subject: Sales Training Organisations Must Include Sales Jokes In Their Presentations [print this page] A recent survey of training organizations in Australia sought responses from them on the use of sales jokes and humour generally in their presentation material when conducting sales training sessions for their clients. In addition attendees at over fifty sales training organizations were also surveyed seeking their feedback on the quality of sales presentations and the use of jokes about sales and the like being effectively used in those presentations.
The response from the training organizations surveyed indicated that only two in ten used jokes about sales in a training session environment. Even where they had be retained by companies to coach small sales teams they did not look to include a sales meeting joke in their presentation. Interestingly the feedback from participants in all sessions is they to a large audience, small group or one on one was that the failure to include any jokes on sales or humorous sales stories was a big negative in their view.
Their retention of information and skills on sales techniques was far less than those participants who were part of an audience where the sales trainer frequently drew on sales jokes to re-engage his audience when he sensed that their focus was drifting. It is unlikely that in such training sessions be they for a large group, smaller audience or one on one, that the use of adult sales jokes be appropriate. As a trainer it is important to maintain standards of professionalism and while jokes about sales generally will be a positive, anything that is deemed to be politically incorrect is likely to have negative consequences.
Research indicates that laughter increases adrenalin and attention. It will form a bond between the trainer and his or her audience as the trainees will immediately relate better when sale training jokes are employed. Sharing a laugh with your audience and that audience sharing sales jokes amongst one another creates a very receptive audience in any training session or seminar.
Many sales training organizations surveyed were of the view that by including sales jokes or humour in a presentation the professionalism and impact of that session was diminished. Contrary to this view as noted above, the participants in the training sessions welcomed the use of jokes on sales to alleviate the need to remain sales training focused throughout the presentation.
They were of the view that retained the information on sales techniques and skills much better having being able to share jokes between themselves intermittently throughout the presentation. Sales organizations would do well to include sales jokes and humour in any presentation or meeting because in doing so they are ensured of receiving much more positive feedback from their participants this in turn will generate further business by way of referrals when participants provide their employer with the same positive feedback.
