It was an honor to be invited, once again, to speak at D2D Con. This time around I wasn’t out of the country so I was glad to do it!
As advertised, the room was packed with eager door-to-door sales reps. I suspect somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 – 250 people filled the room.
I was impressed with those who volunteered to role-play, especially a rookie rep who had never knocked a door! I was equally impressed with the questions that were asked during and after the workshop.
When I asked the group who had read my book, I was surprised to see most hands in the audience raised.
Being able to sign copies of my book and take pictures with attendees was fun too!
Here’s the cliff notes version of what I discussed:
I – Be prepared to have your best day on the door every time you go out to knock. I shared a personal experience from 2002 when I came up 2 sales shy of having my best sales day. In contrast to my best ever day of 23 sales on July 4, 2000, on August 28, 2002 I didn’t start knocking until later in the morning, I took a break for lunch and I was wearing flip-flops all day! 🤣 I ended the day selling 21 accounts with lots of regret.
II – Win every door with: pre-knock observations, authenticity, and a flawless initial approach. Pre-knock observations help to eliminate generic ice breakers and they set you apart from the typical sales rep. People can spot a fake from miles away, so being your authentic-self will assist in building rapport with your potential customers. You cannot make mistakes during your initial approach (the first 30 – 45 seconds of an interaction). Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced 1 kick 10,000 times.” Your initial approach is your “1 kick.”
III – Why I wrote Door-to-Door Millionaire: Secrets of Making the Sale. First, to shed some light on a mysterious industry. Second, to prove high producers can sell with integrity. Third, nobody else had done it!
IV – Life is about more than making money. The big picture of success includes: Humility – being willing to share what you’ve learned and learning from others. Inspiration – seek direction from a higher power to become the best version of yourself. Your thoughts should be marinated not microwaved. Giving – the more you give, the more you appreciate what you have. There are so many people in the world with basic needs, by giving you find a greater purpose for what you do.
Door-to-Door Millionaire, Secrets of Making the Sale, has been used as a foundational sales training piece by companies from around the world. However, it just scratches the surface of the sales training content I’ve created during my 21 years in the door-to-door sales industry.
It’s just a book and I offer so much more!
The D2D Millionaire, YouTube channel has thousands of subscribers. It contains nearly 300 videos dissecting the door-to-door sales process from start to finish.
My website, lennygray.com offers a variety of free and available for purchase training materials. These materials include podcasts, expert forums, preseason training materials, and more.
Don’t Settle for Second Best
Although these resources are fantastic, if you want THE ABSOLUTE BEST sales training, apply to work with me. However, I can’t hire ALL of you! My company, Rove Pest Control, hires relatively few door-to-door sales reps. This ensures each rep maximizes his or her development and earning potential. And this happens because I personally train EVERY SINGLE REP!
Think about it in these terms, if you want to be a great football quarterback and Tom Brady, 6-time Super Bowl champion and 4-time Super Bowl MVP, wrote a book on quarterbacking, you would undoubtedly buy the book and scour every page. However, reading a book only gets you so far.
How much more would you benefit from attending an in-person training session with Tom Brady and asking him questions about his quarterbacking ways?
This is what I offer my sales reps! I personally train my reps for 12 hours before they knock a single door. My sales reps knock their first door with supreme confidence, because they’ve received second to none preseason training.
They also have access to over 40 hours of my online courses. These courses include audio and video of me in the field, analyzing what I do while interacting with potential customers. Essentially, it’s like Tom Brady sharing his most effective quarterbacking secrets with you before you step on the football field!
Customized Training
Ok, so you’ve read Tom Brady’s book, you’ve learned from him in-person, and he’s shared hours of video and audio showing you exactly how he does what he does. You are well on your way to quarterbacking greatness, right? Well, maybe, but wouldn’t it be even more helpful if Tom Brady wanted you to send him videos of you quarterbacking your team so he could give you customized advice on how to make improvements? Of course it would! During the selling season, my reps can send me audio and video clips of them interacting with potential customers so I can refine their sales processes.
You Will Succeed
Now, with all this training from one of the best to ever play his position, you may not become a Super Bowl MVP, but you’d certainly become your best version of quarterback. This is exactly what I want for my sales reps, to become their best versions of themselves. And, I offer my sales reps even more! I personally knock doors with each rep so they can see up close and personal how I do what I do. Can you imagine being in the huddle and on the field with Tom Brady during an actual game? As long as you weren’t being chased by 290-pound defensive linemen, that would be an amazing experience!
Hit Me Up
Of course, putting this much effort into my reps results in only being able to hire a select group. So, here’s what I’m looking for; I want reps who are ethical, hard-working, mentally tough, and committed to success. I want sales reps who are serious about becoming the best versions of themselves.
If this describes you, and you want a shot at becoming a member of the D2D Millionaire team, contact me today at:
Remember a few months ago when you were on the doors with that sales rep who had the perfect comeback to a potential customer’s concern, but now you can’t remember what was said?
If you’re like me, throughout the course of a sales season, I learn several ways to improve techniques while interacting with potential customers and by observing other sales reps on the doors.
If you assist in developing your company’s sales training materials, retaining what you learn and incorporating these new ideas and techniques into your existing materials, are vital steps in improving your sales training program.
Below are 3 tips I use when updating and upgrading my company’s sales training materials:
TIP 1 – WRITE IT DOWN!
Get in the habit of writing down what you learn. Whether you’re in a sales training meeting, having a conversation with another sales rep, or even on the doors, take time after the experience to make a note of what you learned.
TIP 2 – DEVELOP VARIOUS TRAINING METHODS
People learn and retain information differently, so be sure to have a variety of sales training materials and methods of delivery. For my company, I’ve developed a written training manual, an online training course with audio and video samples, and I also conduct a series of in-person training events for my sales reps leading up to them knocking their first door.
TIP 3 – UPDATE SOONER THAN LATER
Don’t wait! When your off-season begins, immediately start the process of updating your sales training materials. What’s worked for me is dedicating a few hours a week for updating. The quicker you begin this process, the more likely you’ll be able to recall the specifics from your notes.
Following these tips will assist in the development of a killer sales training program. Your sales reps deserve THE BEST training materials and it’s up to you to make it happen!
For access to some of my sales training materials, visit:
Remember a few months ago when you were on the doors with that sales rep who had the perfect comeback to a potential customer’s concern, but now you can’t remember what was said?
If you’re like me, throughout the course of a sales season, I learn several ways to improve techniques while interacting with potential customers and by observing other sales reps on the doors.
If you assist in developing your company’s sales training materials, retaining what you learn and incorporating these new ideas and techniques into your existing materials, are vital steps in improving your sales training program.
Below are 3 tips I use when updating and upgrading my company’s sales training materials:
TIP 1 – WRITE IT DOWN!
Get in the habit of writing down what you learn. Whether you’re in a sales training meeting, having a conversation with another sales rep, or even on the doors, take time after the experience to make a note of what you learned.
TIP 2 – DEVELOP VARIOUS TRAINING METHODS
People learn and retain information differently, so be sure to have a variety of sales training materials and methods of delivery. For my company, I’ve developed a written training manual, an online training course with audio and video samples, and I also conduct a series of in-person training events for my sales reps leading up to them knocking their first door.
TIP 3 – UPDATE SOONER THAN LATER
Don’t wait! When your off-season begins, immediately start the process of updating your sales training materials. What’s worked for me is dedicating a few hours a week for updating. The quicker you begin this process, the more likely you’ll be able to recall the specifics from your notes.
Following these tips will assist in the development of a killer sales training program. Your sales reps deserve THE BEST training materials and it’s up to you to make it happen!
For access to some of my sales training materials, visit:
This year was my company’s WORST recruiting year! But here comes the silver lining. By summer’s end, we will have our BEST sales per rep average in my company’s 16-year history! In fact, we will have 3 sales reps on our all-time serviced accounts record board, 1 of which will set a new company record for serviced accounts!
So, for all that went wrong with recruiting numbers, it seems everything went right with recruiting talent.
Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be another “quality versus quantity” post. On the contrary, the purpose of this article is to help recruiters ensure they are looking for the right fits for their company, and for sales reps to know if the company recruiting them is the right fit.
Reps who found the right fit
How can you find the right fit?
Having been in the door-to-door sales industry for over 20 years, I’ve seen both sides of this equation fail. Recruiters are anxious to get bodies on the doors and hire anybody willing, only to find out half of their recruits, just 2 days into the summer, can’t stand rejection and pack their bags for home.
And, sales reps enthusiastically show up day 1 to training meeting, seeing 30 other reps in the office with the manager promising, “I’ll definitely get on the doors to train with each of you at some point.” Two weeks later, with a few sales and hardly any attention from his manager, this sales rep heads back home vowing to never knock another door.
It’s too bad really, because some reps thrive in big offices, while others need an environment where they receive more attention. So if you’re recruiting a big team of reps, how do you know which reps would fit best in a big-office environment? Conversely, if you’re a sales rep wanting more personal attention, how do you know what company would provide you with the best experience?
Tips & Tricks
- Recruiters are typically good sales reps who are known for telling prospective reps exactly what they want to hear. Therefore, during the recruiting process, don’t make it easy by asking direct questions, instead, ask searching and vague questions. For example, instead of asking, “I’m really competitive and like working in big groups. Do your sales teams have a lot of reps?” Most recruiters, whether they are hiring large teams or not, will tell you they are, knowing that’s what you want to hear. Instead try asking, “How many reps do you hire per team?” Then, when the recruiter replies, “It really depends on what office you go to, we have bigger and smaller teams, what would you prefer?” See, I told you these recruiters are good! You might reply, “If I was interested in joining a big team, where would I go and who would be my manager?” and then follow up with, “And if I was interested in a smaller team where would I go and who would be my manager?” Don’t get “sold” by a recruiter who is trained to tell you everything you want to hear.
- If your company hires a lot of reps in an office, make sure you are hiring competitive sales reps who will thrive in that environment. Preseason activities are a great indicator of who will thrive in an office with a lot of sales reps. Companies who hire large sales teams, often make the mistake of hiring the wrong sales reps and experience massive fall-out, which amplifies housing and other associated costs. Make sure the reps you hire will thrive in the atmosphere you create in your offices. When hiring, tell your recruits about the competitions offered during the summer, and also how many reps they’ll get to spend time with as knocking partners. If you paint an accurate picture, you’ll find that sales rep attrition is mitigated and your program costs are kept in check.
- Managers (those who work directly with the sales team in the field) and sales reps, should get to know each other well before the summer begins. As a sales rep, your manager can directly influence (for good or for bad) your sales production. If your manager rubs you the wrong way in the preseason (conversely, if a manager has a hard time with a sales rep in the preseason), you’re certainly going to have issues with him during the grind of the summer. Managers and sales reps don’t have to get along perfectly for it to work, but they do have to respect each other, or it makes for a long summer for both of them. If you can’t stand your manager in the preseason, you’ll absolutely hate him during the summer!
No Shortage of Options
The good news for sales reps is that there is an overabundance of companies employing door-to-door sales teams. There is a perfect fit out there for you, you just need to keep looking until you find it. And fortunately for companies that employ door-to-door sales reps, there are thousands looking to strike gold in the industry. By finding the right fits for your company, and by reps finding the right fit for them, the overall door-to-door experience is enhanced as attrition decreases and positive experiences increase.
I have no issues with sales reps choosing another company over my own. Although I am confident in the experience and opportunity my company provides, there are sales reps who will have a better experience elsewhere. The door-to-door sales industry is made up of a wide variety of fascinating people, this is not a “one size fits all” industry, and I’m glad it isn’t. It’s satisfying to witness good people find the right fit for them.
