Give Me 6 Hours to Chop Down a Tree is a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln, who is famous for his leadership during his lifetime, as well as after his death.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.”
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Abraham Lincoln was quoted as saying “Give me six hours to cut a tree and I will spend the first four ax sharply.”
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
An ax is an energy multiplier.
You may be the strongest lumberjack in the world, but with a dull ax, you run into trouble!
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
Thinking about things, learning how to learn, improving before doing… all these things are power multipliers.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
You can work hard, hurry up, take a few hours, work and so on, etc. magic
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
Perhaps President Lincoln meant that after four straight four hours sharpening your ax, start shaking your tree twice.
I like to sharpen on the go – but with the same proportions.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
Let’s start the year off with a strong start.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to cut a tree and I will spend the first four ax sharply”.
What does this have to do with sales effectiveness?
It has the same relevance as an effective legalization.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
As you simply consult with other lawyers specializing in your own field, it is wise to consult with sales specialists before engaging in sales activities.
Coaching and strategic direction are your axes in playing scales.
So why do some attorneys avoid consulting with a sales coach?
Why would they refuse to sharpen their sales ax even if they have already paid for the support?
This is usually because they want to move to the next (billable) task as quickly as possible, Unfortunately, working with a dull ax usually takes a long time and makes the task less efficient and enjoyable.
“If I had six hours to cut a tree, I’d like to spend the first four hours cutting the ax sharply.”
– Abraham Lincoln
What are the risks of not sharpening your sales ax with a coach?
Use the discipline cost of doing nothing to quantify this bad side.
We may not get the desired results.
We can create involuntary – and avoid – negative effects.
We may take longer to get to the required level of transparency
We can invest extra in a weak opportunity or invest less in the strong.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
We can make it more complicated both for the buyer and the seller.
It all works out … and goes against our “Just Do It” culture. Sharpening our sales skills ax is not as fun as the sales opportunity leaning towards the tree.
It takes time to get in touch with the coach. Making it a habit requires conscious thought and commitment.
Lincoln, however, was not one to avoid hard work. But he also knew that it was important to have the tools to finish the work so it would not be unnecessarily difficult.
If we budget 6 hours for marketing, 4 hours will be required for management and maintenance, 4 hours for planning and research, preparation and organization, and 2 hours for communication, promotion and production and distribution of projects.
Likewise, for more than a year, anyone who is interested in mounting a project, a cycle, a strong, efficient marketing program with effective proportions of this ratio is sensible.
Sharp, sharp, dammit! ‘Sharp, sharp, dammit!’ Sharp, sharp, damn!
“We really need a great brochure!” “Time for a new website!” “Get a beautiful showcase!”
If you say any of the former, you are cutting through a dull ax. As a result, I have heard myself say, “Who is in your team to better manage your brand and manifest the mission?” And, “Who got the company’s list of projects, and do we have any history?”
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
Also, the voices in my head say, “We need some tested, polished, concise copy that summarizes what this client’s core values and core competencies are”
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
“Finally, I heard the voice,” I hope they have done great work in the last ten years.
He has a great collection of great quality. “
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
Marketing your organization or, better yet, marketing your “brand” criticizes the belief that your organization is at the root of its survival.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
Sharp, sharp, sharp…
Of course, brochures, websites, displays are required.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
But those basic marketing projects need something more basic before they roll into production, and if you want to be successful in your own marketing, it is important.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
The belief that marketing your organization or, even better, marketing your “brand” is at the core of your organization’s survival.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
Accordingly, the endless efforts and continuous surveillance marketing efforts for good messages, copy, photos, communications, ideas, opportunities, information, organization, and support are sharp, sharp … we need a new website … yes!
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
In contrast, “We need a new website. Yes, some of Joe’s people took on Hackensack’s project.
Sharp… Take a look at your marketing budget and plan a cycle instead of a decision based decision.
“Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax” Abraham Lincoln quote
“Where do you spend these marketing dollars?” Sharp: Advertising or conference? Sharp: What generates our lead?
Sharpen: What is making the word of mouth that is so important in the construction industry?
Sharp: Are you asking clients? Sharp: Are you listening to the conference?
% 66% for the conference! 33% for advertising. Whack!!
Sharp… Is the brochure a resource built on revisions to previous versions and improvements?
Sharp: Have you thought about and noted a more direct way to convey your message for copy in the next version of the brochure?
Sharply: Likewise, have you linked any reactions to the life of your last booklet?
Sharp: Have you tried to improve the image from your previous brochure version?
“Time for a new brochure!” Whack!!!!
Sharp… who are we reaching with our advertising budget? Sharp: Are our people asking viewers to respond to the brand at the trade show?
Sharp: Have we asked our clients for feedback? Sharp: Have we sought any internal input for industry visibility?
Sharp: Do we know what our clients are reading?
Sharp: What data do we have from Google ads and digital campaigns?
Advertising Meeting … Louder !!!
Get ready
Do you like and have good communication software?
Sharpen. Did you enter notes in the contact record while calling? Sharpen.
You’ve got a database of intensive collections you’ve collected over the past five years, and keep that resource intact for uninterrupted use. Sharpen.
Does every PM know at the end of each project that he has to fill out the Construction Marketing Content Builder or call the Construction Marketing Content Line and give details of the project?
Sharpen. Also, does every job superintendent know that he was able to upload photos to the project’s Photo Dropbox folder? Sharpen.
“Hey, let’s start an email promotion …” Yes!
In preparation
Of course, marketing is a creative process, and sometimes the mice aren’t ready when you’re there.
Therefore, keep a notebook dedicated to marketing your company.
Or email yourself marketing inspiration and collect in a folder. So, when inspiration hits or competition makes you think, you will have a central position to make your insights sharp and effective!
When it’s time to rock the ax, you’ll have a nice sharp ax and a great deep cut.
Finally, just as you can’t bring down a tree with such a huge bucket, you can’t rely on any marketing program to show you any results here. Sharp, sharp, prickly.
What will make the difference is the overall effort of the cuts before and after how the cuts work together. Wrong hit?
These swings and misses were not a failure, perhaps because parts of a marketing program were temporarily overburdened with priority beyond temporarily disappearing.
Sharpen again, sharpen.
Whack!
Whatever you are – be a good one.
– Abraham Lincoln
