Door To Door Sales Training | Should You Look Like A Salesperson?

As we teach in our door to door sales training, your appearance is a big factor in wherether you get in or not.

When you are home relaxing and enjoying yourself, and there's a knock at the door, and you look outside and see a salesperson what is the first thing that comes to your mind? If you're like most of us what comes to your mind is "I'm not interested". Oddly, even though most of us feel this way almost all door-to-door salespeople are taught to go to the door looking like a salesperson.

I mean were taught to go to the door with picture ID, a briefcase maybe wearing a suit or carrying a special book or display kit. It just screams out, "I'm a salesperson and I'm here to take your money". So, in this article, I want to explore the question: "what if you didn't look like a salesperson?" Would you sell more if you didn't look like a salesperson? Would you have more time to talk to them if they didn't scream, "I'm not interested" before you even knocked on the door? Let's take a look at a few possibilities.

Now let's picture you are home and there is a knock at the door. You look out the window and you see someone dressed in a white lab coat. They could be a doctor, they could be from the health department. Right away, you're curious as to what is going on. It makes the homeowner want to open the door. Now in addition to an item like a lab coat, what if you carried your props and forms in something that would go with what you're portraying? For example, if you w fashion coats ere wearing a lab coat what if you're props and forms were in a bag that looks like the type of bag doctors carry when they're making a house call? If a person dressed in a lab coat with a doctor bag knocked on the door would you answer it? Would you be interested? Would it arouse your curiosity? This approach may not be for everyone but it certainly something to consider.

Let's say you sell home security systems. What if you arrived at the door dressed in a security guard uniform? It wouldn't necessarily be misleading. Your company does have security guards probably. Is a person more likely to answer the door if a security guard knocks or if a salesperson knocks?

I actually got this idea because a couple weeks ago an officer from the Air Force knocked on my door. I couldn't wait answer to find out when he wanted. It turned out he was doing a security clearance check of a neighboring just wanted ask a couple questions, but when I opened the door I didn't have "I'm not interested" in my mind.

Let's take the example of cable TV. If you go to the door as a salesperson selling cable TV they're probably not interested. If they were interested they would've called you. But if you came to the door in an HBO jacket or a Disney jacket or even something that just says "survey crew" on your hat or on your jacket, that causes curiosity. Curiosity gets doors open.

So, don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting you impersonate police officers or do anything that you be ashamed of. But, I am suggesting that if you don't look like a salesperson with a pen in your pocket and a briefcase, you're much more likely to get the door open. Every product or service you sell it the door might be enhanced by not dressing like a salesperson.

Given some it thought and see if it's for you. Thinking outside the box of door to door sales training can often get you inside the door.