Door-to-door sales – tips and techniques
Selling door-to-door is quite different from other sales jobs. Here are some crucial lessons I’ve learned over the years.
Lesson 1 – Visit enough people
In many ways door-to-door sales (and telephone sales) is a numbers game. It doesn’t matter how good you are at selling, if you don’t visit enough people you won’t make enough sales.
If you visit 0 people, you will make 0 sales.
Here is as simple trick to motivate you into knocking on more doors:
On a piece of paper make two separate columns and name them “Spoken to” and “Sales”. Each time you speak to a prospect make a note in the “spoken to” column. If you make a sale, make a note in the “Sales” column too. Some say statistics never lie, but in order to make them reliable you must visit at least 1000 prospects. The greater the number the more reliable it gets.
Helpful stuff: Fear of knocking on doors?.
How can I use this?
Everything is about motivating you to visit more prospects. The more prospects you talk to, the more money you earn. If you make 80 sales from speaking to 1000 prospects, you know that you make a sale for approximately every 12,5 door you knock on.
Lets say you want 20 sales every week. In order to meet your goal you have to visit 250 prospects (12,5 * 20) throughout the week. Knowing this makes all the naysayers you run across much easier.
Having accurate statistics also makes you able to calculate how much you earn from knocking on a single door. If you for example sell alarm systems and earn 100 dollars from each signature, you know that each “hard knock” in-fact makes you 8 dollars!
- Lesson 2: Plan and work you territory right.
- Lesson 3: What to do and say at the door.
- Lesson 4: Product presentation.
Bonus lesson: The single most important piece of advice You’ll ever get.
Leaving a house without a sale? Try the door knob technique.
Last but not least, take a look at how powerful humor can be:
Good luck!
50 comments
Very good points.
Here are some tips from me as well:
1. Be very brief.
2. Short, to the point presentation.
3. Ask for the contract very early in the presentation whenever you have the chance.
4. Eyecontact at all times.
5. Write up everybody you havent talked to yet, in this way you dont burn your territory to fast.
6. Ask everybody who buys about what nabours could be possible buyers.
7. Try to control the conversation with the clients.
8. If there are more than one people at home in the house. Find out as early as possible who are in control of that relationship (very important) and talk mostly to that person.
9. Early hours before 1500 in the afternoon are better than most people believes. Even though there arent than many people at home at that time. The ones who ARE at home though have a lot of time on their hands. I always close more deals before dinnertime than after.
Hey Bead, are working as a door-to-door salesman too? If its ok for the owner of this site, maybe we could use this thread to share tips and hints for this kind of saleswork?
Here’s my number one tip:
I always try not to reveal exactly what Im selling at the door. I use give som wage ideas and try to get inside the house before doing any presentation. Showing products at the door makes it almost impossible to close.
Samples at the door do the trick in selling home dairy delivery services. That way, I find out early if the prospect or a family member can’t drink milk. Saves me time to work another house.
Overcoming objections is my challenge.
I find that Monday is second only to Saturday in finding people home. Some folks have Sunday & Monday as their days off.
For the rest of the week, I like the 11 am to 1 pm lunch time….catch people at home for lunch.
Hey Timothy, hope this post might help you with overcoming objections: https://sales-techniques.net/handling-objections/
I have a nice tip. Do the math (like the article says) on how many doors you have to knock to get ONE sale. Do this over a long period of time so that you get a big enough sample. Now you can calculate how much you earn from EACH door. This was an eye opener for me. Actually I earned about 5 Euro for each knock! That ways its easier to keep going when things are getting ruff. With this in mind I know I only have to visit 20 people every day to earn 100 Euros.
Keep selling folks! Theres is always a “yes” at the end of the road!
Dan
Another tip: When clients offer you coofee, take it! They only give you coofee if they accept you. Buy drinking it you send out a signal that you like and accept them too. You are bonding and a sale may happen..
any expert pls give a best souluttion for my problem
iam gooing daily door knoking lotkind of enquiery is geneart that time but order not close sales what cane i do?
Venkatachalam: Do people let you inside the house, or do you show your products at the door?
TNX a bunch for these tips!
Hi. friends..: excellent advices. please do let me know some tips to handle my team to selling door to door alarm / security / CCTV system. also send me email.
Hello I am in the UK and I’m selling fitness door to door, I sell my personal training services at the door and find it hard to get people to sign up…I’m offering a free consultation and free session…I guess I get put off any advice or help plz…
If I was only closing 80 sales from 1000 doors, Id really need to decide either to stop being a salesman because I was rubbish, or find a product that I can convince people to take. The concept of knocking that many doors for so few sales would stop me getting up in the morning!
Richard, that totally depends on WHAT industry your in. If you are selling roofs or vacuum cleaners – and make 80 sales after knocking on 1000 doors – you make tons of cash!
That is true Ron. Id wonder what I was doing if I was cold calling on doors to sell vacuum cleaners or roofs. Id expect to be given warm leads at least, in which case I would still be expecting to close a far higher number than 80. I pity the poor fool who is cold calling for roofs, talk about bottom of the ladder!
80 roofs on average would bring a sales man $80000-$100000
Rich, you’ve obviously never heard of storm chasing..knocking a cpl hundred doors usually nets me around 20k…
cold leads DO get old but they have to be turned into referrals..which are at least warm leads
I just started a power Washing and window Washing buisness and I have been doing a lot of door to door sales.. any tips on service sales??
I’ve developed a method by which you emphasise the fact that you’ve been there , to that door in particular, on previous occasions . Even if you haven’t still say I spoke to you the last time in the street regarding whatever it is your selling. Even say they said to call back. Most people go along with it so as to not look daft with a dodgy memory, this immediately breaks the ice and creates the illusion of familiarity. This works great for me and all my team. Also a smile goes a long long way!!
I work for a dry cleaner and go door to door signing people up for our free pickup and delivery service. Sounds pretty easy but I get a lot of “I need to research prices” or “I’ll get back to you after I think it over”. Any closing tips?
Asking often and early for the business is key. When you go for the close, you will either gain the business or the customer will tell you why they do not want it “yet”! No! Means you haven’t given me enough reason or built enough value to buy. As mentioned above, listen to the objection carefully and precisely overcome it with the proper rebuttal…then ASK FOR THE BUSINESS AGAIN!!!
1. It is very important to ask questions (The one asking questions is in control).
2. Enthusiasm! Be excited about your product/deal or they won’t.
3. Have a set amount of doors or hours for the week. If your success or failure is based on your effort instead of amount of sales, you can keep a much better attitude and sell much better.
4. Let them know it is a great deal for them and it also helps you out. You will be surprised how many people “on the fence”, will buy because they like you!
Have fun and sell like crazy!
The easiest way to double sales is to double visits. Iron will is what you need my friends!! As Nike says: just do it! Success will follow.
I cant find any forum or anything for door to door salespeople, so I hope its okey that I use the comment field here. Anybody care to share their pitch here? The phrases you are using (that works best)? Examples on how you do the sales demonstration? (sorry for bad english)
I’m new so I may not be the best to answer this. I created an effective pitch by writing it down, first. I put myself in the customers shoes and thought: what would catch my attention? What would keep me interested? What tones, facial expressions, or gestures put me off? That helped me come up with the style and form of my pitch.
Different people also prefer different angles. Talk about the affordability of the product to grab A’s attention because A wants to save money. Talk about how eco-friendly your product is to grab B’s attention because B wants to preserve the environment. It differs. Come up with different angles and, if your customer doesn’t like one, switch to the other. Good luck.
My advice is to be yourself and let your personality come through. Relate to the customer on a fellow human level even if it means deviating from the pitch because solid rapport will beat slick flashy words every time. Try to be clear of the environment, people will be put off if you disturb their little world. You don’t know if they have a wild sex set up inside or a zen garden they meditate in, either way understand what their frame of mind is and speak to that instead of the words they say. Best of luck mates!
“I have to think about it”. This single sentence is my number one problem!!! What do you guys say in this situation?
Be straight forward and ask them “what’s holding you back from (signing up /buying) today? Set a deadline for the deal. I like to give them a week at the most
Do you call them up or visit them again? By the way, thanks for the answer.
Anybody care to share their best opener pitch?
Ray it depends on your industry. Key points: Be short and invite yourself in. Act as if everybody lets you in. And remember that sometimes it’s not your fault that the pitch doesen’t work. For all you know, the house owner could have lost his job 10 minutes before you arrived there.
Am I talking to the boss of this house? Sets the mood right there.
I currently have been working door to door for a year and a half. This article was very helpful as law of averages is definitely a key to success. Something else that has worked for me is being resilience. I call it “concrete feet” which is standing firm and being persistent. When people ask me to let them think about it, I stand firm and go over the benefits of the service. I make the purchase seem like not such a big deal. The more you think its a big deal the more the customer will also. You can read more about resilience at http://superherosaleswoman.com/2015/09/resilience-pays/
Thanks guys this is really helpful for starters like me.
Appreciate your help!!
I do tree work any tips on what to say? Many people are just annoyed that I am on there property which makes me feel odd
I have been in sales since I was 7 hustling my first business, The biggest tip any salesman can have is assumption of the close.
For example: Right now I am an appointment setter for a solar company. When I knock, I pitch and then ask them as soon as I am done, DOES X oclock this evening work for you?
This happens before I am done qualifying, and before I know if that time slot is open, This places a since of urgency in the customer knowing it is important enough you are trying to get them in as soon as possible and that you are busy/important by providing the time.
This works with any business. For example that green cleaning stuff. Does x amount of bottles suit your needs? before pitching price. Price should always… ALWAYS be the last thing you pitch.
Grant cardone, Sales guru, says it over and over again price is made up. People have money, you have to create the value of the product.
Excellent advice! My best tip is to try to give the same good presentation at the last door of the day as the one you gave on the first – after getting 50 doors slammed in your face that day. If you do that…. you win.
If you leave flyers, make sure you leave them out of sight from the street view. You don’t want to advertise that the homeowner is not home or away on vacation. This invites thieves and are on the lookout for homes that look empty. That is a BIG indication when there are multiple flyers on door. Don’t piss off your potential customers.
The bonus tips is dead on!
Work every door and do not prejudge. Always go for the close. Be general first, and get the demo appt. ask for referrals after you close. Track everything you do and make goals to reach. Finally have fun. Remember The Salesman is King!
Objections are fun. Sometimes the customer just has to say something.I have to think about it – evidently you have not explained it well, what is there to think about “the ship is sinking”. What is there to think about. What is next.
I m looking for advice on selling central air conditioners door to door. Any advice ?
“i need to think about it” seems dumb, but works most of the time- “yeah you can think about it” then I just keep filling out paperwork lol
That might actually work Travis 🙂
I am having issues closing. Once I get to the dreaded cables fees and taxes they balk. Or its the hassle of the switch even when I am saving them $$. Or bad experience with the company that owned us before. How do you recover from that. Or the hard no before you even say your name is that recoverable?
I sell meat door to door. Hardest/most rewarding job ever, financially and morally. Here’s my tip:
People are ALWAYS more inclined to buy if they know someone around them had purchased as well. My main objective when knocking a street is to get a “name drop”, especially if that person has lived there for a while. “Hi, how ya doing this afternoon? Sorry to bug ya, hope I’m not interrupting. I was just finishing up with Mrs. Smith next door and… Blah blah”. You get the point! Make a friend first of all, be involved, I can’t tell you how many people I’ve sold to that I’ve sat down and ate dinner with them afterwards!
Liars are buyers and buyers are liars.
Push, push, and push some more. 1 in 20 people will buy anything coming down the street!!!
My company sells and supplies artificial lawns and patterned concrete driveways I have been asked to try D2D sales for the first time I my life and would like some tips and useful info to help with this as it’s purely commissions based and my family need the money to be honest that’s the only reason I’m attempting this any help will be greatly appreciated
I sell tv service. I knock the door and say “Hi I’m with directv. I sent a coupleof guys out about three weeks ago. Did you get the chance to talk to them?’ I have not really sent someone out. I have found your opening has to have a question. Another one I use is “Hello. I was in the area helping some of your neighbors and noticed and noticed you did not have us. Why not? (said with smile) have you heard of us?”
For my close, I know they are going to say “Let me think about it” so I practice my reply. “Of course I want you to think about it. I am going to enter your information and make a pretend appointment. This will send you an email of what I have been telling you. Take a look at it, and if its not what you want, just cancel your install. But if it looks like what you want you will be in place for a install at these prices. This hold the price in place for you”
cableguy, customers don’t know your prices before you tell them, instead of offering the price, then adding the taxes and fees try giving them the total up front. People hate when you quote them a price and they accept, only to find out it is higher at the end. imagine the satisfaction when they ask how much is this when you add taxes and fees, and you get to let them know not a penny more!
I don’t sell anything, I go door to door to enroll people to an energy savings program, they get plenty benefits and is absolutely cost free, because it’s been paid on their electric bill tax… can you recommend me a line opener so they ton shut the door at my face before I mention it’s totally free? And how do you overcome the awkwardness of being inside of someone’s house? Thanks!
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