Book Review of “Make ‘Em Laugh & Take Their Money” by Dan S. Kennedy
July 8th, 2011 by Diane Conklin under Diane's Book Reviews. No Comments.
“Make ‘Em Laugh & Take Their Money” by Dan S. Kennedy, is a book all about using humor in your marketing and your speaking. It is written in vintage Dan Kennedy style so if you don’t like Dan, and the way he writes or speaks, you probably won’t like this book either.
However, if you do like Dan, or can at least put up with him, you will get a lot of great information and usable tips on using humor from this book.
The first thing Dan makes the distinction about is that the way we, as speakers, use comedy has to be very different than a stand-up comic. He is also quick to not there are a lot of lessons that can be learned from the stand-up comics and adapted for our use when we want to use humor from the platform – whether we’re selling or giving a keynote speech.
One statement Dan Kennedy makes is that what our jobs really are about on the platform is to encourage people because that’s what we’re all looking for. And, we can do that with humor as well.
As I read this book, I very much felt like Dan Kennedy was sitting in the room with me, which in and of itself is funny to me.
Here are a few of the keys Dan points out:
- You must be cautious about with the use of humor – both how you use it and the type of humor you use
- Pets are usually a safe avenue for jokes and humor
- Shared, common experiences are usually a safe place for humor
- Comedy does in fact have content
- Like most things, to be good at using humor, and selling with humor, you have to practice and get your timing and delivery just right
There are also plenty of resources in this book. Dan gives you books to read on the subject, comedy routines and movies to get for your study, sources for props should you need them, and many references right in the text of the chapters.
One thing I wish Dan would have done is expanded on some of his stories. There were places where I think Dan assumed his readers would know what he was talking about when he refers to stories and things that he’s familiar with but I wasn’t.
Overall, if you are selling from the platform, in print, or any other way and you have the desire to use humor and want to get better at the use of humor, this book is a great resource.
By the way, as a closing note, I like Dan Kennedy very much, and have learned a great deal from in the last 18 years or so. As a matter of fact, I owe a great deal of my success to Dan’s teaching……I just wanted to say that, for the record. You don’t have to agree with somebody’s politics or attitudes about every single subject to learn from them their teachings and to apply their genius. And, Dan Kennedy is clearly one of the marketing geniuses of our time.
To purchase this book: Make ‘Em Laugh & Take Their Money: A Few Thoughts On Using Humor As A Speaker or Writer or Sales Professional For Purposes of Persuasion
