Why'd You Open My Front Door?

doorwayimg.jpg

While we were having a late dinner the other night the door bell rang about 7 PM. Trappar was busy gnawing on his nightly chew and leapt up and ran down the hall barking with his big dog voice.

As I sauntered towards the front door I noticed the outside door was open. I could not see anybody through the window on top. At first I thought it was my brother or neighbour playing a joke. Wrong on both counts.

It was a young man holding the door open with a sheaf of papers in his hand.

“Hi, I am “Zach” from Student blah blah”

“Why did you open my front door?” This was in my deep “angry dad” voice.

“Sorry”, and then a couple of mumbles.

He immediately launched into what he does. Interior painting. Exterior painting. Maybe even window cleaning.

“No thanks, we’re good”, and he politely walked away with his tail between his legs.

I felt sorry for him because he had a chance for a big win.

Had he immediately apologized for opening my front door, asked for a redo, and walked towards the edge of the house I would have given him a second chance. He could have then launched into some great questions about how I am spending my free time to learn if I may need painting but don’t have the time.

Needs based questions. From the customer’s perspective. Offering a tidbit of useful information about how long an average 2,000 square foot home may take to paint. “Do you have the time for that, sir?” And then he can search for more commitments to get me moving towards buying from him instead of him selling to me.

In retrospect I am more concerned with the company and how they are training these young folks. Why wouldn’t you want to set them up for success? If their close rate was higher they wouldn’t have to knock on so many doors. The company could hire more students and sell more painting projects. And wouldn’t they be creating a great customer experience that people want to share?

I was mentioning this to my friend Jon from the Winnipeg Chamber and we both believed that there were many opportunities to save the sale and calm the angry dad. But there was no recovery for poor “Zach”. He was not prepared for what happened at my front door. Shame on his company.

And be prepared for a variety of situations. You need to practice your opening. Go to the library and take out any number of great sales books (Gitomer, Iannarino, Sandler, etc.) and practice something that you can use in any situation. Be natural and be prepared.

Done right, I am always willing to invest time with someone who appears prepared. Sometimes I can learn something new.

I am not being mean and I certainly wasn’t being a bully. I was concerned for the safety of my family with the way the door was opened without asking first.

We have learned the adage about knocking on the door in search of opportunity. I believe you have to be prepared for what might be on the other side. Do you open someone’s door at work without first asking permission? That is just taking the open door policy way too far. And it can be very disrespectful of another person’s time and responsibilities.

I don’t want you to open my door without my permission. And how you gain that permission will be the difference between making a sale and having the door to opportunity slammed in your face.

About the Author

Tim Kist is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), whose certification was obtained through a combination of experience, examination and continuous professional development. With over 20 years of senior industry management, combined with nearly 8 years in management consulting with national firms, Tim brings together extensive experience, objectivity, and front line leadership. As a national athlete and current university football coach, Tim lives and understands the evaluation, preparation and game planning required for successful high level individual and team performance. He has successfully brought this coaching approach to his work teams throughout his leadership career. 
Read More

--
A version of this post was first published here.