Window and siding sales FAQ: canvassing, appointments, labels, licenses and pay

Each company defines a qualified appointment, and the definition decides your pay. Typical conditions: the people who own the home will both be present, the home is owner-occupied, the windows or siding are old enough to replace, and the appointment is actually held. Ask for the definition in writing before your first shift.

More: Sit · One-legger

Because a replacement project is a large purchase that couples decide together. An estimate given to one of two decision makers usually ends in "we need to talk it over" and a second visit that may never happen. Canvassers who book only when both will be home get more appointments held and more of them sold.

Owner-occupied houses with original or aging windows, fogged glass, rotted frames, faded or cracked siding, and no sign of recent replacement. Canvassers are usually sent to neighborhoods of a certain age and told to skip new construction and rentals. Looking at the house before you knock is part of the job.

An in-home consultant, sometimes called a design consultant or sales representative. They measure, show samples, price the project and write the contract. Many started as canvassers. The canvasser's part ends when the appointment is held, though some companies pay a further bonus when it sells.

More: Setter vs. closer

Windows certified by the National Fenestration Rating Council carry a label with its ratings. The program evaluates U-factor (how well the window holds heat in), solar heat gain coefficient (how much of the sun's heat it lets through), visible transmittance and air leakage. ENERGY STAR windows are independently certified against criteria that differ by climate zone, and that label sits next to the NFRC label on the glass.

Source: National Fenestration Rating Council: residential certification · ENERGY STAR: windows, doors and skylights

Do not promise one. The IRS page for the Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit says the credit can be claimed for improvements made through December 31, 2025. For a project installed after that date, tell the homeowner to check the IRS page or ask a tax preparer. State and utility rebates are separate programs and differ by place.

Source: Internal Revenue Service: Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit

Under the Environmental Protection Agency's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 must be a certified firm using trained workers and lead-safe practices. That includes replacing windows. The firm must also give the household the Renovate Right pamphlet before work begins. A canvasser does none of the work, but this is why the company asks when the house was built.

Source: Environmental Protection Agency: Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program · EPA: pre-renovation education under the RRP rule

It depends on the state. Maryland requires a salesperson license or contractor license to sell a home improvement. Connecticut registers home improvement salespersons, California registers them through its contractors board, the District of Columbia licenses them, and Michigan licenses salespersons who work for residential builders and alteration contractors. New York City repealed its separate salesperson license in 2020. Many other places license only the contractor. Whether a canvasser who only books appointments is covered depends on each law's definition, so ask the company what it registers you as.

Source: Maryland Business Regulation Code 8-301 (home improvement licenses) · Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection: home improvement salesperson registration · California Contractors State License Board: Home Improvement Salesperson registration · District of Columbia DLCP: employee and independent salesperson licenses · Michigan Compiled Laws 339.2407 (salesperson license) · New York City rules: repeal of the home improvement salesperson requirement (2020)

Usually, for a short time. The federal Cooling-Off Rule gives buyers three business days to cancel most sales of 25 dollars or more made at their home, and the seller must give a written cancellation notice. Some states add their own rule: Pennsylvania's home improvement law lets the owner rescind within three business days of signing, wherever the contract was signed.

More: Cooling-Off Rule

Source: Federal Trade Commission: Cooling-Off Rule (16 CFR Part 429) · Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (Act 132 of 2008)

Only what is on the lender's paperwork: the amount, the rate, the term, the monthly payment and when it starts. The Federal Trade Commission tells homeowners not to agree to financing through a contractor without comparing loan terms elsewhere, so expect that question and welcome it. A financed sale the customer did not understand comes back as a cancellation or a complaint.

Source: Federal Trade Commission: how to avoid a home improvement scam

Most companies pay the appointment bonus when the appointment is held, meaning the consultant sat down with the homeowners. Some pay part at booking, and some add a bonus if the job sells. An hourly base is common. Ask which event triggers each payment and how a cancelled or no-show appointment is treated.

More: Commission only vs. base plus commission

Canvassers paid by the hour are usually employees on a W-2, with tax withheld. In-home consultants paid a percentage of the sale may be employees or independent contractors. The paperwork you sign on the first day tells you which you are; read it.

More: W-2 vs. 1099 sales jobs

By booking appointments that hold and sell, consistently, for several months, and by asking to ride along on estimates. Consultants need product knowledge, measuring and pricing, which companies teach in a separate training. Tell your manager early that you want the path, and ask what numbers earn it.

For many people, yes. There is usually an hourly base, the ask is small (a free estimate, not a purchase), and the hours are late afternoons and Saturdays. The limit is the ceiling: canvassing bonuses are modest, and the larger pay is in the consultant's chair.