If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I had an unsettling encounter with a really rude door-to-door salesperson recently, and that episode reminded me that I have some stuff to say on the topic.
Basically, I find myself feeling very frustrated with the whole concept of door-to-door sales for a number of reasons.
If I realize that I want/need to buy something, I will go and buy it.
I don’t need someone to come and tell me that I need a particular product/service right then. I’m pretty sure that I am capable of researching my options and obtaining the desired item/service all by myself.
Aren’t I amazing??
I hate it when people try to talk me into buying something, which is why I hated my job at Nordstrom (they pushed us to push people into buying). I so dislike being hit with the pushy sales talk and I felt horrible having to try to do that to other people (I did it as little as possible and instead just tried to be really helpful and informative to customers).
I so don’t miss that job.
The stuff they’re selling is way overpriced.
Seriously, magazine subscriptions don’t need to cost $70 for 3 years. I can buy books for almost nothing at half.com, or I can get them for free at the library. I can get a great bargain on generic cleaning products almost anywhere. Shelf-stable pizza tastes like cardboard, and I’d really rather have even a frozen pizza (which costs less and tastes better).
A lot of the pitches I’ve heard recently are little more than asking for charitable donations (to a person, not an organization).
These type of door-to-door visitors are typically high school grads who are going around selling books/magazines/newspapers. I should say that ostensibly that’s what they’re doing. But really, they’re not selling a product…they don’t tell me how fabulous the books/newspapers/magazines are or how great a deal they’re offering.
No, they say things like, “Could you help me out? I’m trying to do something positive with my life, and I know I can count on you to help me get 1000 points.”
This makes me kind of cross, because I think that if you want to do something positive with your life and you want to get money for college, you should go and maybe get a job or apply for scholarships instead of going door-to-door asking for donations. I hate that they try to make me feel guilty over this, like I’m somehow sentencing them to a life of crime or welfare dependence if I don’t buy an over-priced magazine.
It’s not like selling over-priced newspaper subscriptions is the only way to do something positive with your life. In fact, I’d say that’s a sort of poor way to go if you want to do something positive with your life…depending on other people’s generosity and using guilt manipulation is hardly a brilliant way to go through life.
And yes, the economy is poor, but if things are so bad that you can’t get a job at even a fast food place, then you’re probably not going to be successful going door to door either. People with no money for fast food don’t have money for overpriced books either.
I do want people to do positive things with their lives, I do want to have a generous heart, and I do want people to be able to go to college (assuming that’s the route they need to take to get a job that uses their gifts)…I just think that buying overpriced stuff I don’t want is perhaps not the best way to help people.
So, what do do?
I do try to not answer the door if I think it’s a salesperson, but sometimes I open the door thinking it’s someone else, and I get an unpleasant surprise.
Lately, I’ve just been politely saying, “I’m so sorry, but I don’t buy from door-to-door salespeople.”, but to help me not even have to say that, Mr. FG and I ordered the “No Soliciting” sign pictured at the top of this post. Hopefully that will keep people from knocking.
And if that doesn’t work, maybe we’ll have to buy this one. 😉
Or maybe something even more specific.
So, how do you deal with door-to-door salespeople?
edit: Though I do get visits from Jehovah’s Witnesses on a regular basis, I purposely didn’t discuss those types of visits due to the off-topic nature of that subject. But since it’s come up in a lot of the comments, please do remember that there are Jehovah’s Witnesses in my readership, and please be as kind to them in the comments as you would be in person. Even if we disagree, we should be polite and considerate. Shanks, and carry on!
TangDiva Floyd
Wednesday 16th of May 2018
This was actually an interesting topic, there is more than one way to look at door-to-door sales. This country is actually founded on sales. Remember the glass milk and orange juice, the vaccuum salesman, insurance salesmen, newspaper sales, coupons because we subscribed to the paper and magazines. Rubbermaid, Avon, The Schwanns truck, and lets not forget the Leave it to Beaver Show. If you lived in a country town, the watermelon "in season vegetable man" . Of course, I cannot end this conversation without stating the first black woman that became a millionaire from Indianapolis Indiana because they did door-to-door sales of wonderful hair products for curly head brown girls like me. Now a trillion dollar business. Many of us or our parents bought our things that way, My dad was in sales all his life and we had a pretty decent life and yes he went door-to-door. John Deere farming equipment, insurance and finally his last job was home improvement. In time, we used telephones versus doors and now we have social media. Just like the medium being used now to collect our email addresses the person will go from email to email hoping their blog will interest us and possibly get some customers. I actually see no harm in door sales and yes I respect them because they "get it" this type of work gives a certain work ethic that many of us today just don't have the ability to keep going even thought many doors are shut in your face. So I always see them and give them a chance. Normally, I don't buy until I research the company via internet and other resources.
TangDiva Floyd
Wednesday 16th of May 2018
Regarding Jehovah's Witnesses I have always had a pleasant experience and they never beg for money, their literature is mostly on the internet now, they work and have jobs, the ministers are not paid at all they volunteer to come to your home, neither have they forced anything on me. You can ask them to put you on the 'do not call" list and they are very respectful of your wishes. Their website is great helps with simple family issues that come up with our youth, marriage and it supports over 900 languages. Changing the subject again, I am certain this is not the case but it felt as though the writer felt or it was implied that these organizations asking for help is a form of being lazy. Actually you get a great skillset doing this. (confidence, ability to talk to all sorts of personality types, how to have eye contact, persuasive speech, direct speech) I started my own non-profit for youth in technology and was told by the benefactors simply put "you gotta go out there and ask for donations" I got over 220K in grant money (a form of begging) but I also had to ask companies to support my program by asking to use their facilities for my programs, etc. The non-profit sector calls it 'adding sustainability to your programs'. I am so glad to have and see these non-profits and door-to-door was once done by the BIG companies. Resulting in my 3 grandchildren getting the support they needed bc they were born with cancer. We got to benefit from American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, and many other programs. Many of these orgs went from door to door years ago before they became big. Everyone starts somewhere. That is my view.
Will
Monday 15th of January 2018
I work for the Nielsen TV Ratings and we knock on doors in order to invite homes to participate in the actual ratings. We don't sell anything. We do give participants money to participate. Mostly we ask a demographic question to see if you qualify to participate. We don't knock on every door in the neighborhood. Houses are randomly chosen for potential participation. We aren't solicitors in the traditional sense. We're market research. We are required to knock on a door even if it has a no soliciting sign on it. We have to give everyone the same opportunity to participate. Posts like these make it hard. We don't know who is going to be receptive to us. We have people who are angry with us if we don't knock on their door. We also have people who are angry with us if we do. I hate knocking on doors, absolutely, because I often get rude people. It's the nice ones who make the job worthwhile.
Gail
Wednesday 5th of July 2017
I had a solicitor come to the door just about 20 minutes ago. She didn't stay long. I was able to push our huge protective guard dog back from the screen door, but not before he charged the door (glad it was locked) and showed his entire mouth of big, big canine teeth and emitted a growl and barks that would make anyone a little leery (lol). After I shut the main door, she actually asked me, "Does he bite?" (Haha ... what kind of question is that?! Ya think)! I told her that he absolutely does bite. Then she went into her spill by first trying to soften me up by offering a can of Glad Air Freshener "free" (yes, I said air freshener). Of course, I told her that I don't use chemicals to freshen the air in my house). Then she asked if I could help her make $45 through advertising. I told her that I don't do that neither. Then, she told me thanks and left. All I can say is that if she was casing the place, she (and her cohorts) would do well to leave this place alone. (Dogs are not the only thing that should concern them). It would be in their best interest. :)
TangDiva Floyd
Wednesday 16th of May 2018
That was very creepy I can understand how you feel.
Aaron
Thursday 23rd of February 2017
Wow! Thank you, Kristen, this is a really curious topic!
On the one hand, I truly want my life to be about *helping* people and serving the greater good - not about convincing other people to give me their money (for my pointless, excessive use), leaving them with less money.
On the other hand, Kristen, you mentioned things above as alternatives that probably are only in place because of ... a salesman doing his job:
"[If] you want to get money for college, you should go and maybe get a job or apply for scholarships" ... I love the business structure that you personally use Kristen: offering free useful content and monetizing through ads. (1) But of the brick-and-motor companies (which provide jobs to the majority of Americans), how many can you list that did NOT require someone to be a pushy salesman at the start of the company, to get the attention and approval of many different people and parties to bring everything together and create a profitable business? (Which that business would later hire employees and provide jobs for Americans.)
(2) And of all the scholarships in the USA available right now, how many do you suppose came into place WITHOUT a pushy salesman working for a non-profit organization to secure that funding that no one was yet offering, until the salesman went out and got pushy and "sold" them on the concept?
(3) ... And if the businesses that provide jobs for people nationwide, including your awesome readers of this blog, were started by salesmen, then how do you draw the line between pushy salesmen that are doing good things in this world, and pushy salesmen that are simply out-of-line?
(4) And if the computer that you are right now using to read this text (whether it is Wiindows or Apple computer) is only available for your use because of a pushy salesman doing his job to bring a company to life, then is that an exception, in which a pushy salesman was doing a good thing?
(5) And regarding "If I realize that I want/need to buy something, I will go and buy it." ... Are you supportive of new technology and the implementation of important/life-changing information that may be discovered or invented in the future? If so, how would you prefer to become aware of these things, only through advertising that is in no way pushy?
(6) And if you *do* find pushy salesmen to have a place in supporting the American economy and getting funding to serve noble causes, then would it not also be appropriate for them to "crowd source" that funding, going door-to-door, for example, much like the kids who were asking you to fund their college as opposed to someone who may have a scholarship?
... Thanks again for this post! And thanks in advance, in case you would be willing to answer one or more of these questions! -Aaron
Ken
Sunday 1st of May 2016
I think it is best to treat door to door salespeople with respect.
Politely listen to their presentation at the door, and then let them know if you are interested or not.
I enjoy talking with people, and understand that some make their living in door to door sales. Also, many charitable organizations raise money this way.
I volunteer (unpaid) with the Cancer Society each year, and it is an experience I cherish. Some people are friendly and welcoming. Others are not. But my approach is to always be nice with people. It is a good exercise in community building.
If someone knocks on your door, just be nice. You don't need to give anything.
(Oh, and no, I do not make my living selling anything).