Episode #310: Are We Ready For The End Of Covid

Why are sales conditions in Japan still tough, and what’s changing now?

Japan’s sales environment has been shaped by prolonged uncertainty. Many industries have seen slower deal cycles, cautious buyers, and delayed investments. At the same time, the Japanese Government is moving to fully reopen the economy to stimulate business and revive inbound tourism. Domestic tourism—already worth around three times foreign tourism to Japan’s economy—will likely surge as travel becomes easier, creating “kick-on” opportunities across hospitality, retail, transportation, and regional services.

However, capital expenditures remain on hold in many firms. Leaders are still weighing inflation pressure caused by a weak yen, uneven consumer spending, and the risk of a global slowdown influenced by the war in Ukraine, energy constraints, and supply chain instability. The result: selective spending. Some sectors will accelerate, others will stall, and sales teams must be sharper about where demand is truly returning.

Mini-summary: Japan is reopening and demand will reappear in pockets, but spending will be selective; salespeople need to aim where recovery is real.

Over the last few years, even high performers have rarely felt “busy.” Many salespeople have had to grind for results while watching active client numbers fall and deal volume deteriorate. This doesn’t just impact pipelines—it affects confidence, optimism, and mental stamina.

COVID also “shrunk our world.” With fewer in-person conversations and weaker market visibility, salespeople can start to think smaller, avoid risk, and unconsciously accept lower targets. That psychological contraction is one of the biggest hidden obstacles to post-COVID growth.

Mini-summary: COVID reduced activity and confidence; rebuilding belief and ambition is as important as rebuilding pipeline.

Post-COVID doesn’t mean “back to normal.” The market will likely cycle through seasonal COVID and flu outbreaks, causing repeated productivity shocks. Clients know this. Many executives have been conditioned to expect disruptions and will stay cautious longer than we want.

That means demand won’t return evenly. Instead, recovery will arrive in waves—industry by industry, company by company. Your competitive edge depends on noticing where those waves are forming first.

Mini-summary: The future is uneven and cyclical; sales wins will go to teams who spot recovery waves early.

Where will the best opportunities appear, and how do we find them first?

Opportunities will emerge in “pockets of spending.” Your job is to identify these pockets quickly and concentrate effort there. A practical rule: if one firm in an industry is re-emerging, others in the same segment are likely moving too.

So the answer is volume plus timing:

• Contact more companies in the recovering segment.

• Expect mixed signals. Some won’t be ready; some will.

• Stay close. A decision “bell” will ring internally, and you want to be the salesperson already in conversation when it does.

At Dale Carnegie Tokyo, we train sales teams to read market motion, prioritize sectors, and build repeatable prospecting systems that keep you positioned ahead of competitors.

Mini-summary: Recovery happens in clusters; reach the cluster early, increase outreach volume, and maintain timing-based follow-up.

During COVID, buyers became harder to access. Remote work added layers of gatekeeping, and rejection felt constant. It’s normal that many salespeople are now “gun-shy” about calling.

But here’s the competitive truth: your rivals feel the same fatigue. If you rebuild your calling rhythm now, you gain a head start while others hesitate. When clients finally re-engage, the salesperson who has stayed visible and consistent will win.

This is exactly the kind of behavioral edge Dale Carnegie has helped professionals build for over 100 years globally and over 60 years in Tokyo.

Mini-summary: Prospecting fear is widespread; rebuilding courage and consistency right now creates a real competitive gap.

How do we rebuild the “prospecting muscle” that weakened during COVID?

Prospecting is a muscle—it atrophies without use. The way back is not complicated, but it is disciplined:

1. Start early, not late. Waiting for the market to “fully return” leaves you behind.

2. Set daily activity standards. Calls, outreach, follow-ups, and referrals.

3. Track inputs, not just outcomes. Activity predicts results.

4. Practice resilience. Rejection is temporary; lack of action becomes permanent.

Our sales programs in Tokyo (営業研修 eigyo kenshu = sales training) focus on rebuilding confidence, conversation skill, and daily prospecting habits in a way that fits both 日本企業 (Nihon kigyo = Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (gaishikei kigyo = multinational companies).

Mini-summary: Prospecting returns through disciplined daily activity, resilience, and systems—not waiting for confidence to magically reappear.

No firm goes through a global pandemic unchanged. Expect internal shifts such as:

• New decision processes and risk filters

• Different priorities (recovery, digitalization, retention, cost control)

• Leadership turnover—your old sponsor may have moved

• Budget rules that don’t match pre-COVID assumptions

Old “corporate intelligence” may be obsolete. So salespeople must return to fundamentals: ask fresh questions, listen without assumptions, and rebuild value alignment from scratch.

Dale Carnegie’s leadership and consultative sales approach helps sellers re-enter organizations with credibility and curiosity, especially in Tokyo (東京 Tokyo = capital city of Japan), where trust and relevance drive access.

Mini-summary: Buyer organizations have changed; reset your assumptions and re-discover what matters to them now.

How can we strengthen our value lineup for this new market?

With less travel and fewer client meetings, many sales teams had time freed up during COVID. The question is whether that time was used to improve value. Going forward, you should ask:

• Can we remove friction from buying processes?

• Can we add services that buyers perceive as meaningful?

• Can we bundle value in a way that supports price increases?

• Are we solving new problems, not yesterday’s problems?

Sales success in this market will belong to teams who proactively evolve their offering, not those who try to “go back” to old playbooks.

Mini-summary: Post-COVID winners upgrade their value and reduce buying friction instead of relying on pre-COVID offerings.

• Japan’s recovery will create sector-specific spending pockets—target clusters early.

• Prospecting hesitation is universal, so action now creates competitive separation.

• Assume buyers and decision dynamics have changed; restart discovery from zero.

• Strengthen your value lineup through added relevance, smoother processes, and upgraded solutions.

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.