Door to Door Selling

I’ve started a new job pool cleaning. But I have to get my own clients by going door to door. This scares the hell out of me. Its not that bad since Im just basically handing out flyers. but I hate being interrupted when I am just chillaxing at home.

Any tips /stories would be appreciated.

[quote]windex wrote:
I’ve started a new job pool cleaning. But I have to get my own clients by going door to door. This scares the hell out of me. Its not that bad since Im just basically handing out flyers. but I hate being interrupted when I am just chillaxing at home.

Any tips /stories would be appreciated.[/quote]

i spent a summer selling educational books and software door to door. it’s not that bad.

have an approach ready, smile and be friendly/ non-threatening and don’t be scared of rejection. most people will be very rude and short, but fuck 'em. you are out for a goal, not to make friends.

just keep your head up and remind yourself that the yes is behind the next door.

dress casually, but nicely, get a hair cut, shave, be presentable and optimistic. many more will say no than yes.

and don’t just put fliers on doors. face to face is much better for business. when people slam the door, leave a flier, but if they give you a second to speak, do so.

also, once you build your initial client base, referrals will start working for you, so the door to door should only be temporary.

I did some research on different marketing tools, and generally the cheaper they are, the more time and effort it takes, with a lower amount of “leads” becoming customers.

Putting flyers on everyone’s door takes a lot of time, and yields a relatively low response, but is dirt cheap.

Adds in a paper could get you slightly better results, if you pick the right news papers, and is slightly more expensive, but a lot less time consuming.

All out television commercials would be a lot more expensive, but should get a lot more quality leads (but might not be worth the cost depending on what you’re selling).

Word of mouth could help a lot, so giving a customer a little more than what’s expected could go a long way.

I would agree try flyers , We don’t answer the door if we don’t know the person

Just finished my first day no horror stories thankfully. I hit about 50 houses and everyone is pretty receptive.

I know the turn out rate is low for door to door buts its getting the name out their. And our logo is very pro so thats a plus.

A word on marketing. The guy I work for got most of his clients through craigslist. And the rest through door to door. He said the newspaper ad is worthless.

[quote]windex wrote:
Just finished my first day no horror stories thankfully. I hit about 50 houses and everyone is pretty receptive.

I know the turn out rate is low for door to door buts its getting the name out their. And our logo is very pro so thats a plus.

A word on marketing. The guy I work for got most of his clients through craigslist. And the rest through door to door. He said the newspaper ad is worthless. [/quote]

newspaper ads are pretty worthless, but really no advertising medium is all that great if you compare the exposure to the generated business.

door to door is actually great because people remember you, even if they are not looking for a pool guy, they will remember when they do need one (unlike a newspaper or even tv ad) and if you give them a flier after talking with them, all the better. the more relational the better.

the mouse guy from ny was spot on with the word of mouth though, wom is recognized as the number one generator, or killer, of business of course you have to develop business first.

for what it’s worth, i’m a marketing student in an accredited university a semester from graduating, i’m the president of our collegiate chapter of the american marketing association and i’ve done door to door. i think you are definately on the right track, but it sounds like this guy has you out doing shit you could do yourself, and then he pays you a part of all the work you are doing.

you ought to consider getting your own supplies and reaping all the profit for your labor. what does your boss do for you?

Ha, Hes one of my best friends. Ive thought of going on my own cause theres definately bank to be made. But Right now im just looking to work 30 hrs a week so I can focus on my studies and training.

Plus im new to the business so im gaining good expierance.

But yeah ill probably end up starting my own business some time or another.

Once you get a client and do a good job for them…ask for a referral and leave them a card or two. You have to ask for referrals to get them and most customers are happy to give your card out if they like you.

I was talking to a guy who stopped by last week and was offering to do window washing and clean gutters. I hired him and he showed up the next day. Wife said the windows looked great. I actually asked him if he did the gutters because I didn’t see any leaves on the ground. He told me he bagged them up and took them away. I sent him over to my parents house and sister. I think he did 6 houses on our road.

1 man show working part time with minimum amount of tools and equipment. Kid was pulling in $800 week and going to school. That’s some hustle.

As said before in previous posts, flyers are your best bet for getting your services out to the masses, but don’t guarantee any business. At my old job, I passed out 2,000 flyers in a span of 2 weeks, and didn’t get one single response. It happens.

Getting your first few customers is going to be the toughest, then after that, just start asking for 4-5 referrals from each person. Even if only 1 person is interested in your services, that’s 1 more person that you had before, then ask that person for 4-5 referrals. Then you’ve got the ball rolling.

You will definitely hear many more people say no than yes, but keep being positive. Each door is a new opportunity for business.

And there is no need to be terrified of doing it. The worst thing anyone is going to do is say no. That’s it. It’s just like talking to your friends, you are interacting with another person.

Good luck.