Solicitors and/or Door to Door Salesman At Your Door
By dramaqn
@dramaqn (1990)
United States
September 28, 2009 9:41pm CST
No matter what you call them, solicitors or door to door salesman, the question is "how do you treat them"? Are you one of those angry hateful people who don't even let the person say one word? Are you the person that is so rude and slams the door in their face? Are you the person that says mean and nasty things? If you are one of those people, are you also the person who complains about people not having a job and living off the system?
Well first off, those people are not only working, but 9 out of 10 of them are working on commission only. So the least you could do is say no nicely, at least let them say who they are and where they are from, and by all means DO NOT slam the door on them. When you act like this to solicitors you have possibly done one if not all of the following: 1)discouraged them from wanting to finish their day, to try and make one sale to provide for their family, 2)put a negative impact in their mind which could cost them the sale at the next house(again taking money from providing for family), and 3)made them angry.
Now, the first two items I listed aren't that bad for you the potential customer, but if you have some way made the solicitor mad or angry that wasn't smart.
Remember, just because you don't want something they have doesn't mean you have to get it. But being mean, rude, and crude to a stranger is never smart. Think about it, this person is at your house, they know where you live. And even if they are not a violent person doesn't meant they don't know someone who is that way. Treat that person at the door as you would like to be treated if that was your job. Being in sales is definitely NOT easy, and being and independent contractor in sales is even harder. Also know 99% of cities/towns make companies register now for solicitor's license to make sure no violent or burglary criminals or wanted people are knocking on doors. You are safe to let them talk to you through the screen door. Just give them a chance. Times are hard out there, not everyone is meant to work in an office or factory. Not everyone is college educated, but that doesn't mean they aren't good people and it definitely doesn't mean that they are not a hard worker.
If an ADT rep comes to your door, give them 45 seconds of your time. If a Kirby rep comes to your door, let them do the free demo, you get your living room cleaned for free. If the knife people come....say no thank you, very nicely.
Ok, that's all I have to say about that. I hope I have helped some and encouraged others.
2 responses
@marguicha (215407)
• Chile
29 Sep 09
I think I try to be nice to everyone and have found ways of saying no, quickly, without hutrting their feelings. The thing is , I don´t buy anything but food. I´m in the process of giving away part of my belongings, not acquiring more.
As for the other people who wake me up EVERY weekend (Jehova´s witness) I will not get into conversations about religion which can take hours. I ´m SO sorry buy I just put some eggs in a frying pan or some milk to heat.
I usually help people who want to fill a questionaire, if it´s not too long and the day is nice. I start to weed at the garden while they ask. I had many friends at the university that did that for a living out of classes.
What I DO NOT do is to give money. If there´s a child beggar, I will go to my kitchen, make a nice sandwich and have him eat it in the garden where he is not seen by the adults who send him to beg.
Take care!!!
@maezee (41997)
• United States
29 Sep 09
It's nice that you're nice to those door-to-door salesmen. I try to have empathy, too. I've had a few crummy jobs in my lifetime and so I try to be empathetic to the fact that this must be an EXTREMELY tough job; probably one that they don't make much money from, and probably one that they were pushed into due to the lack of better opportunities. I couldn't ever imagine being a salesperson, especially not a door-to-door one. That must be tough.
To be honest, I'm really not home all that much - and if I hear someone at the front door knocking, I usually know that it's a salesperson or someone I'm not familiar with - and I just don't answer it. I don't have that much money to spare, anyway. Although, if I did open the door - I probably would just nicely turn them down. I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to be MEAN to a door-to-door salesperson - unless they're incredibly pushy or rude or something. *shrugs*. That seems a little immature; to be mean to someone for no reason whatsoever.
1 person likes this
@dramaqn (1990)
• United States
30 Sep 09
Yes, it "was" nice. And being nice is what helped me realize that sales was the thing for me. I have a license in phlebotomy and nursing assistant. I am 24 credits away from my associate degree in criminal justice. I'm a true case of what they call "a jack of all trades, a master of none". I have had many jobs, but helping people, talking, and meeting new people is what I love. It's what I see as my talent given to me by God. I have been in door to door sales off and on for about 10 years. I've been an exotic dancer off and on for about 13 years. I have used my networking and people skills in both fields. Each career has helped me deal with a wide variety of people.
Doing sales is a lot of fun and pays well if not discouraged. The person that slams the door before knowing you can ruin your day. The person you see inside who refuses to answer the door can make you feel un-successful. The person who's prejudice can rain on your parade. The person who answers the door that's mad at the world and screams at you can damper your spirits and cause the rest of your day to be bad.
But, the people who keeps that pep in my step is the person who answers the door with a smile. The person who invites me in the door way to get out of the rain. The person who is astonished that the little black girl knows the country song on the radio word for word as she's coming up the drive way. The person who sits down on the porch and gives me 45 seconds of their time. The person who kindly takes my business card or flyer. The person who already said no, but still want's to hear what you have to say. Those are the people that make the job worth it. Those are the people that keep me going all day. Those are the "no's" that keep me going to find my "ace" in the deck. The ace that will help me pay my bills to care for my children. The commission that is the same as if I worked eight hours a day in a factory. Instead of being in a factory, I just went and talked to people.
I love sales, and I love people. And this is a great career and can be better if not for so many hateful, mean, rude, and crude people.
Everyone started somewhere. Remember, many moons ago men supported their families from afar by selling insurance, encyclopedia's, and medicines door to door. This isn't a new found profession. It has been here and is here to stay.
Thank you for commenting on my discussion.
