Doing something strange usually works for me. We have had less come to our door since I have answered the door with rat on my shoulder and another time dressed as a pirate.
The pirate costume was an accident because at the time I worked at a school and had dressed like that for the kids that day and had yet to change. The look on their faces is great!
When I was little my dad would tell everyone of them he just got laid off to get them to leave.