“I’m busy right now”: what to say at the door
Sometimes they really are. The answer is not a faster pitch. It is a specific time to come back.
The situation
The homeowner opens the door with a phone at their ear, a child on their hip or dinner on the stove. They say they are busy, and they are.
The rep has two choices: squeeze the pitch into the doorway, or leave with a reason to come back.
I’m in the middle of something.
The buyer
Now’s not a good time.
The buyer
What it can mean
- I am busy, and I would listen at another time.
- I am not interested, and busy is the polite way to say it.
What a good answer covers
Offer to come back instead of talking faster
Talking faster tells them you didn’t hear what they said.
Ask for a specific day and time
“Later” is a no. “Tuesday at five” is a yes.
Give one reason to say yes to the return visit
A reason that is about their home is what makes the time worth keeping.
A strong answer
Sounds like a bad time. I’m back on this street Tuesday. Would five o’clock be better, once you’re off calls? It’s about what you’re paying for power, and it takes ten minutes.
The rep
Why it works
- It believes them, which earns more than the pitch would.
- It offers a day and a time, so the answer is a time, not a maybe.
- It says what the visit is about and how long it takes, so they know what they are agreeing to.
What not to say
- “This will only take a minute.” They just told you they don’t have one.
- “When’s a better time?” An open question gets “later,” and later never comes.
- Pitching through the screen door while they hold the phone.
How to practice it
Five minutes, before the shift. Any manager can run it.
Say the line
The homeowner says “I’m in the middle of something,” with a phone in their hand.
Answer with a time
Agree it is a bad time, offer a specific day and time, and say in one sentence what the visit is about.
Listen for the time
Did the rep leave with a day and an hour? A rep who leaves with “sometime” has lost the door.
Run it three times
Have the homeowner push back once: “I don’t know my schedule.” The rep offers two times to choose from.
Shadowpitch puts this drill in every rep’s pocket. A voiced buyer says the line, the rep answers out loud and keeps the take worth hearing, and a manager hears it before the rep says it at a real door.
Questions
What if they are just saying they are busy to get rid of you?
Treat it as true anyway. If it was a brush-off, they will decline the time, and you lose nothing. If it was true, you have an appointment instead of a closed door.
Should the rep come back at the time they agreed?
Always, and on time. Showing up when you said you would is the first proof that you are not like the last rep.
How is this different on a cold call?
The shape is the same: believe them and ask for a time. On the phone, offer two specific slots and send a calendar invite while they are still on the line.