“Hello! Could I have a minute of your time?”
“No, I’m working and you’re bothering me.”
For a large amount of the population, public speaking is scarier than death. Recently, I discovered something that made me even more nervous: the door-to-door sales challenge that was a part of my sales course.
I found it more nerve-racking to walk up to a stranger’s door and pitch a product, than to give a speech.
Even though I was dreading the experience, I grabbed my product and started walking. For the first couple of doors, I walked up, looked at the doorbell, and walked away. It took several attempts to muster up the courage to knock on the first door.
When I rang the doorbell, an older woman opened the door. She told me she was working, and I was bothering her.
What surprised me about this experience was I was more nervous before knocking on the door than I was after getting rejected.
As I continued knocking on doors, I realized that getting told, “No,” is the worst thing that could happen, and it’s not that bad.
I learned that the hardest part about putting yourself in an uncomfortable position, like selling door-to-door, is knocking on the first door. Facing rejection is important, even if it is hard the first time.
My confidence rose dramatically after the first rejection, because I knew that was the worst that could happen. I realized that stepping out of my comfort zone made me a better salesman and more confident person.
In the end, I sold the water bottle, but the confidence and sales skills I gained from the experience was worth far more than the $20 I earned from sale.
