I know you’re the sales manager and that you should set a good example for your sales team. But sometimes you can’t help but laugh at the ridiculous new policies and “corporate circus” that seem to plague most companies this day and age.

I’m talking about every single company in operation out there. For example, staff contests that demotivate instead of motivate, company policies that work against the sales reps’ desire to improve, unrealistic orders from top brass, etc.

You are a sales manager. But you are first and foremost human and an employee, same with the people working under you.

Here is the thing. Sometimes it pays to poke fun at this so-called corporate circus. It earns you credibility with your sales reps and allows them to see you as real – not just some corporate slug who laughs at every other corny joke his boss finds funny.

Use these situations to your advantage.

It’s okay to make fun of this and that thing once in a while, especially when it helps lighten the mood in an otherwise stressful environment.

The trick is knowing when to do it, because once you do it, you must immediately steer your sales reps back on track and explain the “why” behind all the poking and the laughing. If you don’t explain it to them, you’d end up looking more like a bully than a role model. But if you do the right thing and explain it to them in a convincing manner, you become a sales manager they could trust. You become real and transparent.

You should realize this move is much like a double-edged sword. It could backfire on you, but it also presents great benefits when done right. So get a copy of my Top 15 Sales Management Mastery Tips and do it right.

How do you poke fun at things in your office? Afterwards, how do you keep it real in front of your sales reps?

To learn more about sales management, get our free video on the sidebar of this post or by clicking here.

Share your methods by leaving a comment below.