I also went on to explain to you that there was ONE SIGN that actually did deter me from knocking, which was a “daytime sleeper” sign. I am trying to GIVE YOU ADVICE on how to avoid door to door salespeople – if you weren’t so committed to whining that you could open your proverbial ears for two seconds.

As for myself, when I was in the business, I was a very successful sales person, in part because I was always respectful to my potential customers, the lifting of the occasional no soliciting sign aside. I was firm in making my pitch, I had well crafted rebuttals to objections, and once I had determined a potential customer was not going to buy, I thanked them for their time and moved along to the next prospect.

That job saved my butt and allowed me to feed my family and pay my bills at a time when I was struggling; and I am thankful for that.

If your offended by D2D reps in general, about paying more then offered on the internet or being pushy, consider our visits as a friendly reminder that we all slaves to the dollar and money can make people do anything.
DONT TAKE IT PERSONAL

However, to be truly successful with door-to-door selling is being nomadic. It is far more lucrative to go to areas where you already have an idea of how more yeses than noes you will get.

So it boils down to an overall marketing strategy. Is it worth it to you to hit the pavement and deal with 1000 shitty people before reaching 1 awesome one? The lower you can get that ratio the more profitable/happier/saner/fulfilled you will be. Stop relying on your skills as a salesman and only sell products that sell themselves. And let the products be sold in a way that is most likely to please potential customers.

I still do door-to-door selling of my own products and services. It is somewhat entrepreneurial, but I keep things local. For instance, I am self-employed as a technical consultant for a few large businesses, but I offer network/systems/web/data services locally at a huge discount. My rates are based on walking distance, biking distance, and driving distance. Most of my work can be done remotely using the internet, so it is easy to keep busy. When it comes to products, I sell the products I use and am excited to share with others. I live in a dense community with lots of cars, so I sell car washes as a service as well as the products I use to wash cars and freely offer any information so people can do it themselves without buying anything from me. Currently I sell my services for $20/wash and limit myself to 50 cars/month. The kits I sell include 2 buckets, 10 microfiber cloths, and enough “Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine” for 25 car washes for $40. It is an easy way to make some extra cash and also acts as a great workout.

Door-to-door selling is not dead, but strategies have certainly changed. And if you can’t play the game then it is time to find something else rather than trying to get others to make the game easier. Easy just isn’t profitable.

It’s hard to say that you are not here to pressure anyone when you knock on their door. In my opinion that very act is already pressure.

People, I am trying to make a living. I am 50 years old and no one wants to hire me.
My background for the last 20 plus years is working for the developmentally disabled but funding cuts here in Florida have caused many lay offs. I am a good man. I worry about what my future holds. I do not want to annoy or upset anyone. I am doing what my company pays me to do – go door to door.
I am not there to hurt anyone or pressure anyone or anything – my sales are basically people who want to buy my product. I have a degree in communications and that’s why they hired me. I have to go through about 250 no’s to get a yes. I only get 2 or three yes’s a day.
It is a tough job. I have developed a thick skin. Tell me no and I thank you and move on – I only want to find a yes!
I am a person – I have feelings and problems and I know many who go door to door have ruined the climate of going door to door.
I will do this until I no longer can.
I have a family that depends on me.
I don’t knock on doors unless there is a problem. I have found doors opened and one house obviously broken into. I report these things to police and neighbors. I try to do good even though I will never really trust people again because of the rudeness and meaness I have encountered. I have also made some great friends. For every jerk there is 2 or three good people. I count on that in life.
I send out the Taylor Swift song to the rude people – “All your ever gonna be is mean – why you gotta be so mean?”
I respect everyone and I respect no and do bother me —all I am asking for is common courtesy.
Good luck to you all I gotta get back to work
Jeffzzz

After that, I call the police.

Zero tolerance. I’ve had salesman refuse to leave my property; he stood there and flexed his muscles at me and told me that he wasn’t leaving until I signed a paper that supposedly said that I was refusing the offer — yeah, right, tell me another good one. I slammed the door in his face laughing and laughed even harder when the simpleton hausfrau across the street actually let the guy in. Not my problem.

I’ve turned one away only to have their partner try to get me at my car and then act offended when I told them even more curtly that I wasn’t interested because I was trying to get somewhere. I went back in the house and called the office on that guy. When the woman implied that I would not want to irritate them, I decided to hang up on her and call the cops instead. Never saw that company again in my neighborhood. I hope those two quit their jobs after dealing with me.

Once, at my place of business, I had one refuse to leave; instead, he harassed my customers with this little smirk on his face as if I couldn’t do anything to him. He had that same attitude with the cop that came to get him — hope he enjoyed Central Booking in Baltimore City.

I don’t need a big dog to do my dirty work for me — I’ve got a bad attitude toward these people to begin with. They get one chance to go away nicely, then escalate.

If you work door to door sales and you don’t take no for an answer, I will screw with you right back and I will win.

By the way, I am as polite as can be for normal people, but door to door sales people that do not take no for an answer the first time are not worthy of any consideration — they do not respect me, I will not respect them. They are vermin and get that treatment.

I love how all these sales guys think they make more money and are like big game hunters or something. I suppose that is one way to rationalize talentlessness and a dead-end job.

NO SOLICITATION IS EVER ACCEPTED. DO NOT WASTE OUR TIME OR I WILL ASK YOU TO COME IN, SIP TEA MADE FROM MY PET’S WATER BOWL AND LISTEN TO MY ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK RECORDS WHILE YOU TRY TO PITCH ME.

NO FLYERS, BROCHURES OR OTHER ADMAIL EITHER. IF I CATCH YOU TRYING TO PUT YOUR GITCH INTO THIS MAILSLOT, I GIVE CHASE DOWN THE STREET AND FORCE IT BACK IN YOUR BAG AFTER I WIPE MY PRIVATES WITH IT. LET’S AGREE TO AVOID THIS KIND OF HUMILIATING (FOR YOU) ENCOUNTER.