Even though you may need to be quite stern with them about the actions they need
to put in place to reach targets, by showing a sense of humour at the outset they will realise that you understand their position and are not there simply to berate them in front of the rest of the sales team. Sales persons are under constant pressure to meet sales targets and often consider them to be unattainable particularly in tough economic times.
They know that they are not achieving the desired results and go into the meeting feeling tense and anxious. By bringing humour to the table through a good sales meeting joke or other jokes about sales the staff will be less defensive and open up to suggestions that you have to improve their performance.
Adult sales jokes can be used but be careful that these are appropriate - as a rule sales jokes with race or that have sexual connotations should be avoided. Using jokes about sales to bring people together is known to improve relationships, co-operation and productivity in the workplace.
Improving the performance of the sales team is more readily attainable if you adopt a positive approach and sense of humour when conducting sales meetings. The improved mood levels of the sales team will also translate to other areas of the office. It is well known that the performance of the sales team and business volumes does have an impact on the rest of the staff.
Research conducted in the USA found that the cash flow of the company improved where staff the organisational culture included humour as a value. Staff that are happy have less sick days off and also apply themselves more diligently to their work. They feel part of the team and appreciate the inclusiveness that comes with humour. Sales jokes, jokes about sales and other personal stories with a comic bent all go a long way to improving productivity and team spirit.
Adult sales jokes may not be the way to go but other more generic sales jokes that relate a funny tale and comic outcome are always well received and the sharing of them cultivates a real positive vibe in the work environment. While it has often been considered that a serious approach to work is an imperative the research now clearly shows that corporations that adopt this sort of approach fall behind in profitability and job satisfaction stakes.
This has a further cost factor attaching to it in that more resources and funds need to be applied to retraining new staff because of the high turnover. Sales jokes and other anecdotes are a very inexpensive and yet extremely effective way to retaining staff and getting the best out of them.