Knocking on your door: Salesmen are people too.

1. 71

   mike102771posted 11 years ago

   
   I was getting out of my car on the way to do my job when a man stops me and explained his philosophy on door to door sales. He said that he would never buy a product that had to be sold at the door. It could be the best product or company in the world, but if it comes to his door he is not interested. If he needs it he will go get it. He also said one of us (because all door-to-door salesmen are connected woke his wife up at 12:30 in the morning. I had to fight the urge to say “I think you mean 12:30 in the afternoon,” but that would not accomplish anything. For the most part most of the people who I meet are nice (even the ones who hate my company or are not interested). There is a small group of people who are just rude. There is also this strange idea that most salesmen have a road map to the elderly. The reality is that most door-to-door salesmen are given little to no information when they approach a door. At most the possible name of the home owner (although given the state of the economy most lists are not right) is given. I can’t speak for the others, but I don’t like to try and sell to the elderly. Some see you as the old style snake oil salesmen or part of some pot to steal from them. Then you become a threat to their fixed income. I know I would never try and sell someone something they could not afford. Now I work in the service industry where retention (holding on to customers) is desired. As a salesman I want to build a relationship with you not get a quick sale go out the door. Has anyone had a bad experience with a salesmen or given a had time to a man or woman who had the job of selling at the door?

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2. 66

   MountainManJakeposted 11 years ago

   I will only give actual attention to salesman that sell themselves and not so much the product.  Products are a good prop to use but overall, that salesman is selling door to door based on commission for a reason.  It isn't an easy or respectable job so there has to be a dream they are following.  If they can sell themselves to the point where I want to help them along their journey, I'll buy their product.

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   1. 71

      mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      what I sell is more of a partnership with the home owner rather than some cheap thing that will brake a week after I leave the door. I want to help people save time, money, and improve a large investment they have in their lives. I am hindered by my companies past and the belief that people can do just as good a job on their own.  The hardest thing to do is to get past the stereotype of the salesmen and explain why they need us.

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3. 93

   habeeposted 11 years ago

   I've actually bought some good stuff from door-to-door salespeople in the past, but we never get visited by such folks since we got two Great Danes. When the person knocking on the door sees the dogs through the big window next to the door and hears their ferocious barks, they decide to go on to the next house. How do you handle dogs in homes?
   
   
   

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   1. 71

      mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      If they are on the lawn dog beats sales every time. Most of the time you don't see or hear the dogs until you knock. If it looks like the dog will go through the door/window then I leave a door hanger and walk away. Most of the time when they have a yapping dog they will not buy because their attention is more on the dog than the presentation.

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4. 74

   WriteAngledposted 11 years ago

   I'm afraid that I already have more than I can cope with in terms of spam email, spam snail mail and spam telephone calls, all trying to sell me something.
   
   When someone comes to my door uninvited, I feel totally under siege. It makes me feel physically sick each time I hear the bell, because most of the time it will be yet another person trying to force me to spend money.
   
   Much of the time now, unless I am expecting a delivery or a specific caller, I do not answer the doorbell at all as I cannot cope with the pressure of being harassed to buy things. Of course, sitting listening to endless ringing/knocking for what seems like eternity is stressful in itself as well.
   
   If I am walking up the street and see people knocking on doors, I turn round and go away again to while away an hour or so elsewhere so that I can avoid being in the house when they reach it.

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   1. 71

      mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Please don't take this the wrong way, but you may have other issues such as a civilian form of PTSD. In many cases by not answering the door you will be inviting them to come back. They track the no contacts as places to go back to. In most cases a sign "No Soliciting" sign will keep the salesman away. I know that I knock once (or ring once) then I leave a hanger and mark it as a no contact.

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      1. 74

         WriteAngledposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         No I do not have a civilian form of PTSD!
         
         What is more, by saying this, you are showing the patronising, offensive, insulting attitude that seems so common to these people.
         
         I do not like my house being invaded by people I do not know, who try to harass me into buying some overpriced rubbish that I neither want nor need!
         
         For all I know, they are also making notes about what they see so as to sell that data to other vulture companies, or even to pass on to criminal colleagues looking for places to burgle.
         
         I am not an idiot. When I need a product, particularly an expensive one, I spend weeks or even months researching every aspect, finding the best product for my purposes and the best place to buy it.
         
         I do not need a biased person pushing one single item on me. I do not need the scripted sales talk that usually shows a total ignorance of the competition. I don't even listen to sales talk of retailers, who might stock several models from competing manufacturers. I rely on my own intelligence and search skills to find the independent information I need to make a choice.
         
         The very approach that is taken, the language used in the sales spiel, the pathetic allusions to lowest common denominator mass culture show that the doorstep approach is aimed at the lowest strata of society.
         
         I do not like the type of people who show up for this purpose. They have nothing in common with me. I hate their fake sincerity and "friendliness" and hate the way they try to open conversation by talking about trivialities that do not interest me.
         
         I also hate the assumptions they make about who I am, my social standing, income and lifestyle. They are usually 100% wrong.
         
         The only pleasure comes when the most patronising ones address me as "Mrs, errrm, or is it Miss..... XXX"  I look them straight in the eye and say "Actually, it's Dr XXXX", and enjoy watching them shrivel and then start to grovel.

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         1. 71

            mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Look at what you typed. You said you feel under siege and it makes you physically sick. You actively avoid people at your door to the point that if you see them coming to your house you walk the other way. Now you are showing anger and hostility. At no time did I call you an idiot. You say at the end of this that you stand up to salesmen at your door which contradicts what you said earlier.

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            1. 74

               WriteAngledposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               So now you accuse me of lying.
               
               Yes, I feel sick, and even more so when I have to deal with these people. Yes, I avoid contact with them. The fact I stand up for myself when I am confronted with them does not contradict this at all. If anything, the huge adrenaline surges an unwanted caller induces in me help a lot. "Fight or flight": since my home has been invaded, I have nowhere to flee, so only fighting remains.

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               1. 71

                  mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  No just go back and look at what you typed. Now you clarified your reasoning here. There is a difference between someone knocking on your door and invading your home.

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                  1. 59

                     paradigmsearchposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     When unwanted groups of strangers constantly come on your property, and constantly bother you with their unwanted attentions; that is indeed a form of home invasion. The only thing that keeps it from being a criminal offense is the technicality that the strangers don't know each other. However, the net effect on the home owner is the same.

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                     1. 71

                        mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        What keeps it from being a criminal offence is that they are not forcing their way into your home as in invading. It sounds like you are being knocked every day or every other hour. A conga line of salesmen at your door.
                        
                        

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                        1. 59

                           paradigmsearchposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           Re: the criminal offense: ask the next cop you see. He'll tell you I'm right.
                           
                           btw, I find your non sequiturs interesting... I live in a gated-community. Door-to-door salesmen are few and far between. The ones that do show up are community approved and are more than welcome.
                           
                           Are there any other false accusations you would like to make? You seem to have made quite a few here already...

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                           1. 71

                              mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                              If you are I a gated community or a city that bans soliciting then yes you are right. I don't see how the conga line is an accusation?

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                              1. 59

                                 paradigmsearchposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                 OK, how about, "extremely quick to jump to false conclusions"?

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                                 1. 71

                                    mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                    That sounds better.

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                                    1. 59

                                       paradigmsearchposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                                       I'm starting to warm-up to you...

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                  2. 83

                     psycheskinnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     That depends rather on the person at the door. So it is reasonable for a woman not to take that risk. And you are being aggressive and confrontational to a person about what they do in their own home.
                     
                     If your goal is to contradict the image of doorstep sales people as a pushy and a nuisance and suggest there is an obligation to buy from them--well, I think you are failing spectacularly.

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5. 95

   wildernessposted 11 years ago

   My last experience with this was a "survey taker" that entered us in a "contest" when I answered a few questions about having allergies.  I told my wife he was a suck broom salesman and sure enough, a week later I got a call that we had "won" gifts from the Rainbow vacuum people if only we would sit through their presentation.  Now I've been bothered twice by the same people!
   
   Worse, though, is the constant barrage of people selling their religious views - I get one of those at least once a week.  Some will quietly leave when I tell them I'm not interested in their myth, others want to discuss why not for the next hour.

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6. 88

   innerspinposted 11 years ago

   I tell salespeople I never do business at the door. What is rude about that? They've chosen to knock, I haven't asked them. Being upfront gives them the chance to move on, rather than try to convert a sale that's never going to happen. Any other interaction seems to drag the unwanted conversation on. Would you prefer people to stand and listen to you with absolutely no intention of buying? Not sure why you think saying no is rude.

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   1. 71

      mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      There is nothing rude about it. It's the people who expand the talk to say why they feel you (the salesman) are beneath them or in some sort of plot. The difference between "No thank you" and "Go Fu$& yourself."

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7. 83

   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   I don't buy at the door, ever.  That's my right and choice.  I just don't want that to be part of my home activities.
   
   As a single woman in an isolated area, I tend to avoid even opening the door to strangers.

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8. 61

   prettydarkhorseposted 11 years ago

   I open the door and talk to them nicely and if I don't want their product I say it immediately. I experienced knocking at doors as a census taker when I was in college so I know it is a tough job. I also understand if they don't want to be bothered.

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   1. 71

      mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not aggressive enough. I am looking to get canned sometime next week.

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9. 74

   WriteAngledposted 11 years ago

   My home tends to become invaded if I make the mistake of opening the door to a knock. These callers often position themselves in one way or another so I cannot easily close the door against them.

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   1. 71

      mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It's the scum like that (foot in the door jerks) that ruin it for all of us. When I knock on the door I step back (around 4 to 8 feet depending on the size of the porch) from the door. This is company policy as well as good manners.

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10. 61

    Hollie Thomasposted 11 years ago

    I find door to door salesmen to be quite rude and pushy. Someone can knock on your door and when politely told you are not interested will simply not take no for an answer. Not only is that an invasion of your privacy, but harassment on your own doorstep. 
    
    On the rare occasion that a salesperson has listened to what I have to say and took the hint, the conversation ends and that's that. Unfortunately however, this scenario is the exception and not rule. Which may be why many people, myself included, feel defensive when they are confronted with salespeople, because the situation often becomes confrontational.
    
    Perhaps a better approach would be to look at the tactics used by door to door salespeople, as opposed to some none existent underlying psychological disorder, when trying to establish why people "might not be interested" in the products being pushed upon them.

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    1. 71

       mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       You are right. My boss is constantly pushing us to be more aggressive. The problem is that for some the first reaction is to say no thanks to anything. As a door to door salesmen we offer discounts and deals that you will not get if you call our company direct. I know that I saved people over on average 65 to 100 dollars over them calling us.

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       1. 61

          Hollie Thomasposted 11 years agoin reply to this

          I'm glad you acknowledged that salespeople,men in particular, can be quite aggressive. It isn't a problem that some people say that they are not interested, except for the salesperson.
          
          I'd have much more respect for a salesman who acknowledged my position, rather than telling themselves that objections are *buying signals* and suggested they'd leave company literature and a phone number in the event that I changed my mind.
          
          There are ways of dealing with people; aggression and demonstrating a complete inability to understand  another's position is not one of them. Certainly not when it comes to dealing with women, most will shut you down there and then if you demonstrate those behaviours.

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          1. 71

             mike102771posted 11 years agoin reply to this

             When I show up at a door I Say "how are you today" let them respond, then I say who I represent, why I am there any why buying from me is better than trying to buy off the internet or calling our company. I am upfront and honest about our service (because we are building a relationship with the customer not just a quick sale). If they say no thank you, not interested or even go away a$$ hole I say "have a nice day."

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                paradigmsearchposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                And I see that you do sarcasm. When someone says the last item, the proper response for a professional is to just remain silent and leave.

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11. 83

    psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

    There is also the matter of product price and quality.  Consumers have a lot of options these days.

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