Before telling you this story, let’s put things in perspective. My dog is a Yellow Dingo, born feral, fit in the palm of my hand when we first met. The Good Doctor doesn’t fit in the palm of my hand anymore. At 55 pounds, Doc is fair to middling on the larger end of a medium sized dog. He is well trained, generally likes to follow me around, and maintains an aspect of the free thought he was born with.
The Doctor sleeps in my office during the day while I work. He’s the perfect assistant, keeps me company and never talks back, except for when he does. When I go to refill my coffee cup or water bottle, he puts his paws on my desk to read the assignment I am working on, and then criticizes my work while declaring he could do it better… If only he had thumbs and knew how to type.
And This Matters…Why?
Such a story, within the context of knowing I’m a professional writer, makes sense toward the creative outlet I use when conducting an assignment. The same concept can apply toward your marketing campaign. Using the resources you have available, beyond the basics of describing the services you provide, you can also let potential clients know you’re someone they can work with on a regular basis because you understand their goals and motivations, and you let them understand yours.
Clean and Fun Situational Comedy
Salespeople since times of eternity and ever-dom have understood the value of comedy, as it lets a client feel less stress and a motivation toward hiring your services. It takes a personable person to tell a joke or describe a situation about common issues concerning a spouse, children, or pets while remaining amicable with an understanding of your needs.
There is a rhythm and charisma behind a motivated sales pitch, and even more so with a marketing campaign. Some jokes are funny among specific groups of people, but for the sake of marketing, others are better as they appeal to everyone regardless of personal opinions. The Good Doctor says he could phrase such sentiments better than I do, but since he has no thumbs and can’t type my phrasing will be sufficient with his approval.
Finding a Topic Your Client Enjoys
Your marketing schedule depends on the products and services you provide, and the audience you expect to use the resources you provide. There is no substitution for your talent and expertise, but you also have to make your clients like you. Sometimes you have to make a judgment call. Some people recognize how goofy their pets are, others need you to call in The Good Doctor to appreciate a good joke about how a well trained dog will react to an cat who hasn’t been socialized.
Creating an Approachable Company Profile
The bottom line is that you have to make your company feel like a person, and be approachable by your potential clients. It is assumed you either opened this business or work in the field because you love the aspect of marketing and making other people feel great about themselves while purchasing your services. Humor broaches all potential bridges and allows your client to understand you as a person, and more importantly, as a person who wants to help them find success.
Building a Relationship with Clients
Once you are recognized as a super-cool person and your clients understand how much enthusiasm you and your dog have toward making their business succeed, you can really “get in the paint”and start making things happen. That’s when the joking and humor goes to the wayside and you figure out how to best serve the client needs. The joke always has to include an understanding of a time to get down to business and perform the job that needs doing, regardless of whatever obstacles may present in immediacy during the project.
Maintaining Communications
Once the original marketing strategy succeeds, you have to maintain communications with your client to assure their satisfaction with the service you provide and ongoing sales. Most successful salespeople have an innate likability that comes with a great sense of humor. It’s simply a part of great service to make the client feel good and want to work with you on their next project.
Business is serious, and humor is a good way to offset the tedium people feel when conducting their business. Add a bit of clean humor people can relate to and watch your successful marketing campaign result in more final sales.
Andrew M‘s most recent work history involves giving consultations and writing. Business propositions, sales pitches, marketing material and informational articles are some types of writing he conducts for his clients. Most of these are oriented toward the construction trade, architectural field, real estate market, or small business operations that Drew has extensive experience with.
