Door-to-Door Sales Resilience

A story about learning persistence through childhood door-to-door sales of hot air balloon models in New Zealand.

"My brother won the New Zealand science fair with a model hot air balloon when he was 12. He decided we should make these kit set balloons and sell them door-to-door at festivals. He hired me as free labor to help make the hot air balloons.

I used to get my friends together and backpack around New Zealand selling door-to-door. One of my good friends, Fraser, always outsold me. I thought I was a better salesperson when the door opened, but he just didn't care about being rejected. He'd get yelled at, shouted at, and sworn at, and he'd come out laughing. He'd be knocking on the next door within seconds.

I always had to build myself up after getting rejected before knocking on another door. Selling a flying burning plastic bag was particularly hard to sell, but it really honed our skills early on. We'd build theories around which neighborhoods were more likely to buy - usually not the richest neighborhoods, they were too smart. We'd always look for signs of children in the backyards of houses.

It taught me the power of persistence. If you keep going and have that level of grit and perseverance, your chances of success are much higher. I was learning that at a very young age."