Women At Risk - In Home Sales Representatives (Part II)
Risky Business – Meeting Prospects (Complete Strangers) In Their Home!
1. You meet with complete strangers in their home to educate and consult with them on home security protection, financial advice, real estate advice, or whatever. Many times realtors or alarm consultants have to meet prospects at a new home construction site or in a vacant home in a remote location with no other homes nearby. Be aware of this type of situation and always try to checkout the prospect beforehand. Let others know where you will be and that you will check-in once the appointment is finished.
2. You work late night appointments in some “not-so-nice” neighborhoods. Not only do you have to be concerned with meeting a prospect in these areas, but going to and from your car late at night can be just as risky. Carry a personal alarm with a light connected and make sure the alarm is a high decibel alarm so that you can attract attention if you are confronted or attacked. You may also want to consider carrying a personal protection device like pepper spray, mace spray, Taser C2 or even a stun gun baton with a light. These are non-lethal devices and can disable an attacker long enough for you to get away to safety.
3. You go to an appointment that has been pre-set and you are not supposed to contact the prospect ahead of time (company fear of cancelling the appointment). I don’t agree that the company should do this, but if it is policy then use your intuition or gut feeling. If the prospect is in an area that you consider more dangerous than others, take a manager or someone with you. Again, let someone know your appointment time, how long it should last, and that you will call them once the appointment is finished. If for some reason you do not call back in a certain amount of time, have further instructions for what they should do to check on you.
4. You work major Home or Business Shows where you have a booth set up to display your company and products. This allows prospects to stop by your booth to talk with you and/or fill out a response form to set an appointment. You will meet some very nice people at the show and when you talk with them you’ll get a pretty good feeling whether they will be a safe prospect to meet in their home.
If you get any type of strange or weird feeling when you talk to a prospect from the show, pay attention and take this seriously. This is your gut feeling or intuition telling you something may not be quite right. If you still go to the appointment, again take someone with you. Keep a personal alarm on your keychain and have your personal protection device within quick reach if you should need it.
5. You travel great distances out of town to appointments during the day and at night. Common sense should tell you that you need to consider security and safety a priority when you travel out of town. Make sure your vehicle is in good, roadworthy condition and keep your gas tank full or at least full enough that you do not run out of gas. Have a way to alert others if you have car trouble and be sure to carry a cell phone that is completely charged. Keep some type of personal protection in your car in the event you are stranded and must wait for help. (Just in case you need it for protection). Hopefully, you will never have to use it.
6. Always carry a cell phone with you. Since September 11, 2001, cell phones have exploded in our country. Cell phones have been around for a long time, but after that disaster, more people wanted to stay in touch with loved ones. And for your sales business it is a must. Be sure to carry a charger in your car, but make sure your phone is fully charged as you go into your appointments. If your cell phone is GPS enabled, that is always a good thing to have.
7. You may work primarily from home, but go into your company office to handle paperwork and meetings. The bulk of your job is done at your home office. Consider having a security system installed in your home. If you are an in-home security consultant, you definitely should have a security system in your home. Personal security starts at home and having a well-protected home is just plain peace of mind. You never know if there are kooks out there who will follow you home. The potential for a home burglary is greater today than it was a year ago. If you compare the cost of a security system to the peace of mind you’ll have, you will find the security system is relatively inexpensive. It’s really hard to put a price on the protection and peace of mind you’ll have for your home and family.
8. You are the representative of your company when you meet with prospective customers. Dressing in a professional manner can let the prospect know right away that you are all business and not to get any ideas otherwise. When you deal with men as prospects, it is very important to dress more conservative than provocative – just to try and make the sale. You don’t want someone getting the wrong idea. First impressions are so important and set the whole tone of your meeting. If you are meeting with both husband and wife, it is even more important to dress in a professional manner. You are trying to sell your company and yourself to your prospects. Make sure they know exactly what you are trying to sell.
Be sure to make your personal security and safety a priority. Be ahead of a perpetrator by being prepared and know what to do if an attack or assault situation should occur.
Remember, Stay Aware…Stay Alert…Stay Alive!!
