Jon Selig on the Power of Humor in Sales

Crafting Effective Cold Openers: Making a Strong First Impression Incorporating Humor in Sales to Stand Out

Jon's multidimensional career background helps to understand his blended approach.

He started in marketing, then spent some years in tech sales with Oracle and an Oracle partner.

But all along, he had something more to say, and a different way to say it - and the Montreal comedy scene provided an outlet.

Standup and improv turned into a side hustle of travel, comedy and social impact, and eventually back to his tech sales and marketing roots with an overlay of humor.

Jon helps sales teams craft disarming outreach approaches for prospecting, trade shows and other business development situations where it's increasingly difficult to stand out.

But his most important contribution may be a byproduct of that work.

His work with teams often hits an early stumbling block. It's hard to ideate humor in sales if you don't understand the prospects' reality and pain. So inadvertently Jon discovered the real gap most sales and marketing teams have is a lack of deep appreciation and empathy for what makes prospects tick.

He takes them through that on the journey to creating humorous outreach, and in this episode he breaks it down for us. 

Connect with Jon for a chuckle, but more importantly, for some critical insights into how to reach more prospects.

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Injecting Humor into Sales: Making the Process More Enjoyable - Jon Selig on Industrial Growth Insitute Episode 13

Episode Recap

Summary

Episode 13 starts with Jon Selig and Ed Marsh lamenting the fact that sales can be less fun than it was a decade ago. Salespeople and prospects feel overwhelmed by repetitive sales cadences and stale tactics.

John Selig, a stand-up comic and former salesperson, shares his journey from enterprise sales to comedy and how he found overlap between the two. He emphasizes:

• the importance of injecting humor into sales and marketing messaging to create a connection with prospects
• the process of creating comedy material and how it can be applied to content creation in the industrial space
• techniques for crafting effective cold openers
• the value of humor in sales and the benefits of mastering business acumen
• the importance of humor in sales and marketing
• how humor can build trust, break through the noise, and evoke emotion, making consultative sales more effective.

Jon also shares his process for helping companies incorporate humor into their messaging and sales strategies. He emphasizes the need for understanding the buyer's challenges and being able to have meaningful conversations. Jon shares his belief that the biggest problem in business is the increasing dependence on screens and the lack of human communication. He encourages companies to get back to basics and prioritize genuine interactions.

Takeaways

• Sales can be less fun than it was a decade ago, with repetitive sales cadences overwhelming both salespeople and prospects.
• Injecting humor into sales and marketing messaging can create a connection with prospects and make the sales process more enjoyable.
• The process of creating comedy material can be applied to content creation in the industrial space, allowing for the development of engaging and relatable content.
• Crafting effective cold openers can help salespeople make a strong first impression and initiate meaningful conversations with prospects.
• Mastering business acumen is essential for sales success, and incorporating humor can help sales reps develop a deeper understanding of their target audience. Humor can build trust, break through the noise, and evoke emotion in sales and marketing.
• Understanding the buyer's challenges and being able to have meaningful conversations is crucial in consultative sales. 
• The biggest problem in business is the increasing dependence on screens and the lack of human communication. 
• Companies should prioritize genuine interactions and get back to basics.
• Incorporating humor into messaging and sales strategies can help companies stand out and connect with prospects.

Takeaway Quotes from Jon Selig

• "This connection request is colder than a manufacturing sales exec's sweat during unplanned downtime."
• "The process of crafting humor to specifically make your target persona smile will force your reps to master the business acumen they need to increase their subject matter expertise."
• "Humor is empathetic; it connects with the audience."
• "When it's packaged up properly, there's an element of surprise."
• "Humor helps build comfort and rapport, breaks through the noise, and evokes emotion."

Outline

00:00 B2B Sales: More Work, Less Amusement
09:29 The Overlap Between Comedy and Sales
16:07 Crafting Effective Cold Openers
29:58 The Importance of Genuine Interactions
39:56 Incorporating Humor to Stand Out
49:52 The Psychology of Humor
01:00:07 The Process of Incorporating Humor
01:09:56 The State of B2B Sales and Marketing
01:18:32 Wrapping Up / Just Getting Started

Humor in Sales Is Powerful When Layered on a Properly Engineered Go to Market Framework

Check out the Overall Revenue Effectiveness™ Approach for more.