[I thought of this blog topic after a speech I gave last month. After my speech, I went into the restroom and realized my zipper was down.]
As I see it, there are eight possibilities:
1. Be a man and zip it up.
2. Nonchalantly zip it up. This is especially effective if you do it during a very dramatic section of your sales presentation (This is a slightly less manly option than #1 above).
3. Excuse yourself and go zip it up. You could say you have to use the restroom, or you "Suddenly don't feel well" or "I just remember I forgot to put my egg salad sandwich in the refrigerator."
4. Hold your legal pad, product brochure, or if you need it, your laptop, in front of your groin for the remainder of your sales interaction. For some a cell phone or pencil will do. I did something similar to this back in first grade when I had a potty accident at school (although we didn't have laptops or cell phones in those days). I held a large wooden "4" in front of me the rest of the day (it was awkward during P.E. class, however). When other kids asked about it, I explained that four was my favorite number.
5. Distract your prospects and zip it up. Effective options here are to shout: "Somebody over there just got H1N1!" or "Look! There are Jon and Kate plus Eight."
6. Tell your prospects how much you miss Michael Jackson, and while moonwalking away from them, grab your groin and confidently yank up your zipper while tipping your head down dramatically.
7. Exclaim, "They sure don't make mens' pants like they used to!" while pointing to the zipper, thereby implying something is wrong with the tailoring of the slacks. Either leave the zipper down for the remainder of the sales interaction, or ask your prospects if they have any safety pins or a stapler.
8. Pretend the zipper-down-thing was planned for dramatic sales effect. Reach into your slacks and pull out an order form and place it in front of your prospect (most effective when you do it with a sly smile). If you know any magic and can make it look like you're pulling a pen out of your ear, this is a good time to do this trick. Set the pen in front of the prospect and say "If you'll just authorize this, we'll get your order underway." Zip up your pants only if the prospect buys.
If you like this post (or don't) please click on "comments" below and share your comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, in the financial, real estate, and insurance markets, and other consumer-selling industries.
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