Do People Still Prospect Door-to-Door?
Apparently so.
Last night around 8PM I had a knock at my door. I eeny meeny miney moe'd to decide whether to, A. open the door or B. ignore it. Eeny Meeny said to go with A.
When I opened the door there was a rather unassuming guy standing in my hallway, dressed in what appeared to be the garb of an auto mechanic. He kept his distance from me, which, as a female, I appreciated immensely. Then he told me that he worked at a local mechanic shop and that each year they run oil change specials for the tenants in my complex.
I told him my automaker took care of my oil changes and he tried to sell me a bit more on a set of new tires (Zzzz) and after a few awkward moments he bid me goodnight.
I was pretty dumbfounded that these folks were prospecting door-to-door. This isn't 1950; it's 2006 and the creep factor has escalated immeasurably in the last half century.
And while it's probably one of the most archaic traditional forms of prospecting, in my mind, door-to-door sales takes a marketing backseat along with direct mail, telemarketing, and flyers stuck underneath windshields: a lot of effort with little ROI. And then there's the fact that people just don't appreciate it.
My experience last night underscored the fact that permission marketing matters. Don't interrupt folks with phone calls, door knocks or bland flyers that fill up their mailboxes. An annoyed (or frightened) person will seldom become your customer.
Comments
Normally I agree totally about not interrupting people anymore. But the pre-election people who have come to my door have touched me. They care enough to be actively trying to reach people, talk to them and influence them. Of course, I might be a bit more receptive because they usually fell in line with my political leanings too. None the less, I liked being reminded that grass roots politics is important, and hopefully it nudged me to be a bit more active too.
Posted by: lori reed | November 5, 2006 08:36 PM
Good thoughts here, Lori.
Personally, I feel there's a huge difference between someone going door to door to encourage me to vote (and maybe sell me an idea) and someone coming to my door to sell me a tangible product or service.
There's something patriotic about going door to door to encourage people to rock the vote (although Wilde's quote, "Patriotism, the virtue of the viscious" does comes to mind in light of recent ads).
There's also a heightened sense of community during election season and it's for that reason that I don't look down on political door knockers. And even if I don't agree with someone's politics, I, like you, admire them for their zeal and passion for the democratic process.
I don't, however, feel the same admiration for people who come to my door to sell me a set of tires, an oil change, insurance, whatever. I suppose I fail to see the grassroots history behind this old school tactic, especially as it serves to fatten the solicitor's wallet and interrupts my evening.
When I need a set of tires, an oil change or insurance, I shop around...you know?
Posted by: Megan Mahan | November 6, 2006 04:27 PM
What timing...I came across this post today from Forrester's blog, entitled "Do Marketers Really Need Permission?"
Check it out and report back. :)
Posted by: Megan Mahan | November 6, 2006 04:29 PM