Episode #166: 2020 Ushers In New Deals - Are We Ready To Get Our Share

Why does sales feel like endless “rock rolling,” and how do top performers break the cycle?

Sales often feels like the myth of Sisyphus—pushing the annual target uphill, celebrating briefly, then watching it reset to zero and starting again. Whether last year was a triumph or a disaster, the pressure returns in full force. This emotional loop creates fatigue, fear of failure, and a tendency to aim for small, safe improvements rather than bold progress.

Top performers break the cycle by changing how they think before they change what they do. They treat the new year not as a repeat of the last one, but as a deliberate reset of mindset and strategy.

Mini-summary: Sales is naturally cyclical and stressful; the way out begins with a mindset reset, not a harder push.

Sales culture rarely rewards memory. “Don’t tell me about your last deal, tell me about the next deal” is harsh, but it reflects reality: past results don’t guarantee future performance.

• If you sold well last year, your biggest risk is complacency—assuming the same approach will deliver the same outcome.

• If you struggled, your biggest risk is fear—believing the future will repeat the past.

Either way, the rock waits. The only productive question is: What must change now for a better outcome?

Mini-summary: Whether you won or lost last year, repeating the same thinking leads to repeating the same result.

Business exists every year, but it doesn’t automatically come to you. If you sit back hoping for inquiries, you’re outsourcing your success to luck. In competitive markets—especially in Japan’s relationship-driven environment—buyers don’t always announce their needs publicly.

Waiting creates three problems:

1. You shrink your pipeline because you only rely on inbound.

2. You lose timing advantage to proactive competitors.

3. You reinforce fear by avoiding rejection, which makes prospecting feel even harder next time.

Effective salespeople assume responsibility for creating momentum.

Mini-summary: Waiting feels safer, but it quietly kills pipeline size, speed, and confidence.

Grant Cardone’s “10X Rule” challenges salespeople to stop chasing incremental gains and instead pursue breakthroughs. The idea is simple: the thinking that got you last year’s results will only get you back to about the same place.

A 10X mindset asks:

• Where is the biggest leverage point in my sales system?

• What would dramatic improvement look like, not tiny progress?

• How do I leapfrog rivals who focus only on kaizen (continuous improvement)?

This isn’t about being reckless. It’s about refusing to cap your ambition at last year’s habits.
Mini-summary: 10X thinking targets transformational gains, not gradual improvements.

How do you turn 10X thinking into 10X action—especially when discipline fades?

The hardest part of 10X isn’t understanding it; it’s sustaining it beyond the first burst of motivation. Real 10X execution requires daily discipline and constant review of every key prospecting angle:

• Who bought recently, and what adjacent needs might exist?

• Which companies likely share the same pain but don’t know you?

• What assumptions are stopping you from reaching out?

• Are you avoiding cold calls because you fear rejection?

• Is waiting for “lightning to strike” really a better use of time?

Momentum comes from consistent action aligned to bigger thinking, not occasional heroic effort.

Mini-summary: 10X results come from daily, disciplined action guided by bigger questions.

What’s the most empowering way to see your role as a salesperson?

Imagine you sell the cure for cancer. Not literal medical cancer—but corporate cancer: the costly problems that block growth, morale, productivity, or customer success.

When you truly believe your solution helps organizations survive and thrive, prospecting stops feeling intrusive. It becomes a responsibility. This mindset dissolves hesitation and makes outreach feel useful, even noble.

That’s how confidence replaces fear:
“We’re not bothering them. We’re helping them.”

Mini-summary: When you believe your solution truly matters, prospecting becomes service, not interruption.

How can sales leaders and teams apply this in Japan right now?

In Japan, strong sales performance depends on trust, consistency, and long-term credibility. A 10X approach fits perfectly when aimed at relationship building and value clarity. To make this practical in Japanese and multinational contexts:

• Re-examine your ideal client list across Japanese companies (日本企業 / Japanese companies) and multinational firms (外資系企業 / multinational companies).

• Build a higher-activity rhythm before the market becomes crowded in the new fiscal cycle.

• Expand visibility through purposeful outreach and sharper messaging.

• Treat the year as a designed system, not a repeated routine.

The rock must be rolled—but you can choose how you roll it, and how high you intend to go.

Mini-summary: A Japan-specific 10X strategy combines disciplined outreach with trust-based long-term value.

• Sales pressure never disappears, so repeating last year’s mindset guarantees repeating last year’s results.

• Waiting for leads is a silent sales killer; proactive outreach creates pipeline and confidence.

• 10X thinking means aiming for breakthrough leverage points, not small improvements.

• Seeing your solution as a real “cure” transforms prospecting from fear to responsibility.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.