Do’s and Don’ts

11. What Not to Do:

* Don't present books to children/minors: If a child opens the door, ask the child if his or her parents are home and ask to speak with them. Don't try to give the book to the child/minor. This will irritate the parents.

* Don't stay in one place too long: If a family (mostly Indian families do) invites you inside, then don't spend excesive time inside as you're loosing valuable time to distribute books at other houses. Try to keep your stay under 10 minutes and arrange to come back to visit them later. Politely explain that you're on a mission to reach many people.
* Don't knock on same door twice: If a person has rejected your offer, keep track of his apt. and don't knock again on a later visit. This annoys people.
*Don't haggle over money.

Things you should do:

12. Be consistant: Set some attainable goals with your partner and stick to them.

13. Keep Records: For each apt. building you visit, note down name of the apt. complex, the building number and street address. This is easily available outside. Then for each apt. you approach, note down (see the door-to-door response sheet) the response which can be one of the three:

* Took Book
* No Answer
* Rejected/Not Interested.

When you meet an interested party, write down their name/phone/email if you can get that from them. Also note their interest level (1-10, ten being a potential devotee, one being barely interested), and anything about their background etc., that you find out. This information is very helpful when you follow-up with them later. Also write down what books they took.

14. Report Scores: Do an inventory before and after the distribution. This will give a count of each book you sold that day. Report these scores to your local sankirtan leader (or directly to the SKP newsletter if you are going solo).

15. Keep a meticulous count of Laxmi: Keep track of Laxmi points for each day on a sheet of paper. Put all Laxmi in a safe, specific place so that it can be sent to the BBT later.

16. Follow Up:
* If you meet an interested person, take down their name, phone, email if they are willing to give it.

To ask for personal information, say: "If you'd like to receive information about events on yoga and meditation or events at our temple/center in Potomac, we can add you to our mailing list. Would you like to give us your contact info?"
* Give them your business card (Don't have one? Get one!) This way they can contact you if they have any questions.
* If they are really interested, you can invite them first to a local nama-hatta/Bhakti-vraksha or home program.
* Compile your list of contacts and pass them on to the follow-up team.

17. What to Carry:

* Books (in hand).
* Book-bag (to carry extra books).
* Prasadam (optional)for distribution.
* Fliers.
* Personalized business cards.
* Response Sheet: (or small notebook that fits your pocket).
* Book Score Sheet: To keep book inventory before and after the distribution.
* Pen