Door to door salesmen, how do you see us?

Lovely Bloke

The ones who's opening line is a "hilarious" quip. I hate them the most.

Interrupting my evening time with my son and wife if totally unwelcome.

apart from one time, a northern irish guy called to the door of a friday evening, just as I was sitting down to me burger and chips.

He was selling lemonade, and offering a service akin to the milkman, only he delivers lemonade of various and delcious flavours.

Now he comes every Friday with a bottle or two of lemonade, and collects the empties. Some weeks we don't buy, and even those weeks he's happy.

But apart from him, the rest of them are unwelcome.

bur

I shout "GO AWAY" without moving an inch.

Son Of A Vidic

quainy wrote: »

Door to door salesmen, how do you see us?

Usually screaming in terror and trying to get off my property, as my German Shepherd pack finish them off.

Magico Gonzalez

As I understand the model, it is either : the charity pays your company for a certain amount of "signups" you then go out and get those. Your company makes a profit but the charity benefits based on your still offering a lower cost per signup than the associated marketing costs (basically you are cheaper than tv/radio/magazine campaigns) to attract the signup by a different manner.

OR

You are on a direct commission model.

Either way, both are open to abuse. Pressuring people into signing up, the old, the mentally weak etc. I did this on the streets for a month or so in my youth. In the end the people who believe in these causes sign up via other mediums. The people you "catch" on the streets or doorsteps are caught via guilt trip, pressure or genuinely do it to get rid of you.

I have numerous times heard people lie "yeah, there is no commission, no one makes money" (the fundraising company does!) or "no, yeah, I do work for Save the Children" (nah, you don't).

It's a fairly grimey business and I think the charities have some blame for this. They should streamline their costs (HQs in Dublin, London) , be very strict on how they use their capital and allocate some of that resource to either full time fund raisers or for use social media for micro funding campaigns, there are other models which don't involve using profit for 3rd parties to obtain funds for the charity dubiously.

I'd also say that you aren't a door to door saleman. You are not selling a product.

chrissb8

Your job is in no way noble. Annoying people at their homes is an invasion of privacy. I don't care how nice of a person they can be as well. If you are at my door unannounced trying to get money out of me and keeping me at the door by basically appealing to my manners by talking with no gaps so I won't close the door on your face you are sadly mistaken. I will flatly and coldly say No thanks and close the door on your face. I am the one who should take it personally not you Mr.Door to door getting in my face, guilt tripping, time wasting, money grabbing ejjit. Get real.

The job is becoming obsolete and soon when all the people the door to door people have left to go to know how to work a computer or just send money via text then no one is going to care for what you have. Ever. Also people don't enjoy the face to face. Not when they didn't want it. If they want face to face contact with someone about something they'll seek it out not vice versa.

miezekatze

I find them annoying and usually pretend I'm not home. I answered the door to them a few times in the past and found them very pushy, demanding to know my reasons for not wanting to sign up for anything on my doorstep, trying to make me feel bad for not supporting their charity, etc. I have never signed a contract on my doorstep and I'm not going to in the future either.

Oh, and one time a representative of one of the gas companies asked to speak to my "husband" when I answered the door! That was the end of that conversation.

eviltimeban

If you think you are a good salesman, get a job working in business / field sales. You'll get a company car so you won't have to walk around in the rain, and you'll get a much better response cold calling businesses than people's houses.

You'll also have a chance of actually making some commission on a regular basis.

dudara

I don't answer the door at home, unless someone has phoned me in advance to let me know, or I'm expecting something. It's as simple as that.

On the street, it's always a polite small smile, a shake of the head and "no thanks". I have my chosen charities (selected for personal reasons) and I will donate ad-hoc occasionally.

I do think charities have to be more commercial and actively pursue donations. Waiting passively for people to donate will not work. But there's a way and a means to do this without annoying people. And D2D sales is not that way.

bjork

I keep a copy of The Watchtower by my door for this very purpose, in case I'm caught off guard.

niamh.foley

Bugs the crap out of me.. sitting down enjoying your fav TV show and all you can see is a head looking in at you

SO When i hear the gate opening, i quickly turn off the tv and hide so if they looked though the windows they think no one is at home or if i see them up the road doing door to door i would normally go up stairs and hide..

Again you shouldnt have to hide in your own home over some idoits selling sh&t that if i want in the first place i would buy it..

Turtyturd

See them as a nuisance.

Depending on my mood, I either don't answer the door, close it when they are a couple of words into their pitch, or berate them for banging down the door while I am in the middle of eating my dinner or trying to get the kids to bed.

Although I react the same way when the residents committee come around.

Lau2976

I always answer the door to them even though I hate it after a neighbour who is known to break in to peoples houses, he openly talks about it!, said that he used to check if people were in by pretending to sell stuff.

TheDoc

Actually have zero problem with door to door sales men or woman.

Typically I don't do my business at the door, but appreciate you are trying to make a living. Typically I'm polite and just nip any prospective conversation in the bud and the person usually appreciates it, thanks me for my time and moves on.

I've never actually come across the "demon door sales" that people go on about.

somesoldiers

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

The ones who's opening line is a "hilarious" quip. I hate them the most.

Interrupting my evening time with my son and wife if totally unwelcome.

apart from one time, a northern irish guy called to the door of a friday evening, just as I was sitting down to me burger and chips.

He was selling lemonade, and offering a service akin to the milkman, only he delivers lemonade of various and delcious flavours.

Now he comes every Friday with a bottle or two of lemonade, and collects the empties. Some weeks we don't buy, and even those weeks he's happy.

But apart from him, the rest of them are unwelcome.

wow- we used to have a guy like that down home....The Mineral Man we called him, used to give the kids a few free bottles if they helped him. Cream Soda was the nicest

Where is this still going on?

weldoninhio

somesoldiers wrote: »

wow- we used to have a guy like that down home....The Mineral Man we called him, used to give the kids a few free bottles if they helped him. Cream Soda was the nicest

Where is this still going on?

Still goes on in North Co Dublin. Paddy the minerals man has been coming since I was a kid. I'm 32 now.

Re d2d sales, I don't open the door unless someone has rang or I've ordered something. And even then I'll look out the window or spy hole to make sure it's who I'm expecting.

BeerWolf

Dying...

rubadub

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

At the end of the day these people are just doing a job, like the rest of us, and there is absolutely no call for aggression and rudeness when they call.

It's really not that hard to politely tell them you're not interested etc. Calling it intimidating and intrusive is over the top tbh.

Many think they are doing a job which should be illegal. The rudeness and aggression is often in the hope it will discourage them from accepting what they consider to be an obnoxious and anti-social job. If a friend asks they how the job is going the last thing many would want is for them to say its OK, which might encourage others to take up jobs like this.

I said before if some billionaire asshole decided to emloy somebody to go around the streets scraping a blackboard and farting to annoy people then they could similarly say they are "just doing a job, like the rest of us" -but you are a complete and utter cunt to accept such a job.

Some "hated" jobs are necessary like traffic wardens, those people have my pity and I would not be rude to them.

I am surprised it is still legal, it is the perfect alibi/excuse for burglars checking out houses to be on your property.

I have no doorbell so they rarely bother me, I would advise anybody to get rid of their doorbell unless they think they need it for some reason. In this day & age there is really no need. I have had no bell for over 10 years now.

uck51js9zml2yt

Tell us were you will be next week so we can go on Facebook and organise a peaceful protest.



Or is that only done for water meter installations?

annascott

Provided that you are polite and not pushy, I see you as hard working people trying to do a job. Seeing you also makes me feel thankful that I have a comfortable office to work in.

Roosterreid

Cold calling should not be allowed..... if people wish to donate to charity, they will do so - no matter what is said, you are putting someone under pressure to sign-up to donate their hard earned money.

Robsweezie

SterlingArcher wrote:

You may say nervously, "I seem to have caught you at a bad time" , to which I say "no, that was 10 minutes before my shower". I see a lump form in your throat, you're confused and aroused. like a lesser stag acknowledging his place in mother nature, you back away .

SterlingArcher wrote:

I like to answer the door straight out the shower, still dripping. tell you not to be shy drink it down. just don't rot your pupils on all that sweet sweet eye candy.

I have the weirdest hard on right now :-o

Venus In Furs

annascott wrote: »

Provided that you are polite and not pushy, I see you as hard working people trying to do a job. Seeing you also makes me feel thankful that I have a comfortable office to work in.

Same here. How many people who are dead set against all door-to-door sales people (understandable to have a problem with the rude ones, that's a given) would be the same people to condemn those on the dole for not taking any work that's out there?

mikemac1

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

At the end of the day these people are just doing a job, like the rest of us, and there is absolutely no call for aggression and rudeness when they call.

The most abuse they get is from own bosses. The Hanley centre tend to employ young girls and I saw two getting bawled at by a lad that it was midday and they were behind targets.

I've no doubt they quit or got sacked by 5pm

I say bosses but their supervisor is probably a teenager in the job 3 weeks longer than them

L'prof

I try not to answer the door to be honest.

I did get caught on the hop on day though. I answered the door and listened to the first few lines before stating that I wasn't interested in buying anything. "Oh, but I'm not selling anything", so I gave this person another few minutes of my time and before I knew it I was filling in a form that I didn't really want to for some charity that while it sounded great, I'd never really heard of. Then it hit me. How much of this is actually going directly to that charity? You have to be paid, your bosses have to be paid and probably their bosses too? There can't be very much left after all that. In the end, I just gave the wrong details. Did I feel bad? A little.

I genuinely don't agree with being harassed into setting up regular payments to charity though and someone arriving at your door is far more intrusive than Chuggers on the street.

Once off payments, I do that all the time however.

Hurricane-Dean

quainy wrote: »

I want to know, how do you guys see us?

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Drakares

Treated the same as J Witnesses. No thanks. Don't care what you're selling. If I want something I'll go out and buy it myself.

flazio

elperello wrote: »

Electrified gates!

Fixed your post.

Carson10

Do not like the act of selling door-door, however the sales person is usually a very nice person, but Iam saying at the back of mind, please go away, and why would you want this job.

fryup

Carson10 wrote: »

Do not like the act of selling door-door, however the sales person is usually a very nice person, but Iam saying at the back of mind, please go away, and why would you want this job.

cause its the only thing on offer ?

I open the door and straight away I say no thanks and close the door & curse you in my head for wasting my time