Episode #79: Educate Yourself In Sales

Why do universities rarely teach sales, even though selling drives business?

Most universities offer almost no courses on selling. Even in the U.S., classes on professional sales are rare. This is strange, because selling is not “just talent” — it is a process grounded in a philosophy, and a process can absolutely be taught and practiced.

The gap matters: people graduate with Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. degrees in many business fields and still never learn how to sell, even though “nothing happens in business until a sale is made.”

Mini-summary: Universities often ignore sales, but selling is teachable and essential to business success.

Many companies still do not invest enough in sales development. In some workplaces, salespeople are left in a Darwinian “survival of the fittest” system — perform or be pushed out. That creates an unhealthy belief:

• “The company won’t invest in me, so I won’t invest in me either.”

But every true profession requires ongoing study. Doctors, engineers, dentists, architects — all keep learning long after graduation. Sales is no different.

Mini-summary: If companies don’t train salespeople, the responsibility still remains with the salesperson to grow professionally.

There is no excuse for salespeople not to improve their craft. The first step is personal responsibility. Professional development is not something we outsource to the employer.

Today, salespeople have access to the greatest collection of sales knowledge in history:

• books

• articles and magazines

• blogs

• videos

• podcasts

• online communities

Yet many don’t use this “cornucopia” of resources. Information isn’t the problem. Commitment and application are.

Mini-summary: Great salespeople take ownership of learning and apply what they study.

Before 1939, sales training was mostly internal, offered only by companies. In that year, Dale Carnegie launched the first public classes for salespeople, and today thousands of providers exist across the globe.

That history proves something important: selling has long been recognized as a trainable profession, not a personality trait.

Mini-summary: Sales training has existed for decades because selling is a learnable professional discipline.

Why do most salespeople fail to improve even when resources are everywhere?

Many salespeople consume information but don’t practice enough to turn knowledge into skill.

Practice is the missing ingredient:

• Role plays with colleagues before client visits

• Rehearsing questioning structures

• Mastering cadence and semantics — not just scripts

Knowing what to ask is easy. Knowing how to ask it, in real conversations, is hard — and needs repetition.

Mini-summary: Skill comes from practice, not passive learning.

High achievers always prepare mentally and physically:

• Sports stars warm up before games

• Ikebana (生け花, Japanese flower arrangement) masters prepare stems themselves

• Shodō (書道, Japanese calligraphy) masters grind their own ink

• Karate practitioners meditate before training

These rituals are about mindset. Salespeople need the same level of preparation — but many skip it.

Mini-summary: Like elite performers, salespeople must prepare their mind and habits to perform consistently.

What is “whale obsession,” and why does it hurt sales results?

Some struggling salespeople hope for one “whale” deal to save their quota. They arrive at work as usual, avoid study, avoid role plays, and repeat the cycle for years.

This is dangerous because:

• Skill acquisition is controllable

• Luck is not

Whale obsession keeps salespeople gambling on what they can’t control instead of mastering what they can.

Mini-summary: Betting on whales replaces controllable skill-building with uncontrolled luck.

Skill-building creates:

1. More and better leads

2. Higher-quality buyer conversations

3. Stronger solutions and proposals

4. Smoother handling of hesitations

5. Clear closing behavior — always asking for the order

None of this is rocket science, but it is difficult and requires consistent practice.

Mini-summary: Sales skills expand pipeline and improve conversion by sharpening every step of the process.

What does it mean to be a true sales professional in Japan today?

In Japan — across 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) — professionalism in sales means committing to mastery.

That includes:

• Study

• Role plays

• Continuous improvement

• Sharing valuable client-relevant insights from news, trade media, and social platforms

• Acting as a partner in the buyer’s success

Professionalism starts internally. Momentum builds with each article, book, or video you apply.

Mini-summary: Sales professionalism in Tokyo and Japan begins with disciplined self-development.

• Sales is a teachable process and philosophy, even if universities ignore it.

• Companies may not train you — so you must train yourself.

• Practice and role play convert knowledge into real selling skill.

• In Japan’s competitive market, skill beats luck — every time.

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.