It was a sunny day in Marietta Georgia, and my 10 year-old self heard the doorbell ring. This was of course before doorbells ringing stirred up fear and anxiety. I rushed along the hallway as my mom got the key from by the stairs and we went to see who it was. As the door swung open I could immediately sense my mom’s attitude changing when she realized it was a salesman. I, on the other hand, was intrigued and ready to hear the pitch. Lucky for me I was a willing listener and already intrigued by a seemingly simple cleaning product. Why? The power of the pitch.
As the door opened, the salesman was already using the product on our front steps to remove the moldy stains from many years of neglect. By the time he greeted us he had already proven the product worked incredibly well. What a great way to start the pitch. Instead of the usual build up to the product demonstration, he had started with the demonstration and worked backwards. This salesman was so confident in his product and its ability to perform, that he barely had to pitch in a conventional manner at all. This is the earliest memory I have of watching sales in action, and it was mesmerizing to see how easily he sold his product to us. Only years later would I have the vocabulary and sales knowledge to fully appreciate what he had done so well, but it has made it all the more impressive. I think a good goal for salespeople is to make their pitches memorable, as this man did. Sale or not, it will leave a good impression on the customers.
Never underestimate the power of your pitch, and never be afraid to switch it up because sometimes the conventional approach and order isn’t the key to making an incredible sale.
testacr22
Going door to door as a salesman, especially today, to demonstrate a product is incredibly risky. I totally resonated with the mention of your mom’s attitude changing when she realized it was a salesman at the door, as I would have done the exact same thing.