My first sales job was delivering newspapers. I knocked on people’s front doors and asked them to subscribe to the newspaper. When they said no, I asked them to subscribe to the Sunday paper. My 12-year-old self must have felt the dopamine drip from hearing yes and being handed money, something I had too little of. Like Pavlov’s dog, I made the connection between asking a prospect to buy something and acquiring money. This experience didn’t make me money motivated; I was motivated by not wanting to be poor.
