Jeff Havens here! I’m handing the blog over to Amanda, the Marketing Director at the Jeff Havens Company so please enjoy her Floridian musings.
This week my friend came to visit, and we spent the weekend doing my favorite activity of life – bargain shopping. It was the perfect opportunity, since I had just moved to Florida and needed to stock up on all things shell-encrusted and/or pink flamingo adorned. And while I’m lying and kept the nautical themes to a minimum, I did buy a pillow with a starfish on it because, you know, it’s Florida.
We had an awesome time, but I did notice a problem. If my friend REALLY liked something she would pressure me into buying it. I would say, “No, I’m not interested” as nicely as possible once or twice or three or five or twelve times, but she would keep giving me reasons why I should buy certain pieces of furniture. I love my friend and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I asked my husband Phil how I should handle it. His response? “Tell her if she wants to buy it for us, we’ll happily display it in our apartment. Otherwise, we have no problem spending our own money.”
Ha! Leave it to Phil to know what to say.
This shopping situation made me reflect on the fact that being witty is important, not just with overly persistent friends but also in business situations. A clever response can help you stand up for yourself while also showing that you don’t take yourself too seriously. Here are 3 examples of clever responses from brands that saved the day:
Labor protest? No problem! Turn it into free promotion. That’s what this Kansas auto dealer did, which resulted in this hilarious photo and a big Internet buzz.
Image via Subaru of Wichita Facebook Page
Twitter followers making jokes about your product? Laugh along with them. Smartcar made an infographic to show how many emu craps it would take to total one of their vehicles.
The “offending” tweet:
The clever response:
Images via Twitter
Do you have a few haters? Make them seem tiny! This example from Honey Maid isn’t clever in a funny way, but it’s clever in allowing us to visualize how small that disgruntled minority really is.
And there you are, loyal readers. Next time you have a sticky business situation, try to unstick it with a little bit of wit! 
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