Returned missionaries and students at BYU–Hawaii find summers of door-to-door sales good for fulfilling hopes of financial independence and gaining life experience.
“I have four years of door-to-door experience, and I have learned to love it. The reason I continue to do it is because I have learned to be a great salesperson. It helps me to continue to sharpen my tools as I have learned to overcome objections, learned how to talk to all kinds of people, and I have grown as an individual,” said Daniel Lopez, a senior from North Carolina majoring in business management and supply chain.
Lopez has worked for Vivint Inc. for the past two summers selling security system contracts.
Work periods for most companies offering summer sales programs start recruiting towards the end of the year, and students who have signed on are normally expected to work April through August, said an employee of Venture. It is expected of them to work all day for six days a week.
Experienced salesmen say the best hours to catch people at home are in the evening, when most of the day’s sales occur.
According to Lopez, the industry is a “numbers game,” and when experience and opportunity meet, the outcome is success.
“I have learned to have a crazy work ethic. The more doors you knock, the likelihood of getting a sale increases. I’ve always loved the challenge when I am walking the streets in 96 degree weather and constantly getting rejected and continuing in trying to find my audience.”
The driving factor for those who choose to do door-to-door sales over the summer is the financial payout. Revenue varies between companies, but Venture Pest Control based in Atlanta, Georgia, reports that first-year reps will make an estimated 20,000-40,000 dollars their first summer.
Lopez has seen financial success in his work with Vivint Inc. and said there is no comparison between his work, and an hourly-rate job that pays significantly less. “I am proud to say that I have supported my family and gone to school debt free. This is possible because of the opportunity door-to-door sales provides. It has provided me the freedom to work hard four months out of the year and spend the rest of the year with my family and serving others.”
BYUH graduate Hannah Packard said her experience of door-to-door sales started when she overheard a classmate talking about his paycheck. “He had mentioned how much money he had made in just one day, and I got really interested. I went to go talk with his supervisor, and shortly after that I found myself doing the same thing.”
Packard sold pest control contracts for Terminix on Oahu, a location she said is perfect because of the year-round demand for the service.
“You have to be persistent and forward the sale as much as possible. It is important to always be closing, and by doing simple steps you can judge whether or not that person is willing to buy the product,” said Packard. The Church instructs missionaries to do the same as they weed out individuals until they find someone who will say “yes” to the gospel.
Tom Stoddard, CEO of Venture Pest Control, said his company recruits heavily out of Utah and Idaho to fill positions for summer sales. “We look specifically for returned missionaries because they already have important skills necessary to be successful in this growing industry. They are already used to rejection.”
Nearly all of Stoddard’s sales reps during the summer are members of the Church. On Sunday, the sales reps’ only day off, they flock to the nearest church and prepare mentally and spiritually for the upcoming week. Many of them carry with them pass-along cards where their sales pitch conversations can easily turn into conversations about the gospel.