The "NO Solicitation" Sign

11 years ago

You just walk right past it, sir, and ignore it.

Most have been up so long nobody even recognizes it.

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iain1066 11 years ago

These are useful to identify good prospects as they are often put up by people who have a hard time saying no.
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- flightrisk 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by iain1066
  
  These are useful to identify good prospects as they are often put up by people who have a hard time saying no.
  
  Lol Im in one call in home sales too and when people answer the door and say "I'm not buying anything today" they always buy. Your right they buy when talked to so to avoid this they'll put up a front. In this case a sign....funny
  
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  Alton Hargrave 11 years ago
  
  Actually, when you see a sign that says "No Solicitors", it means no lawyers allowed. LOL. You see, there are many contexts to the term solicitors, such as hookers, lawyers, beggars, salesmen, etc. In some countries, especially the UK, some of the lawyers are termed as solicitors. In some places in the USA, the term is used for certain types of lawyers, especially those that spend their time in the court room.
  
  This all becomes more complicated when you realize this and so many other conversations here are between folks from many different places in the world with diverse customs, histories, and variations of the same language.
  
  Alton
  
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James English

11 years ago

I have never had a business owner actually call me out on ignoring a no soliciting sign.

If you have something of value to offer, don't let the sign stop you. On the off chance that it ends up being a problem, brush it off and move on to the next business.

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internetPro 11 years ago

If it does bother you just go in and find out who you would need to set an appointment with or call about some marketing strategies.

Or use the word free consultation

Free doesn't cost anything so it's not solicitation

But the best advice given was ignore it....
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Norbi

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Trent English

I have never had a business owner actually call me out on ignoring a no soliciting sign.

If you have something of value to offer, don't let the sign stop you. On the off chance that it ends up being a problem, brush it off and move on to the next business.

I did. However, to be fair, the no soliciting sign was almost roughly the size of his logo. Furthermore, it was a gym where the owner was probably 250lbs of muscle, with a short fuse. It still didn't stop me, or have any future affect.

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Newbiemarketer76

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Trent English

I have never had a business owner actually call me out on ignoring a no soliciting sign.

If you have something of value to offer, don't let the sign stop you. On the off chance that it ends up being a problem, brush it off and move on to the next business.

What of value would he possibly have to offer?

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gabysanchez225

11 years ago

This terrified me my first day out trying to sell mobile sites. I sat that on a bench in the shopping center feeling overwhelmed/defeated. Then I mustered up the courage, ignored the signs, walked right in, and was received courteously. Just go for it Jessie.

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BrandonMHowe

11 years ago

I learned on the very first day of door knocking -- selling coupon books lol -- to blow on
by the no solicitation signs.

Residential and Business... doesn't matter..

I thought it was disrespectful... so I asked my trainer why he was ignoring the signs.

He gave the same answer I read above -- "they're usually the ones who have a hard
time saying no."

From there on out, I've ignored all no solicitor placards

Edit: the coupon book gig was a long time ago, yet the lessons learned stuck with me.
To date, I've had one rotten front desk guy bark at me about their no solicitation sign
when I went in a golf store to pitch my 9x12 card.

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mak25

11 years ago

If you're called out on it (which is doubtful) just tell them you thought that was for hookers

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zimbizee

11 years ago

We have one up on our residential property.

Ignore it at your peril

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Pierre!

11 years ago

I was challenged once...

I walked in, started chatting with the lady in the shop... She politely pointed out the No Solicitation sign... I apologized and asked if they received many like me just walking in?

Suddenly from the back came this older woman - She smiled at me, Looked Me Up And Down, declared herself the owner of the shop and told me we had some BUSINESS to discuss In The Back Room...

I laughed and said that was very nice, but no...

Wonder why there was no one in her shop??? (LOL) She had been drinking, heavily it seemed, and probably didn't remember it later...

That's the Only time I have been challenged - and it's a great story too!

Guard Yourselves Out There...
Patrick

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Tjpiper

11 years ago

Most people will not call you out on the no solicitation sign, whether you are knocking on doors or going b2b.

One way I have always found a non-confrontational way around being called out for soliciting is by KINDLY saying sorry, then ask for help from the person calling you out. After they call you out, you could respond by saying"sorry, maybe you can help me...I am in the neighborhood or area looking to help people or businesses in need of________. Do you know of anyone around here who could use this service?"

Most of the time asking for help will disarm the person that is confronting you. Sometimes it can even lead to a sale, or at least some good referrals!

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Tina Golden

11 years ago

'No Solicitation' signs aren't aimed at people wanting to do business with the owner. They are there to keep out the people who will bother the customers to buy candy bars or donate to various things, etc.

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Vrs

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Tina Golden

'No Solicitation' signs aren't aimed at people wanting to do business with the owner. They are there to keep out the people who will bother the customers to buy candy bars or donate to various things, etc.

Tina is exactly right. I've been walking in the doors of businesses with "NO Soliciting" signs for 20+ years and have rarely ever had the sign mentioned. Maybe .0001% of the time.

Like Tina said, those signs are primarily for kids and others in there selling gadgets and trinkets or doing fundraising, etc.

Business owners have salespeople coming in constantly and don't even think of the sign. Also, a lot of them didn't even put it up in the first place - it was already on the door when they leased the shop and they never took it down.

I've always thought I'd love to carry a couple of the signs with me so if an owner ever did mention the sign I could pull one out and say, "That's what I'm doing, I sell "No Soliciting" signs".

For what it's worth I'd bet 99.9% of the businesses I've sold to had a no soliciting sign on their door.

There is one exception by the way - if someone goes to the trouble of making a handwritten or custom sign spelling out how they won't see anyone without an appointment I wouldn't just walk in and try to give a presentation. I will walk in to get an appointment - or - the contact info of who I'd need to see though. Sometimes doing that will even result in a presentation on the spot - but usually not.

Sales is great - have fun out there!

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Eddie Spangler

11 years ago

Someone brought it to my attention one time and I just laughed and said

"Haha , I thought that was a joke, who would place a no solicitation sign in a retail establishment."

They weren't amused, but I was laughing my ass off!

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club20coaching

11 years ago

I do Flyer Distribution and have been doing it for a long time!!! One thing I can tell you is that the do mater and if you don't want to end up in civil court for something silly I suggest you just look other places.

Be creative and think of some new ways you can get around it, this seems to be the only way my business has got to where it is today! Good luck friend!!!

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Doran Peck

10 years ago

Personally I think when you use a No Solicitation sign, you do nothing but reveal to the world a lack of business acumen....no..what I mean to say is...a knack for stupidity.

Why...why...why...would you close yourself off to opportunities and ideas to help your business succeed, or to improve your life in one way or another?

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Ron Lafuddy 10 years ago

Old thread, eh, Doran? Nice post count, though.

To those wondering about "no soliciting" or "no salespeople" signs

Have you ever thought that, just maybe, it was another salesperson who put the sign there to stop a competitor from going in?

There are many timid souls "working" in sales (not for long). Some are looking for a reason not to call on a prospect. They'll use the sign as an excuse, not to knock or go in.

This worked for me, several years ago when I was in a very competitive field.
I installed the signs - with the gatekeepers permission, at my customer locations.

It didn't stop everybody, but it slowed the flow considerably.
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Doran Peck

10 years ago

Ron you might get a laugh from this but after some prospecting yesterday and coming across an alarming number of those signs it o furred to me today to google Why do businesses put no soliciting signs out...and this thread came up. After reading this I think I will revisit those folks

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Ron Lafuddy

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Doran Peck

Ron you might get a laugh from this but after some prospecting yesterday and coming across an alarming number of those signs it o furred to me today to google Why do businesses put no soliciting signs out...and this thread came up. After reading this I think I will revisit those folks

And you should.

Always test the boundaries of what you believe to be true.
By pushing through the boundaries, ignoring the resistance, you arrive
at breakthrough.

That's where real success lies.

Good luck and good hunting, Doran.

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NewParadigm

10 years ago

You aren't asking them for anything. You are there to give them something, provide real value.

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SirThomas

10 years ago

"No Soliciting Signs" show you're easily sold stuff. A real salesman would go in immediately. :-)

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James Hensley

10 years ago

In response to an owner calling attention to the signs I like the approach of turning it around into a joke and trying to just carry on the conversation. You can always apologize and move on, no worries.

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ErinWalsh

10 years ago

That sign is for business that don't want outside competition coming in and bothering them.

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scottgallagher

10 years ago

You initial visit you are NOT soliciting them. You are asking for the contact information to forward some correspondence.

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The "NO Solicitation" Sign

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