Door-to-Door Sales: Dead or Evolving?

It’s hard to believe that just 50 years ago, door-to-door sales was commonplace. People welcomed the novel opportunity to purchase household items from home. However, as society has changed, “a knock on the door will many times just lead to agitation,” says David Glenn in his article on Business2Community.com.

Dangerous and irrelevant

Opening one’s door to a stranger is a safety concern for many, along with the risk of being targeting by a scam. Now that people have become very comfortable shopping online, door-to-door sales no longer offers added convenience.

Glenn points out that online shopping has the added benefit of accessing price comparisons, product research and reviews.

A more private society

Other direct sales methods have lost favor with consumers as well, including telemarketing and email marketing.

• Telemarketing

With the increased pace of life, people increasingly want to protect their personal downtime while at home so they put their numbers on the “do not call list” or simply screen incoming calls based on caller ID.

• Email marketing

New advanced filters to prevent spam emails and malware result in many unsolicited marketing emails never reaching their intended recipient.

Not as dead as you might think

While it is understandable how the consumer would recoil from an intrusive, random visit from an unknown salesperson, Glenn points out that a personal interaction is always helpful in sales.

Selling in person is advantageous because it allows for a genuine connection and the opportunity for the client to immediately get questions answered. This is why the method is still being practiced in some industries to this day.

The author says that it may still be effective when great care is taken to do it in a respectful, non-threatening manner.

Set appointments, then knock

Companies that want to incorporate the personalized charm of the old fashioned door-to-door visit in their modern sales efforts can consider scheduling pre-planned visits with the prospect’s permission.

“Potential customers who are interested in a product online can request an appointment to learn more about it. Many companies are transitioning to this method,” Glenn concludes.

To read the original article in its entirety, please visit Business2Community.