Sales Door To Door Common House Sell Products Information People

In the past, especially before radio and television ads, "door-to-door sales" (the practice of having a sales person walk from one house to another to try to sell products) were a common way to reach consumers. Traditionally, a well-dressed man would come to the front door without an appointment, ring the "doorbell" (a button that, when pushed, causes a ringing sound inside the house to let occupants know that someone wants to come in), and ask to speak with the "head of the household" (the adult who is responsible for a family and makes financial decisions). Then the salesman would describe the items, usually showing "samples" (the things that are being sold) or a "catalog" (a book with descriptions and images of products for sale) to try to "make a sale" (persuade someone to buy something).

Some of the most common products for door-to-door sales were "encyclopedias," which were a series of books, usually one for each letter of the alphabet, with information about almost everything, presented in "alphabetical order" (from A to Z). Before the "advent" (appearance; arrival) of the Internet, people had to "refer to" (look at) encyclopedias at libraries and in their homes to find information about most topics.

Another common product for door-to-door sales was the "vacuum cleaner" (a machine that can be rolled or pushed across the floor to suck up dirt and hair from carpets and other floors). And sometimes "Avon" sellers use door-to-door sales to sell their "cosmetics" (make-up) and other beauty products.

Today, door-to-door sales are rare, although some religious groups, especially Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, use a similar strategy to "proselytize" (tell people about their religious beliefs in the hopes that they will begin to believe the same thing).