We all love to laugh, and laughter can be a great tool in your business if you’re looking to build rapport with your customers. Not only will it help your customers connect with you as a person, but it can also leave them feeling a little more positive about every interaction they have. However, using humor in your business can be tricky. Here are our tips for having a laugh and benefiting your business at the same time.
Use What You Know
Using what you know about your customers is a good way of creating a humorous message that will connect with them. This means pinpointing what is funny to them. Are your customers fond of the cat videos that circulate on the internet? You might be able to work one into a more casual presentation for a moment of levity. Do they enjoy a pun? You can probably
Focus on Timing
One of the golden rules in comedy is that timing is everything, and that goes double for using humor in your business. Are you working on a speech, for example? Having a joke in the introduction could be a great way to start the event on a lighter, friendlier foot and start building rapport with your audience. If your customer is stressed and hoping to resolve a challenge, on the other hand, they probably won’t appreciate your humor even if you’re attempting to relieve some of that stress.
If you’re wondering about the timing of the joke, consider whether you would find the joke helpful if you were in your customer’s shoes. If having a laugh would help diffuse the situation for you, it might be a good time to have a joke with your customers.
Keep it Light
Because you are in a business setting, it’s important to keep your humor light and stay away from controversial topics. You’re usually pretty safe with a pun, for example, but humor that touches on an edgier subject like politics could alienate your customer as easily as it could build a connection. This could even make your business as a whole look bad.
And, speaking of things it might be best not to joke about…
Don’t Make the Customer the Butt of the Joke
This may seem obvious, but it’s the sort of thing that can get lost when tension is running high: don’t make a joke at your customer’s expense. They probably won’t appreciate it, and it could end up causing more problems than it solves.
Good Humor is Natural Humor
The best humor comes naturally out of the moment. An over rehearsed line can feel dry, where a spontaneous turn of phrase feels fresh and will be much funnier and more memorable. If you’re in the moment and paying attention to your customer’s mood, you’re more likely to have a natural, humorous moment that speaks to your customer.
How do you use humor in your business? Do you have a favorite joke? We’d love to see your comments below.
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