's a good idea to be prepared with humor to handle unexpected events. For example, what will you do or say if the lights go out or the sound system fails? If you're armed with a humorous ad lib, the audience will be won over when they see the problem hasn't gotten the best of you.

Preparation should also include a study of your audience. If you circulate a preprogram questionnaire to obtain "inside information" about the group, you'll be able to customize your humor and make it seem much more spontaneous.

Here's another tip: carefully note any effective off-the-cuff humorous remark made by you or an audience member, then recycle it during your next talk. Although it may seem contradictory, being ready with a few humorous quips can actually create an illusion of spontaneity.

The second key is observation. Since most humor is based on relationships, the more observant you are, the more likely you'll be able to create humorous relationships and pictures in the minds of your audience. "Restrooms--Capacity 475" is an example of being observant. It was a bit of humor that created a funny picture in the minds of the audience.

On another occasion, while attending a holiday luncheon, I noticed a gentleman wearing loud green and red plaid pants with a black sports coat. On my way up to the stage, I passed by his table and asked him to join me. Once in front of the audience I said, "Bob has started a new tradition today. To carry on this tradition, next year when you arrive at your holiday luncheon, you'll be required to exchange an article of clothing with someone seated next to you. Would the gentleman wearing the other half of Bob's suit please stand up." With only a simple gesture and without any advance coordination, a gentleman wearing a loud plaid sports coat with black pants stood up! It brought the house down.

It's also a good idea to listen and observe as other speakers make remarks and presentations before you speak. At a company awards luncheon it seemed as though nearly everyone receiving 5, 10 and 15-year service awards had started in the company's telemarketing department and had subsequently worked their way into other jobs. I added a new line to my opening monologue. "People call me a comedy magician because they laugh at my magic and they're mystified by my jokes. But I wasn't always a comedy magician. I used to work in telemarketing!" It was on target and received a great response. The audience appreciated the fresh, spontaneous
nature of the remark.

Then there was the time I attended a function where a wide variety of recognition were being given for club service. During the course of the ceremony I noticed that some of the recipients were present and some were absent that evening. So one of my best lines came from a simple observation: "This is my kind of club. You gave out perfect attendance awards to two people who weren't even here!" Simple? Of course. But highly effective.

After you've prepared and remembered to be observant, you'll need to exercise the third key...courage! There's no doubt about it: Trying out new jokes takes guts. But the more you do it, the more comfortable you'll become. It's worth the risk. Besides, if your audience doesn't laugh, just pretend you were serious!

The fourth key is practice. You learn humor and spontaneity only by exercising your skills. I recommend you set a goal of using some humor in every presentation you give. Your humor comfort zone will increase and so will your spontaneity as you gain confidence.

A great way to practice your use of spontaneous humor is to join a Toastmasters club. Their meetings help you hone your critical speaking skills. You have the opportunity to give prepared and impromptu speeches. Testing your humorous ideas, you'll sharpen your skills. When the opportunity comes to say a few words at the close of a meeting, for example, use a bit of observational humor created out of the circumstances of the meeting. Or, if you're assigned to present a joke during the meeting, bring a "hip-pocket" joke only as a backup. Then, during the meeting, attempt to create a fresh, new joke by exercising your observational skills. It's not as difficult as it might seem at first. You'll become more observant and will eventually be able to create five or six pieces of observational humor by the close of every meeting. You can practice this technique at any type of meeting.

By using these keys of preparation, observation, courage and practice you'll become more spontaneous. You'll add a freshness to your presentation as you customize humor to your audience and your environment. Your talk will hit the mark...and the funnybone! About Author

John Kinde is a humor specialist who has been in the training and speaking business for over 30 years specializing in teambuilding, customer service and stress management. Free newsletter and articles are available at http://www.HumorPower.com.

Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com/author-guest-6.html