Door to door sales is a type of direct sales technique where a salesperson will try and establish a direct relationship with a consumer in order to sell a specific product. Sometimes door to door sales will be done at random where a salesperson will approach a person’s home or place of business without warning. Other times, a phone call will first be made by a telesales representative to determine whether the person is a possible customer. Then a visit by a salesperson will be scheduled. 

There are several organizations, such as the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) and the United States Direct Selling Association (DSA), which will monitor the practices of direct sales agents and compile statistics about direct sales practices. Door to door salespeople have specific business models that they will follow. They sell a great variety of products.

Telesales is a business practice in which telemarketers will attempt to solicit customers by engaging in cold calling. Cold calling means that telesales representatives will make phone calls directly to consumers with which they have no previous relationship. The consumer will not be expecting this telephone call because they are mostly made at random. 

Telesales can also be made through robocalling, which is when pre-recorded messages will be played to consumers through automatic dialing. These companies will get phone numbers from directories, credit history, or may purchase them from other companies’ databases. Telesales are mostly viewed as an annoyance and an interference with the privacy of consumers. This is why there has been Federal legislation, such as the National Do Not Call List, that will restrict the practices of telemarketers. 

Mail order sales is a business technique in which a customer will place an order through a telephone call or website and the purchased products will be delivered to his or her home. This is a very popular practice in mail order catalogs. A catalog is a publication by a business or manufacturer that will contain a list of goods with pictures, explanation, and pricing.

Similar to telemarketing practices, catalog companies will receive the names and addresses of possible customers from company databases and list brokers. List brokers will include the demographics of each person so that a catalog is able to solicit individuals that will be the most likely to purchase their product. With the advancement of technology, such as the Internet, physical catalogs are being replaced by online shopping websites. 

Online Sales: 

Online sales refers to the practice of purchasing goods and services over the Internet. The process is very similar to shopping in a traditional mall or department store, but is done from one’s own computer. 

In modern times, so many people have access to the Internet, which makes online shopping a very popular practice. It is very beneficial for businesses to have an online shopping website because it allows for expansion into a variety of markets regardless of geographic location. 

Online shopping is mainly geared towards middle class and upper class women, much the same as other types of shopping. This is because online shopping customers must not only have access to the Internet, but also access to a bank account or credit card. This is an effective way to purchase goods because shoppers can quickly and easily be matched up with the products that they desire.

Door to door sales is a type of marketing technique that employs direct selling. Direct sales is a tactic by manufacturers and businesses where they will have direct meetings with consumers at their homes or places of business. A sales pitch will be presented and the seller will attempt to make a deal with the customer.

The World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) is an organization of businesses and individuals that engage in direct selling, including door to door sales. The WFDSA examines the impact of direct sales techniques on consumers.

The organization reports that the benefits of direct sales, based on the idea that consumers who buy products as a result of practices likes door to door selling will be more satisfied with their purchase. This is because consumers will be able to see a demonstration of the product and get a face-to-face explanation of its features. This allows for more interaction between the buyer and seller, as opposed to purchasing products from other forms of advertisement like television ads.

The United States Direct Selling Association (DSA) is another organization that will monitor direct sales. The DSA compiles statistics about door to door sales and has determined that a majority of Americans have at one time in their lives purchased an item from a direct sales agent. The DSA, and associated organizations, will also establish rules and regulations that will require direct sales agents to operate in a fair and appropriate manner. Direct sales does not employ the use of any outside marketing objectives. The main idea of this sales tactic is to establish a direct relationship with the consumer.

Door to door salespeople have specific sales models to follow. These individuals will travel from home to home in an attempt to sell a product or service to the general public. Sometimes this will be done at random, and other times a telemarketer will first contact the proposed customer to set up an appointment for a visit. 

There are a great variety of products that can be sold using the door to door direct sales technique. The most commonly sold items are cleaning products, appliances, and magazine subscriptions. Since the main selling arena is in the consumer’s home, home repair products are also a popular product in door to door sales.

Due to technological advances, such as the Internet, electronic advertising has been increasing in popularity. This has led to a steady decline in door to door sales in recent years. People are more likely to purchase a product from the internet because of its convenience rather than a direct sales agent. Now, door to door sales are more restricted to organizations that will sell coupons or tickets. 

Mail order sales is a type of indirect selling technique in which a customer will place an order for purchase and the goods will be delivered to his or her home. Orders will normally be placed through a telephone call or a website. Most often, the customer will provide the company with an address for delivery when placing a mail order, which will be a home or business address. However, sometimes a supplier will deliver the product to a nearby retail store where the customer will retrieve it.

Also, a mail order is commonly used when consumers wish to send gifts. In this case, businesses will often send the gift directly to the third party as long as the consumer provides the address.

Catalogs are a very popular type of mail order service. A catalog is a piece of literature that will contain the products, descriptions, and prices of a business’ inventory. A catalog company will send their publications to a list of consumers who are likely to purchase their products.

Oftentimes, these companies will purchase names and addresses from other corporations called list brokers. List brokers are agents that will deal with all kinds of sales businesses, such as e-mailers, telemarketers, and catalog companies, to provide them with names and addresses of consumers. List brokers will include the demographics of each possible customer, such as name, age, sex, etc., so that catalog companies can choose who will be most likely to purchase their products.

Traditionally, a catalog was received via the postal service. However, with the advancement of technology in recent years, this is beginning to change. Many catalog companies are able to post their publications on the Internet. This online mail order service is much more convenient for many consumers. Mail order promotions will also come in the form of coupon books that consumers can use to purchase goods from a catalog or from the retail store itself.

Mail order services have a long history in the United States. Benjamin Franklin is believed to have developed the idea by establishing the first mail order catalog in 1744. His catalog, which sold books, is the first known business to utilize the mail order system where customers made requests and he distributed goods through the postal service.

Since this time, a great variety of mail order businesses have been established which sell basically every type of commercial good. Nowadays, the Internet has become a more popular method for indirect shopping. This is more often referred to as online shopping or e-commerce as opposed to mail order catalogs.