Sean WillChene is the CEO and founder of Shared Solar Advisors USA† He is based in Minneapolis, MN.
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Let’s start with the elephant in the room: When most people think of door-to-door (D2D) salespeople, they think of scammers selling fly-by-night products or poor old Willy Loman. These are Hollywood stories and great stories, but they don’t reflect what life and business is like for most door knockers today.
The serious mischaracterization of the D2D business model is not entirely a bad thing. While companies of all sizes continue to invest attention and capital in leveraging competitive digital marketing tools, I believe that D2D remains a scalable, affordable business model without saturated competitors. D2D can be exceptionally unique in its ability to cut through the “white noise” of status quo marketing.
If you have a product you believe in and you’re starting a business, here are five reasons knocking on the door isn’t dead and could be just what your business needs.
1. You get feedback.
If you’re starting a business, it’s because you think you have a valuable product or service to offer people. Most likely you are still in the honeymoon phase of that idea. As you go through the steps to make your business idea more real, you need feedback. By knocking on the door, the entrepreneur can get comprehensive customer feedback in real time.
I founded Shared Solar Advisors with the idea that there was value in making it easy for homeowners to choose sustainable green energy. Because my team and I knocked three hundred doors a day, after four months we knew the most common objections to solar in the community, the most common questions, and the best way to communicate it to demographic groups. Companies need constant feedback and there is a knock on the door is feedback.
2. D2D is cost effective and easy to assemble.
No central headquarters, minimal backend costs and a limited need for third-party advice (digital marketing, CRM platforms, etc.) distinguishes D2D as a startup model. All you need to get started is a lead tracking system, a product or service, a team, and a pitch.
3. Human interaction is trending.
Today people are disillusioned with digital marketing and AI trying to sell them things. If you don’t believe me, just think how frustrating it is when you have to speak to a customer representative for help and it takes 30 minutes to ring the phone before you hear a human voice.
Contrary to the Hollywood myth about knocking on the door, the brand of a good knocking company will be about trust and human decency. Legitimately knocking on the door means treating a customer like a human being, taking a look at how they live their lives, and patiently answering any questions they may have. Do this and you will find success. Why? Because human kindness is trending.
4. D2D companies support career growth.
Take the money you saved from the minimal overhead you pay and reinvest that income into your team leadership courses, personal training sessions, business literature, and retreats. D2D companies are extremely conducive to vertical growth. There’s no shortage of doors to knock on, so you can build a leadership position in as little as two months if you focus on the career goals of your top producers. Within two years, you should be able to organically create a management chain that allows you to gradually reduce the knock on the door to full-time management.
5. Your team will only be great.
D2D selling isn’t for everyone, and thank goodness for that. It requires stamina, maturity and a willingness to learn. When you’re recruiting, you’ll find that many people drop out because it seems too difficult. This is not a bad thing. Because every person who then stays with the company will be great and will stay with you for the long haul.
Speaking from personal experience, Shared Solar Advisors USA currently has 50 sellers and I respect them all. The people who have continued to work with me are the same people who want to grow as people, just like me. They are astute, hardworking and killers in business. If you don’t believe me, wait a minute: we’ll probably knock on your door soon enough.
gotechbusiness.com Business Council is the leading growth and networking organization for entrepreneurs and leaders. Am I eligible?
