Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers
In the Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers occupation, workers sell goods or services door-to-door or on the street. One core duty is to explain products or services and prices and demonstrate use of products. Interest ratings put Enterprising on top at 5.5 out of 7 and Conventional second, so the code is ECR and the day leans toward leading, persuading and making business decisions. Plan on a few months to a year of learning on the job; O*NET labels this some preparation. Strength in speaking, persuasion, and social perceptiveness helps most here. It tends to suit people who want leading, persuading and making business decisions, and it offers little for anyone seeking research, analysis and working through hard problems.
What they do
Sell goods or services door-to-door or on the street.
Main tasks
- Explain products or services and prices and demonstrate use of products.
- Develop prospect lists.
- Deliver merchandise and collect payment.
- Write and record orders for merchandise or enter orders into computers.
- Arrange buying parties and solicit sponsorship of such parties to sell merchandise.
- Answer questions about product features and benefits.
Skills
- Speaking
- Persuasion
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Active Listening
- Negotiation
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You like taking the lead and making the call.
- You like clear rules and getting the details right.
- You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
- You are comfortable relying on speaking and persuasion.
May not suit you if
- You would rather not persuade, sell or manage other people.
- You want to spend most of your time analyzing and researching. Investigative rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
- You want a career built on years of advanced study.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code ECR takes the three highest, and Enterprising comes first here.
Preparation
Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Less than a High School Diploma. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Direct Sales Coach
- Door-to-Door Sales Trainer
- Independent Beauty Consultant
- Independent Distributor
- Independent Sales Associate
Related careers
Is this your direction?
See how your interests line up with ECR and 906 other careers.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.