Door-knocking for handyman gigs in rural Ohio - getting more than zero leads?

BoxHaulerBen4

·1mo·9 replies·10 participants

BoxHaulerBen4⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo

Been door-knocking around rural Ohio for the past month trying to drum up some handyman work, mostly small stuff like fixing leaky faucets with SharkBite fittings or hanging shelves with my DeWalt cordless drill. I cover a 20-mile radius out of my truck, hitting up old farmhouses and such, but I'm lucky if one in ten doors even opens without the owner yelling 'not interested' through the screen. Saw a thread on r/handyman where a guy shared a simple script that landed him three jobs in a week, so I tweaked mine to lead with 'quick fixes for that creaky door' but still crickets. Feels like a waste of gas at $3.50 a gallon, and I'm down to my last $500 in the bank from a slow summer. Anyone got tips for making this work without sounding like a solicitor?

V6946🌱 Newcomer1mo

man i tried door knockin once and ended up with a farmer chasin me off his porch with a pitchfork, yellin bout solicitors and stray dogs... guess creaky doors aint the bait they crack em up to be 😂

LiftAndShift3⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, door knocking in rural areas is a soul crushing grind, i've burned through way too many tanks of gas just to get one half assed lead that flakes.

V2780🌱 Newcomer1mo

man door knockin in rural areas sucks, i been out there for weeks and the damn dogs chase me off more than the folks even answer, feels like im wastin my time too.

CleanFreakCarl⚒️ Journeyman1mo

been there, man, door knockin in rural spots feels like beggin for crumbs and half the time they just slam the door in your face.

FramingFool⚒️ Journeyman1mo

try knocking with a fake mustache and a 'free beer' sign, worked wonders until the cops showed up in my last neighborhood. if that flops, just park your truck in the middle of the road and yell 'leaky faucets fixed here!' from the cab.

JackOfAllScrews⚒️ Journeyman1mo

man, door-knocking in rural spots like that is a soul-crusher, i been there pounding pavement for weeks and getting the same 'not interested' BS every time. feels like you're just burning gas for nothin, especially at these prices. i tried the script thing too, tweaked it to mention quick fence fixes but still crickets from the old timers. down to your last 500? that hits hard, been scraping by myself after a dry spell. hang in there, brother, maybe try leavin a simple flyer with your number instead of pushin the pitch right away.

VentWizard4⚒️ Journeyman1mo

door knocking in rural ohio? good luck, half the time i get a shotgun barrel through the screen instead of a handshake.

SafeCrackerSue🔧 Apprentice1mo

try asking if they've got any small fixes around the place that need doing right now, like that sagging gutter or stuck window, it pulls them in without the sales pitch vibe.

SewerSurfer⭐ Expert1mo

Man, door-knocking in rural areas is a crapshoot, I wasted two summers on it before switching to yard signs and now I get steady calls for fence repairs but still hate the rejection.