This job is an American symbol. It looks different now.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many men spent their lives traveling from town to town selling Bibles, encyclopedias and home goods. The job was so much a part of the U.S. economy that the door-to-door salesman became a cultural symbol, immortalized in the work of Arthur Miller, David Mamet and the Maysles brothers.
Daryl Ching was not a career salesman. He was a Toronto teen knocking on doors and pushing products for a little extra cash in the '90s. But the lessons he learned from the experience — about value, failure and human connection — have stayed with him throughout his life.
I would drag a cart to different businesses across town selling trinkets.
No one wanted them.
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Some buildings had 'No Soliciting' signs. Once, I made the mistake of asking for permission to go up to a higher floor and got escorted out of a business by security guards. My boss told me to ignore the signs, so I started going straight to the elevators and made plenty of sales.
At the end of a nine-hour shift, I would bring home maybe $20. I wanted to quit.
Back at the office, there were always lots of people in the waiting room for job interviews because there was so much employee turnover.
None of us envisioned a life in door-to-door sales.
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We worked for the Toronto branch of a big franchise.
Sometimes the owner will come and give us motivational speeches. We would all stand, around and listen. The top salespeople would get to ring the 'JUICE' bell.
If you sold enough product, everyone would clap and yell as you rang it.
I approached the top salespeople to ask how they did it.
Their advice helped me change my entire approach. I turned on the charm.
People put up defenses when you approach them. I loved to watch their face transform as they let their guard down.
I made people laugh. I tried different tricks.
Suddenly, I was selling $750 to $1,000 worth of products per shift and ringing the bell every single day.
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I still got rejected more often than not. But eventually the rejections just start to roll off you. You don't fear them anymore. Every 'no' just gets you closer to a 'yes.'
By the end of the summer, I had learned that rejection teaches you never to be afraid of asking for what you want.
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Now, I run an accounting business. I'm selling a service, not knickknacks, but I still use the lessons I learned as a door-to-door salesman.
For example, if I have prospective customers in the same area, I'll call ahead and tell them I happen to be nearby and ask if we can meet in person. I expect that they might not all work out, but I know that in person I'll have a better shot.
At the end of the day, people make decisions based on emotion and then justify it with logic. When you make a face-to-face connection, you become more than just an accountant or salesman.
Those are opportunities you don't get from a phone call.
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