Make Your Time Count

Are you spending time going door-to-door selling yourself or product? You might figure that that is as good a use as any for your time in your fledgling business, or not. Do you have a plan for when someone answers that knock you just made?

I had a young man come to my door this afternoon looking to be a Wealth Manager as a small business man. The fellow was well attired in a suit and appropriately groomed, seemed to be a friendly enough fellow. However, he did not seem prepared to make the sale.

I opened my door and he was already 10+ feet away. There was not a business card on my door. He asked about a place I had been based on a bumper sticker.

He was already a good 3 minutes into conversation before he introduced himself, by first name only, and stated that he was a small business man in the field of Wealth Management. I saw flyers in his pocket but he never offered me one. Did he fail to realize that I was A) not going to invite him intro my home to speak of financial matters right off the street and B)that he was a complete stranger to me?

In his presentation, it would be fair for him to make the representation that he would/could be my wealth manager. Think positive. He actually found someone at home. The brochure in his pocket should have been at very least been under my eyes if not in my hand.

I suspect that he failed to realize that he was not going to be invited into someone home and make a sale right then and there. Only Girl Scouts get that quick of a sale from me, especially when Thin Mints are in hand. I certainly would research someone wanting to be my Financial Guru. But I Do not know his full name nor what type of product he was selling? By starting the conversation 10 feet from my door, he could not hand me a business card with at least a website on it, or a brochure, but he already seemed as if he wanted to be at the next doorstep.

As with most people who have spent time at home I am pretty good at getting rid of door-to-door peddlers. If you are going door-to-door know that I am not the only one like that. Also know that I have made purchases this way. I found a great tree removal person for instance.

In this tough economy Door-to Door may be the right marketing strategy for you. Take the time to do it right. If you bothered to climb the 13 step to my front door at least leave a business card. Otherwise, all you are going to get is a nice walk out of your afternoon.

The Grocery Store Difference

Recently, I have started to shop at Sunflower Markets more often. It certainly changes the way that you think about cooking. To be successful here you must cook not just reheat. OK they have some heat and serve available and they are tasty.

In the past, I did not think about preparing vegetables as part of the meal. I checked to see what was frozen in the freezer. This week I looked at Italian Squash and thought about how to cook with it. It appears to be in the Zucchini family. I will be making a small casserole from it. Eggplant was also on sale. I can smell the Eggplant Parmigiana now. These can be frozen or portioned out for lunches.

Salads are a regular part of dinner since the makings are often on sale. Looking beyond the Iceberg Lettuce there are a lot of bargains out there with a variety of Romain often on sale for as little as dollar a head.

I buy the best meat that I can afford. I do this by making red meat a smaller portion of the meal than I may have in the past. Sliders have become a big hit in my family. A pound of hamburg makes 8 burgers. I keep frozen bread dough rolls on hand. The toppings make the burgers, the salad is on the plate a different way and a little great cheese goes a long a way. Roasted root vegetables round out this meal.

Cooking does not have to be hard but it is thoughtful. The cash in your pocket will make the difference.