Door-to-Door Selling in the 70’s
By Mike Searles

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Imagine back...

It's a sunny Australian mid-morning way back in 1974.

Mr. Smith is at home and hears the front door-bell chime.

Upon opening, he sees a boy aged about 15 years standing on the 'Welcome' mat. He’s holding a white wire crate in one hand containing glass bottles of orange juice and he has a blue colored clip-board under the other arm.

"Yes?" greets Smith.

"Good morning sir. I'm from the Acme Fruit Juice Company - here with your free sample of freshly squeezed 100% natural orange juice for you and your family to experience ..."

"What is it you want son?" interrupts Smith.

"Sir, I'm about to leave you a free bottle of fresh orange juice.

It's chilled and ready to pour. Acme wants you to experience it and let us know what you think. Would you be wanting to pour a glass now or later?"

"Not now," says Smith, "I'm busy."

"Certainly sir. Then I'd suggest you put this bottle in your refrigerator, so it remains chilled for when you are ready to pour. Then in two days, that’d be Friday, I will return to collect the empty bottle from you."

"All I ask is - if there's a chance nobody will be home during the day on Friday - please leave the empty bottle by the front door here for me to collect. I do need to collect that empty bottle, sir." The boy continues ...

"Oh, and here is a simple, one-sheet page to go with your free sample today. I'll collect this on Friday too - completed by you if you would like a regular weekly home delivery of fresh orange juice just like the contents of the bottle you're holding."

"One last thing before you get back to your important tasks. When I return on Friday - it's perfectly alright to tell me ‘no’ if you do not want a home delivery of fresh juice.

If it's to be a 'no' then that's what we want to hear.

You can't hurt my feelings because it's not about my feelings - it's about you and your household. So a ‘yes' or a 'no' will be the right answer. Can we be in agreement on that please, sir?"

Mr. Smith is a little shell-shocked. This kid is giving him a lesson in persuasive communication - and preconditioning him for permission in advance to say 'yes or no' to an obvious marketing and sales pitch.

Impressed, Smith replies "Okay son. We'll taste your juice. We do drink a lot of juice here in this household. Leave your order form and we'll see what happens."

"Thank you, sir. You drink lots of juice here did you say? Why is that?" the boy asks...

"Why do we drink juice?" Smith questions back. "Because - well, we just do" he stutters.

"I understand, sir. I know you don't drink juice just to quench your thirst. Plenty of clean water flowing freely from your kitchen faucet. Is it anything to do with the health benefits that fresh juice offers?" the boy probes.

"Health benefits? My wife is crazy about what we eat and drink here. I know she will want to try your juice" says Smith.

"Oh, that's great. I'll be very interested to hear what your wife and family think about our healthy orange juice! For my clipboard - may I note your name so I can know who I've been speaking with today...?"

"Sure kid. It's John Smith."

"Thank you, Mr. Smith. See you and the empty bottle with order form here on Friday!"

Smith watches the kid walk out the front gate to the sidewalk and place the crate of remaining juice to the ground, so he can begin penciling notes to paper against his blue colored clipboard.

The teenager totally interrupted Smith’s preoccupied thinking on that 1970’s Australian morning. In fact - within the span of three minutes or less - a total stranger had come and gone leaving Smith holding a free bottle of orange juice and an 'order form' page.

That story isn't made up. It happened just like that on many Australian mornings - way back in the 70’s. I know for sure because the kid was me.

During my school holidays, I worked as a door-to-door sales boy for a fruit-juice company canvassing suburbs for new home-delivery opportunities.

The dialogue in this story is re-created from memory. But not much of what you just read is different to how I would 'sell' home-delivery fruit juice door-to-door as a teenager.

By the way - when I went back to Mr. Smith’s house on the following Friday - what question do you think I would have asked him when he came to the door?

"Hi, Mr. Smith. What did Mrs. Smith think of the orange juice?" Those penciled notes against the blue clip-board sure did make my follow-up job easier!

I was successful in selling more home-delivery orders during my school holidays than some of the mature aged sales canvassers I was working with.

Is there a teenager you can help out next school break by giving them some sales work?

Mike Searles is a 60-year-old sales copywriter for people who sell to baby boomers. E-mail to hello@mikesearles.com.




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