Episode 368: The Cure for Corporate Cancer: Rethinking Sales Outreach

Greek myths rarely end well. Most are cautionary tales about the Gods toying with humans. The one that best fits sales is the myth of Sisyphus. His eternal punishment was rolling a huge rock up a hill, only for it to tumble back down. Then he had to start again. That is sales in a nutshell.

Every year we roll the big stone of the annual budget to the top. The numbers are announced, and then the stone rolls back to zero. Sales managers live by one philosophy: “Don’t tell me about your last deal, tell me about your next deal.” Whether your fiscal year starts in January, April, or October, the cycle is the same. The only question is: how are you rolling that stone this year?

**Why does sales always feel relentless?**
Because it is. A great year, a medal at the convention, a bonus cheque—none of that matters when the new year starts. Last year’s failures don’t matter either. The pressure resets to zero. Good year or bad, the rock awaits.
Mini Answer Card: Sales pressure resets every year, regardless of past results.

**Where will the new deals come from?**
There are always deals to be done. The question is whether they will come to us. If we sit around waiting for the phone to ring, an email to drop, or marketing to carry us, then we are not really in sales. That is why proactive effort—not passive hope—determines success.
Mini Answer Card: Waiting for leads is not sales; proactive outreach is.

**What does 10X thinking mean in sales?**
Sales trainer Grant Cardone popularised the “10X Rule.” We put his idea on a signboard in our office: *10X Your Thoughts and Actions.* The point is simple. Incremental “kaizen” improvements will not vault us ahead. To leapfrog rivals, we need exponential thinking. Last year’s mindset will only deliver last year’s results. To hit bigger numbers, we need new ways of thinking—and then we must act on them.
Mini Answer Card: 10X thinking means exponential goals and actions, not just small improvements.

**Is 10X action easy to apply?**
For the first thirty seconds, yes. After that, discipline is required. Sales managers must drive 10X thinking daily. We must ask: Who bought from us recently? Which firms look similar but do not yet know us? Are we avoiding calls because of fear of rejection? If so, we are holding ourselves back. Waiting for lightning to strike is not a strategy.
Mini Answer Card: 10X requires discipline, persistence, and fearless outreach.

**Why should we stop fearing outreach?**
Think of sales this way: we hold the cure for corporate cancer. If our solutions were not valuable, our companies would not exist. Our responsibility is to reach out and inform potential clients. If we had a cure for our family’s cancer, we would not hesitate to share it. In sales, the same logic applies. We cure corporate pain points—so why be shy?
Mini Answer Card: If you believe in your solution, you will not fear outreach.

**How do we 10X in practice?**
Start with mindset. Take massive action. Seek ten times the activity you would normally plan. More calls, more meetings, more follow-up. The more buyers we see, the more deals we close. The rock rolled last year. This year, let us roll it 10X harder, 10X faster, and 10X higher.
Mini Answer Card: Multiply actions tenfold—calls, meetings, follow-ups—to multiply results.