Entrepreneur Johnny Hebda Answers the Question: Do Door-to-door Sales Work in 2012?

Johnny Hebda discusses a viable marketing strategy for getting products and home services out to consumers through door-to-door sales.

•  Email  PDF  Print

Lehi, UT (PRWEB) March 06, 2012

Door-to-door soliciting is often thought of as something of the past: peddlers or solicitors are typically regarded as an archaic sales tactic that has long been outdated. With the Internet and easy access to a wide variety of products and services, the idea of buying a product or service through someone knocking on your door uninvited can’t possibly work in 2012 or can it?

According to Johnny Hebda, young entrepreneur that has built his entire career and business exclusively through door-to-door sales, states that this sales technique is well and alive today more than ever.    

Johnny Hebda has run companies and developed door-to-door sales teams for the past 7 years. He has trained sales teams and personnel to sell everything from pest control contracts to Internet and cable services, and currently he trains and develops teams to sell home security and automation services.

“I have found that consumers often prefer to purchase home services when someone comes to their home and can customize a service at a great rate that would be difficult for them to receive over the phone or online. Consumers appreciate the personalized touch they get when one of our trained sales team members is able to offer a free inspection of their home and suggest a tailored package or service that will fit their needs in a specific way,” according to Johnny Hebda.    

Hebda began running a small sales team while an undergrad at Brigham Young University. He sold pest control contracts to residents for Orkin Pest Control in the southeast US to pay for his schooling. Since then he has built a huge network of sales teams nationally. He recruits primarily college students needing summer jobs and has found this to be his target market for gaining sales personnel.

“With the down economy and struggling job market, door-to-door sales can provide a great alternative to students needing a way to pay for their college education without taking out huge loans or graduating with large amounts of debt. It also provides great training and skills that will benefit students for the rest of their life and strengthen their resume,” says Johnny Hebda.    

On average students can make over $20,000 during the 3-4 month summer break they have between semesters through commission on sales that they make. Hebda has tailored a training program that helps hard working and driven salesmen to master the door-to-door sales technique very quickly.

Johnny Hebda was also one of three winners in the 2008 Brigham Young University's Annual Entrepreneur of the Year Competition for his business Pointe Pest Control, which at that time had annual revenues in excess of $3 million (http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/66895).

“Two industries in particular stand out as particularly receptive to door-to-door sales: Pest Control and Home Security Systems. In 2010, Incite Marketing, which I founded, sent out more than 500 sales representatives between May and August and generated more than 35,000 new customers, generating more than $16 million in new gross sales revenue during those 4 months,” says Hebda.

According Pest Control Magazine’s (PCT) Top 100 List (which ranks the largest pest control companies based on annual revenues each year-http://www.pctonline.com/PCT0511_top100list.aspx), more than one third of the top 100 companies utilize door-to-door sales teams as part of their annual sales, including both Terminix and Orkin.

Home security system sales is even a larger industry for door-to-door sales and is a multi-billion dollar industry in the US alone. Hebda currently works as a Regional Sales Manager for AMP Security (http://www.workatamp.com) which markets for Vector Security, that ranks as the 7th largest home security company in the US according to the SDM List. AMP Security which Hebda works for, projects to produce $40-$50 million dollars of new sales revenue this year alone for Vector Security. Looking at the 2011 SDM List, which ranks the largest home security companies in the US (http://www.sdmmag.com/articles/86558-2011-sdm-100-the-list), more than half of the top 20 home security monitoring companies utilize door-to-door sales teams as a major part of their sales growth each year. Several of the companies listed in the top ten, attribute more than 90% of their sales growth to door-to-door sales teams.

Johnny Hebda is often sought after as a consultant for businesses looking to implement door-to-door sales to aid in its sales growth. Hebda believes that many other services and home products could successfully implement door-to-door sales teams to bolster its sales, particularly with a down economy.

“There is no reason to sit back and wait for consumers to call your business or to cross your fingers that your latest commercial, online ad or coupon is going to bring new customers through your doors. If you have a good product or service, get out there and take it to the consumers yourself,” says Hebda.