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"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people," the great pianist and comedian Victor Borge once said.

Even in the serious business of healthcare, people are people; we all like to laugh. If you can find an appropriate way to use a little humor when you sell, it can help you connect on a person-to-person level and make the sale.

"Humor helps break down any initial objections the potential buyer has by creating a positive emotional disposition toward both you and the product or idea. It also holds the buyer's attention even when s/he may prefer to direct attention elsewhere. This is why radio and television commercials now use humor so often," says Paul McGhee, PhD and pioneer in humor research.

Mr. McGhee also states, "In sales, there's often a period of bargaining about the price of a product or service before the sale is completed. One study specifically looked at the value of humor in getting your client to pay a higher price. They found that when the seller used jokes and other verbal humor, the buyer was willing to pay a higher price. And this approach was effective for both male and female salespersons, and with both male and female buyers."

Even if you're not in the heat of a sale, the use of humor can give your company a likable image.

If you put out a newsletter, a little humor is a good thing to include. We found our cartoonist, Mark Anderson, after conducting a search on the web. And there are plenty of cartoons and cartoonists out there to use -- you don't just have to take a medical slant.

So think it over and see if humor can help get a better response from customers. And I'm not joking!