Sales tricks

Super interesting article about the profession of door to door selling in the New Yorker that may have applicability in other areas of sales. Some of the points that I found interesting:

• The best door to door salesmen can earn $1M+ a year
• The Salt Lake city area has become the “Silicon Valley” of direct sales (and multi-level marketing)
• It matters what you sell: Guys that sell three solar deals a day can make $20k in a day
• Less than 10% of the door to door sales people are women; however, direct sales (in which people sell to their friends etc.) is 75% female
• There’s apparently a system “BOLT” that categorizes people (the people being sold to) into bulls, owls, lambs and tigers. Owls are usually “Jews or Asian dudes”. Tigers usually leave their garage doors open so that everyone can admire their red BMW.
• “On the door you’re are pest, in the home you’re a guest”
• Alfred Fuller, the founder of the Fuller Brush company, wore shoes a size too large so that he could slip them off and be inside before housewives could protest!

You get the idea. Definitely worth a read.