Selling is emotional business. You cannot sell if you are not tuned to human emotions. Often, you face a buyer who is whimsical and has a frozen mind-set, where logic, benefits, ROI charts, and dashboards fail to move him.

This is where emotional selling takes charge. You read faces, sense moods, adjust tone, pace, even silence. You echo their words, not manipulate. You know when to push, when to pause, and when to walk away with grace, leaving the door open for another day.

Humour is the most underrated emotion in selling. Used well, it can melt resistance, break barriers, and turn doubts into trust. But it is a double-edged blade. One misplaced joke or poorly timed wisecrack can sink you and lose the prospect forever.

Let me tell you a real sales story. We were following up with an aero parts company near Bangalore who had hooked up 24 machines to Leanworx for 2 years. Sales was pushing him to add 12 more machines recently acquired. The shop head was happy with the system; it had simplified his job. His boss used the Andon display to impress new clients. Selling more subscriptions should have been easy or so we thought.

The big boss, usually a jolly man, leaned back and said, “Sri, we already know our spindle utilization. I dont see how it can get better than 48%, given the kind of aero jobs we run. Why buy Leanworx for more machines and increase my pay-outs?” The shop head tried, failed, and pleaded, “Sir, without this system, how will we know where we stand? Are we still at 48% or have we dropped to 30%? I will have no credible reference, no data to know if I am on time or not, sir.”

I stepped in. “Sir, and how will you know if all your heavy investments in tooling, fixturing, and process changes are helping you—or worse, dragging you lower?” Silence. A perfect mic-drop moment. The boss blinked but stayed unmoved. I sensed the deal was slipping away.

To break the tension, I smiled. “Ok, no problem, I see your point. May I share funny incident before I leave?” The boss smiled and said, “Go ahead.” Maybe he too wanted this akward meeting to end on a lighter note.

A few years ago, our railway minister, famous for his rustic wit and charm, was escorting a British railway minister from Patna to Delhi. The train was to leave at 5:30 pm. At 5:40, no sign. At 6:30, still nothing. By 8:30, polite smiles were fading. At 11:30, six hours late, the British guest finally snapped, “Mr. Minister, why have time tables when your trains never run on time?”
Our minister, calmly chewing his khaini, said, “Sir, without the time tables, how would you even know the train is late?” The Brit froze.

The room erupted in laughter. The boss got the message. Humour saved the deal.

Humour is serious business. It demands timing, context, and emotional precision. Because selling is not just about closing deals, but it is about opening minds and making buyers see the point.