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Josh Braun

drop the sword

Published 13 days ago • 1 min read

Jenna and I are hiking in the Grand Canyon.

We’re on a trail called South Kaibab.

It’s akin to hiking a mountain in reverse.

You breeze down into the Canyon,
then regain the elevation you lose going up.

“Going down is optional. Going up is mandatory.”

At Ooh Aah Point, 1.8 miles down, Jenna wants to turn around.

I want to go to Cedar Ridge, which is 3.1 miles down.

Convincing doesn’t work:
“It’s only another mile.”
“The views at Cedar Ridge are spectacular.”

Nobody wants a TED Talk on Cedar Ridge.
People don’t like to be explained to.

The way out?

Detach.

Here’s what detaching sounds like:
“Okay, I’ll go down without you.”

Here’s Jenna:
“Okay, I’ll wait here and enjoy the view. See you on the way up.”

It’s the same with sales:

“I can’t talk; I’m in a meeting.”|
“Okay, I’ll call you later.”

“I’m not interested.”
“That’s okay. I know you didn’t ask me to call you. If I’m not overstepping, is it my timing or is this not relevant?”

Ironically, the less you care about making the sale, the more sales you make.

Detach.
Lean back.
Unclench.

Drop the sword.

Don’t fight the resistance.
Join the resistance.

Josh Braun

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