Door to Door sales

[czar]

I've heard of AFLAC agents going door to door in office parks and doing well. I went door to door introducing my benefits company for short while but in the end I found the phone to be the better option.

I also heard a story of a life insurance agent once that would go door to door in office parks. The story goes he would walk right into the office, go to the secretary and tell her he needed to make a short announcement to the employees. Then he would walk into the main cubicle area, where I guess there were a bunch of people, and say "I've got the cheapest rates on term life insurance in the country if anyone's interested!" Supposedly, it worked. However, I did not see it first hand so maybe it's a life insurance salesman urban legend.

I heard another story about a guy who would go door to door in new neighborhoods using the old mortgage insurance pitch. Supposedly, he did well.

I sold newspaper subscriptions door to door for a couple of years in college. It was a lot of fun. We were all 20 years old or so and made a lot of money - and got into a lot of trouble, especially with the girls at Hooters where we met everyday before work! Those were the days...

Yeah, face to face cold calls is what I do most. I think some of the areas where it really doesn't work is in the city, where office buildings have higher security.



I don't mean to veer the thread too much, but is there any success with door-to-door doorknob hangers (with brochures and business card, etc)?

 

[twcbrandon]

Lots of good points made by people on here. If I'm correct it seems like selling insurance is just about the same as selling anything else. Which means if it worked with another product you were selling most likely it'll work with insurance, of course you'll probably have to change somethings.

It seems to me there are a few ways to start an insurance business

1. Have money before you get into it, so you can spend money on advertising (direct mail, internet, publications etc, radio, tv)

2. Have minimum or no money and sign up friends and family and work referrals, word of mouth etc. Which will probably take along time to build

3. Have minimum or no money and cold call, direct sale, seminars, group meetings, targeted groups etc

4. Have money and buy an agency.

5. Work for an agency instead of starting your own agency and get a salary and commission.

 

[cdpowell]

Door to door sales is extremely difficult with all the gatekeepers. I doubt I could do it. That being written, the best insurance salesperson I have ever seen sells door to door. He sells about 40 individual health insurance policies per month. It can be done.

 

[Omniins]

What are the best methods of marketing? I've heard people talk about cold calls, internet leads and this is the first I've heard about door to door. What other methods are effective?

 

[insuranceexec]

What are the best methods of marketing? I've heard people talk about cold calls, internet leads and this is the first I've heard about door to door. What other methods are effective?

Referralls, referralls, and some more referralls. By doing a good job; and always doing what you say you are going to do. You will find that people are more than happy to reccomend a close friend or a family member. I have found that this is the easiest and most effective for me.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

There's a lot going on with door to door psychologically. I ran a DtoD outfit for 4 years. One rep can hit one side of a street and get 6 sales. The rep working the other side can blank.

How does one rep work a week and make $3,000 and another rep spends 3 days in the same territory and not get a single deal.

Of course, when it doesn't work for you then it can't possible be you - it's the area, product, pricing, or it simply doesn't work.

Attitude is king. BtoB is great for agents without cash - however those same agents are normally beaten regarding their attitude. Not having money certainly isn't a lot of fun and there's pressure to make money. That can result in the wrong attitude.

 

[HomeService]

I think we have some newbies, coming full circle back to the "roots" of selling, and wondering how it was done back in the day. Which is good. I think there are two or three reasons for this:

1. the internet ain't all that it is cracked up to be, for leads.
2. do not call lists.
3. the high costs of driving around and chasing leads. no matter where they came from. then the person is not at home when the agent arrives. { if you cold call them, and they are home, you bypass this appointment timing deal}

Now, the problem I see, here, is that too many managers nowadays were not classicly trained in door knocking. It's few and far between, it's a lost art. Maybe more and more people get back into the classic art of selling, and it becomes more popular, in the near future. I see a trend, here. I am getting PM's of people asking me about door knocking. I should sell a book or a program on how to do it, but I swear it's not that hard. Getting the courage up to do it -is really the hardest part. You have to be confident, have a personality, and know what you want to say. That's about it. Then, you close the fact that you are coming back with info. It's rare that a sale happens right then and there- you are selling "you" and you are the one coming back with info. Much better to do- in person.

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

Heck, I don't even let the Jehovah's Witness or magazine solicitors in, much less an insurance salesman.

somarco, how do you expect to have the most up-to-date copy of "The Watchtower" with this sort of attitude?

 

[insuranceexec]

Door to door definitely works. Like it was said in a previous post "you just have to have the right attitude." and that is definitely the truth.

I have found, on the rare occasion that an appointment is not home, that just walking up the street and knocking on each and every door is the best approach. I have also found that the more inclement the weather, the more receptive the people are to listen to you.

I simply say something like this:


Hello Mr/Mrs. Jones my name is ________ and I work with________ here in __________. Almost always at this point I get invited into the home. At which I say " I am sorry that I just dropped by uninvited, but I promise next time you will know I am coming" I have had only a couple of people at this pint make a remark like " who says your coming back," but I would just laugh it off.

Within just a few minutes of telling them what you do, you should be able to pick up on their "hot button". After finding their hot button and having some meaningful conversation with them. I simply say "Again I do apologize for dropping over uninvited, I am going to back in your area on this day, would it be ok if I drop off some information on__________ and answer any question that you may have.

I do not always get a yes, but I have made a connection. If the answer is no I will tell them " I know your time is valuable and the last thing I want to do is to waste mine and your time, so the next time I am going to be over this way I will call you to make sure that you guys are going to be home. is that fair? This whole business is about relationship building, after a couple of visits like I just mentioned you will be in the hunt to offer them some good annuity rates or something else of value. I hope this helps; Happy Hunting and good luck..

 

[twcbrandon]

Door to door sales is something anyone can do, but not everyone can do it well.

Yes, many people don't like you knocking on their door, but there are enough people that don't mind you knocking on their door, so that it makes it worth while.

Sometimes it is an easy and very enjoyable job. You fish all day or golf all day, then you start knocking on doors about 5 or 6 and the first door you knock on you make a sale and you make over 200 bucks and you leave and go home. If you decide to keep working you can make even more money possibly.

Other days it might take you 4 hours to make one sell and you had to endure, the weather, dogs, police called on you, and people giving you dirty looks as they open and slam the door on you.

If you've never been trained in door to door or you don't have a "fire in the belly attitude" don't even attempt it.

It is a job for the person who is determined to achieve at any cost.