Quick, answer this question: “When you think of a stereotypical
Salesperson, what do they sell?”
Scroll down to see the answer virtually everyone gives.
I’ll wait.
Used cars right? Gee, did I give it away? I have no idea how that picture got in there.
Anyway, to most people, selling is synonymous with the not-so-noble profession of selling used cars.
OK, next question. When I say, “I help self-employed people write funny emails that get more attention and meetings.”
What do you think the immediate response is from most people?
Well, when I said this to many people last week at Social Media Marketing World I got one response only:
“That’s really hard!”
Yes, nobody thinks writing something funny is easy.
Everyone seems to think that it’s a mysterious process and that either you’re funny or you’re not.
And writing funny is hard, difficult, impossible. So why even bother trying?
Why is this? Well, with my fake doctorate in psychology, I’d surmise that at an early age you were punished for laughing, ridiculed for being silly, or denigrated for your Jim Carey impersonations.
And you never recovered from the humiliation.
I hope you can get beyond all that because it’s a worthy pursuit to write funny.
But why use humor in emails in the first place? Why work so hard at writing funny?
The purpose of humor is to change/alter/modify the state of the person reading your email (or other marketing materials).
You want to lighten things up.
Look, you’re going through your email inbox and almost everything you see is either serious or boring. Sometimes it will be something important or valuable.
But as you are reading, you are focused, trying to see what to keep, what to read and what to discard. You are in a serious state of mind.
You couldn’t say you’re having the best time in your life. You’re slogging through things because you have to.
And then you get an email that is different, unexpected, absurd, silly or wacky.
And if it’s done well, it elicits a laugh.
The reader can’t help it. It’s unexpected. It just comes. Pow!
And now the reader is immediately in a different state. He or she is smiling and wondering what this is all about.
It’s unusual, different, and provokes curiosity. “What the hell is this?” you think. And so you start reading.
And if the rest of the email incorporates a little more humor here and there, it keeps you reading.
And this is the big challenge of emails, isn’t it? To get you to actually read the damn things.
But if the email is fun, entertaining, different, it stands apart from everything else in your inbox.
Now you are engaged, open, curious, and feeling good about the message.
The whole purpose of any kind of business-related email is to both inform and to stimulate the reader to take action.
And when also you interject some humor into your emails the chances of that happening rises dramatically.
Back to the response to writing funny being hard.
There are actually some pretty simple formulas that are easy to emulate with a little practice.
The most fundamental is called “The Reverse.”
You create a mental image and then you shatter it.
Here’s an example I liked:
“It has been a few months since we last spoke. I have been colluding with the Russians. I know, I know, that is not in style these days but I just couldn’t help it. They have such good caviar and vodka.”
It’s a reverse.
It’s like calmly walking down the hallway in your office and then falling headlong into a vat of lime Jell-O. Not expected.
The reverse is a perfect device when contacting a past client whom you know.
It’s not unexpected to say you are following up. But it’s completely unexpected to say you’ve been colluding with the Russians.
But it could be anything:
You were kidnapped by a tribe of rogue tax accountants.
You contracted a rare disease that made your skin glow.
Once you have the formula, you just try a number of things until one makes you giggle.
It needs to be unexpected, silly and fun. If it conjures up a visual image, so much the better.
The reverse can be your primary tool in getting laughs from your emails.
But you only get good at it by practicing writing them.
One way to do this is by first writing an ordinary email. One that is completely straight-forward and sane:
“I’ve been really busy the past few weeks but wanted to get back to you. I’ve been thinking of some ways we could improve that plan to get even better results.”
That’s expected, normal, boring. So change the second sentence into a reverse.
“I’ve been really busy the past few weeks but wanted to get back to you. My nefarious plans for world domination took an awkward turn when my cellphone was hurled into a wood chipper. But now that I’ve recovered the data, let me share some ideas with you.”
It’s not boring anymore. It’s fun and a little wacky.
And guess what? People love to work with fun people. The above guy excepted. Avoid him at all costs.
However, if you are determined to maintain your staid, cool demeanor, be my guest. But I’m afraid your emails won’t be getting a lot of attention.
Cheers, Robert
Action Plan Marketing helps self-employed people attract more clients through action-oriented marketing strategies that get you in front of prospective clients. Get our free report on how you can attract more of your ideal clients at this link:
muslimpribadi
2021-11-05
goredistrictsyouth
tillkruess
thenerdynurse
xn--fr-jmc
blogosanosperdidoscom
christian-seo
tophostcoupon
xn--bdsgiaphuc-ob56i
noisysocks
mercurymarine
lastwordonprowresting
anwaltverkehrsrecht
praxis-ergotherapie
luhri-pruefungstrainer
modellismoilferroviere
arlimgestionlafayette
wp24963
wppluginexpert
aubeargine-art
yumahealthconnections
toddtaylorphotography
postpostmortem
patryktarachon
xn--cantho-ford-tj46j
chipbennett
wpcouponplugin
tm-awsmp
weirdtangibles
tolbawriting
cole-demo
garymarkfuller
xn--nhadatquan7-2x96j
nurulimamnotes
departamentorg
artlistartists
salesforcesponsorship
newfoundlandwebdesign
hansvaneijsden
presentphuture
phongmywebsite
michael-hayles
booksinternational
ashishdungdung
humangenome
dt-vtc-chauffeur-prive
thenameofyourewebsite
sarvisolutions
rachelhopephotography
aacartransport
johnbillion
fastestwaytoloseweight
worldanimeclub
xn--flos-ware-9q2ov03z
alexstandiford
jtsternberg
jasonrjohnston
amal-demo
ahmedalkooheji
guidebooks
secureinsurancepayment
digital-media-platform
pharmadelavallee-plerin
tienichazdemo
shophopeoutdoorgallery
freundeskreis-lackkunst
chrisleereno
wonderpdf
bray-mcgilveryfamilies
theschmuklers
nereida-espiral
forsalebytracey
coreygilmore
shizukana-manga
naber
festivaldelpopmetafisic
mathlabstudio
data-analysis-textbook
profiloverifonevx680e1
sanjitgupta1996
handmadejewelry
albertoprovenzi
adrianweiwei
thebuymeacoffee
andrew-chemerys
xn--cabaalamiranta-tnb
trusted-online-generic
cameronjonesweb
axiommediaco
dv360seller
devoe-demo
loopsandsamples
mikeschinkel
luizjrdeveloper
tokyo-factory
spearsmarketing
tomzarebczan
herbyolschewski
equanimitycounselingcny
bestclockindia
richardrivardphotographe
windwaterwoodswastelands
rubbertracksfinaldrives
webmasterintexas
xn--6qqx39bfz6a
seocompanyorg
anandmahalakshmi
teamopenverse
xn--inboundvietnam-pt5j
idpc-compliance-tool
nhadatduongso4
luminousdragoart
autosafedrinking
yelp-lookbook
noitrangbanhcuon
hormann-forumpartenaires
gsuiteaddons
philippeklein-architecte
snoop-adventures
colorfullshadows
googleworkspace
architecturalvinyldesign
healthlineforuk
vinfastchevroletthanhhoa
anitsmechanical
andresgarciaextensions
siliconwebsite
dtrnk0o2zy01c
xn--nhotcongnghiep-4c58m
hilfewindows10
ezequielturismoelazer
inovretailhome
webdesigner063
torbrawsersite
dgwebapl02
advanturevault
locutortaonline
mynameisthe-river
xn--dulichsgviptour-512k
quarantinecertificate
webinanewebarcade
your-rest-implementation
secured-transaction-page
deuan56b7nga3
csfirstcoding
willow-template
mycollectionhouse
divyanshuarticle
wheatbackpennies
tarihvehayat1307
thebeautyboutiquebarton
premiere-refurbishments
commercialvehicleservices
abfallwirtschaft-marketing
d2jxw5xb8u1cgw
generationsagingwithpride
gebaeudereinigung-dallmann
d2fqj2af1au1sa
zitawordpresstheme
test-sasportal
rajaroytutorials
d33gdbfc45qnz7
felixangelmartinez
d14r4b0p45o2hl
d2udeqw8olc6yl
d3k6hi3h4ykoab
com302webdesign
polyglots-tools
thingson2wheels
bachelthesiswritingservice
mitsubishikiengiang-motors
hypnose-cecile-saintantoine
nriczenterprises
xiaowenlaotou1203
greengatehousedaynursery
valleyofflowerstrek
buymarijuanaweedusa
urgence-emploiscientifique
dev-doug-wc-wp
dev-bradytford
othersongsmusic
johncheatleosborne
ozoncalculostrabalhistas
vaughanjoinersandbuilders
anthraxbrainsurvivor
sdfsdffsdsdf122fvf
penginapanbandara
xn--daunhotcongnghiep-pk99p
awsbigdatablog
restauracion-de-antiguedades
righttraderoofingandbuilding
pattayapropertyprofessionals
admaddashboard
info0
coderevolutionblog
margocosmeticosartesanais
office-wp-prod
lovezanystudentanchor
chromedevicetoken
cloudconformity
donarydonatedev
xn--nemchuathanhhoangon-u179r
amazon-chime-sdk
altrinchamfccommunitysports
gaelanlloyd-xfer
cornerofthetaandalpha
streamtest1566624468
drivingmeroundthebend
contentlead159740428
rolflovesclassicalmusic
deborahforddrivinginstructor
everydaynewwiththechef
styleandlight-template
thoughtfulsoulperfection
onlinemarketingwebweb
navied-shoushtarian
exposure-marketing
the-best-wishes-quotes
ucopgcm6rpk75a_jqs3ur6_g
1000genomes-dragen
travelwithme177577940
lecarvalhocruzofficial
xn--hyundaihanoibytcmotor-3f60u
gercekyasamoykuleri1307
xn--3kq2bv20br9g8sf87e9vprrsff7c
bestroofingcompanytips
qualitylowpricegoodsonline
xn--fiqq4oxpbg0ipu2byxmfz9a
conformance-packs-blog
prod-office-wordpress
littleghosts
trifacta-support-assets
caava-clients
sms-chatbot-multilingual
us-central1-ddns-302705
workspaces-client-updates
secure-pliki
twentytwelvemenuaccessibility
preview-dot-spotify-ads-marketing
aws-apn-partner
dev-philanthropy-abilitycentral
aws-ml-blog-artifacts
trunk-hy2b2li-rk425yy73kk4w
variantspark-marketplace-resources
wp-public-blog-cbb
confdna-public-resources
ec2-54-64-205-223
louisiana-baton-rouge-dot-dependablehomebuyers
s3-euw2-integrationguides-p-public
internal-s3-lon-cloud-bigfish-co-uk
dependablehomebuyers-fortmyers-id
dependablehomebuyers-baltimore-id
cloudformation-stackset-sample-templates-eu-central-1
rgaw
thenineties
beijingruitong
hepsipartner
iaoniu8
siogpes
wpdose
skinsaver
darlait
elcmsf
lsacam
endarmy
bossmetal
ykios
beatrix
zhonghanjy
iotyb
classiction
dentonmafia
solventenergy
hubtechmedia
x
hepsilojistik
expresample
caishen8goucai
videochat24
omoricabarlinek
comfort-finders
harricot
franquiciaito
network
domainsrush
randywalker
faizanhaidar
onefinance
rubyannrosales
addwebsolution
elvigilante1977
fureverfriendsandrescue
vivaviva-template
megan-katsanevakis
computertutorialample
cpa-esg
vivuvillavungtau
securisetonboutchou
theportlandco
yx63
mylitto
moodful
ems-med
maloma
esoudai
hatjedu
polisher
shccfzsj
mornrise
sympler
webbkoncept
bobaojiaoyu
wpconnected
103
122
chinakediao
fondationmsc
tayseannolan
xn--2p1av15c
hrtherealdeal
checkscam247
bacethelabelco
nightanddayswim
youthtrendtoday
otto42
miltersen
jsnajdr
lecarvalhocruz
riinaxsan
standardrelocation
streetsevencreative
permissionnutrition
sophrologieetbienetre
xn--aliexpress-bm67a
hummingbirdwellnesskc
hoermann-areariservata
floraldeliverytoowoomba
fondationmariesolangeclerge
hangleton-foodbank
amazon-eks
clickfactura
mamawhaleyboat
vinalikejmc
royal-cl
nani
toysinc
honeyandjam
thegreatestcommand
yelpfivestarspace
mill-basin
partypromanager
kk3148
xsggtz
justdolayout
cfn-hvac
barracuda
armentdietrich
convergemobile
awayo
9acts
zorendemo
dns
brea
crbox
phuchungreal
squarespacedns
rollinggatesupply
databooks
xetaitoancau
xemayhoanthien
italitymavericks
restauranteventguide
ko88
jaystacksbeats
rivieranayarit
coinbasecloud
iwoulddieforhector
surfnews
barnkalaset
xhomes
cvent-planner
fernandaviolic
web77
pkaa
consilium
anblicks
gamingassociates
medproad
mmnxx
cvtsv
gamstop
messith
ramaachat
red-hosting
loushikexue
this-happy
convergeplan
sriramaenterprises
chfilippi
rhktv
neuwagenshop
aws1
rocks2brex
kitai-kitai
mgo
90air
mmvx
wntt
uxbundle
shopfify
hoacommedia
umghelpguides
artbykjc
pflanzlichplus
supersplinter
cleverclipstudios
fpscareers
rusinfun
prosta
mariafrenzy
8rise
9966788
colofel
brb-sparwelt
dns
edenogrody
cpatheone
sparqstreet
wagens
mlc
uktdmedia
magicdesign
websitebag
qbisoftware
merchresults
remotely-curious
42755
mytravelstories
cruisedata
djcduxion
isp-golf
opusforever
credencecounseling
thecybersecurityintellects
adsenseplatform
locationselection
preprod-paymentsresellersubscription
ht
max
mins
zeus
baby
qrpdf
lnvn
hades
d-zan
hsgsxh
ttyt8
keledo
aaqq7
ghdbo
mybm
rapper
qprawo
xazak
kf882
biblio
sasuke
aslsc
2orro
tx7775
yngxbys
loyshen
juzang
yetudj
habo99
souldog
zicogod
dangcap
qnatura
rriav3
frega7
lafulai
acsbag
testxx
dyalip
saigonmg
88888ss
beamdim
qzdrowie
elienox
antizont
rltygrp
jylq
hgw177
cygj678
nicalam
desirewm
yes2help
genspire
rnrgifts
robuzfree
edgeibox
treegroup
kazan-air
lotusware
multiways
jadeveil
mookk665
japansup
esmeskin
zorrovip
novinsabk
byarabic
ppnft
ngoctrung
juhuayou
nginx999
useitems
owlreview
milibreria
magazynbhp
11andbark
betliga88
nasprzedaz
metechyou
aswebhost
nagamachi
geeyestee
61
cventmail
13
rolloo
61
wesite999
foranhour
pythonix
61
themesold
coderprem
dichvuweb
touristimo
wudianyike
rdv-cemedis
medik-kerch
203
salonardor
oduvungtau
partiyavina
sugarsupply
latinwomen
xn--tq4bs2h
starsticker
nhadatmanh
45
45
194
toathaland
getlovers
revaulusion
beautybyabs
bigmedia
hanjutv2022
whmcsmaster
103
girlsdream
informatemas
dropmintnft
onesouthlake
nemhoangphuc
thanhytravel
mr-alidoosti
gmlawnrescue
starcloud
bni-weymouth
marvisdesign
livescorexyz
deanrobinson
rtradingview
ngocthaoshop
1368benedict
surnginjapan
papillonkate
marienjmalloy
photobyelijah
expromagzines
allthecrazetv
marunaka-saiyo
dmsnell
bottomlinedo
fobbonghide
cyerol
tangfollow247
nataer
loveliesafrica
thedreamypromo
kreativebildung
bandroomdirect
tviksas
muz4now
thanhlydocumoi
ptttour
418westminster
boozary
checkgdvuytin
enigmadrinks
justinematsalla
groundeddesigns
unfunnel
knowledgebooster
womynscc
myrootmultisite
belongbakeryhtx
tabakisp
hungthinhland24h
milyarderpaytren
pennybphotography
castanoscreative
dadarocks
actormike
toplady19
auctionmonkeypro
thryvleadsinfo
crowdcompassmail
sav-a-pet-dothan
shopdopechicktees
policypricesearch
apextreemarketing
timoberlin
denizlieskortbayan
archivarix
ironcreektelluride
neumigotto
waviaei
imagineskinhealth
remickphotography
vanessa6297
nesosoup
binhdinhrealestate
barrellhousetavern
shiatsu-massage
victorbrodt
test4674
fergusonmartens
master412160
css-insights
coronatest-unterwegs
iotsydney
luizdornelas
wikimediaenterprise
cankayaeskortankara
wesellsandiegohomes
communicatiespreekuur
discountcarsonline
all-pest-of-syracuse
williesmithscider
kimparsell
showmetechblog
canhosunsshineskycity
tokyomeetup
jointrestoregummies-us
paintballbeasts
teamtardisp2
rustlingragazza
kreditmultiguna
divineindulgencesweets
ironcreekproperty
digitalgraffiti
invision-studios
hildestephanphotography
trenellmosesphotography
1663crescentheightsblvd
greatheightsphotography
darin-rubell
tripomatic-things
bitterbarbie-blog
jerrysarcastic
logmein-bold-mobile
maru-fluid-demo
amal-fluid-demo
novo-fluid-demo
astrosophycenter
nolan-fluid-demo
soria-fluid-demo
souto-fluid-demo
almar-fluid-demo
talva-fluid-demo
idrah-fluid-demo
manor-fluid-demo
utica-fluid-demo
gates-fluid-demo
clune-fluid-demo
anise-fluid-demo
vance-fluid-demo
iduma-fluid-demo
balboa-fluid-demo
hawley-fluid-demo
kearny-fluid-demo
bogart-fluid-demo
belisa-fluid-demo
crosby-fluid-demo
nevins-fluid-demo
roseti-fluid-demo
quincy-fluid-demo
vandam-fluid-demo
bergen-fluid-demo
harbor-fluid-demo
kester-fluid-demo
paloma-fluid-demo
lusaka-fluid-demo
suffolk-fluid-demo
ventura-fluid-demo
palermo-fluid-demo
passero-fluid-demo
scnproappisarmeu
sackett-fluid-demo
matsuya-fluid-demo
spotted-fluid-demo
stanton-fluid-demo
thecalgarydowntowner
klipsan-fluid-demo
elliott-fluid-demo
minetta-fluid-demo
saltless-fluid-demo
eldridge-fluid-demo
atlantic-fluid-demo
beaumont-fluid-demo
eaglaisshaornahearadh
xn--hungthinhland24h-o92l37892a
bold360-xdb-europe
alignflow-fluid-demo
inspiringnews8powerfulnews8
questant-helpsite
upmsp-alb-prod-v1-551804950
hcp-ea2a4dac-af5e-4283-b563-7d4e05d116bc
yaoidc
365sfgj02
aps-ecopark
goosemonkeytees
payitforward
daithanhads
charissejewellery
videodownloaderapp
ontmoetingenmetjezus
34
otoronto
nkrzf
jnjmm
yoou-fit
remeture
roiaffiliate
somecoolurl
tbeditora
sarox
bitasx
bitasdn
ansagroup
pacificfxoption
togetstore
oj764
albertcasadessus
boldher
partybyjohnlee
antlercrazedfool
class-k
iiimagine
bolajatuh99
yourshopname
bexarbranches
oraywoodenpuzzle
danielfoodtours
ravel-templatesyard
wishlist-member
42
f874
roum
zvko
alkao
venad
leady
ts-cz
25qd
ptron
nha3s
ms-nw
knserv
thcwc
uuuii
eeewz
iibji
jc129
fyjav
cceuq
ojcab
yuuym
mmveg
nncsh
mislos
rqqnr
time
concat
ukbud
missim
mislos
gksyw
9wjq
bndr
kray24
comaxx
bsx87
879198
narnhm
dungdz
bbsjsq
1um4cjn
writemy
ytmffl
listfo
milksim
361yw1
mikslos
italina
sahpra
363922
yi-art
mikslos
djtv69
onnexio
mikslos
btfile
abctbs
chun00
isrhoa
traktn
hddhhs
lpcsar
cnyabo
milksim
canapapa
jgrd
9882226
t-decor
333822
gummius
occhisd
wdpakde
mrguide
intslot
qualisur
50500kf
padrazo
filiess
xmillis
aurozia
ourhost
owen333
mhcmaui
i-vision
wolsego
batobie
doikaew
dancihuc
maum-co
monsoon
qifan888
naeonclo
onoirpgh
bloompops
shuhorny
gta5modx
storesend
39
blockons
chenzz210
rebshort
mydspace
welloapp
nevamedia
addaflag
qfyiryy
kenshuri
50
meilanhj
59
iconmaker
absdlcld
ransitive
themereps
jepetogel
spinsocial
hotslot88
sgldesign
pianeta-pc
tongkhoxe
alachance
flexiforms
bjkjds
richer891
elepantry
wifistrore
wabohk223
101
lizdigital
cityinvest
ersula10k
link2web
148
swscqzqxh
leduan-bmw
154
cheximcor
9
wearevr
b-universe
stk-weimar
cacoasters
funzelmusik
artboardco
clubpethop
auditsocial
rapidvoter
178gacor
cracueducto
extravausa
beezebeats
teddsugges
tiange2000
18
178
remthuhang
101
glbhotline
gruposagaz
zander-test
115
101
asleep-ces
relive1940
raxsystems
detroitcbs
helenahype
raumraetsel
romperbabe
gbacdei
kruchutima
tracer-music
miwordpress
cfwillishoa
loubocalayre
thosannhadat
studio91bis
ahsontravel
med-infrared
aquapolis-ua
yinfengboli
xiaomiru
trybetabeats
mybullylove
180
thefoodisle
asiagenting
bevelcoffee
137
mariegourmet
smoochbykbd