Some years ago, I had the unique opportunity to hone my skills of rational persuasion as a door-to-door salesman. A new challenge was met with each ring of a doorbell or knock on a storefront window. With scant moments to size up the potential customer, I was forced to craft a concise pitch for each individual.

Pitching what I had to sell wasn’t always easy. There were times I wasn’t sure why I was even assigned the territory and promotions I was given. Selling Friday night barbecue specials in a predominantly Jewish community or dry cleaning services in the projects. Appealing to the potential customer’s logic was a potent weapon in these situations.

These were the customers who knew someone, somewhere, that loved the traif bar down the street or had a cousin who worked at a bank with a strict dress code. I would appeal to their rational side to make the sale.

Of course, no matter the product or neighborhood, there were always a few customers who uttered my three least favorite words: “I’m not sure.”

“I’m not sure” is an invitation to spend another five minutes appealing to the customer’s rational side to close the deal. Just five more minutes and I’ll have the check in hand. There’s a serious problem with this line of thinking, however. Door-to-door sales are a numbers game. Spend too much time trying to close the deal on a few sales and you may miss out on a few dozen others.

The best door-to-door salesmen have a Pavlovian response to “I’m not sure”. For them, it’s a clear invitation to invoke pressure to close the deal.

They prepare to leave abruptly. They stop smiling. They start looking at their watch. Their actions say, “I’ve more important people to see, you’re wasting my time.” They’ll pull out a stack of receipts and say “I’ve not had a problem with anyone else in your neighborhood, and most of them bought twice what you’re still thinking about getting.”

I’ve seen these guys in action. I’ve seen it work more times than not for them. I’ve tried it. I’ve failed miserably. It’s the reason I got out of the business and went to college. It’s the reason I don’t answer the door when they come calling.

There’s coldness around pressure tactics that I just can’t pull off. “Remember your manners, son.” I hear my father’s voice; it’s not something I’m comfortable ignoring.

I suppose, if the circumstances required it, I would be more comfortable exerting pressure to encourage my team of website developers to meet an important deadline. In the ultra laid-back web development industry, pressure can be applied rather easily. “We need to get this site launched. Until then, no more ping-pong or Halo Reach. I’m serious, guys. We’ll need to work over the weekend if we’re not done by Friday at noon.”

That’s just it, though. When you’re in an office filled with Star Trek fanatics, it’s so much easier to appeal to their inner Spock. “To postpone this site’s development would be highly illogical.”

Much easier that way, and it’s doesn’t interfere with our Friday afternoon ping-pong tournament.

How about you – are you better at rational persuasion or exerting pressure? What are your best leadership traits?