Here is a way to dramatize the importance of systematic prospecting in a sales meeting.

Your speaker is dressed as a magician. He begins by performing several magic tricks. Three people are then brought forward. They should be strangers to the audience.

One is said to be a hot prospect, ready to place an order. Your speaker guesses which of the three it is. He misses on his first guess—on the second one, too. “This proves that no one can tell which prospects will buy—not even a magician. So let’s call on everybody.”

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Then the speaker pretends to “hypnotize” the “prospect.” When the “prospect” is quizzed under “hypnosis” he tells the truth. “I really wanted to buy from Ray Smith—that salesperson (he points to the audience) sitting there. But he gave up too soon. If he doesn’t sell on the first try, he gives up.” The “prospect” continues, using points he wishes to emphasize. “And I couldn’t buy from Ed Smith, because he doesn’t know his products. As for Cherie Brown, she always wants to argue!”

Here’s another way to accomplish the same thing.

Your speaker can lighten the presentation by using a hand puppet—the type worn like a glove. The puppet brings out the main ideas, the speaker confirming them. The speaker can operate the puppet
himself.

Since he’s not likely to be a ventriloquist, he could play a recording for the voice of the puppet.  Better still, there can be a second person concealed from view that operates the puppet and serves as its voice.

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Case in point: The National Society of Sales Training Executives used “Five Ring Circus” as the theme for a meeting. The emcee was dressed like a ring master. One speaker was attired as a tight-rope-walker, another as a clown. Still another displayed the costume and muscles of a circus strong man.

Costuming can often be connected with the subject of the speech. “The Art of Selling” might be the subject. The speaker appears as an artist. He wears a smock and tarn, possibly with a thin
mustache. He carries a brush and palette. Thus he “paints” a vivid, visual picture and he can actually paint his major points on a canvas mounted on a tripod.

Even a talk on selling as a career can be spiced. Your speaker appears in work clothes of his prior occupation. If he was an auto mechanic, he makes his talk while wearing the same cover¬
alls he wore before. A hat, grease rag and tools would complete the costuming. He connects his unusual attire by telling how and why he left a mechanic’s job to become a salesperson.

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How did he do it?

Was it organization of material alone? Or did his subject have an unusual appeal? Did he capitalize on basic emotions and urges?

THE APPEAL TO BASIC EMOTIONS AND URGES

Indeed his subject had exceptional appeal. It encompassed the first law of human nature, the first human instinct – self-preservation! As he progressed, he also appealed to love of family, love of fellow men, love of country, and love of God. Further, he stimulated one of the most powerful of all human emotions – fear!

The most convincing speeches are usually like that one. They’re directed at basic emotions and urges. A spark already burns in the heart of the audience. The speaker needs only to fan the flame.

Such flames should be fanned when the opportunity presents itself, but the speaker at a sales meeting has little opportunity to appeal to emotions and urges. Systems and procedures are without emotion. Besides, it’s the prospective customer, not the salesperson, whose emotions must usually be considered.

Yet, there’s a means of putting sparkle in speeches at sales meetings. That means is showmanship. Speakers should dramatize their speeches, present them in a vivid manner, illustrate them visually, and bring them to life.

The presentation of each participant can be previewed to determine whether enough life has been injected. Speeches, particularly, should be checked. Where more showmanship is needed, it can be added.

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“We have an outside speaker at most of our large meetings,” reported a Memphis sales executive. “It’s usually a ‘big man’. someone who can attract a sizeable crowd. And, of course, such a person is a skilled public speaker, but with all his skill, he invariably depends upon humor. Without some good jokes, his effectiveness would be questionable.”

Suggest to your speakers that they use a little humor. It keeps your sales meetings from being so “dry.” Not everyone can tell a joke well. But everyone can learn to do so. Joke telling can be compared with any other skill. For instance, it can be compared with the ability to use a typewriter. Not everyone knows how to type, but everyone who wants to do so, can learn.

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The basis of nearly every joke will fall in one or more of four categories:

1. Man’s inhumanity to man.
2. A natural target.
3. The unexpected.
4. Sex.

Let’s discuss each of these. First, what is meant by man’s in¬humanity to man?

Man’s Inhumanity to Man

Most of us like to laugh at the other fellow. It makes us feel superior and feeds our egos. Thus, most people laugh at the fellow who’s hit in the face with a gooey pie or who’s the butt of a story. It’s a little cruel to laugh at the plight of the other fellow, but usually we do.

For example, there’s the story about a man who owed some money to his next-door neighbor. He couldn’t pay the debt so, naturally, he was worried. His wife kept telling him not to worry, but the man worried anyway.

Finally the wife said, “You don’t have to worry. I’ll show you. . .”
She went to a window and yelled to the neighbor, “Hey, Fred! Do you remember that $100 my husband borrowed from you? Well, he can’t pay you. He’s dead broke!”
She slammed down the window and turned to her husband. “See there? You don’t have to worry. Let him worry!”

An audience will laugh at this joke. The laughter is basically directed at the neighbor. There’s no reason why the audience should dislike the neighbor. He had done nothing wrong. Yet the audience will laugh at his dilemma. Why? Because of man’s inhumanity to man.

Knowing why the audience laughs, you can tell a story more effectively. You can make the butt of the yarn look as ridiculous and stupid as possible. This increases the mirth!

A Natural Target

A tyrant is a natural target. For example, many stories belittling dictators have been told through the years. People laugh because of their contempt for the villain. They get pleasure in seeing him ridiculed.

Another example is a story on a mother-in-law. The latter is proverbially a meddlesome individual. Therefore, people laugh at seeing her taken to task: “I’m here before you with mixed emotions. Sorry about one thing and glad about another. I’m like the fellow who saw his beautiful new car roll off a cliff, with his mother-in-law inside!”

A competitor or his product is a natural target. A wise salesperson won’t berate his competitor when talking to a prospect. But there’s nothing wrong with getting in a “dig” or two at a sales meeting.

For instance, “A salesperson for one of those cheap imitative products dropped by the other day. He said, ‘The price you’re getting for your merchandise is atrocious!’
“I told him, ‘I can see why you think as you do. For merchandise like yours, the price we’re getting really would be atrocious!’”

Adding more coals to the fire: “We know what our product is worth and it is priced accordingly. We presume that the imitators know what their merchandise is worth, and we give them credit for pricing it accordingly!”

Having fully realized that you’re aiming at a natural target, you can fire your guns more effectively. Your choice of words should show contempt. Your tone of voice should ridicule. The audience will be delighted!

Be sure your natural target is not present at the meeting. For instance, at a department store sales meeting, the merchandise manager told a joke on an old maid (another natural target). Many people laughed. But the old maids didn’t!
 
The Unexpected

People can be made to laugh when surprised. Apparently it’s fun to be fooled, because the unexpected has been the basis for many jokes. For instance . . .

“A man was on top of a tall building, ready to jump off. A policeman saw him and said, ‘Hey, wait a minute! You don’t want to do that. Let’s talk this thing over.’
“So they talked it over for three or four minutes. Then they both jumped off!”

OR

“A sales trainer had finished a lecture and was attempting to start group discussion. He asked for questions or comments, but none were forthcoming. Again he asked, ‘Questions or comments, if you will please.’ But a deadly silence ensued.

“When everyone became a bit embarrassed, the trainer quipped, ‘All right. Thank you very much for all those fine questions and comments. Now we’ll go on to the next subject.’
“The audience laughed. The tension was broken. A lively discussion followed, simply because the trainer had said the unexpected.

Another illustration: “Everyone on this side of the room who likes pie, please raise your hand … if you like ice cream, raise your hands.” The speaker points to one side of the room, then the other. “I now pronounce you pie a la mode!”

They’ll laugh gustily, since it’s the unexpected.  When selling a laugh on this basis, make the turn of events as completely unexpected as possible. Phrase your remarks in such a way that the audience is taken fully by surprise. You then have maximum effectiveness.

Sex

Since the day of Adam and Eve, sex has served as the foundation for funny stories. The sex urge is both fundamental and intriguing. Since you’ve doubtless heard many jokes on the subject, elaborating hardly seems necessary.
 
Here’s one that regales an audience: “Years ago I was working in a little country store when a lady came in, who wanted to buy a dress. Having selected one, she asked if she might try it on.
“As I said, it was a little country store. We didn’t have a dressing room. We had simply a curtain in the rear of the building.

“The lady stepped behind the curtain, and I handed her the dress. At that moment the boss walked up and said, ‘Bill, if I catch you trying to peek while this lady tries on that dress, I’m going to fire you!’
“Now, after I lost that job . . . (!)”

The foregoing leaves something to the imagination. This is much preferred to an uncouth story or one containing profanity. Vulgarity cheapens any story. In effect, it weakens the position of the speaker; it depreciates him in the mind of the audience.

A professional speaker has often told of a food salesperson, a liquor salesperson, and a mattress salesperson. The food salesperson said, “I hate to see a woman dine alone.” The liquor salesperson said, “If there’s anything I hate, it’s to see a woman drink alone.”
And the mattress salesperson said not a word!

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The next time one of your sales meeting speakers is scheduled to cover this point, the speaker can introduce the subject this way:

“Write down the names of three people whom you like. These three people can be friends, acquaintances, relatives, in-laws, outlaws—any¬body.”

“All through?  Next, delete the names of those who, in your opinion, do not like you.

All done? Now let’s see the hand of everyone who deleted one or more names.” Probably not a single hand
 will be raised.
 
“This shows that the people you like, are the people who like you. Like, to be liked!”

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