Door-to-door recruiting benchmarks

2. How many people do I need to hire to keep one long-term rep?

The number depends on how many accepted offers become launches and how many of those people stay and produce. Use your own recruiting history to work backward from the team you want to build. A handful of hires can give you a misleading picture, so look across multiple recruiting groups and months. Once you understand that pattern, you can plan the volume you need and the training and leadership required to support it.

3. Do warm recruits perform better than cold recruits?

In our experience, warm referrals often arrive with more trust, connection, and conviction because someone they know already believes in the opportunity. That gives them a stronger starting point when the work gets difficult. Cold applicants can become great reps too, but you have more relationship-building to do. Keep referrals active while recruiting beyond your network, and compare what each source produces across enough people to make a useful judgment.

4. What's launch percentage, and what should mine be?

Launch percentage is the share of accepted offers that become a first day in the field. In our cold-recruiting work, 70% is a working benchmark and above 80% is the goal. If you’re below 60%, investigate what happens between the yes and the first field day. When interviews and expectations are sound, start with the handoff: the local leader should contact the new hire within 30 minutes of acceptance and meet them in person as soon as possible.

5. What retention should I expect at week one and month one?

In our internal cold-recruiting benchmarks, a healthy program keeps about 60% of launched reps through week one and about 40% through day 30. Each percentage starts with the people who reached the field. Day-30 retention isn't 40% of the people who survived week one. Compare groups that have reached the same checkpoint, then look at the training, coaching, and early experience behind the result.

6. How much does it cost to hire a door-to-door sales rep?

Our ad-spend planning range is roughly $100 to $1,000 per accepted offer, depending on the market, the role, and how selective you are. That's advertising only. Recruiting fees, your team's time, onboarding, training, and ramp-up support add to the full cost. Track the cost per accepted offer, per launch, and per retained-and-producing rep so a cheap application or hire doesn't hide an expensive result.

7. Why is my interview show rate so low?

Start with how quickly you respond, how far away you book the interview, and whether the candidate confirms they're coming. Also look at whether they understand the role and have a reason to keep the conversation going. In our work, confirmation and shorter gaps before the interview are useful places to improve the process. Track the change against your own show rate; one reminder won't fix an unclear opportunity or a weak recruiting conversation.

8. Is high turnover a sign my recruiting is broken?

Not by itself. Someone who accepts and never starts is leaving at a different stage from a rookie who struggles in the field or a productive rep who leaves six months later. Review the interview and expectations, the handoff, the training, and the experience of being on the team. A high overall number won't tell you which part is failing, and adding more applicants won't repair a problem after the hire.

9. What counts as a hire when comparing recruiting numbers?

For these recruiting benchmarks, a hire means an accepted offer. A launch means the person reached their first day in the field. Retention tells you who stayed through a defined checkpoint, and production tells you what they contributed. Ask what a rate divides by too: offers accepted out of offers made measures something different from hires out of interviews. Agree on the definitions before comparing companies, campaigns, or recruiting sources.

10. How should I measure turnover in my own company?

Track accepted offers and launches separately, then measure retention from launch at week one, day 30, and day 90. Use only the people who've had time to reach the checkpoint you're measuring. Look across multiple recruiting groups and months so a small group doesn't decide the whole story. Then look at production and the full recruiting investment to understand whether the people you brought in are creating a worthwhile return.

11. When should a rookie earn their first commission check?

The timing depends on the role, your sales cycle, and when your company pays commission. A first appointment, a first sale, commission earned, and money in the rep’s bank account can happen on different dates. Explain that clearly before they start. During the first couple of weeks, help them see real progress and a believable path to earning, and consider what support they need while they’re learning the job.

Two questions worth reading more about

About the author

Peter Swenson is co-founder of D2D HIRE. His work has included selling door-to-door, recruiting and leading sales teams, and helping partner companies build their recruiting programs.

Last reviewed: October 2026

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