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Don’t Be Afraid to Laugh With Your Customers
Laughter is the best marketing medicine
10 years ago, or so, I asked one of my customers if she had a good Christmas.
“I don’t celebrate,” she replied, matter of factly.
I paused for a beat.
“Well, did you enjoy your time off?” I asked.
She smiled from ear to ear and said, “Oh yeah!”
We had a good laugh about it, and every conversation after that was warm and pleasant.
Do you laugh with your customers?
Most will enjoy it. How do you use humor without seeming silly and unprofessional?
Poke fun at yourself. One day it took what seemed like an eternity for my computer to load a page I needed while the customer waited. I said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if computers worked at the speed of thought?”
The once quiet lady on the other end of the phone agreed that it would, and we started talking about things we had in common. Whatever business we conducted went as smoothly as a conversation with a friend.
Don’t be afraid to be funny.
If your customer is the least bit talkative, they might laugh. If you do say something funny, make it quick and light. That will be enough to let you know if it’s going to work without alienating the customer.
Who knows? You might brighten an otherwise dark day for them. That could be the best gift you can give.
