By Courtney Hahn
Election season is in full swing at American Majority with peer-to-peer texting and phone banking. This year will look a lot different than other years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once it is safe for us to knock on doors, we will be on our way.
Door knocking is the best and most effective way to campaign. You will get more success when talking face-to-face to someone than when talking to someone over the phone. Honestly it is much harder for them to be rude to you when you are talking to them at their door, which makes your job easier. Whether you have knocked on doors before or this will be your first time, it can be a tough task. So your door knocking experience can be a success, here are some helpful tips every door knocker needs to know.
- Practice your script/talking points. It is important, especially for first time door knockers, to practice what you will be saying at the door beforehand. Even though you will be provided with a script, it is good to put them in your own words, so it comes off more naturally when talking to the voters. Practicing your script will help your confidence when talking to voters and will make you look and sound more professional, which in turn will help you be taken more seriously. It is also good to memorize your script so you do not have to look down and read it and lose eye contact with the voter you are talking to.
- Have a conversation with the voter. Instead of introducing yourself and jumping right into the questions like a robot, start a friendly conversation with them. They are more likely to answer your questions and not immediately slam the door in your face if you strike up a nice conversation with them. Especially when talking to undecided voters, having an open-ended conversation is crucial. You could potentially change or sway their opinion if you take this approach.
- You can still knock on “no soliciting” doors. When you are knocking on doors, if you come across a door with a “no soliciting” sign, you are most definitely still allowed to proceed as normal. You are not soliciting. To solicit means to offer or sell goods or services. You are simply talking to them and getting their opinion on a survey, not trying to sell them anything. However, a person can ask you to leave their door and you just politely thank them for their time and move onto the next door on your list.
- Smile. This one seems like a given but you would be surprised how frequently people do not smile when knocking on doors. You will definitely get better responses if you remember to be polite and kind to them. Always thank them for their time no matter how they responded to you and tell them to “have a good day.” You will have more success if you do these small things when knocking on doors.
- Always keep safety in mind when knocking on doors. It is important to make sure you are staying safe when door knocking and be aware of your surroundings. Always trust your instincts. If you are getting a weird feeling at one of the doors or in one of the neighborhoods you are in, move onto the next one or plan to knock doors with another volunteer so you are not alone. Also you should never go inside someone’s house, only talk to them at their door.
If you keep these tips in mind when knocking on doors, you will have a more successful experience as you interact with voters.