PDA

View Full Version : Sending Clients A Joke Helps Land The Deal



nighthawk
04-20-2009, 05:10 PM
I just returned from London and read an intersting article in the BA highlife magazine - unfortunately I can't find it online anywhere so can't link you to the full article.

The article was detailing a study into negotiating business deals. One group forwarded the prospective client a carefully selected, non-offensive joke email prior to negotiations. The study revealed that the group sending the joke was far more successful in landing the deal than the control group. I cant remember the figures offhand, but they were certainly impressive.

Has anyone here attempted such a thing? I can imagine getting it wrong could backfire spectacularly - but getting it right certainly seems to work!

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

vangogh
04-20-2009, 07:33 PM
Can't say I've ever sent a client a joke, but I think I the gist is to humanize yourself. That I always do. I'm guessing the point with the joke was to create a friendly bond and help turn a faceless company into real people.

In general that's a good thing. I'd probably shy away from the joke though. I can see it backfiring too. If your idea of non-offensive isn't the same as the prospect for one. Also just sending out a bad joke that isn't funny. Still if you can find the right joke it might be worth taking the chance of sending it.

I'll share a story of how this kind of thing helped me get a job years ago. The job in question required a lot of reading. We were glorified proofreaders in a sense. I started my cover letter as follows.

"I love to read. Books, magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes..."

The HR person called and the first thing she said to me was I loved your cover letter. I knew I was going to be hired before ever going into the interview. I guess adding in cereal boxes made her laugh. I probably would have gotten the job anyway, but I think the little humor helped.

huggytree
04-20-2009, 08:39 PM
the joke may just show people you are a positive person.....no one want to be around a neg. person...everyone wants to be around a happy person...

it makes sense to me

no ive never done it...i was going to do it the other day, but my wife recommended i stay professional..

i think it matters on the dollar amount and the type of business.

would you want your brain surgeon to do it?

vangogh
04-20-2009, 10:18 PM
would you want your brain surgeon to do it?

I hope never to have a brain surgeon :)

nighthawk
04-21-2009, 06:23 AM
Can't say I've ever sent a client a joke, but I think I the gist is to humanize yourself.

That was pretty much the conclusion in the article. When negotiating a deal with someone new, there is a certain level of aprehension between the parties, sending the joke helps to build up a level of trust between the two parties. It also helps to make the process become less formal and more personal.

I believe the joke they used in the experiment was mocking the process of negotiating deals, so it was something that would have appealed to both parties.

Steve B
04-21-2009, 06:51 AM
I really like this idea. I can't see how it wouldn't help - unless of course you picked a potentially offensive joke. I won't follow up with phone calls, but I do follow-up via e-mail, so this would be easy for me to do.

I'm sure there are lots of great joke sites on the web. Does anyone know of any that make it easy to cut and paste (assuming there is a graphic associated with it)?

vangogh
04-21-2009, 11:01 AM
Makes sense Gavin. When you think about it, it's the same reason a company might blog or engage in social media. Anything that helps humanize a company will usually lead to trust.

My first choice still wouldn't be to send a joke, but as long as it's not offensive to the person receiving it I can't see the problem either. It's probably a stretch to say a really bad joke would be off putting, but I can see how some might not respond well to an unfunnny joke. Not to the extent of being offended by it, but making you wonder if the person who sent it thought it funny what else would you two think differently about. Like I said stretch.

KristineS
04-21-2009, 12:40 PM
I think forming a connection with your clients is always a big help when trying to close a deal. I'm not sure a random joke would work with me, but sending something that allows me to get to know who you are and for what you stand might.

Vivid Color Zack
04-24-2009, 05:11 PM
I think a joke is so unorthodox for some industries that it might be weird. Especially for some of us that work as a faceless online company (no offense to anyone) but humanizing google would be weird wouldn't it?

Read the back of a vitamin water bottle - er... front, they do a really good job of making you like their company/brand without really seeming to work very hard. I sometimes regret not jumping into their company when i had the chance. I feel like I could have been happy working with them.