7 Reasons Why Sales is Like.....Stand-up Comedy

“The secret to riches is the same as the secret to comedy – timing.” Max Skinner (Russell Crowe)
A Good Year (2006)



1. You’ve got to be fabulous, original YOU

Delivering someone else’s jokes never really works - even if you do so better than the person who wrote it.

You have a distinct point of view on your specialist subject – if the buyer is seeing three others before making a choice, make sure your originality and unique personality stand out.

Trust me, if the service or products are almost identical – you’ll be one of the very few things that’s makes a difference.



2. It has to be honest and come from the heart.
Unbelievable comedians aren’t funny and insincere sales people aren’t successful.

You truly have to believe what you're saying.

You have to know why you’re helping them and the real difference your input will make.

In fact you have to be - what we like to call over at Varda Kreuz Training -evangelistic about your entire back story and presentation.



3. You have to be inclusive

Everyone in the room has to be able to understand and relate to your content.

Being unique, original and personal is one thing – being the only person in the room that gets it is quite another.



4. A funny thing happened today (or at the latest, this week)

Use present tense verbs to keep your presentation feeling topical, current and urgent.

These days, we’re all selling to an instant gratification, attention-deficit society, if it feels like you're presenting old news your audience will tune out.



5. Genius on paper? But how will it sound on stage?

Rookie comedians fall foul of this one regularly - the written material is hilarious but dies when performed live.

Delivery has always been 90% of any routine.

Intonation, emotive pauses and calls to arms – they may sound like world beaters in your head, but how “human” do they sound when you say them out loud?



6. Things might go wrong – be ready
Stand-up comics write "savers," funny comebacks for the things that can go wrong.

Now I know you don’t want me to go on about planning and preparation – however, the best sales people I have ever met knew it, did it and got the bonus.



7. Your words should be as ‘visual’ as possible.

You need to be able to create pictures with your words, your audience need to engage with – and be absorbed by - your presentation.

If you don’t the opposite will happen - each member of the audience will begin to paint their own picture – which may lead them away from the punch-line.

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About: Chris Murray has become prominent as an inspirational speaker, author and sales training coach and is founder and Managing Director of Varda Kreuz Training, a company created to deliver sales training that really works - not in theory and not just sometimes, but sales training that really works.

His latest book, The Extremely Successful Salesman's Club has been heralded as the Da Vinci Code for salespeople.