Overview

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The Other Side of Sales - Cultivating a B2B Sales Culture Where Everyone Can Thrive

This Episode: An Interview with Jon Selig

What is Comedy Writing for Sales?

-Jon works with sales and business teams to pinpoint key challenges their prospects face, what the risks are of not addressing those challenges, and how to best turn those into a relatable joke to engage and stand out.

Know Your Audience

-A technology salesman for 12 years, and a standup comedian for 8, Selig’s dealt with all kinds of sales training and all kinds of audiences. The key to nailing your act in both environments, is knowing your audience and relating to them early on by connecting with what they’re struggling with.

-Steer clear of talking about gender, sexual orientation, religion, someone’s culture, and politics. Never speak poorly about marginalized groups, you’ll just look like a jerk, and never out someone’s personal information that was shared in privacy.

Morgue Humor is a Real Thing

-A joke about a bad experience is the sweet spot. Humor has the ability to show your prospect that you understand their problems and pain on such a deep level that you can both commiserate through laughter.

Finding the Confidence to be Funny

-The first step to being funny is expressing yourself. Get your thoughts out in the way that works best for you because the more you do that, the more you can analyze, reflect, and start seeing patterns.

-Test your jokes first by casually working them into conversations with your co-workers. If it falls flat, figure out why.

-Jon records his comedy sets, as a sales rep, you can record your conversations to study later on.

Embrace Failure and Be Resilient

-Don’t let the fear of failure or the terror of saying the wrong thing stop you. It will take a few tries to get the joke smoothed out and even if it doesn’t land, keep trying and practicing. Make it a goal to reduce failure with each iteration.

-It’s okay if they don’t laugh, just continue on like it doesn’t bother you, be resilient, just don’t take the time to explain the joke.

Resources

-Seth Godin - Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

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