On one hand, you're absolutely right that we hate to reject people in person. I mean, heck, I avoid entering small gift shops in tourist towns if I don't have cash on me, as I hate letting them down in their expectation of sale!
At the same time, I've learned to never ever ever engage salespeople in person; I've been conditioned to assume they're 100% scam. The friendliest most honest face offering to clean my ducts or redo my driveway, the smiley nerdy guy offering discounts on internet from local Bell, the supremely trust worthy kids asking for your support of charity... or to your point the guy who's "in the neighbourhood, and can give me a discount on the roof since machinery is already here" -- literally every one of them I would read in the news few weeks later as the latest local fraud scheme.
With heavy heart, I reject all cold calls & cold visits. I may ask for their website and details to check if they're legit, and possibly maybe reach back at a stable phone or email address. But, I'm said to say, I've been thoroughly conditioned by the environment to reject cold-calls :<
At the same time, I've learned to never ever ever engage salespeople in person; I've been conditioned to assume they're 100% scam. The friendliest most honest face offering to clean my ducts or redo my driveway, the smiley nerdy guy offering discounts on internet from local Bell, the supremely trust worthy kids asking for your support of charity... or to your point the guy who's "in the neighbourhood, and can give me a discount on the roof since machinery is already here" -- literally every one of them I would read in the news few weeks later as the latest local fraud scheme.
With heavy heart, I reject all cold calls & cold visits. I may ask for their website and details to check if they're legit, and possibly maybe reach back at a stable phone or email address. But, I'm said to say, I've been thoroughly conditioned by the environment to reject cold-calls :<