Well, we’ve all heard the stories of the ubiquitous Watchtower peddler, the “Sunday morning salesperson”, or just the occasional crackpot trying to sell you on the benefits of Scientology [sub](which, is apparently half-off tickets at Tom Cruise or Jon Travolta flicks)[/sub]. And, as par for the course, we all respond how we’d answer the door in our tighty-whiteys, or reeking of smoke, or with several bottles of whiskey/rifles/shotguns laying around on the floor behind us—all of which are from the point of view of the homeowner or tenant. Well, I’ve had two such visitors yesterday morning . . . yes two!
To my knowledge, it has yet to be enumerated what your role is as the visitor—from the point of view of the visitor. Thus being, if you plan on making some sales pitches by calling on different homes, there’s a few things you ought to keep in mind:
You will be visiting a home rather unexpectedly, and in some cases may be an intrusion. There are several outcomes to this:
- The door is answered:
1A. You must present your product/pitch in a clear, concise manner. Chances are, you’ve interrupted something they were in the middle of, and would like to get back to. Make it quick Bub, ‘cause time is valuable. Both yours and the tenants’.
1B. You are a salesman, so present yourself as such. Take a comfortable approach at the doorstep. Do not lean in and gawk inside the home as if you’ve discovered a portal to another dimension, and are taking your first step into a wonderful, magical universe of unicorns, rainbows, butterflies. Conversely, do not retreat to the far corner of the porch/stoop/deck, and speak at an extreme distance. This will put the potential customer at unease and distrust. [sub](Author’s note: The second dude backed all the way up to the rail on my front porch, to where I thought something was either wrong with my driveway or my trash can.)[/sub]
1C. You are selling a product to a customer unawares. Do not be pushy with the customer. You are on “his/her turf”, and the analogy of cornering a wild animal may apply here. Also, you should be prepared to hear answers that while for the moment may seem plausible, in fact are just not true. These untruths are called “lies”, and are usually told in haste to end the conversation for any number of reasons (see 1A).
- The door is unanswered: General guidance in this one is twofold, and is best done by quoting Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan—“They are unable to respond; they are unwilling to respond.”
2A. Your customer may not be home. You may try a second knock or ring of the doorbell. If that doesn’t work, refer back to 1A, and realize that you are best to most likely just move along. Ringing the doorbell a third or fourth time would not be of any assistance, as they’re not home to hear it unless. . .
2B. . . . your customer just doesn’t want to answer the door. Your customer is under no legal, moral, or religious duty to answer a knock or ring, and if he/she does, is most likely doing it out of genuine curiosity (this goes for telephone calls as well). If this is the case, again, move along. Putting your hands up to the window and peering inside will not increase your chances of contacting your customer, and in fact, may be construed as intrusive. Also, when you do peer inside and leave smudges on the door from your hands and face, you run the risk of infuriating the tenant, who may take it out on the next salesperson. Help your ‘brother-in-arms’ and take some professional pride—and don’t be an asshole.
So thus, please read the possibilities above, and realize that you may or may not be wanted during your travels. Especially if you irritate your customer base. – And one last note: wear good travellin’ shoes. If you don’t follow the above advice, they will treat you well when customer and customer after politely ask you to “hit the road.”
Tripler
Thank you.
[sub]A spellcheck was highly advised by Nawth Chucka, but was declined by the author. That’s just my stile.[/sub]
