Stress Less, Sell More

MARCH

MARCH, Day 41: “Grinding” in Sales

The definition of “grind” (verb): Reduce something to small particles or powder by crushing it.

We could replace “something” with “a salesperson,” and the definition feels way too familiar to “grinding” in sales. We as a sales community need to rethink what it means to “grind” in sales because the way it's used today is not healthy. Learning about “The Story of Two Woodcutters” can help us reframe the sales grind; the story goes something like this:

There are two lumberjacks who spend all day cutting wood. They exert the same energy, use the same technique, follow the same process, and use the same type of ax. But every day, the same lumberjack cuts more wood than the other one. The only difference? The lumberjack who cuts more wood “disappears” at lunchtime for an hour each day. Frustrated by this, the lumberjack who is working harder and grinding approaches the more successful lumberjack when they return from lunch and ask, “How do you cut more wood than me? I'm working an hour longer than you every single day!” The successful lumberjack pauses, smiles and says, “I go home at lunch to sharpen my ax.”

The moral of the story for salespeople and leaders is our mind and our mental health is our ax. If you're grinding it every single day on a piece of “wood” at work, then you need to stop waiting until it gets “dull” or breaks before taking time to sharpen it. Sharpening your mind and mental health requires daily attention and leads ...