“Take it or leave it” marketing

“Take it or leave it” marketing is what I call it, when in all kinds of inclement weather (like last night !) a door-to-door salesman salesperson calls to the door looking to sell something to “the homeowner”, and you must sign up there and then without any leaflets or discussion or feckin anything …

Phone companies are especially adept at it – or ‘a dab hand‘ as my father used to say. And so it was that last night, in the middle of the most positively Baltic conditions this part of Ireland has experienced since last winter, a heavily wrapped up and foggy spectacled girl from Eircom phonewatch called to the door. After I had reassured the dog that this lady didn’t want to axe murder us all with her clipboard, she set about explaining to me what it was she thought we needed. We had, as it happens, been on the lookout for an alarm or an alarm system of sorts, so at least I heard her out. Their offer wasn’t bad ….

But then she hit me with it – the terms and conditions (not her clipboard !). She didn’t have any leaflets that explained the prices nor was she allowed to carry them. And (sorry for starting a sentence with ‘and’ mother !) could only extend me the introductory offer if I signed on the dotted line there and then. There and then – that’s it – make your mind up while she shivered in the doorway (I had, of course, asked her in out of the cowld !)

I just think it’s a little weird that companies expect people at doorways in the middle of Eastenders to sign up to things when they are not given any time to discuss it with their family or cannot refer to literature about it … I mean, she was ready to take the first month’s payment out of my wallet there and then.

So out of principle, I politely declined and told her to stay in out of the cowld and not to be wearing her jacket in the car because then she wouldn’t get the benefit of it when she pulled up at the next house …

Technorati tags : marketing : door to door salesmen