Pay per sale is only part of the picture. How long you wait for the money, how often sales fall through, how long the season runs, and how hard the door is all change what a week is actually worth. Here's how the three compare, plus a short note on roofing.
Fiber vs pest control vs solar at a glance
| Fiber | Pest control | Solar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay per sale | $100 to $325 per activated install at Knoqly; $100 to $250 across fiber programs, which often add a base wage | $80 to $200 per account | Setters $200 to $800; closers $1,800 to $4,500 per deal |
| What the customer buys | A monthly internet plan, about $74 a month at rural operators (Telecompetitor) | A service plan worth $400 to $800 a year | A system priced around $3.15 per watt in NREL's 2024 benchmark, or about $31,500 for 10 kW (Rework) |
| When you get paid | Weekly at Knoqly, usually two to four weeks after the install; four to eight weeks from sale to payout | Per account, sometimes with retention or season-end bonuses | In stages, often part at signing and the rest at install or permission to operate (Everstage) |
| Season | Year-round; installs slow where the ground freezes | Mostly a summer program | Year-round, with summer the peak canvassing season (Grist) |
| Travel | Blitzes to newly lit areas, typically $800 to $1,200 in travel and housing for two weeks at Knoqly, or planted in your own market | Out-of-state summer programs, often with company housing | Varies; some closers travel to open new markets (Grist) |
| Chargeback exposure | Cancellations within an agreed window, commonly 30 to 90 days (D2DHQ); under 2% of installs at Knoqly | Early cancellations of the service plan | Deals that don't fund or install, sometimes months after the sale |
| Rural vs saturated markets | Newly lit rural builds are often untouched; turf saturates only where several companies have already worked it | Strongest in suburbs, where several companies often work the same streets each season | Strongest where power bills are high; busy solar markets are canvassed heavily (Grist) |
| The door | Usually friendly: most homeowners want faster internet, and many have been waiting for fiber | A small recurring purchase, in neighborhoods many companies knock | A large financial decision, with no federal tax credit for homeowner-owned systems installed after 2025 |
Door-to-door pest control sales
Pest control door-to-door sales is where many reps start. Programs pay per account sold, usually $80 to $200 depending on whether the customer signs a monthly or quarterly plan, on contracts worth $400 to $800 a year (Rework). Many use accelerators, where the rate per account rises as your weekly volume climbs, and some add bonuses for accounts that stay or for finishing the season.
The season is the catch. Pest control sells hardest in summer, and out-of-state summer reps are often housed by the company (Rework). That makes it a strong summer job and a harder year-round career.
The door is also crowded in popular markets, where several pest companies can work the same streets in one season. And some states warn homeowners about unlicensed door-to-door pest sellers (Georgia Department of Agriculture), which makes some homeowners wary of any pest rep before you've said a word.
Door-to-door solar sales
Solar door-to-door sales pays the most per deal because the customer is buying the most. Most teams split the job: a setter knocks and books the appointment, and a closer runs it, often the same day (Grist). Setters typically earn $200 to $800 per deal and closers $1,800 to $4,500 (Rework), and commission is often paid in stages, with part at signing and the rest once the system installs or gets permission to operate (Everstage).
That staged pay is the trade-off. In our experience, a solar job can take six months or more to pay out, and one that doesn't fund or install can take your commission with it. The pitch has also changed: the 30% federal tax credit for homeowner-owned systems can't be claimed for systems installed after December 31, 2025 (IRS), so the case for solar now rests on the monthly bill rather than the tax break.
Reporting on high-pressure door-to-door solar sales has also made many homeowners cautious before they open the door (Grist), which puts more weight on every conversation.
Door-to-door fiber sales
Fiber pays per activated install. At Knoqly that's $100 to $325, depending on experience, skill, and location, paid weekly, usually two to four weeks after the install. From sale to payout usually takes four to eight weeks, with minimal holdbacks, and an account is charged back only if it cancels within 90 days of activation, which happens on fewer than 2% of installs.
The door is friendlier, too. Almost everyone already has internet, so you're offering an upgrade to something they already pay for, and many homeowners have watched the construction crews on their street and been waiting for fiber. People who open the door frowning often smile and go get their spouse once they hear you're with the fiber company. The sales process takes most reps a day or two to learn, and it's a volume game: most fiber reps sell two or three accounts a day, and top reps five to seven or more.
Fiber also runs all year. New areas go live month after month, and the best turf is the first few weeks after homes become serviceable. Winter slows installs in cold markets once the ground freezes, which matters because you're paid on the install. You can travel with a blitz team to newly lit areas or plant in your own market and work it week after week.
Knoqly is hiring now in Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Ohio. See fiber sales jobs and pay.
What about door-to-door roofing sales?
Roofing is the other big door-to-door vertical, and it runs on storms. Reps canvass neighborhoods after hail or wind damage, offer a free roof inspection, and help homeowners through the insurance claim. Commission is commonly 8 to 15% of collected revenue on insurance-funded jobs that average $14,000 to $20,000 (Pipelineon).
The trade-offs: the work follows the weather, so reps often travel to wherever storms hit, every sale runs through an insurance adjuster, and commission is paid on collected revenue, so a claim that isn't approved pays nothing. It suits reps who are comfortable on a ladder and patient with paperwork.
Which door is easiest to knock?
Ease at the door comes down to three things: how big the decision is, how many reps knocked before you, and what you can point to.
- The size of the decision. A pest plan is a small recurring purchase, and a fiber plan replaces a bill most households already pay. Solar is often a $30,000-plus decision with financing, which is why it takes a setter and a closer.
- How fresh the turf is. Pest turf in popular suburbs gets knocked by several companies a season. Newly lit fiber turf is often untouched, and rural fiber builds can replace cable or DSL in areas nobody has knocked in years.
- What you can point to. A fiber rep can point at the construction that just finished. A pest rep can point at the bugs. A solar rep has to sell a future bill.
Switching to fiber from pest control or solar
Most of the skills carry over: reading a street, opening at the door, handling objections, and logging every outcome. Knoqly counts any door-to-door vertical as experience, and reps who have sold fiber before ramp faster.
- From pest control: you get a year-round season and weekly pay instead of a summer program, but you'll be explaining speeds, plans, and install dates rather than a treatment schedule.
- From alarms: the pitch is similar, a monthly service for the home, but the door is usually warmer. One Knoqly rep who came from alarm sales now consistently earns more than double the weekly commission he made selling alarms.
- From solar: you trade one large, slow commission for many smaller, faster ones. There's no financing to approve and no months-long wait for permission to operate.
- What's new for everyone: commission depends on the install happening, so a sale you'd count as done in pest or solar isn't paid until the service is live.
Which should you choose?
- Choose pest control if you want a single summer with company housing and don't mind a crowded door.
- Choose solar if you can wait months for staged pay and want the biggest commission per deal.
- Choose fiber if you want year-round work, weekly pay on activations, and turf that's often fresh.
The blitz earnings estimator shows what a fiber week could pay at your own pace, and our guide on door-to-door sales covers how the fiber model works from the ISP to the homeowner.
Ready to try fiber?
$100 to $325 per activated install, paid weekly, in Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Ohio, with 16 more markets opening soon. Apply on the fiber sales jobs page, or watch the 3-minute pros and cons first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average commission for pest control sales?
Usually $80 to $200 per account, depending on the plan the customer signs. Some programs raise the rate as your weekly volume grows.
Do pest control sales reps get a salary?
Usually not. Most door-to-door pest control roles are commission only, paid per account sold, sometimes with volume accelerators or season-end bonuses.
Is selling pest control profitable?
It can be in a strong summer program, especially with accelerators and company housing. It's seasonal, so most of the year's income comes in a few months.
How does solar sales commission work?
Setters are typically paid $200 to $800 per deal and closers $1,800 to $4,500. Commission is often paid in stages, with part at signing and the rest once the system installs or gets permission to operate.
Does door-to-door solar pay more than fiber?
Per deal, yes. A solar closer can earn $1,800 to $4,500 a deal, but it's often paid in stages over months, and a deal that doesn't install can lose its commission. Fiber pays less per sale but more often, and Knoqly pays weekly, with sale to payout usually four to eight weeks.
Is door-to-door solar still worth it in 2026?
It's harder than it was. The federal tax credit for homeowner-owned systems can't be claimed for systems installed after 2025, so the pitch now rests on the monthly bill.
Can I sell fiber with pest control or solar experience?
Yes. Knoqly counts any door-to-door vertical as experience, and everyone is trained on the client's offer, service area, and conduct standard before working a market.
Which door-to-door job is year-round?
Fiber and solar run year-round, though solar peaks in summer and fiber installs slow in freezing weather. Pest control is mostly a summer job.
Sources
- Rework, commission and comp design for door-to-door sales teams: pest control commission of $80 to $200 per account on $400 to $800 annual contracts; fiber commission of $100 to $250 per account; accelerator structures.
- Rework, running a summer sales program: company-provided housing for out-of-state summer reps in pest control and security.
- Rework, solar unit economics and commissions: closer commission of $1,800 to $4,500 and setter pay of $200 to $800 per deal; NREL's Q1 2024 benchmark of $3.15 per watt.
- Everstage, solar sales commission: commission paid in stages, at signing and at install or permission to operate.
- Grist, inside the world of door-to-door solar sales: summer peak season; setter and closer teams.
- IRS, FAQs on energy credits modified by the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act: the residential clean energy credit is not allowed for expenditures made after December 31, 2025.
- Georgia Department of Agriculture, warning on unlicensed door-to-door pest control.
- Pipelineon, door-to-door sales insights for contractors (2026): roofing storm commission of 8 to 15% of collected revenue; insurance jobs of $14,000 to $20,000.
- Telecompetitor, NRTC rural broadband benchmarking: $74 average revenue per user at rural operators.
- D2DHQ, fiber sales commission software: fiber chargeback windows.
- Knoqly, fiber sales jobs: pay range, payment terms, and markets.