I need to change my approach with door to door soliciting. I don't know if it is my need to be polite, or my sincere interest in products, or something else ... but I always end up feeling like even the most well intention-ed sales people leave me with a bad experience.
So maybe I'll have to start being less polite. More firm.
My real problem is that people never answer your question! And I get tricked into their distractions (most the time anyway). Seriously, door to door solicitors are like politicians when it comes to avoiding direct questions.
"How many pounds of chicken is in a case?" has a simple answer. "Oh, let me go get the box for you," is NOT the right response. Especially when the box has no clear marking of product weight.
"How much does a single Living Scripture DVD cost?" has a simple answer. "We have several different purchasing packages available for you, let me show you some clips from the videos in each package," is just the long way of saying "You have to buy them as a package, and in the end they'll each cost you about $30.00." That poor sales rep, spent an hour in my home and left with nothing to show for it. But I'm not dumb. I can do math, and with or without his help I was going to find the answer to my question. Once I did it was sayonara.
If you offer to come clean my couch for free, that's what I'm agreeing to ... not a 90 minute sales demo of the Kirby. When I ask you for a window replacement estimate, I actually want an estimate, not a 60 minute demo of your product (you weren't even a door to door guy!).
Ben says I should know better by now, and I should. But each visit is far enough apart from the other that I forget how direct I need to be with my questions. Maybe venting a little bit about it in this post will be the reminder I need for next time.
So maybe I'll have to start being less polite. More firm.
My real problem is that people never answer your question! And I get tricked into their distractions (most the time anyway). Seriously, door to door solicitors are like politicians when it comes to avoiding direct questions.
"How many pounds of chicken is in a case?" has a simple answer. "Oh, let me go get the box for you," is NOT the right response. Especially when the box has no clear marking of product weight.
"How much does a single Living Scripture DVD cost?" has a simple answer. "We have several different purchasing packages available for you, let me show you some clips from the videos in each package," is just the long way of saying "You have to buy them as a package, and in the end they'll each cost you about $30.00." That poor sales rep, spent an hour in my home and left with nothing to show for it. But I'm not dumb. I can do math, and with or without his help I was going to find the answer to my question. Once I did it was sayonara.
If you offer to come clean my couch for free, that's what I'm agreeing to ... not a 90 minute sales demo of the Kirby. When I ask you for a window replacement estimate, I actually want an estimate, not a 60 minute demo of your product (you weren't even a door to door guy!).
Ben says I should know better by now, and I should. But each visit is far enough apart from the other that I forget how direct I need to be with my questions. Maybe venting a little bit about it in this post will be the reminder I need for next time.
1 comment:
Move to Delta! The only door to door salesperson I have had is Tanner, my neighbor selling me a very useful Delta Rabbit card!
Remember time is money so.... charge them for your time!
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