We've disconnected the doorbell in our last two homes. Our friends all knock (or just walk in), and anybody who's got an appointment is informed beforehand.
That said, d2d is an incredibly hard way to make a living, and those (of us) who have done it have benefitted from the steep learning curve and the tenacity it requires. The problem is that most of the products/services are not value added, and simply prey on people who are too polite or unequipped mentally to say "no" three times in a row and close the door.
I did have a great summer job once where, during evenings, we went to new housing developments where the lawns were just put in, and offered to wash the windows that were all caked with dust and crud. You'd run around the house, count the windows, multiply by $5 each, and give an estimate. Or, just quote on the upper windows at $8 each. It was a service appreciated by most, and I was making $250-300 a night in commission, plus $10 an hour on the washing crew during the day. Saved a lot of folks ladder money and possible injury, and it was exciting to have a 75% plus success rate in sales.
I've owned a couple of businesses since then, and as annoying as it is on the consumer end, cold-calls are totally necessary to bring fresh money in and replace customer attrition and thinning profit margins. It just gets a little crazy with the different types of product/service bombardment these days. I'm still a big fan of raw entrepreneurship, and there aren't enough kids doing the lemonade stand thing instead of begging dad for a PW50.
That said, d2d is an incredibly hard way to make a living, and those (of us) who have done it have benefitted from the steep learning curve and the tenacity it requires. The problem is that most of the products/services are not value added, and simply prey on people who are too polite or unequipped mentally to say "no" three times in a row and close the door.
I did have a great summer job once where, during evenings, we went to new housing developments where the lawns were just put in, and offered to wash the windows that were all caked with dust and crud. You'd run around the house, count the windows, multiply by $5 each, and give an estimate. Or, just quote on the upper windows at $8 each. It was a service appreciated by most, and I was making $250-300 a night in commission, plus $10 an hour on the washing crew during the day. Saved a lot of folks ladder money and possible injury, and it was exciting to have a 75% plus success rate in sales.
I've owned a couple of businesses since then, and as annoying as it is on the consumer end, cold-calls are totally necessary to bring fresh money in and replace customer attrition and thinning profit margins. It just gets a little crazy with the different types of product/service bombardment these days. I'm still a big fan of raw entrepreneurship, and there aren't enough kids doing the lemonade stand thing instead of begging dad for a PW50.
