Over the past month there’s been word circulating around my
small community about a college student going door-to-door selling children’s
books. For me, the idea of selling door-to-door seems like a nightmare-almost
as bad as collections! So naturally I
had some sympathy for him, especially because I knew that the word around town
was not entirely positive. However, this
sympathy quickly faded when I had my own encounter with the infamous salesman. It didn’t take long for me to understand what
others were saying.
So what was his
tactic and why didn’t it work?
Persistence or
Harassment? There’s a fine line
between the two and to many potential customers this salesman crossed it. While I only had one visit from him, others
were not so lucky and had to fend him off multiple times. Yes, many people will
cut you off even before you give your sales pitch and tell you they’re simply
“not interested”. Others will listen
politely and still say “not interested”.
So what is the appropriate amount of “no’s” before you just as politely
say “thank you for your time and walk away?”
As a consumer I would say twice… As a salesperson I would
say third time’s a charm? I can’t speak
for others but I probably said no at least 10 times in every way I knew possible
and he still did not stop. This probably
had the opposite effect he was hoping for because I didn’t come to my senses
and buy from him. In fact, it ruined any
chance for me to purchase anything from him in the future.
Too Much Personal
Information? The second mistake was
the fact that he was asking information about not just my family but my
neighbors as well. It wouldn’t have
taken much research for him to find that the area has been plagued with theft
and break-ins. Considering he comes from
out-of-state and no one in the area is familiar with him, I adamantly refused
to answer his questions about who had kids or grandkids, does anyone live here,
are there any empty nesters on the road, etc.
I can only hope that a red light would be raised and my neighbors would
do the same.
Peer Pressure? At one point he brought out a list of
families who supposedly purchased from him, asking me if I knew them. Yes, I can see how this may work on my
children who still have to have whatever is “cool” at the moment but as an
adult, if I don’t need or want it, I’m not buying it.
Personal
Payment? While I didn’t buy anything
I’ve heard that those who have were asked to write a check to the salesman and
not the company he is selling for. While
I am sure he doesn’t make the guidelines for payment, I would still be wary of
giving any of my personal information to a door-to-door salesman without some
verification of who he is and works for.
If I had some advice or recommendations for the college
student or the company he is working for it would be this:
Listen! Don’t ruin the opportunity for a potential
customer by coming off as pushy or harassing.
There are multiple reason why a customer will say no-financial, not
interested, product isn’t relevant. But
ignoring what they are telling you is no way to build a long-lasting
relationship. The person who said no
today may say yes tomorrow. But, if they
are turned off by your tactics the first time you failed before you even rang
the doorbell the second time.
Options! Perhaps in this situation, the company
could have provided the salesman with some tools to allow the customers to
research the product on their own. The
company could easily provide their salespeople with business cards, brochures,
or fliers and give customers who initially say “no” or “not interested” another
option. If they choose to order online,
give customers the opportunity to enter the salesperson’s name so they receive credit and a more secure way to make payment. This in turn may eliminate the
image of a company who displays a harassing sales tactic. I for one would’ve
gladly taken information and looked it over later but the only option given to
me was buy now!
Change! Companies and salespeople need to be
sensitive to the changing world.
Consumers today aren’t accustomed to the door-to-door approach making
them a little more skeptical to strangers who come selling at their home. Remember, in most cases you are an unwelcome
guest and you are the one who has to work to gain the customer’s trust.
Research! Know the area you are going into and your
target market. If you know that an area
is currently experiencing a rise in theft, be more sensitive in the questions
you are asking and if you are told no then don’t push. Don’t ask for personal information or
information about others they may know.
As a single mom, I wouldn’t be keen on sharing information or want my
neighbor to share information to a perfect stranger. It’s unfortunate but in today’s world,
revealing that a person is elderly, living alone, has kids these ages, etc. is
not safe anywhere and we all need to look out for each other.
Well, this is just a tidbit of my adventure with a poor
college student knocking on the wrong door!
What have your door-to-door sales encounters been like? Do you think the technique is successful or
unsuccessful?
Image From: jmtalkback.com
