Yes, And \u2014 The Improv Way<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn improv, everything is made up, and the points don\u2019t matter. If that sounds familiar, then ask yourself \u201cwhose line is it anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, and\u201d is one of the tenets of improv theatre, which serves as the core to any scene-building exercise. The objective of every improvised scene isn\u2019t to get to the joke or end of the scene as soon as possible. The idea is to establish a back and forth amongst the improvisers, which helps the crew get on the same wavelength. When everyone is making it up on the spot, the only hope of coordination comes from the promise of acknowledgment and agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, but\u201d has the exact opposite effect. Leading with negation and rejection becomes a defensive play, and everyone\u2019s guards go up. Now, everyone feels like they\u2019re on their own, instead of being on the same team. That\u2019s why the cringe is real whenever someone says \u201cNo buts!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, And\u201d Example:<\/strong>
SDR: How do you do?
Prospect: All good, except for the weather.
SDR: How’s the weather on your side?
Prospect: It\u2019s pretty hot out today, isn\u2019t it?
SDR: Yeah, and I\u2019m all out of ice cream!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cNo, But\u201d Example:<\/strong>
SDR: How do you do?
Prospect: All good, except for the weather.
SDR: How’s the weather on your side?
Prospect: It\u2019s pretty hot out today, isn\u2019t it?
SDR: Nah, I’m used to it.
See the difference?<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen the prospect comes onto the sales call and you start exchanging pleasantries, look for the opening and \u201cYes, And\u201d to break the ice. This is a good way to avoid awkward silence, especially if you\u2019re waiting for more people to join the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Small Talk, Big Success \u2014 The Stand-up Way<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe first opening in every conversation is small talk. This is where a skilled conversationalist would break the ice to effectively gain control of the prospects\u2019 attention. This takes more than just \u201cYes, And\u201d, though. When a comedian picks someone out of a crowd and starts a conversation, it seems spontaneous and completely unscripted. How could a random person be in on the act? It\u2019s impossible. Yes, and it is spontaneous. No, but it\u2019s also scripted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s how it works. The comedian already knows what the joke is going to be. The questions they ask an audience member, while seemingly open-ended, have limited answers. While anticipating the response, the comedian has already gone through a simulation of different answers and has one joke for each scenario. Let\u2019s assume the joke is about electric vehicles. The comedian will ask a series of leading questions like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen was the last time you filled gas?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat car do you drive?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you think about electric cars?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Right after the last answer, the comedian will launch into their actual joke with something like \u201cHere\u2019s what I think\u2026\u201d and now it\u2019s a one-sided, yet friendly debate. This would have been a lot less conversational if the comedian had simply opened with \u201cI think electric cars are\u2026\u201d. It might seem like the cat\u2019s out of the bag and it\u2019s not magic anymore. But, remember, this is years of practice coming together to trigger a reflex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Curtain Call<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCompared to emails, sales calls may not provide many opportunities for comic relief. That\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing, as it allows you to focus on the facts and figures, seal the deal, and move on to the next one. But, when you do find the chance, hopefully, you\u2019ll land a few great one-liners as a bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This has been Humor in Sales, and you have been doing a great job! Until next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We live in a time where the only people making calls are parents and grandparents trying to check on their wards. And, the only ones picking up calls are bots. Calls have become an anxiety trigger. When your caller ID flashes, the mind immediately goes into overdrive. Why are they calling? What is it about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"rank_math_title":"Adding Humor to Break the Ice in Sales Calls","rank_math_description":"What can salespeople learn about cold calling from stand-up and improv? The art of keeping someone's attention.","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cold-calling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7677"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23262,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7677\/revisions\/23262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}