So, you are walking down the street, and you see one of our Street Sense vendors on the corner. How do you react?
Do you wish him or her a good morning? Or do you pull the “I’ll act like I have a phone call and put my cell phone to my ear” move? How about the universal “city street walk” where you just look at the ground in front of your feet or stare blankly out in front of you?
Sometimes our vendors notice this too. Most of the time, they handle it as the gentlemen and gentlewomen that they are. But sometimes, their persistence in asking for you to consider buying a paper seems to become more “pushy” than “proactive.”
Through our vendor training, vendor meetings, and one-on-one conversations with our team members, we hope to best position our vendors to excel. We encourage sales skills, strong voices, and positive pitches. But as you might expect, learning how to handle rejection is a part of the process as well.
You and I know about rejection in the daily world of business. A potential customer fails to buy that new product you are selling. An idea you are sure will be a winner is passed over during a staff meeting. A vendor’s pitch to invest in a street newspaper here in our nation’s capital is turned down. (Hmm, maybe too specific?) Rejection is a part of the daily grind.
Now, imagine if that rejection extended to every part of your life. Food, shelter, a place to sit… imagine rejection as a constant– the norm and not the exception.
Now, you might see why frustration can set in when a paper sale doesn’t take place. This isn’t an excuse, but an insight.
So, what am I driving at here? Please be patient with our vendors selling papers in your neighborhood or near your place of work. Know that many of them are trying to better themselves and find a strong pathway to personal success. And that road has some twists and turns.
Please understand that what you might see as a simple transaction (or a choice not to have a transaction), to our vendor might feel like another in a long series of rejections for that day. We can help, especially if it becomes more than just “pushy” but we need for you to let us know. If you ever feel like a vendor is overly aggressive or not representing the community, neighborhood, or our organization well, please do contact us so we can support our vendors and assist them in their street-side approach to sales.
P.S. – Please keep an eye out for an eCycle Event happening on March 17th. Your donated computer equipment can support efforts to offer employment and job training skills to the homeless. This event is being hosted by Community of Creative Non-Violence (CCNV) Homeless Shelter and in partnership with WildTech– CCNV, a nonprofit technology company completely managed and operated by the homeless people of CCNV.
Check out their info at ecycle@nten. org or online at www.wildtech.org.
