When I was a child, businesses relied much more heavily on salespeople who trudged up and down each block, knocking on every door.
Life was different then. There was no Internet allowing people at home to make purchases effortlessly. Plus, in those days, chances were good someone was home during the workday.
Nowadays, too often nobody is home, because everyone in the household has to be out working to pay for all their purchases. The easier it is to purchase, the more we purchase, whether it’s needed or not.
Until the mid-1970s my mother was a housewife. I had a front-row seat as a wee lad watching salesmen come around.
I liked the Fuller Brush man. He let us touch samples of the company’s brushes. Some were extremely soft, some hard, because people’s needs differ. Some plastic brushes existed, but most had wooden handles. I still have a few of those brushes, 50 years later. They work and feel fine. I believe those brushes were better than any store-bought brushes.
Door-to-door sales folks came around pushing vacuum cleaners. My mother bought one. But first the salesman plugged it in and let her give it a test-run.
Then along came a World Book encyclopedia salesman. We bought a set. Those books were crafted wonderfully. First-class binding, which is why they have lasted. They helped me greatly with my homework. I still have the full set and refer to those books at least weekly. This salesman did not lug around the full 20-volume set. Probably he had just the first book or two with him. Customers could peruse the sample volumes before deciding to buy.
But starting in the mid-1970s, things changed. If salespeople continued to knock, we were no longer home to answer. The last one I recall was a cable television salesman, trying to sell a subscription. Cable TV was so new we hadn’t heard of it. My mother, as usual, signed us up. She always let others sway her.
That was the first time I recall folks selling services, instead of tangible products, door-to-door.
Nowadays, nearly every door-to-door salesman is offering a service, not a product they keep in their car.
Such as the salesman from an Internet provider who last year knocked on my sister-in-law’s door. She and her husband politely let him in and heard his spiel. My relatives thought the man would leave his card and let them think about it. But that’s not the way many salespeople work. Too many are trained to gain entry and then remain inside.
He applied pressure (though not force) to get them to sign up for a month of “free” Internet service. The salesman convinced them to sign a disclosure – which they signed, without reading, just to get rid of the pest.
But that night, they thought about the stress of changing passwords and notifying businesses with whom they do online transactions. So the next day my sister-in-law phoned to say they wanted out of the deal.
No dice. The salesman said the company would call in three weeks to set up the installation for the “free” month of service, at which time they could refuse the offer. Eventually the device arrived, and the onus was on my kinfolk to return it.
Folks, this salesman was like many others I’ve met over the years – once he had your ear, he wouldn’t let it go.
Advice: If a salesperson knocks on your door offering to sell a product, and has samples, and you are interested in the product, then feel free to invite the person in and look. Otherwise, don’t let them in.
Don’t let the sudden appearance at your door of products or services tempt you; remember, you’ve gotten along until now without whatever they’re selling.
Don’t feel pressured to do anything right away. Ask for their card. Say you’ll sleep on it and get back to them. And if you so desire, phone up later to make the buy.
But a consumer making a fast decision is looking for trouble.
Advice: If a salesperson is selling a service – as opposed to a product – do not let him or her in. Say you are not interested. Or, if you are interested, ask for a card and say you will research the service before deciding. But do not let them in.
It is far easier not to invite a salesperson in than to get one who is already inside to leave.
Letting them in will cost you, in the long run.
Do not be swayed by promises of “free” or “introductory low rate.” Whenever something arrives “free” or at a reduced rate, that means you are agreeing to purchase the product or service subsequently at full price.
Instead, ask: “When the free (or reduced) period expires, what will be my new cost?” Let that number guide your decision.
Services might not be exactly as the salesperson described. You might end up very disappointed.
In the old days, customers could handle the samples and thus knew what they were buying. They didn’t feel disappointed after the purchase was made.
But the world has changed.
Nowadays, nine times out of ten, the salesperson is offering a service you can’t see – or pushing a religion. They should be shooed away from your premises.
Unless it’s the Fuller Brush man.
Arthur Vidro is one of the Eagle Times’ recurring financial columnists.
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