Thread by @DailyCopywriter

[ 5 Sales Secrets Learned From Stand-up Comedy ]

🤑 Want to get better at SALES?

- Read this thread

🤣 Want get better at STAND-UP?

- Read this thread

💩 Want to SUCK at both?

- Don't read this thread

***

> It's time to choose: 🤑🤣💩

Last night, I went to a free comedy show at Milk Bar in San Francisco.

I go almost every Thursday.

Not just cause I like the acts and the occasional winks the bartender throws my way, but I’m working on a set of my own.

And watching other comedians perform is a good source of inspiration.

But there’s also a secret benefit:

You see, the more I learn about comedy, the more I notice the overlap between good stand-up and good salesmanship.

And practicing them w/ rigor will make you better at both

Skeptical?

Enter Matt's Listicle of Comedy/Copy Commandments…

** RULE #1: Tell a good story **

When you’re on stage, you can’t be boring. Period. But that doesn’t mean you need to rapid-fire punchlines.

Interesting anecdotes entertain and keep the audience hanging on your every word, even when they’re not laughing.

And it’s the same in sales. When the prospect’s mind starts to wander, you’ve already lost.

And telling titillating tales is the best way to hold their attention and prevent them from suffering a slow death by boredom.

** RULE #2: Be yourself **

So where do good stories come from? Often the best source is real life.

When you talk about your experiences and show your vulnerabilities, you make yourself relatable… you connect… and that connection leads to LOLs.

Again, the same rule applies when selling. If your prospect thinks you’re a big freakin’ phony, they’ll doubt every claim you make.

Sales requires trust. And folks will only trust you if they think they know you... the REAL you.

** RULE #3: Know your crowd **

But everyone’s experiences are unique. What’s relatable for Jack might not resonate with Jill. Does that mean you should fake it just to get a laugh?

Not needed my little noobie. It just means you have to dig deeper to find your commonalities with the crowd. And you’ll ALWAYS have something in common. (We’re all humans, are we not?)

Selling is the same way. There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all sales pitch.

You have to figure out the needs of your prospect, determine what matters most to them (not you), then craft a case that appeals to their experiences.

** RULE #4: Failure is part of the process **

Comics flop all the time. They have to.

It’s the only way to test new material and grow as a performer. Sure, it’s great when a joke is a gut buster. But you discover much more by dropping bombs on a crowd than sticking a perfect set.

Copywriting is no different. I’ve learned way more from my failures than my big hits

The duds will never disappear. And seeing what doesn’t work can be even more developmental than seeing what does.

** RULE #5: End with a punchline **

Ok, so you’ve told you’re story, you’ve built tension, and now you’re ready to relieve the crowd with lots of laughs.

How do you do it? A punchline of course. You need a cue that connects with your setup and signals to the audience that now is the time to laugh.

And just like comedy, every sales pitch also has a punchline, except it’s called a “call to action.”

And instead of the action being laughter, you ask for a purchase. Then the sale (and the joke) is complete. And that’s when you discover if your preparation paid off.

===

See my friends, you can learn loads about sales from watching stand-up.

But you can learn even more from my free marketing emails, where I drop sales tips like these, 7 days a week.

Click this link to sign up and start getting the same daily newsletter read by CEOs, 7-figure online entrepreneurs, and A-list copywriters:

mattrizvi.com