It is billed to “spark your creative ideas,” really get those creative juices flowing. The main point to this post is to provide a few ideas on how to cut down on visits from door-to-door salespeople. This blog is “Article Ask: Brining You Informative Articles to Satisfy Your Needs.” Hmm… should be some useful advice here. Let’s take a look….
First piece of advice: “you must use a protective barrier among your own door plus the street.” What does that even mean? Well, obviously, you should put up a fence to keep people out. But make sure it locks to keep “solicitors at bay.”
But wait… while a fence is a good solution, not everyone has a yard to accommodate a fence. In that case, you should consider a gate at the porch or near the door. I’m not kidding… this’s what it says. Because after all, it will make it hard for the solicitor and they will give up. Sounds like it will make it hard to enter and leave the premises for the homeowner.
“Even though a fence or locked gate are fantastic, you can’t overlook a dog either. A barking dog could be very effective, as trespassers merely can’t look over a dog that is barking.” It further goes on to talk about the importance of the disposition and character of the dog. Really.
But… as good as a “violent nature” dog is, how about installing a home surveillance system? That sounds cost effective.
Does any home owner have so many people knocking on their door that it would be worth this much trouble? I could not make this stuff up! Wish I could though! You know, it did get my creative juices flowing. Thanks!
I work closely with our local Better Business Bureau (BBB) for a number of reasons. Southwestern Company, being a direct selling company (specifically the door-to-door model), we need to make sure we have clear communication with our sales force of college students and their customers if there is ever a complaint. Being a third-party to the sale, I have to ensure I can mediate between two parties while ultimately doing the right thing. I also ensure our company is being the best corporate citizen it can be.
One of the primary mission’s of this blog is to push forward consumer-friendly information to help various audiences understand the difference between legitimate and unscrupulous door-to-door organizations. I came across two releases by BBB’s warning consumers about some of those that fall on the unscrupulous side. After seeing this, you will know why I work hard to educate consumers.
The first is from a BBB serving the tri-state area of Southern Indiana, Southeastern Illinois and two counties in Kentucky. Entitled “Door-to-door magazine group targets tri-state consumers,” it warns about a traveling sales crew operating under the name Top Sales. The Top Sales crews has been using what, unfortunately is becoming an all-to-common sales pitch – the subscription go to soldiers overseas. Many complaints allege the magazines are never delivered to the soldiers after payment is received. The Alabama company enjoys an “F” rating because of the number of complaints, unresolved complaints and delay in responding. I can not say if this company is legitimate or not, but I know this has been a common scam in the door-to-door magazine-selling world (see below).
As of November 20, the BBB has received over 1,000 complaints about door-to-door magazine crews this year. The following video is from the BBB. It details how some consumers do not get the subscriptions they order and are subject to high pressure sales. Common pitches being used (nothing new to this blog) are they are:
raising money for charity
getting their life back on track
sending the subscriptions to troops in Iraq
are a local kid fundraising
They say to always check with the BBB at www.bbb.org if you have any questions. There is the Federal 3-day cooling off period for consumers and recourses to try and obtain a refund or lodge a complaint include the BBB, local law enforcement and the state’s Attorney General. Below is a video from the BBB with this information.
Some people consider door-to-door sales to be ”weird.” Maybe. But it’s still the best way to get in front of a potential buyer. Perhaps in today’s world, it‘s not necessarily the first option when it comes to reaching the masses. Nonetheless, it is the great-grandfather of all sales and has been a part of both historic relevancy and pop culture in its time. Southwestern Company is proud to not only be part of that legacy, but to still be making history via door-to-door.
College students who sell an educational system door-to-door to families during their summer breaks are not all that weird (I mean, we have been doing it since 1868…). Since some people tend to think it IS weird to still sell door-to-door today, I thought I would start a regular installment of “Door-to-door News of the Weird.”
Let’s begin with the traveling magazine sales crew guy who was knocking on doors in Arcata, CA. Once in the home, this guy says he sells the magazines in exchange for payment in marijuana and methamphetamines. He even showed samples of the drugs (at least he had a prepared “demo” complete with a sample). He said he would be in the neighborhood, “making rounds.” I don’t know if he was arrested, but it does say he was told by police he needed a business license. Click here for more
I saw on a blog how there is someone who goes door-to-door to sell fruit. His approach is interesting, as he knocks on the door and is holding a knife, slicing the fruit. The blogger says she is uncomfortable, but does admit to being a past customer. I guess if the locals are ok with someone knocking on the door with a knife… Click here for more
In Bakersfield, CA, two teenagers were going door-to-door collecting election ballots. When questioned by the homeowner, they would not disclose who their “boss” was that had asked them to pick up the ballots. This odd behavior is not typical for most teenagers I know. She did give them the ballot though… Click here for more
In Hong Kong, if you have unwanted hair, women carrying buckets of hot wax find you. That’s right. Women will knock door-to-door to offer their services of hair removal. For $5, they’re in and out quicker than Steve Carell and yell “Kelly Clarkson!” Click here for more
Some cities across the US put a ban on teenagers going door-to-door on Halloween. As an example, Mayor Eckert of Belleville, IL led a charge to ban teenagers from trick-or-treating:
“His reasoning? He said he heard from too many single mothers and senior citizens complaining they were frightened by ‘six-foot-tall kids’ showing up at their homes in search of candy.
“When I was a kid my father said to me, ‘You’re too damn big to be going trick-or-treating. You’re done,” Eckert said. “When that doesn’t happen, then that’s reason for the city governments to intervene.”Click here for more
Wow… did he really just say that city government needs to intervene because parents allow their teenagers to trick-or-treat?
The types of weird behavior associated with the above examples is definitely not the norm in door-to-door sales. I know because I assist thousands of college students each summer in running their own business utilizing the direct selling door-to-door business model. One of the reasons Southwestern Company and other DSA members have a Code of Ethics, training and standards is to prevent door-to-door weirdos!
I ran a cross a version of an article I had seen last year on a sales website by Eric Chester. It caught my attention for two reasons – 1) it was by Eric Chester and 2) it cited Southwestern Company as a prime example as a successful company when it comes to recruiting, training and managing Generation Y.
Eric Chester is a recognized expert, author and speaker on the topic of Gen Y. Not only has he addressed Southwestern Company student managers, his son Zac joined the ranks of running his own business selling Southwestern Company products as well.
Chester makes the point that Southwestern Company shares similarities with the Army when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent. He states four reasons for this:
Honesty
Challenge
Guidance
Delayed gratification
Eric Chester's book about working with Gen Y
These four items are things that create buy-in for the Millennial Generation. What many companies do not understand is today’s youth entering the workforce are wanting to be recruited for different reasons than their predecessors. They want to be leveled with, are attracted to discipline and seek to overcome adversity. They seek opportunities to learn and to add to their bank of experiential education.
Done the right way, direct selling companies can apply this knowledge and be very successful with finding ways to appease the desires of this generation. It’s the bad apples of the bunch that make the recruiting waters murky by recruiting through empty promises, vagueness and dishonesty. It’s a shadowy shroud that often blankets the good part of an industry. The good thing about that? Gen Yers are often smarter than that!
Working for a direct selling company, and having the role of telling people about our company… I regularly get asked if Southwestern Company is a pyramid scheme.
I shrug it off and explain what a pyramid scheme is and then have to explain what direct selling is. Once this is complete and there is still a bewildered look of confusion, I break it down even further. This conversation more often than not takes place with more mature (in age) people such as parents of the young people who sell our products or outside audiences who are just curious as to what I do.
When I think about it, young people are less apt to ask questions and more quick to jump to action. I guess that is why an article in The Tempest, at Solano Community College caught my eye. It was about the dangers of college students unwittingly getting involved in pyramid schemes without knowing the risks or even the details. The title was “Pyramid schemes raise false hopes; students getting caught” by Gretchen Small.
Ms. Small does a great job spelling out what a pyramid scheme basically is: “a fraudulent way of making money based on recruiting.” If you recruit multiple people, then they recruit people and so on, the initiation or recruitment fees go to their “up line” making the person at the top of the pyramid money. By contrast, legitimate direct selling is based on the actual presence and selling of products or services.
The article brings to light the fact that many college students are not properly educated about what they are getting into. Rather, they are lured by the promise of big money and big lifestyles with little work.
Very few people experience success without having had to work hard to earn their desired results. In the information sessions Southwestern Company holds, students, and later their parents, are told what it will take for them to be successful. And, yeah, it’s hard.
In summary, the article has some good suggestions, but basically boils it down to:
Do your research
Is there a product to sell? Is there a demand for it?
Look for high start-up costs
Watch for claims of making lots of money in a short amount of time
It’s a shame there are so many things out there that force college students to have to grow up so fast. It’s a shame they, like seniors citizens, are a specific target for these types of groups. Sometimes life lessons come at a cost. It’s too bad it may be a recruitment fee.
Southwestern Difference was established in late 2008 for the purpose of educating consumers about direct selling and has a three-fold mission:
1) to differentiate between legitimate direct sellers and disreputable ones 2) to educate various audiences about door-to-door safety 3) to educate homeowners and consumers about the dangers of traveling sales crews
The awards were judged by other IABC Chapters in several parts of the country. The IABC judges commented that the blog’s greatest strengths were: “The creativity, transparency and honesty of the blog’s articles. They reflect the “family” theme of the company. It is well developed, and used SEO to produce results.”
The awards luncheon took place at Cabana Restaurant in Nashville and was hosted by WTVF NewsChannel 5 anchor Rhori Johnston. I was happy to attend to pick up the hardware and join the other winners.
Southwestern Company enjoys more that 150-years of history to draw on when it comes to “doing the right thing.” Whether it is ethics in door-to-door sales or teaching the youth around the world life skills to help them achieve their goals, Southwestern Company has long been a leader in the direct selling industry and through public and consumer education. This was proven once again by the vote of confidence in the excellence of our output per IABC. I am excited our hard work has not gone unnoticed!
While the scenario of the person asking it was from a much different perspective – vague newspaper ads with little-to-no information using common buzz phrases such as “marketing,” “no experience required,” and “rapid advancement,” it brings up a good question. (Note: this is the typical way traveling magazine sales crews recruit).
Some version of this question is typically asked by student prospects when they attend Southwestern Company’s information session on college campuses all over the world.
Well, what’s the answer? Just like anything else, the answer varies depending on who you ask. First, let’s take a look at some of the comments:
“According to Robert Kiyosaki, it will if you have a plan.” “No. the door-to-door jobs are usually a dead end.” “… you get a very good experience with people skills in door-to-door but after that it depends on how you grow.” “Unfortunately, corporate jobs are 90% who you know and 10% what you know, so you do have your work cut out for you.” “Yes, but you need to transition from selling vacuums to products that businesses buy …”
As I thought, it’s a mixed bag.
Here’s what I know:
It’s a fact employers like to see some type of “experiential education” on a young person’s resume. This fits that bill.
Door-to-door sales is a means to an end. It may or may not be a career for many, but it is a stepping stone for something.
The byproducts of selling door-to-door can shape who you are and who will one day be. Think of all the ways this can happen: ethics, communication, business management, leadership, work ethic, goal-setting, schedule, etc.
Door-to-door sales can build confidence, which in turn, builds character.
Door-to-door sales is not for everyone. However, for those who attempt it, they learn more about themselves that they thought they ever would.
How do I know this? Well, I see it everyday. Not only is Southwestern Company one of the largest private companies in Middle Tennessee – all because the door-to-door experience has translated into careers for hundreds of college students in our own corporation - but also because we have successfully started companies with them as well. All over the world, there are tens of thousands of alumni who make a difference everyday because of the skills they learned while selling door-to-door.
My conclusion? Yes, door-to-door sales, administered the right way, can lead to unlimited potential (and white collar jobs).
The summer of 2010 has been no different than any other recent past summers when it comes to traveling sales crews. While the summer is not quite over, the risk that is traveling sales crews is ongoing – a risk that is actually year-round.
The Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland put out a warning in late July warning consumers about deceptive magazine sales crews going door-to-door. Over the past year, the BBB has received over 600 complaints about the crews ranging from the magazines never arriving to price gouging. Some sales were reported to be high-pressure in nature and misleading.
The BBB provides the following recourses if you have fallen victim to a door-to-door magazine scam:
File a complaint with your state’s Attorney General
Something I have personally found helpful is looking at the rating the BBB gives companies. This is a quick and easy way to tell what kind of company you are dealing with. They have a formulaic system that assigns a letter grade to each company. I also look to see if they are an Accredited Member of the BBB which means the BBB continually monitors the business for compliance to set standards.
You know, being that Southwestern Company produces educational products for college students to sell to families door-to-door, and having slung the sample case myself, I found this absolutely hilarious…
It reads: “Today at 8 p.m., just as I had gotten my 5 year-old daughter down for the night, I heard a persistent, loud rapping at my door. He was nicely dressed in a well-pressed black cloak, holding a scythe, looked to be about 100 to 200 years of age, a little thin perhaps. He was going on about ‘an hourglass’ and ‘time is up’, but I told him politely but firmly that ‘I’m not interested’. He then showed me a list of neighbors’ names and asked me which ones might have incurable diseases or might be in the throes of a deep depression. At this point, I demanded to know who he was representing, to show me proof, and he muttered, ‘GE’. I shut the door quickly and called 9-1-1. As he left my front porch, all of the flowers and bushes curled up and burnt to a crisp. Anybody know about this guy?” – Jeffrey, Stevenson Road
Anyone who has worked door-to-door or ever answered the door to a salesperson knows there is an awkward moment just prior to the approach and introduction. As mentioned before on this blog – it is always better to be cautious, rather than suspicious. Alas, that is just how human nature is. Who can blame everyone for being a little suspicious with the ever-present media proliferation of all that is bad in the world? The positive door-to-door experiences do not raise red flags, so they seldom make the 6 o’clock news.
Anyway, getting back to the image of the Grim Reaper going door-to-door for prospects is funny. I think – while unintentional - this blog post mocks the fears of door-to-door sales and the unknown. It also internalizes how we have become reliant on social media and plays up the fears of social interaction rather than social media interaction. In Southwestern Company’s case, at least, it’s a college student, not the Reaper. Take a chance… and you may meet someone with an interesting background and an even more interesting summer work choice.
This post may seem a little dry, so I have added a couple of pieces of word art to spice it up. But, hey… the content is very important.
I think it’s a good thing to have checks and balances in any public, business-type situation to regulate corporate ethics. It’s especially helpful to consumers when businesses follow an accepted code of how to operate in regard to specific situations that require going above and beyond in the realm of integrity and having a value system.
As a long-time member of the Direct Selling Association (DSA), the trade association based in Washington, DC made up of direct selling companies, Southwestern Company is all too familiar with the processes of maintaining membership. It’s something we do each year!
For new members, there is a review process of at least one year in which the company has “pending membership” prior to being an active member. Up until recently, the review process began at the time of application. It has now been changed to start only AFTER a company has reached full-compliance with the DSA Code of Ethics. A second review is conducted at the end of the year prior to acceptance as a member.
As a current member company, I think this is amonumental change that reflects the ever-increasing value placed in the ethical commitment the DSA requires of its member companies. I, for one, personally being involved in the review process for Southwestern Company, appreciate the DSA for doing everything they can to ensure the direct selling industry is serving the public’s best interest. After all, just like you, I am part of that public.
