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Everything old is new again – at least when it comes to marketing strategy. While you might think of door-to-door sales as a thing of the past, it’s actually a highly effective method for acquiring new customers in today’s modern climate. Many thriving corporations are seeing the benefits of adding door-to-door selling to their marketing mix, and here’s why:
Advertisements are easily tuned out.
Commercials are everywhere these days. From billboards and TV commercials, to social media and mobile advertising, we're flooded with so many advertising messages that it’s easy for all of it to blend together into one ocean of noise that easily fades into the background.
This is why door-to-door sales should be part of your marketing strategy. Unlike any other advertising medium, in-person sales reps create real connections with potential customers. They communicate from one human to another, customizing their sales pitch and even their body language and tone in a way that even the most sophisticated digital advertising and artificial intelligence can’t. Well-trained salespeople are able make the potential buyer feel comfortable, attracting their interest and initiating a discussion, which is the first and most important step of acquiring new customers.
The competition is fierce.
With so many companies vying for consumers’ attention, it’s extraordinarily difficult to stand out. Even the most creative billboards and eye-catching social media strategies are bound to get lost in the mix.
Door-to-door marketing is a secret weapon for any company looking to carve out space in a crowded market. Not only is it a less common approach to customer acquisition, but it is highly effective at reaching people who have been unresponsive to other forms of customer outreach. Actively engaging face-to-face provides the opportunity to first, inform customers about products they might not have otherwise known about; and second, influence their decision-making process.
People buy from people.
As much as technology has changed over the years, human nature has not. There is no digital replacement for connecting face-to-face, human-to-human. A commercial can’t ask a business owner to describe the challenges facing his business. An internet ad can’t inquire about the needs of a growing family, make eye contact, or interpret facial expressions. But a skilled salesperson can.
Through door-to-door sales, companies are able to localize their marketing efforts and connect with customers on a personal level. By engaging one-on-one, salespeople are able to learn about the needs, wants, and concerns of their customers throughout the sales process. By building rapport, they are able to establish trust, which in turn translates not only to the consumer’s decision to buy – but to remain loyal to the respective brand.
It’s highly adaptable.
The launch of a new product or service is expensive and time-consuming through most marketing channels. Whether you’re paying for market research, air time, graphic design, public relations, or anything in between, the expenses add up quickly.
This is another key differentiator of door-to-door marketing. Not only is it more cost-effective, but it’s dramatically faster to implement changes and market new products. When you already have an outside sales team in place, launching a new product is as simple as educating the salespeople about your new offering. The right door-to-door sales team should be able to start selling immediately and at no added cost to your company.
Success is 100% measurable.
The tricky part about most forms of marketing is that the success or failure of a campaign is often a gray area. While a given ad might enhance brand recognition or contribute to the buzz about a new product, results are difficult to quantify.
Unlike advertising campaigns, there is no doubt as to whether a door-to-door sales strategy has been successful. The number of new customers acquired is crystal clear, allowing companies to track progress, calculate ROI, and make changes accordingly.
There is a reason one of the oldest professions, face-to-face sales has seen a resurgence over the past decade: it works! No matter how advanced digital marketing becomes, people will always prefer to buy from people. It’s human nature. While the smartest sales strategy is diversify your sale and marketing tactics, including a door-to-door element to your marketing mix remains a highly effective way to increase revenue and drive consistent sales results.
Defining a business and sales strategy comes with an important choice: to withhold information or to be 100% forthright with the truth. And sure, there are plenty of dishonest salespeople out there, but here's the best sales tip you'll ever get: don't be one of them! The most successful and salespeople are those who consistently choose truth over deception. Rather than embellishing during a sales meeting, they prefer to under-promise and over-deliver. Instead of leaving out inconvenient facts, they proactively share any and all relevant details with their customers. Top sales professionals know that honesty in sales is possibly the most effective strategy for long-term success.
The good news for salespeople is that honesty isn’t just the best policy, morally speaking. Truthful communication is also a lucrative sales strategy that will serve you well in your career.
Never underestimate a customer’s ability to sense that something’s not quite right. Sales prospects can detect when you’re embellishing important details about a product or service, glazing over the facts, or telling them what they want to hear. As a result, they are less likely to buy. While an unscrupulous sales strategy might work for you every now and then, in the long run, you’ll lose more sales than you close because people don’t trust you. Focus instead on creating a sales strategy that respects the customer's intelligence. You're likely to generate more successful sales in the short term and build stronger long-term relationships with customers.
Every salesperson knows that it’s easier to deal with an excited customer than a skeptical one. While it might seem simpler to answer questions with short answers or withhold certain information, it’s quite the opposite. Being selective with the truth only invites more questions -- and not the good kind. It’s actually much more efficient, and more likely to increase sales, if you take the time to thoroughly and openly address all of your customer’s concerns to ensure that they feel confident about the decision to buy.
There’s a decent chance that your target customer has already been pitched in the past by another sales rep. In many of those cases, their decision against buying was due to a lack of trust -- not a lack of interest. By being completely straightforward and authentic, you’ll ending up signing up customers who had previously said no, bringing you closer to achieving your sales goals.
Nothing leads to an order cancellation faster than a negative surprise. Thankfully, the secret to a high quality, sticky sale is simple: ensure that your customer has realistic expectations. The strongest salespeople go out of their way to communicate relevant information, ensuring that buyers are fully prepared and informed.
No one wants to talk to a sales robot. Consumers are much more likely to buy from someone they can connect with -- someone who seems genuine and trustworthy. Simply being yourself and leading with honesty, makes it easier to build rapport. And as all strong salespeople know, building a relationship is often the difference between a yes or a no.
We all know that satisfied customers become loyal customers, but did you know that simply being honest also generates leads? After a positive experience, customers are not only more likely to buy from you again in the future, but satisfied existing customers will also send you referrals of their friends, families, and neighbors.
As soon as you realize that you don’t have to rely on white lies, exaggerations, and “tricks of the trade” in order to make a sale, you’ll become a more confident salesperson. Not only will you sleep better at night knowing that you conducted business with integrity, but this boost to your self-esteem will make you a stronger salesperson and a great sales team leader.
Never be afraid that you'll scare off a potential buyer with the truth. Remember: the mark of a strong salesperson is both quantity and quality of sales. Focus on being 100% honest, transparent, and authentic. Not only is this the right thing to do, but this simple sales strategy it can put you on the fast track to achieving your career goals.