If I Needed Fast Cash in 2026, I'd Go Door-to-Door

0:00Our primary customer acquisition method is door-to-door. It's a two-part sales that are closer model. >> Yep. >> And it's a high churn role. Like we know how to sell windows, we know how to do it well. >> Yeah. >> Um but getting reps hired, trained, and retained has been a huge challenge. And so we can't just like And and there's there's kind of levels to that, right? There's getting people interested enough to say yes to the job.

0:27>> Yeah. >> There's getting them to stick past you know, week one and then actually producing. Our biggest falloff right now is literally just from showing up day one to making it the end of week one where they just get in and realize, oh gosh, I can't hack this. >> Yeah. What do the top uh closers make? >> Um 16 to 20K a month.

0:54>> Yeah. Okay, they make good money. Um Okay. So, I want to I want to give you a couple of frames on this and then we'll we'll dive in. So, frame number one is that this is a feature not a bug. It's the nature door-to-door. So, instead of saying like, man, I think there's something wrong with our business, like it might be just like we need to do way more of it. Like at at at the very most basic level, like it could just be how do I do 10 times more of this and I deal with all the numbers I currently have. That's like thing one. Thing two. Um it might also be an avatar selection issue. So, to pull back the thing that I was just talking about, these applications, just like leads that you have for a business, like I'm sure it's like we have they have to have at least this many windows or they have to have a home that's valued above X or whatever, right? You look at certain neighborhoods when you go door-to-door, right?

1:36>> Yep. >> Right. So, the same degree is you might be you might be knocking it to give you a you know, a one-to-one example, it's like if you're going into the projects or the hood, right? Uh where home values are lower, the likelihood that they're going to buy a higher ticket thing is lower, right? >> Sure. >> Right. And so, you might still be attracting apps for SDR or you know, door knockers, whatever, uh for the setters from figuratively the quote low-income part of the internet, right? And that doesn't actually have to do anything with income, but I'm just saying just to give you a like an analogy here. Um and so the question is what do the people who make it have in common?

2:18>> Balls. >> Well, yeah, sure. But what we want to do No, no, you're good. You're good. What we want to do is look at We want to look at what are the behaviors? So I look at demographics, just like you would with a customer. What are the demographics that have higher likelihoods of success? Is there age ranges, things like that, right? Number two, is there any kind of past experiences that they had that make it more likely for them to succeed? Um the next is going to be the behaviors, right? What did these people do? Just like we'd have activation Now, you're not in a service bus- Well, you kind of are, but it's a little bit different. It's not like you like it's not like customers have to do something, right? But if you're in a if you're in a business where a customer has to do something, we'd say like what are the behaviors that a really successful customer did, and then we say, "Okay, we want to force that activation path for everyone."

2:59So what percentage of people who are starting make it past week one? >> Um we have two small offices, and it does vary per office. Um one of them is significantly worse currently um with this issue, but ultimately I don't know. But bad, like not not a lot. And again, it's more it's less of a like they couldn't see results, and so they fizzled out cuz they need to pay their bills cuz it is 100% commission, and it's right now more of a I I don't get past day three because I realize once the rubber meets the road and I'm on the doorstep by myself, I can't hack it. It's kind of what it's been.

3:40>> Yeah, I hear you. So um how much role play do you do with these guys before they get out there? >> Um so they've got to have the script down, um and we do you know, we meet daily um, >> Yeah. for an hour or two. Um, and so that couple hours a day is is >> Do you have like two makeshift doors that you have at your facility where they like knock on it and open it there's nothing on the other side of it?

4:09>> Um, we've got the office door and we we'll either just not use a door or use that door. >> Okay. I So, I'm going to like this is it's going to sound silly but I am 100% right. Um, you want to approximate the conditions of the sale as closely as humanly possible in the training. Something as simple as them not actually knocking on the door will have a very meaningful difference in their ability to retain the information and actually deliver it in a comparable setting.

4:37>> Okay. Yeah, we have definitely not focused on that. >> Right. So, you have a training issue. Right? Like to me this is a training issue. It's a training and expectations problem. So, obviously there's some element of like who am I bringing in? That's going to be one component of it, you know. If you look at 10 people, I'm sure right off the bat you can probably be 50/50 on like I could for sure tell you that these three guys aren't going to make it, right? Um, but there's some guys you're like I'm not really sure. Well, it's like let's just kick take out the guys we already aren't know aren't going to make it and then let's get the other 50% and try to approximate the the training. So, what I would do is I would set up two or three free standing doors inside of your facility. And the reason I would want to do that is because I want them to learn to run. I want them to learn to hustle between doors cuz it's a huge difference in terms of their doors knocked per day, right?

5:20>> Yep. >> Right. So, I want them to practice like they play. So, you're going to knock on the door, you're going to do it, we're going to hit the script, and if they mess it up we say stop, step back, knock again, do it again. Because the thing is it's going to get it's going to be so muscle memory for them like literally like their hands going to they're going to knock the same number of times, they're going to say the same words at the same spot. Um, and that will approximate so much more closely what they're going to experience uh, there. I would also encourage you to have, uh, basically the the rowdy customer because it going mediocre okay is not what they're afraid of. That's not why they're not That's not why they're leaving. It's like we have to have people slamming doors in their face. We have to have people not liking them so that they can get used to that.

6:04>> So, repeat kind of what you were saying there. Like I got 90% of what you're saying, but the the missed the punchline. >> Yeah, no, you're good. Three free standing doors. >> like they are the the response that they're getting in real world. >> Yes. I want them to be okay. I want to role play out with someone losing their on them is like so that they stop having this big fear around it. It's like it's going to be okay. You're going to survive. If someone calls you a rodent, guess what? You can knock on the next door, baby.

6:32The only person who knows how the last door went is you. >> Cool. >> Right? And so where it gets nasty from a training perspective is when someone gets hot, someone gets on fire cuz everyone's been there, right? You're like, man, I feel like I like I close everybody today, right? Um, we they actually talk differently. They move differently. Their tonality changes. And then what we want to do is be as granular as possible about what those tonality changes, how their body moves, how they comport themselves to maximize the likelihood that they get more closes in a row.

7:09But this to me is like thing one is you should absolutely set up this training. Like this is like a tomorrow thing. Like set the three free standing doors up so they can practice one knocking on doors and also quickly transition between doors. Thing one. And that way they can also have a bad door, good door, bad door and still know that, hey, I'm going to get one out of 20 doors who opens, I'm going to get I'm going to get a set, right? And we have to set expectations of like, listen, we need you to be doing 10 doors an hour or whatever that you know, whatever your numbers are, right?

7:34It depends on how, you know, far apart the doors are or whatever. But like like we should set these number of doors knocked per hour goals so that we can just they have to look at it as a numbers game. >> Yeah. Cool. >> So >> Yeah, I would agree that it's it's I mean, there's levels of that that it's a training issue. Yeah. You know, there's the week one training issue.

8:03>> sure because one of them's doing way better than the other. So, we know one of the trainers is already doing way better than the other location, right? Between the two that you got, right? >> Yes. >> Right. So, already there's a discrepancy. So, we know that like if this if the bad location was doing as well as the good location, we already know that's 100% possible cuz it's already happening, right? >> Yeah. >> But, I'll bet you both could lift. And I also think part of this is um Do you have the uh HQ uh sales the closer handbook?

8:33>> Yep. >> Yeah, I would have them read the what it's like to be the top 1% and what is selling, those two parts of the closer handbook. And I would use that to set the frame for what this experience is going to be like for them. >> What was the second part? The top 1% and what? >> And what is selling. >> Okay. >> Because they have to have an appreciation for the craft. And I think that if they if like again, part of this is just going to be the sale. It's the sale on them. It's like how hard are we selling them on this is a skill that you will use for the rest of your life.

9:07And you're going to have to get good at it here or somewhere else, but you might as well get good at it here and get paid to do it. >> Awesome. Where What would you say is the balance between cuz you mentioned expectations. Yeah. And I think that is part of it, just understanding that this is going to be hard, but it's going to be worth it because of XYZ. So, selling very hard, but also I guess where would you find that balance of selling versus reality. Um or manage expectations versus

9:42>> selling is like if you sell if you sell with the correct messaging, it will attract the right prospect. So, you've probably heard of the Shackleton ad. Have you heard of that? >> Um not based on that, but >> Hold on. I'll pull it up. Here we go. >> [sighs] >> So, this is this was the ad that he ran that was like whether it was him or not, it's become lore. So, the ad said, "Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success."

10:18That was the ad. And he was overwhelmed with people who were into it. And so, it's like we want to we we want to state the facts and tell the truth. And the truth is very compelling. Which is that this will be a skill you will learn for the rest of your life. And it will take you 30 days. If you make it 30 days, you will have an experience that you will remember forever. Any person who's ever done door-to-door will tell you about their experience doing door-to-door.

10:44It shapes you. >> Absolutely. >> Right? And so, we need to paint that picture truthfully to them, but truthfully explain why it's in their best interest to stick it out. And we want to have as many reward cycles as possible. So, are there ways that we can give a scoreboard that are like I want somebody who gets an award for most doors knocked, most doors opened. Like we want other ways of giving them recognition um early and fast so that they could see that they're at least on the right track.

11:16>> Yeah. >> Right? So, if I were to if I were to zoom all the way out, thing one is going to be I want the types of people who have higher likelihoods of succeeding in this based on demographics, past experience, and the behaviors that demonstrate in the application process. Thing one. This will be online, too. So, you're like, I'm not writing fast enough. That's thing one. >> Yeah, yeah, no, you're good. I'm Yeah. >> Thing two is that I want the training environment to approximate reality as closely as humanly possible. I want to have multiple doors. I want them to knock every time. No one just says the script. You knock every time because that's how you do it in the real world.

11:50Thing three. As soon as they do begin, I want to have multiple ways for them to win that are ideally approximations or or uh on the way to them getting their first set or multiple sets. I want to award them for knocking the most doors. I want to award them for having the most doors open. I want to award them for the the biggest cuss out that they get. Right? I want to make this fun. I want to I want to take the pressure away.

12:16Just make it a game. >> Yeah. Gamified, yep. >> Yeah. >> I like it. >> We do that, and you have leaderboards just for the setters beyond just sets. I want to have some of the other metrics that are there. Right, just closes is one thing, but I want to have who did the most dials. I want to say who did the most who had the most pick-ups, right? Who had the most calls that lasted past two minutes, right? Same idea. >> Yeah. Cool. >> Cool.

12:39>> Love it. Um what is there anything that you feel is worth mentioning as far as just like the overall talent acquisition funnel or this is going to trump that regardless of where and how we're bringing people in? I mean, we kind of talked about the the how. >> Yeah, doing more I mean, doing more in general might This is kind of the feature bug thing of like, well, what does it cost you to get an activated rep? Are you willing to spend more for that? If so, spend more so you get more of them. Like, if we change nothing, it would still grow the business if we just had more reps.

13:10Like, if we change nothing. If we change these three things and spend more, it'll be double double. >> Yeah. I guess I was more asking like cuz right now >> Yeah. >> 99% come from just like an Indeed listing. >> Yeah. >> And obviously changing what that Indeed listing looks like and sounds like can >> Yeah. >> change who we're attracting. >> Totally. >> Um but

13:36>> Well, I think the copy that I just kind of outlined, again, state the facts and tell the truth. But I would just try and make it look like a hardcore life opportunity, which is what it is. Like you're not selling windows, you're selling a skill that they're going to learn and get paid to do. Which I think is pretty compelling. >> Yeah. For sure. >> I would also strongly encourage cuz almost every door-to-door team that's very big has a three-step process for the career progression. Step one is learn how to sell, step two is learn how to get one person to sell that you taught, step three is recruit a team.

14:08So, I think that you probably are missing step two and three for your team if 99% of your dudes are coming from ads. You're missing out on the entire referral component of them bringing their friends and getting an override on teaching their friend and then building a team. >> For sure. Yeah. Right now we're at a spot where we need the base level of momentum to even do two and three, but >> Okay. >> yes. And I've recently made some changes there that makes it compelling towards like not just a oh, yeah, I can make a little bit extra with bringing a friend in and be more sticky, but I it's I I can make a side hustle just

14:46>> Yes. >> bringing my friends in even if I don't sell. >> It's a career path. Yeah. It's a recruiter. It's another sell just selling selling selling a different opportunity. Yep. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, that's step one, two, three, and then obviously do more, the unspoken fourth. >> Awesome. >> Rock and roll. >> I appreciate it. >> Appreciate you, man. >> Thanks, man. >> All right, talk to you. >> Bye-bye. >> See you. Bye.