In sales slang, grinding refers to the persistent, often repetitive effort required to hit targets, especially when results are slow or resistance is high.

It describes the day-to-day hustle: cold calling, cold emailing, following up, handling objections, booking meetings, and pushing deals forward despite setbacks.

It’s commonly used to capture the gritty, high-effort nature of outbound sales or early-stage business growth, where success comes more from consistency and endurance rather than quick wins.