Don't Come Knockin'


I was sitting upstairs in my home office when there was a knock at my front door. This can only mean two things: 1) my wife has ordered more shoes from Zappo's; or 2) someone is trying to sell me something. There's no third option, because none of my neighbors or friends would ever just drop by without calling me first.

If it's option 1, the UPS or FedEx driver will leave a package outside the door and drive away whether I answer it or not. If it's option 2, it could be a contractor who wants to fix my roof/garage/whatever, or a guy with a truck full of firewood he'd be happy to stack by my back door, or a new stockbroker who's moved into the neighborhood and is soliciting possible clients (does anyone ever turn over their savings to someone who shows up on their doorstep?).

Unless it involves Thin Mints and Samoas, I am not going to do business with anyone who sells their wares or service door-to-door. Looking out the window, I didn't see a delivery truck, but despite knowing this would only annoy me, I decided to go downstairs and see who was knocking.

Sure enough, it was someone trying to sell me something -- a guy from a lawn care company. No more than five words into his spiel, I put my hand up and said, "We already have someone taking care of the lawn." Then he quickly asked, "Do you mind if I ask why you chose that company in the first place?"

I replied, "Yes. It's because they didn't knock on my door and bother me." Then I closed the door and went back upstairs.