How to Vet a Door-to-Door Sales Company (and Spot a Bad One)

Red flags, green flags and the exact questions to ask a door-to-door sales company about pay, housing, contracts and training before you join.

Short answer: a good door-to-door company tells you in writing how and when you get paid, never charges you to start, puts housing and travel terms on paper, and can tell you what a middle-of-the-pack rep earned last season. A bad one is vague about pay, asks you for money or sensitive financial information before an offer, and pressures you to commit on the spot. Ask the questions below before you sign anything.

Red flags

You pay to start. Fees for training, a starter kit, leads, a tablet or a "territory." Legitimate companies invest in you, not the other way around.
A check you are asked to deposit and send back. A classic job scam: you get a check to buy equipment, forward part of it, and the check bounces. Never do this.
Bank details or a Social Security number by text before you have an offer and a contract. Real onboarding paperwork comes after the offer, through the company's own system.
No written pay plan. If they cannot show you the commission scale, draw terms and chargeback rules, assume the worst.
Housing that is only promised out loud for a summer program.
Pressure to commit today or to relocate before you have seen a contract.
Training customers to ignore the law: telling homeowners they cannot cancel, or offering to cover a roofing deductible.

Green flags

A written pay plan you can read before your first day.
A named manager you can call, and current reps you can talk to.
Clear territory rules and a training schedule for the first two weeks.
Permits and licenses handled by the company (see permits and laws).
A straight answer to "what did an average rep make last season?"

Ten questions to ask

Am I a 1099 contractor or W-2 employee?
What triggers my commission, and when does it pay?
Is there a draw, and is it recoverable?
How do chargebacks work?
How is the back end calculated and when is it paid?
Is housing included, what does it cost, and is it in the contract?
Who pays for travel to the market?
What do the first two weeks of training look like?
How is territory assigned?
Can I talk to two reps who finished last season?

For the pay terms behind these questions, read how door-to-door sales pay works.

Check them independently

Search the company name with "reviews," "complaints" and "lawsuit."
Look up the business on your state's business registry.
Read reviews from former reps, and weigh patterns over single angry posts.

What Knock Door to Door never asks you for

Applying through Knock Door to Door is free. We never charge applicants, and we never ask for your Social Security number, bank details or payment of any kind. Those belong in the hiring company's own onboarding after you accept an offer. If anyone claiming to be us asks for them, do not send them and contact us at the email on our about page.

Questions

Is door-to-door sales a scam?

No, door-to-door sales is a legitimate industry, but scams exist. Walk away from any company that charges you to start, asks for bank details or a Social Security number before an offer, or will not put pay terms in writing.

Should I pay for door-to-door sales training?

No. Legitimate door-to-door companies train new reps at their own cost.

What should I ask a door-to-door company before joining?

Ask how and when commission pays, whether there is a draw, how chargebacks and the back end work, whether housing is in the contract, and to speak with reps who finished last season.