Bill Porter is likely the most intriguing sales person you’ve never heard of.
Bill Porter started with the Watkins Company in 1955 selling their products door to door. For those of you that haven’t heard of Watkins, they have been selling natural home and health care products since the late 1800′s. Their roots are as a direct sales organization with reps selling and distributing product door to door.
Bill Porter has cerebral palsy and the story of Bill Porter is one of perseverance.
Bill persuaded a Watkins manager in 1955 to give him their worst route, a 10 mile stretch in Portland, in order to prove himself. At first he struggled to connect with the homeowners on his route but Bill persevered and over the course of 4 decades built amazing relationships with his`clients. He was named Watkins salesperson of the year in 1989 and knocked doors on his route until 1997.
In 2002 TNT released a made for TV movie called Door to Door based on Bill Porter’s life. William H Macy plays Bill and does an amazing job. If your expecting the Boiler Room or Glengarry Glen Ross you’ll be disappointed. If you are interested in an inspiring story about a sales person that overcame huge odds to produce great results, make the effort to track this movie down.
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