I live in Dallas, Texas and if you go around the neighborhoods here knocking on doors, you risk getting a gun pulled on you. It’s 2018 and no one likes uninvited visitors knocking on their doors. Matter of fact, in most of the areas around here, door to door (D2D) is illegal unless you have a permit from the city, which is a bitch to acquire.
I’m not gonna lie, though, when I started off doing mortgages, I would drive around in the evening knocking on doors of homes for sale, talking to the homeowners about getting a mortgage from me. That was in 2003, over 15 years ago. Even back then, I had to knock a lot of doors to get an application. The Internet was brand new and social media wasn’t even in the MySpace phase yet.
Nowadays, if you knock on doors, the prospect knows you’re desperate, new and don’t have any leads.
I’ve never once in my life bought anything other than Girl Scout cookies from anyone who’s knocked on my door. I’m not saying D2D doesn’t work, I’m saying it’s inefficient AF. Even in 2003 when I knocked doors, it was because I had no leads or prospects.
There’s an easier way that D2D salespeople seem to simply ignore out of sheer hard-headedness. Old habits die hard. We live in the modern age of Internet leads, online prospecting and social media. It makes ZERO sense to walk around random neighborhoods knocking on doors of strangers.
I already know what some of you reading this think: But I sell roofs. I sell alarms. I sell X. You can sell all that faster, better and more efficiently using the online methods I’m about to share with you. D2D is dying off and online prospecting is going harder than ever before. It’s just a matter of changing how you look at things.
Let’s say you sell roofing. The typical roofing salesman goes door to door after a hailstorm offering free roof inspections. In places like Texas, this is nothing new; we see it all the time. Thing is, D2D folks have to wait until the storm is over and hit the hood the next day. What I teach my roofers to do is run a geo-targeted ad on Facebook and Google offering the same free inspection and discount on repairs if needed. The ad goes up in 10 mins during the storm. Guess what? When the electricity goes out in a storm, people get on their phones on social media to kill time.
Let’s say you sell alarms D2D. Instead of knocking on doors, I’d use Facebook groups to connect with realtors and loan officers. After all, they are the ones who sell houses and have access to the most recent buyers in the area. I’d work out a referral program with those agents and have them send me every deal they close, so I can keep their clients safe.
Old-school thinking is way too common these days.
Innovation always wins. Efficient innovation wins even more. While old-school sales tactics have people walking D2D; digital prospecting is knocking hundreds of doors per second. You tell me which one is most likely to get more deals closed.
I know what you’re thinking, though. You say things like “But I’m a closer face-to-face,” and you might be but if you are a one-dimensional salesman, you will be left behind soon by those of us who can close face-to-face, on the phone, over text, and through video and ads. If you’re only good face-to-face, you need to expand your sales skills.
If you’re looking for new, better ways to close sales, like the ones I mentioned above, you should become a part of our Entourage. Every week I teach innovative ways to entice prospects to reach out to YOU and how to close them. Join us at www.breakfreeacademy.com/entourage and let me show you an easier way.
