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There are many mathematical formulas and behavior theories that one must consider when crafting a sales program and projecting out a sales cycle. None of these rules are more fun than the Chuckle Rule. There are very few basic drives that steer humanity. Once the basic needs of food and shelter are taken care of you are left with fear, greed, sex drive and the love of laughter. Some behaviorists might disagree with me. They might place laughter in a completely different category. But I think it is indeed one of the most basic drives that determine human behavior. It also appears to be one of the healthiest and most enjoyable activities a person can participate in. When laughter is used in the selling process, it becomes a powerful tool.

Most selling situations can get a little tense. There are a lot of emotions involved in any buying process. Certainly people do not find the need to make big buying decisions a happy circumstance. Most selling situations involve two companies or two sales people competing for business. This can bring the pressure to a boiling point. If your sales numbers are a little off or if you feel threatened by a new competitor in your market, you might feel the need to fight for your next sale.

So there you are at the counter not wanting this prospect to slip away. There is the prospect walking in your door wishing he was hitting his thumb with a hammer rather than having to spend money or make a decision. Yes, the use of all your best sales technique and all the newest and coolest methods will help seal the deal and get a signature on the order. But there is a simple and fun way to dramatically increase the likelihood of doing business with that prospect. Share a few chuckles.

Here is the small print on sharing a chuckle. The chuckle has to be appropriate and has to fit the situation. So you need to listen to the prospect, assess the prospect’s mood and then find something to laugh about or find something to poke fun at. With the first chuckle you will see the stress on the prospect’s face melt away and the shine in his or her eyes start to show. The second chuckle will give the person even a deeper release and the third chuckle will make the two of you friends for life.

In fact the power of the chuckle is exponential. Two chuckles shared increases the likelihood of doing business by a factor of 2. Three chuckles increase your success rates by a factor of three. There is a point of diminishing returns somewhere around the 3rd to 5th chuckle depending on the situation and the people involved. So 17 chuckles does not insure you will do business. It may, in fact, give someone a heart attack if that person has not had enough laughter in recent weeks and is all of a sudden overloaded with laughter.

You may find in your quest to share a few chuckles that the prospect you are dealing with has no sense of humor. Or if you are in Canada, Australia or the UK, that person may have no sense of humour. It is sad that such people exist. But you still may be able to sell something to them if you fall back on your well-honed selling skills.

There are some ways to prime a person for a chuckle. Find some clean and funny cartoons to post where everyone can see them. Learn a few good jokes and tell them to people while you are walking them through your sales process. My personal favorite is the Far Side series. If you have one of these silly cartons where people can see it, you may get a chuckle without even saying hello.

You may find that your current customers will come to see you just to tell you a joke or show you a cartoon they cut out for you. What a great way to keep your customers coming back for more. Give them chuckles and they will be there.