Yesterday, an office supplies salesperson from Quill darkened our doorstep at Outsource Marketing.
It wasn’t pretty, and I asked my colleague to recap her experience for you.
Here it is:
He walked into an office building that says “No Soliciting” posted on the door.
I walking out of Mary Kate’s office and Renee was following me. Clearly we were on our way somewhere, but he cornered me at the desk and would not let me pass.
He did not smile and had an aggressive approach.
His body language and his eyes were strange. He kept squinting them as one does when you’re trying to figure out if someone understands what you’re talking about. I felt talked down to.
He tried to confirm 4 or 5 times that I could make buying decisions in our office. After I agreed to talk with him about it, he persisted as if he doubted that he should be talking to me. That was annoying—if I’m willing to talk to you, then don’t treat me like I’m nothing unless you can get something from me.
Still, I gave him a couple of options to leave info with me: a card, some other info (I was thinking a brochure) to look at later. I actually asked for it, and his response was “no, we don’t leave anything behind.” Then he continued his sales pitch to educate me on what they do. He wasn’t receptive to me at all—he just wanted to bulldoze through his pitch.
When I finally told him that I had a meeting and couldn’t talk to him any longer, he had the opportunity to once again leave something behind, ask for one of my business cards or at least tell me their website address. He did none of the above.
I consider his cold call a complete bust. It’s like he was trying to do his thing in steps as he was trained, and when it didn’t go his way, he gave up.
Bad sales guy.
It’s about respect
I overheard most of this exchange, and wanted to isolate the main reasons why this sales call failed. Clearly, it wasn’t strategically responsible or message responsible.
Then I realized, it was the fact that this salesperson showed a lack of respect on a number of levels:
Apparently, Quill’s sales force is prohibited from handing out business cards or collecting them. And as you read above, the salesperson didn’t even offer their URL (though you can order everything online).
No, this sales call wasn’t about building a relationship. It was about getting an account set up on the spot.
When will Quill get our business after this sales call?
When hell freezes over.
So, can door to door salespeople market a product or service without disrespecting the people they are selling to?
Under what circumstances?
Comment below to weigh in.
Tags: door to door, no soliciting, Quill, sales, salesperson
Like any carefully thought out emergency fire escape plan, no company can afford to operate without a emergency salesperson reject-eject plan which helps protect you from hazardous, slick talking hucksters who’ve penetrated the company’s no soliciting borders. A comprehensive emergency salesperson reject-eject plan, puts you in control, empowering you to expel Mr. Cheap-Jack back onto the street with minimal interaction.
A good reject-eject plan always starts off with a friendly approach, which allows the uninvited guest an opportunity to save face and make a hasty retreat. But often times courteous plan “A” is ineffective against a determined sales jerk, forcing you to launch plan “B” of the reject-eject plan:
1) Take their picture, tell them you’re going to post it on salespeoplewhosuck.com, or digitally record your encounter and post it on youtube.com under the title, “Swindlers List.”
2) Keep a can of coins nearby each entrance. Shake it furiously whenever they begin to talk (if it works on dogs, it’ll work on thoughtless salespeople).
3) Whip out the SUPER SOAKER AQUASHOCK SCUMBAG SALSESPERSON STRIKE and DESTROY squirt gun, and unload the cat pee-filled container onto the front of their pants until it looks and smells like they’ve had an incontinent moment. (Ages six and up)
4) Lure the nitwits over the company trapdoor then pull the the secret lever, sending them plunging to the rocky, cavernous dungeon below, where hungry lions — and the scattered remains of last week’s vendor offender — silently wait.
5) Begin the reject-eject launch sequence: enter computer password, “youHaveAnnoyedMe4TheLastTime.”
Employees should practice the reject-eject plan, biweekly, to insure everyone understands how to effectively disarm the smarmy charmers and the grating ignoramuses. And be sure to give out recognition and awards (money is always appreciated) to those who diligently protect your borders from the evil shills of Quill.
Tracy,
That was one of the most hysterical comments I’ve ever received on this blog.
After reading the conversation they had, I think I know where this sales person comes from. I had an interview with the firm and did a job shadow for one day with them. They are a marketing group that targets B2B and relies only on Word of Mouth as their only advertising method. The reason they ignore the “No Soliciting” sign is because they claim they are not soliciting, “we are just using the WOM to let people know about our client’s business.” And yet, by the end of their “WOM” pitch they would try to sell you a promotional package. The sales person gets bonus for each promotional package they sell. HYPOCRITES!
If you ask me, yes their method ensures for maximum exposure in the public and provides accurate data to present to the clients (which is something that a lot of clients like to see and care about.) But annoying the heck out of your potential customers? I don’t think that’s a good idea, and it is not very responsible.
Someone should tell Quill (which is a very good, very service-oriented company–I’ve been a happy customer for 25 years) how this company claiming to represent them is alienating prospects. I doubt they’d keep the arrangement very long.
Tracy, I love your response! Fortunately, working from a home office on a rural farm, all I get is Jehova’s Witnesses once or twice a year, and the occasional PIRG canvasser. But just today I got another robocall from some idiot who thinks he’s going to sell me carpet cleaning by tying up my voicemail for two minutes.
BTW, in my books, Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World and especially Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, I talk a lot about the right way to engage in dialogue with prospects.
Ok, I have been reading the comments putting down door-to-door salespeople and I would like to tell my side being one of these people.
In case you haven’t noticed the economy is not that great these days and the employment opportunities are not pouring in.
Yes, we have a script that we stick to, but we are supposed to keep it conversational, and respect the prospective customers. I apologize that you unfortunately came accross a salesman that is pushy and therefore probably will not last long in the business. All Quill representatives are not like him. I have never been rude to a prospective client or been overbearing and therefore I do very well in the business.
We are actually not solicitors, we do not accept cash or checks in return for products on the spot, we are simply introducing you to Quill which is an awesome company and actually does have lower prices than most office supply companies. It is a legitimate service and is in no way a scam or anything illegal.
When you encounter door to door salepeople like myself, please remember we are human just like you and we are only trying to do our job. We have families at home just like you, we have mortgages and bills, and need to work for a living…just like you. I am not implying that you must purchase something, I am just simply saying that if they are not rude or disrespectful towards you than really there is no reason to be rude or disrespectful towards them.
PS We make Quill alot of money and bring in alot of new clients and we do not “claim” to represent them, we do represent them and they are very happy with our success.
I am not being confrontational at all, I am just simply trying to put our side of the discussion out there.
Thanks for reading.
I, also, have had 2 horrible experiences with salespeople from Quill in the past month. The first time they sent 2 salespeople and the next time they sent just one.
It is unbelievable how pushy and rude they were.
Glad to have found the blog from Outsource Marketing. Next time they
come to my door, I will be more prepared. Thanks.
Leslie
To agree with Susan,
I own my own business and have literally made millions over the years. I too have a no soliciting sign on my door. To me, this just weeds the bad guys out. If someone walks in my door, and states a good case that they can save me money, let them talk. I’ll be honest with you- most of the “solicitors” who walk through your door live in the same town as you, and may consider doing business with you, and if they don’t they know 10 people who may down the road, so you might want to be human to them. I would be willing to be that most of the companies who are complaining on here suck, and aren’t very lucrative. I’m happy to tell you that I welcome solicitors in my door, and did $12.3 million in volume last year, over half in which I pocketed! Shame on you rude business owners! Get a life! Grow a pair!
There are companies like this all over the U.S. now. It is not right to call it a scam in the fact that they are selling a legitimate product to businesses that need the office supplies and are buying them from someone else anyways. The part that is a scam in my book is they way they try to lure people in to a door to door sales job by disguising it as an opportunity to own your own marketing firm one day. If it was explained up front that it was simply door-to-door selling with little to no chance of moving into any other role then that would be ok. It is obvious that these companies are reaping the benefits of many others hard work. The rep’s go out and knock on 50-60 doors a day making maybe 500 a week, and the company owner sits back and collects 150-200k a year. That to me is the scam. beware of what you are getting into if you interview at one of these places, if you want a door to door sales job until you get sick of making no money and quit, then this is the real deal by all means please go do it, there is no shame in making an honest living, but if you truly think you are going to advance into a career or ownership position, keep looking.
just had one stop by today, when I was trying to lock up for lunch. While polite, she was extremely annoying when she wouldn’t take “no” for an answer serveral times, and insisted on stopping by again, when I politely declined. I’ve posted a new sign on my business door that states “No Solicitors / Salespeople, No Quill Representatives.”
To Susan, if the Quill reps were respectful, like you then maybe I might consider doing business, but in the past I’ve had several pushy ones, who wouldn’t leave after I politely declined their pitch and quite frankly I never want to do business with Quill.
To J,
Congrats on making $6 million last year. I don’t have time dealing with door to door salespeople, much less rude ones. If you think that we as business owners are rude, please understand this. “No thanks” means “NO!” If they don’t leave by the time I say that three times, well then…. Who’s the rude person now? What business are you in and what’s the name. I’ll be sure to not do business with you too. “Grow a pair” give me a break, you need to “Grow up.”
I enjoyed Tracy Adams reject/eject plan and her clever reply, but that’s the only amusement I get from door-to-door salespeople.
I make absolutely NO buying decisions based on someone ignoring the ‘No Soliciting” sign & barging into my office. I put the sign up so that I could conduct business without being interrupted. In 5 years at this location, I have been accosted by a Quill representative about once a month. I have yet to buy so much as a paperclip, nor will I ever.
Yes, they are people trying to make a living, but so are we. Once the words “I’m not interested” have been uttered, they need to turn around and leave without arguing. In all fairness, I don’t make my buying decisions from phone solicitors either.
Can we amend that sign to include a certain insurance company too? I believe they have an animal who represents them….
Same thing just happened to me this morning. We are a two person office and keep the door locked. And, there is a No Soliciting sign with a phone number for people to call to make an appointment. They tried to come in, rang the doorbell, banged on the door, and even checked for another entrance into the office. When it appeared as though they weren’t going to leave, I opened the door and told them to give me their card. They wouldn’t leave a card and just wanted a few minutes of my time. I would not let them in, so they asked me to step outside to talk with them, which I would not do. I told them again to call for an appointment, then I shut and locked the door. These two guys were very aggressive and scared me. I am calling Quill to complain and to tell them to never call on us again. I will call the police the next time they come. I say, “beware and be very careful.”
I just had 2nd intervew with the company that reps Quill. It sounded all great untill yesterday. I dont like the idea of cold calling. I was led to believe the clients were already establised and I was just going to maintain the relationship.
We Just had EXACTLY the same experience it was like being in the sales version on “who’s on first” I asked for catalog or card he asked me to place order… after 10 LONG minutes of polite rebuttal I asked him to leave & he asked me to place a order, I then explained that the tiny chance of my EVER purchasing from him or his company was evaporating THREE TIMES and he asked when he should come back …I said never and explained WE NEVER DO BUSINESS with UNSOLICITED sales people and he said “how about next week?” it took at least 5 more minutes to get him a his silent partner (observer trainee trainer ???) out the door.
Im a door to door salesman myself and in allot of cases it is necessary to ask further questions to ignorant employees who say “we arnt interested” before we even explain why we are there. In my experience with quill we usually need to speak with who ever buys the products and its pathetic how often we cant get passed the first person we see that has absolutely nothing to do with office supplies. While seeing those 50-60 doors in a day l could account for at least 20-30 general employees who say that they are not interested, and when asked if they handle the office supplies they say well no. Ok then dont speak for who ever does and we wouldnt have to ask so many questions. Like susan said we are not soliciting, in my opinion the businesses who opt to treat these sales people who are just trying to do their job ignorantly shouldnt benefit from the reduced pricing the quill people are just trying to offer anyway.
I just ejected a Quill salesperson. The offices on either side use them, so I’ll ask for a recommendation, but I NEVER purchase items or set up an account when someone just walks in. Leave me a business card or a brochure, give me a chance to check around and see if your prices really are that good, and I’ll be happy to do business with you. When a rep says that they’ll order a product for me in order to set up an account and I need to do it RIGHT NOW, it raises all kinds of red flags.
Hmmm, I wonder if I could buy a Super-Soaker from Quill…. (thanks, Tracy!)
Re: J – March 7, thanks for sharing your thoughts and mentioning multiple times how much money you made last year. I on the other hand do not allow solicitors to walk into my store. The one time I tried to be a nice guy, the pushy little Texan from Quill not only wouldn’t take NO for an answer, but reached over my desk, picked up my phone and tried to call his “supplier” to beat my existing price. I had to physically remove him from my store. I too run a very successful business, but 1. I don’t brag about it on someone’s blog and 2. I am smart enough not to allow a grifter into my place of work when I am trying to run a business.
A salesmen is just like you. He is trying to make a living. Dont be rude. Take 5min, see what he has and go from there. I own a food dist company. I get people all the time coming in. I even got some great coloring books for my kids this way. Once i got a Asian rug that would have cost like $500 in a store. I only paid $50!!! Sorry, but you guys are crazy if your rude to a salesmen. IT MIGHT REALLY BE A DEAL….DUH!!!
So I have been doing the business to business marketing for Quill for a few days now and see nothing wrong with what they have going for small businesses. They are honestly priced lower than all other major office supply retail stores because they have no retail stores…and we are not there to sell businesses a million things and maintain the customer relationship, we are simply there to sign people up for a no contract, no obligation, no minimum account that can be cancelled at any time. As for the “no soliciting” signs, they just piss me off more than you will ever know. Isn’t every business that has that damn sign posted on their door selling in one way or another to keep their business alive and well? Why do they feel they are so much better than the rest of the world? I understand you don’t want shady characters selling watches out of a briefcase in your place of business but just kick em out! I want to get a shirt that just says no soliciting and wear it to every office with the sign to be as rude about it to them as they are with us. I am by no means a salesperson, just a guy who graduated college looking to work his way up the ladder. This is that bottom step. Give us a break
I work at a church and have had to deal with a Quill salesperson about once a month ever since I started. Reading this was like reading about my own experiences! The Quill sales reps always are very pushy and won’t take no for an answer, even after I have repeatedly made it clear that I am not interested. They also always refuse to leave a business card or any other information when I request it. I always try hard to be nice (this is a church, after all!), but I find their aggressive approach to be rude and disrespectful to my time.
I am going to try to get in touch with Quill to request that they not send their salespeople here anymore, but I don’t know how much good that will do.
I also read in another reader’s comment that she works in an office where they keep the door locked, and the Quill salesperson looked for another entrance. At the church where I work, we also keep the door locked, and their sales reps have been known to go to the other entrance where the preschoolers come in and enter through there. If I were a parent of one of these kids and a strange salesperson were wandering around my child’s preschool, that would probably make me pretty angry.
I had a RUDE OBNOXIOUS QUILL door to door sales person come into our office today we were quite busy. We tried to get this guy to leave and give us a business card but he would not
The point here with all these comments is that
THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT and I am the customer. In addition this is our office and our space where we do business not a space for QUILL to do its business. This is simalar to the telephone sales person that calls at dinner time and wont take no for an answer.
The sales call failed because
1. No business card (how can I call ??)(how do I know who they are)
(how do I know that they are for real)
2. When we tried plan A to let them leave gracefully they would not.
3. By staying they wasted our time and interfered with our business so
this means if we were ever going to be a customer
We have decided not to do business with QUILL EVER
My experience is similar to Caroline and Dale above.
I’m often the only person in my office, and Quill sends 2 or 3 men over to our office. It’s a small business. I’m doing the accounting, and like others mentioned, I’m busy all day.
The agonizing thing is that these Quill guys won’t leave, whether asked politely or more directly. I told them I wasn’t interested 4-5 times, and explained why, etc. They still persist, and since I’m outnumbered by these men, I’m uncomfortable. They’ve interrupted.
I’ve called Quill TWICE and asked for them to stop sending these people and they have agreed over the phone – yet obviously they keep coming. I will NEVER do business with Quill ever.
My experience with Quill salespeople hasn’t been unpleasant but it is becoming slightly annoying. We are also a small office, usually 2 people (women at that) in at once so we keep the door locked. The sales people that have now visited twice where nice enough, polite and when it was obvious that I would not be letting them inside where perfectly happy to stay outside and even moved back to make me feel more comfortable. However, I’ve made it clear that I will not be signing anything and they have come back. At leas the second time they said the website.
Listen Quill, when a sales person says they do not have cards or some form of ID number from the company they claim to represent it raises red flags in me and everyone else I know! How would it not? This whole Word of Mouth marketing gimmick is what I find annoying. I know cards are easy to fake but at least I can then call the company and verify who these people are.
Over the years we’ve had a number of scammers do door to door donation funds and office supply proposals, and even had some guys selling what turned out to be stolen office furniture out of the back of a rented panel truck. I do not go to work to spend my time weeding out scammers from real sales people.
When a salesperson comes to the door (or calls), everyone in our office, even if they have no purchasing authority is instructed to 1) Not allow them inside no matter what 2) Ask for a card 3) Say that -we- will get back to them and 4) If they have time or the inclination, get some details about the product / service to pass to the office manager but do not commit to anything.
Listen, salespeople, I know there are jerks out there who think that being rude is the same thing as being direct and professional and I’m sorry if you have to routinely deal with that sort of bonehead. But! If you are a door to door salesperson and consider our above protocol rude then you might want to go into another profession.
Because when all is said and done, you are taking up my time unannounced. I will not be rude to you unless I feel like you are but I will attempt to minimize this interruption nor will I be pressured into an on the spot purchase/agreement. Sorry if that hurts your feelings.
these people come into our offices as much as twice a day, sometimes, but usualy once every few weeks and it wastes our time trying to tell them in subtle ways to go away. they presist that they need to talk and if they can schedule an appointment and who should they talk to, trying to get any personal information like names and every time they insist they need to take a business card from us, even when we say no they say they need to take a business card. its so annoying…