Kosta_Konfucius

Sales Rep

Acclaimed Answer

Using Humor in Cold Outreach

Outside of the typical advice of tailoring your emails, I am starting to see a lot of posts on LinkedIn mentioning using humor in outreach. I know LinkedIn is super credible.

However, I am always willing to try something new. So I have started to do it the past couple of weeks. Usually its a pun in the opening line, I would say its a solid dad joke based on the company/title they have.

If I can't think of anything creative I do "Why did the CIO bring a ladder to the office? To reach the cloud!" ......Yeah I know it hurt to type it also, but got to be different than every sales email they get.

The results have been meh, little responses via email. But have been able to set a few, nothing more outside of the normal amount however.

I am curious if people are using humor in their outreach or do you think it is cringey LinkedIn advice?

🔎 Prospecting

👑 Sales Strategy

💌 Cold Emailing

21

24 comments

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sketchysales

Politicker

7

Sales Manager

I cant speak from experience of doing this but I know i wouldnt respond if I got that.

And im not even grumpy, i just find it cringe and try-hard. Put some effort in, find-out something about me and I am 100% more likely to respond, even if its a no. Basically look at it from your shoes, if you think youd like to receive that cold email, send it, if you wouldnt respond to it, dont.

HVACexpert

Politicker

6

sales engineer

Cringe and try-hard is all you had to say.

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

1

Sales Rep

See this why I need the feedback here!

sketchysales

Politicker

3

Sales Manager

i was trying to be nice

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

4

Bravado's Resident Asshole

It is 100% cringe to me to get jokes or humor like that through an email/message.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

4

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

And 100% wonderful to get them after there's an established relationship and the humor is appropriate.

Pachacuti

Politicker

4

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

I have never been a fan of injecting humor into a cold call/outreach. But that’s just me.

braintank

Politicker

3

Enterprise Account Executive

They only luck I ever had with this is gif as part of a breakup email.

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

1

Sales Rep

Yeah I have heard about that with 30MPC with a ghost or something like that. That works for me, but its almost always "not interested" or "bad timing" which is better than nothing

punishedlad

Tycoon

3

Business Development Team Lead

Most I'll do is a gif in a break up email at the end of a sequence. I feel like you've earned the right to be a little cringey at that point because nothing else has worked.

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

1

Sales Rep

There are so many templates for a CIO I have before I got to break out the cringe

Sunbunny31

Politicker

3

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Admire the creativity, but it's difficult to pull off properly. Respect the testing and the report to the group, too.

TennisandSales

Politicker

3

Head Of Sales

i mean i would at least try it! please do this and then report back, and keep track of all the jokes you use 😂

Nairobi

Politicker

2

AE

I’ve tried GIFs/memes with no success… maybe I need work on my GIFs game though

Wellss

Tycoon

2

Channel sales

Same here, haven't had any success with GIFs but I see them being used more and more.

DungeonsNDemos

Big Shot

2

Rolling 20's all day

In today's tech market, I'd steer away from it. It's not inherently bad, but I think there is better messaging you can go with.

Justatitle

Big Shot

2

Account Executive

I love using humor but I'm also very careful with my humor because not everyone has the same Humor.

TheQueenofDiamonds

Politicker

2

Account Executive

In a spirit of responding to emails, that would have worked on me - I would say yes to jokes and memes!I have been using jokes and memes and see much better response rate than my "professional" polished (even uber personalized) emailsHas to be neutral and relavant jokes though, but you already said that 😜

Maximas

Tycoon

1

Senior Sales Executive

I think that Humor is always making a difference and letting the prospect feel that his money is not your primary goal.
It helps also to break the ice and makes him more comfortable to know more and perhaps considering to buy!

RandyLahey

Politicker

1

Account Manager

Unless it flows naturally out of me, the thought of me intentionally inserting humour into my outreach gives me anxiety that I may overstep my bounds lol.
But hey, would love to hear if this has been working for you.

ade

Contributor

1

AE (Account Executive)

I don’t use it in my emails unless a perfectly timed situation arises, but I do use it when cold calling. If I can make them laugh, it more often than not leads to a 1st meeting.

WheelofCheese

Opinionated

1

Sales Executive

My advice is to be human/humble but not too friendly if you haven’t made a personal connection yet. Once you’ve established some real rapport I think a little humor is okay.. depending on your audience!

CuriousFox

WR Officer

1

🦊

Some folks appreciate a good dad joke.

GeneralFriend

Fire Starter

0

Account Manager

I try to lead with my personality whenever possible. I’m a pretty sarcastic person and most clients appreciate the humor in emails/phone calls. Hasn’t gotten me in trouble yet. I’m sure it will at some point

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