So do you treat telemarketer random calls differently? I'd be willing to bet you don't. Salespeople are known for being the worst folks to deal with in sales! Again, I don't think Codell has ever been in this field, so he gets a pass. YOU, on the other hand? Exactly how do you think you help out the struggling salesman? Hmm?
It was the specific issue at the time of the example I gave. You proved nothing as you missed my point all together (again though, that is you). You have never met my son, so you can refrain from commenting on his health. The "sign" conveys my family's wishes. If you are selling something, please don't knock on my door or ring my door bell to try and sell me something. Pretty simple. I'm not obligated to support anyone and everyone that is just "trying to make a living". Moral high ground? I have the right to dictate who is and who is not welcome at my house. It is not the complicated issue you are making it out to be. I don't always agree with DaDa, but I agree with him here. And I don't think he has made his living by cold-calling at people's homes. There is a huge difference there.
Ummm, I used to run my own business. Up till 4 1/2 years ago, 100% of my salary was based on "sales". Geez you act like you know everything about everyone.
I never really have door to door salesman knock at my door but I do get those Jehovah witness or whatever they are. The usually knock at our doors early Saturday mornings. Yesterday a group of like 5 of them were knocking at my neighbors house as a was pulling into my driveway. They saw me so i made a quick dash inside my house before they could flag me down. They then rang my doorbell and knocked at my door for like 10 minutes....after they stopped knocking they stood there for like another 10 minutes...they don't get the hint those people. :grin:
I see where DD is coming from. No one really ever wants to be bothered at home. Everyone has their reasons, for us it is because of a bad experience several months ago, some people just want their privacy.
What is "insurance reconnaissance"? lol Whatever that is, that is not what I did. Where do you think my business came from? Do you think it just popped up out of nowhere? 100% my business came from sales calls and sales visits with clients. I went "door to door", city to city and often state to state and begged folks for business. Over the course of 10 years, I spent thousands and thousands of dollars out of my own family's savings promoting, "selling" the services of my company. In a normal week, I would spend half of it on the phone "selling" or making in person visits, "selling".
Count me in the group that often avoids answering the door when it's someone I don't know. I strongly resent it when sales people come to my door or call on the phone. 1 A person has the right to knock on any door they want, "No Soliciting" sign or not. When it's a residence, they should be prepared for the worst. 2 The homeowner has every right to blow off the salesperson without listening to a single word. When this happens, the solicitor needs to leave the premises immediately. When I bother to answer the door, I rarely give door knockers a chance to open their mouth. Sometimes I demand they tell me up front what they are peddling. If they refuse, it's over right then. I completely control the conversation and won't allow them waste 5 minutes of my time with a pitch. It's hard for me to believe people still try to peddle magazines door to door.
I actually agree with DD on this one. It is his home and he has the right to put up a sign indicating no solicitors (or no trespassing or whatever). If folks decide to ignore his wishes, he has every right to rudely shoo them away. Although every salesman needs to cold call to learn, he also needs to learn rejection and how to gracefully handle it. He also needs to learn boundaries. I never buy anything from any solicitor to my house with the exception of Christmas wreaths from the boy scouts and cookies from the girl scouts.
And if Dakota weren't in sales I'd agree. Crimeny, I yelled at one of my neighbors this morning because their damn dog wouldn't stop whimpering outside. And I love dogs! But call it what it is! DD is a bizniz man. You can't go around asking folks for your business and then act all above it all when you get home. Most of y'all know I'm typically conservative biased, but even I try to share my riches.
It's Texas. If you have a no soliciting sign up and they still knock, just fling the door open and blow their heads off with a shotgun. jk. sorta.
FFB, you are just wrong here. I agree with treating door-to-door salespeople or neighbor kids or simple lost souls with courtesy and respect. However, there is a gulf of difference between this courtesy and having a sign that says "no solicitors" that a solicitor ignores. If they are a semi-trained salesperson, I would guess they would be told that ignoring a sign like that would be bad for business and disrespectful to the homeowner.
(Restating what I said before- a 'No Soliciting' sign usually means an easy sale for two reasons. 1- Many salesmen will avoid it. 2- The person who put it up is usually an easy sale. ) RE- The whole sick kid thing... I saw plenty of custom signs- 'Day Sleeper' 'Sick Child' 'Sick, please do not disturb'. If I saw that, I would avoid it. 'No Soliciting'...nah. FFB Hit the nail on the head with his arguments. As FFB does, I hear out every knucklehead who comes to my door. Not only is it the neighborly thing to do, it's also helping young salespeople build confidence. I'll also give them some -very- basic tips. MOST importantly, it's teaching my son how to treat people. I make sure he's in the other room...I don't answer the door with my family in tow. But he will remember that his dad treated folks fairly. Yeah, I've heard 'it all' more than most folks because I was in sales for seven years (three and a half selling the subs then managing). But that doesn't mean I can't be polite. If someone is too pushy, and there is a point, I say no and close the door. DD- your arguments on this subject are weak and transparent at this point. There's a reason why folks don't cotton to a lot of your talk. You have a double standard of dishing but not taking. You lose credibility from this and when you do stand up for something that is true or worth credit, your statements don't have the impact they should.
I've never done the door to door thing, but I see how painful it is for the folks that do. As anyone who actually has been successful in sales, you should at least not treat them like everyone else does, and that was my point.
And I agree wholeheartedly, which is why I offer water, shade, a bathroom break if needed, but when I say "thanks, but no thanks" I expect the same courtesy. If I had reason to put up a sign that said "no solicitors," I would expect a salesperson to respect it. I don't agree with those who just ignore people knocking on their door either. How hard is it to say "thanks, but no thanks. Would you like some water?"
I hear those Reliant and TXU ads are actually door to door sales too (the ones that say 'no experience needed'). one person told me they called and got a job, and the next day they wanted to drop her off at a random neighborhood and pick her up six hours later. I dont know if thats what those jobs are actually (i didnt know this lady personally).
Once some dude came selling subscriptions to FHM and ESPN magazine for pretty cheap. We bought the subscription, and the magazines came when they were supposed to. Good times. It's those white T's and black ties who comes in 2's that I never answer. "No, I haven't found Jesus and I don't intend to, mother****ers!"
