Mitchel Bell profile picture
Mitchel Bell profile picture

Mitchel Bell

Enterprise Account Executive at Pyramid Analytics

Humor or seriousness

What has the group experienced when it comes to over the top humor or a serious voicemail or email. Does it matter? Is one better at getting a returned call? Or is one better at being memorable when you do get to connect?

🔎 Prospecting
💌 Cold Emailing
📞 Cold Calling
12

14 comments

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oldcloser
Arsonist
7
💀
Remember Spuds McKensie, the Budweiser mascot? What about the Taco Bell chihuahua? Didn’t think so. Maybe the “Where’s the beef?!” ladies? If so, which franchise? Right. My point? Voicemail and email amount to marketing. Keep it on mission. Humor is subjective. A value prop you can prove isn’t.
HVACexpert
Politicker
2
sales engineer
I think the method of delivery in this case, cold email/phone, plays a part as well. Dos Equis ‘most interesting man in the world’ marketing campaign was very successful. But something like that would be hard to build into a cold email. the deliver method, industry, target audience, product, all plays a part. As you said, humor is subjective.
jefe
Arsonist
1
🍁
Also way too hard.
A bit of humour in a last ditch LI has been okay, but otherwise keep it relevant.
I do remember them though.
(And the answer is Wendy's)
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
5
☕️
Things I hate:

1) Wet socks
2) People trying to be funny
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
3
Sales Rep
Ask him yourself is it different or is it a gimmick? Is it original or is it the same joke using a different word?

It can help you separate and be different than other messages, however 99% of the time they have heard that same joke 5 times that week
HVACexpert
Politicker
3
sales engineer
Im not sure I would lead with it? If you’re following up on unresponsive calls or emails to garner attention perhaps? But it would have to be tasteful, organic , appropriate, and original.

I think @Gasty came up with some good examples in some of his approaches he shared.
Pachacuti
Politicker
3
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
I have found that adding humor to any opening message to a new prospect kills things. Don’t do it. Just because you are bored with your message and want to spice it out, doesn’t mean the prospect is ready to hear it.

A prospect wants to hear “what’s in it for them”. Give them a reason to respond. Does it save them money or time? Does it make them look or feel good? That is all that matters.
2
Retired Sales Professional
Advertising especially those that are memorable such as the many that were mentioned (i was privileged to have seen many of them before they hit the market) here on this thread do so by stimulating areas of the brain that evokes an emotional response which in turn triggers a memory that transcend an individual to a time where they were enjoying themselves, thus creating a positive connection to the brand being advertised.

That's a very difficult task to accomplish in an email or a voice-mail. In an email humor can be taken out of context and thought to be tasteless. In my opinion make the connection using a serious tone that resonate with professionalism and hit them with humor once you connect.
GDO
Politicker
2
BDM
humor works imo. A lot of the deal depends on trust in my field. You would think being serious creates trust. However having something of a connection because of humor works better for sure
Hodgson
Valued Contributor
2
CEO
Forcing fun and humour rarely lands the way you expect it too. Not taking yourself or the interaction too seriously, I believe, exudes confidence.
RandyLahey
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Risk/reward ratio does not make it worthwhile. Unless I’m deep in the cycle and have a clear, established relationship with the prospect, it’s just not worth the risk.

You don’t know what your prospects/clients have going on, and for minimal gain you do risk blowing it all up for what, a joke?
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
I'm thinking of all the truly funny stand up comedians who are doing commercials these days, and how unfunny they are in the context of a business advertisement where they're trying to convey some important information in a funny way. And if they're struggling, how's a rep going to come across?
DataCorrupter
Politicker
0
Account Executive
Wow, very well said
CuriousFox
WR Officer
0
🦊
‼🐈‼

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