Door-to-door sales saw its peak in earlier days, when not every home had a television or telephone. Back in the 50’s, young women fresh out of high school waited in anxious anticipation for the arrival of the pots and pans man. In the modern age, more and more women are pursuing higher education after high school, making the pots and pans man obsolete, and contributing to the conversion of the salesperson’s reputation from that of an in-demand individual to just another weirdo on your porch. Despite its recent fall in popularity, door-to-door sales can still teach us a lot about business. Below are the top 7 secrets from door-to-door sales that are still relevant in today’s world, and you don’t even have to pound the pavement to learn them.
1.) Know Your Product
A door-to-door salesperson knows their product from the inside out. Knowing the product fully enables you to better answer customers’ inevitable questions and gives you bonus points by making you appear more confident.
2.) Confidence is Key
What’s one of aspect of door-to-door sales that make customers uncomfortable? A nervous salesperson. If you seem confident in your pitch, customers will feel at ease and come to trust you more.
3.) Act Human
You aren’t a robot, and your sales pitch shouldn’t make you sound like one. The tactic that door-to-door salespeople have been practicing for years is to appeal to their prospects on a personal level. Being able to empathize with your leads is critical. If you can imagine their perspective, you’ll be better able to explain why your product will benefit them specifically.
4.) Develop a Thick Skin
Despite your best attempts, some customers just will not buy into your product. That’s why all door-to-door salespeople develop a thick skin. Understand you tried your best, and then reflect on the interaction to see where it went wrong. Some door-to-door salespeople even go so far as to ask their prospects where they could’ve improved.
5.) Keep a Record
Some door-to-door salespeople recommend keeping a notebook that lists the number of people they’ve spoken to and how many sales they’ve made. In this day and age, a contact management software like Blitz might be the best route for keeping tabs on your leads, and you can use sales software like this to view a call script, automatically send out emails, and calculate ROI.
6.) It’s All About Presentation
You wouldn’t want someone to show up on your porch looking like he or she just jumped out of the dumpster. Even if you contact your leads predominately over the phone, you should make sure that you speak clearly and loudly. Avoid chewing gum or eating your lunch during phone conversations—although we understand how busy you get!
7.) Manage your time
In the sales world, there’s no such thing as being fashionably late. A good door-to-door salesperson avoids forgetting appointments by always keeping a day planner in hand with their contacts’ information and appointment times. CRM software like Blitz acts in the same way: keeping you informed of your schedule and decreasing the amount of missed opportunities.