Bringing the Laughs to Sales
Account Executive Julia Carter shares how she’s using humor in her Sales role & on LinkedIn
Some professionals are actively incorporating humor into their professional lives to help them stand out and be more successful. As seasoned corporate comedy show hosts, we’ve taken notice. Julia Carter is an Account Executive at Marpipe, formerly a senior SDR who hustled to hit 400% to quota. You may have seen her on LinkedIn by the name “SlayE.” We asked Julia to share a bit about the role humor plays in her job, as well as her tips for others looking to get started with increasing their workday laughter.
What are some ways you use humor when interacting with potential clients?
In my calls with external people I usually keep things super light and make some jokes about how our product is quite literally the most straightforward thing ever. I think they find me easy to speak to and also trustworthy. If you make jokes about some flaws in your product, they will trust you a bit more.
As a sales professional, you are faced with a massive amount of rejection. What are some tips you have for those working in the sales profession and looking to keep things light?
My tip is: don't take the job too seriously! Just keep persistent, but don't get too attached. Sometimes you just have to laugh it off when someone tells you to f*ck off over email/the phone. I laugh a lot at work. You’ve got to when you have a job full of challenges! I find myself laughing at sending weird memes/emojis with my coworkers and crazy posts on Linkedin where I comment on a good roast.
How has your sense of humor helped you build connections with other sales people?
The job is very hard and you are getting rejected all day long, so you need to have a good attitude in order to make it tolerable. I think sales people find me relatable and like my realistic approach, which has led to lots of people coming to me for advice for things like email strategy.
You frequently incorporate humor into LinkedIn posts such as this one. Can you talk a little about your creative approach to posting on the platform?
I actually started posting on Linkedin as a bit of a meme at my first SDR job. I was posting TikToks on Linkedin highlighting how painful the SDR job can be (getting ignored by pretty much everyone) and from there, things kind of took off! I try to keep things really honest and light because personally, I think a lot of the sales influencers post a lot of unrealistic advice that is not relatable at all. I cannot fathom walking up at 5am everyday, doing an ice bath, and closing my full quota in a day, so I try to make content that is a bit more realistic + saying what we are all thinking!
How has incorporating humor into your professional life and on social media helped you grow professionally and expand your network?
Posting funny material on LinkedIn has opened a lot of doors for me–job interviews, side hustles, new connections, podcasts, etc. I definitely recommend posting on Linkedin and finding your own voice! It is probably the least used channel, but one where anyone can have a voice and also develop a following. I didn't mean to develop a following...but here I am!
How are you incorporating laughter into your workday? Want to learn more about our sales team building activities, skills & develop workshops, and after-work comedy offerings? We want to hear from you! Reach out to our team here.