When one survey asked women what they liked best about the man
of their dreams, most replied "he makes me laugh." We dont
commonly think of laughter as one of lifes most important
necessities, but it is.

People of every age and culture love to laugh. Studies show
laughter lowers your blood pressure and often adds your
life span.

You can bring home a lot more sales if you learn to contruct
customers laugh. It sets the customer at ease and immediately
sets you up as someone who is fun to be with. You dont have to
be Jerry Seinfeld to do it. Heres how:

1. Dont go for the belly guffaw. Trying to put the customer on
the floor in stitches can fall flat. Instead, go for the much
easier smile. A quick quip or witty observation might do the
trick. Once she smiles, youre half-way to a sale.

2. Make fun of yourself. Self-depricating humor lets folks know
you are down to earth. It may also tell all the people you understand
their situation. Youve been there yourself.

For example, if you sell shoes, develop a quip about your big
feet. Sell computers? Have a funny story on how hard it was
for you to install your first printer.

3. Be very careful about who your humor makes fun of. Almost
all jokes and one-liners are at the expense of someone. You
do not want to seem insensitive or accidentally insult a human or
group your customer cares about.

Reconsider old most acclaimed jokes before retelling them. A line that
was hilarious in the 1980s might be inappropriate today. A joke
that worked fine in Oklahoma City could get you stared at in San
Francisco.

4. Get humor from experts. What do Jay Leno, Jim Carrey, and
Bob Hope have in common? They dont always write their own
material. They buy jokes from others.

You may do the same. Pull ideas from Readers Digest (one of the
worlds most successful magazines--and its full of humor!)
Rework jokes to fit your style and todays topics. Subscribe to
joke and humor services. Type "morning show prep" into any
search engine and see where your most beloved DJs get all their
funny stuff. Many of these services offer free humor written
fresh by professionals.

5. Remember funny lines you hear on TV and in movies. This is
so simple it hurts. A LOT of the funniest many people on TV and radio
have watched hundreds of movies. They have an amazing knack for
remembering funny lines that fit whatever situation they are in.

Humor doesnt have to come naturally to you. If you werent the
class clown in school, don t worry. You may learn to be funny.

Memorize half-a-dozen efficient one-liners. When a situation arises
where one of your memorized quips would fit, let it fly. Do not
be shy or tentative about it. Say your line loud and proud.
If you let the customer know you arent sure your line is funny,
they will be quick to let you understand you bombed.

And here is one last trick comedy experts utilize (but wont admit
to.) After you deliver your humorous line, look the customer in
the eye and chuckle. Then wait. Do not say anything. Nine times
out of ten the customer will beginning to laugh...or at least smile.

Ron Sathoff and Kevin Nunley provide selling advice, business
writing, and promotion packages. Join their promotion discussion
going on now at http://InternetWriters.com Reach them at
mailto:accomadation @InternetWriters.com or 801-328-9006.