Door-to-door sales app based on data + a state known for its competency in door-to-door sales = match made in heaven.
Utahns are well acquainted with door-to-door sales — between LDS missions and security system, pest control, or satellite tv sales, virtually everyone has dabbled.
Living in Boston, Kendall Tucker created Polis in July 2015 as an app to bring door-to-door sales into the 21st century. Her interest was politics and through years of political canvassing, she learned to appreciate the value of face-to-face interaction.
“I was seeing these political campaigns spend millions of dollars on tv and digital when the ROI (return on investment) was zero,” said Tucker. “Even with a million dollars in tv, you have no idea who you’ve contacted or whether or not they will vote for you. Door-to-door is extremely effective…but so far, the problem with is there’s no good technology that enables you to see that on the data side.”
Polis was born out of this idea, a combination of data, technology, and door-to-door sales. It was used to great success in a variety of political campaigns, during which Polis amassed data on over three million people. This was parlayed into a $1.3 million seed round in March of this year and allowed Polis to start thinking about expansion. The logical choice for a new office? Yup, Utah.
“The best door-knocking companies in the country are based out of Utah, the salesforce is incredible,” said Tucker. “Polis starts with a data driven approach of who exactly should be contacted and how do you best message those people, then uses smart technology that’s always adapting when you’re out in the field.”
Though politics is where Polis started, opportunity beckons in every industry. Think of all the industries that rely on door-to-door sales — security, energy, satellite, telecom, etc— and then imagine the possibilities that come from replacing an archaic approach with a new-age one.
By providing a select set of software tools (smart technology, targeted data, top-tier partnerships), Tucker wants to equip door-to-door salespeople with the same tech-based tools used in every walk of life. Routes are scripted to maximize time, providing data on each individual home along the way. Users can tailor their sales approach depending on Polis’ information, while the people in charge of sales campaigns can receive valuable insight on what their canvassers are actually doing.
Now Polis enters their next chapter, set to open a new office in Lehi led by Brett Nielsen (co-founder of BestCompany.com). Expanding into a state known for door-to-door sales prowess makes sense for Polis, who will continue to maintain its headquarters in Boston. What’s next? Only time will tell…
