“Which side do you choose: Cat or Dog?”

Recently, a door-to-door salesperson arrived at my home.

As soon as I opened the door, I noticed his jacket, his name tag with his face, and a clipboard in hand. I realized then that I’d have to pause my FIFA game for a while.

Here’s how the encounter unfolded:

  • He greeted me with an exaggerated smile and inquired about my day.
  • He made a big deal about how I was the first person to reciprocate his question—“not bad, yours?” (It’s England; I find that hard to believe.)
  • He asked if I was Team Cat or Team Dog.
  • Despite my visible impatience and attempts to exit the conversation, he continued to follow his pitch.
  • When I told him I was busy, he offered to return in three hours, but I eventually declined.

What struck me is that, despite being a Sales/Business Development coach and selling every day, I almost gave him false hope by suggesting he could come back later.

I had to consciously resist that impulse.

Essentially, he was trying to schedule a meeting that I would have ghosted or attended without any intention of purchasing.

Sound familiar?

Had he given me an easy way out early on, we could have avoided a few awkward minutes in the first ten seconds.

Remember, a person who isn’t interested will never buy, so it’s best to move them off the call and out of your funnel swiftly. This applies just as much when selling job opportunities to candidates.

And if your current employer rewards this kind of behavior with unreasonable KPIs, it might be time to search for a new position.