Episode #345: What Do You Do When Nothing Is Working In Sales

Why do even top salespeople hit slumps — and why do they feel so brutal?

Sales slumps are normal, fast, and unforgiving. One month you’re closing deals; the next, revenue tied to your name dries up. Targets don’t care about your effort, and spreadsheets don’t hide anyone. Words like “maybe,” “hopefully,” or “eventually” don’t move forecasts — only booked revenue does.

In Japan, this pressure can feel even sharper because decision cycles are rarely on your timetable. The slump isn’t a sign you’re finished; it’s a sign you’re in the part of sales that tests discipline and skill.

Mini-summary: Slumps are a built-in feature of sales life — especially under Japan’s longer, consensus-driven buying cycles. Your job is to respond with structure and action.

Start by increasing buyer contact volume. A healthy pipeline typically means actively engaging around 50 clients at any given time. A simple rule of thirds applies:

• 1/3 will do nothing.

• 1/3 will buy later.

• 1/3 can buy now.

If you’re only talking to 10–15 clients, your pipeline can’t mathematically support steady wins. You’re fishing in a small barrel, not a river.

Who to approach immediately:

1. Lapsed clients who paused purchases during Covid.

2. Orphan clients whose previous rep disappeared.

3. New prospects matching your best-client profile.

As in-person networking returns in Tokyo (東京 / Tokyo), rebuild your event rhythm. Clients are reopening budgets at the start of new fiscal years — and they will buy from someone. Your mission is to be the one top-of-mind when they restart.

Mini-summary: The fastest lever is volume. More qualified conversations create more near-term opportunities.

How do I stay mentally strong when deals fall over and rejection piles up?

You need grit. In Japan, buyers are almost never aligned to your month or quarter, so you can’t wait for perfect timing. You have to tough it out.

A slump is cured by activity:

• Make the cold calls.

• Attend live events.

• Write to clients.

• Re-activate dormant accounts.

• Keep showing up.

Poor results can crush confidence. The discipline is to separate effort from emotion and keep moving anyway. The break will come, but only if you stay in motion.

Mini-summary: Activity is the antidote. Consistency keeps your confidence alive until the market opens.

Slumps often show up after success — because success breeds shortcuts. Go back to fundamentals:

1. Pre-contact research
Learn their market, competitors, and industry direction. Bring insights into the meeting, not just a pitch.

2. Stronger discovery questions
Use what you learned to ask higher-quality questions that uncover real business drivers.

3. Decision-process mapping
Find out how decisions are made. Who isn’t in the meeting but influences approval? What concerns will they raise internally?

4. Roleplay pushback handling
With colleagues, rehearse common objections:

• “Your price is too high.”

• “We’re not sure about your quality.”

• “Your delivery timeline is too long.”

When you hit pushback, your first sentence should be:
“May I ask you why you say that?”
You need more information before defending your proposal — and to choose the right angle for your response.

Mini-summary: Review your process, not your personality. Slumps are often technique drift, not lack of talent.

Why are slumps actually a necessary part of becoming elite in sales?

Because sales is a harsh world. Good times can trick you into thinking you’re better than your system. Bad times reveal your gaps, sharpen your habits, and force you back to reality.

Slumps train resilience. They’re the “tuition fees” of mastery. Your goal isn’t to avoid downturns — it’s to outlast them with structure, volume, and skill.

Mini-summary: Slumps aren’t detours — they’re the training ground that makes you a real professional.

• Increase volume fast: Aim for ~50 active client conversations to stabilize your pipeline.

• Out-grit the timing gap: Japan’s buying cycles don’t match your targets, so discipline matters more than mood.

• Return to fundamentals: Research, discovery, decision mapping, and objection handling close leaks.

• Keep moving: Slumps are normal; consistent activity breaks them.

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 (日本企業 / Japanese companies) and multinational (外資系企業 / multinational companies) corporate clients ever since.