『The Japan Business Mastery Show』のカバーアート

The Japan Business Mastery Show

The Japan Business Mastery Show

著者： Dr. Greg Story
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For busy people, we have focused on just the key things you need to know. To be successful in business in Japan you need to know how to lead, sell and persuade. This is what we cover in the show. No matter what the issue you will get hints, information, experience and insights into securing the necessary solutions required. Everything in the show is based on real world perspectives, with a strong emphasis on offering practical steps you can take to succeed.Copyright 2022 マネジメント・リーダーシップ リーダーシップ 経済学
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  • Plunder Your Own Insights When Presenting In Japan

    Plunder Your Own Insights When Presenting In Japan
    2026/07/09
    Every presenter already owns a vault of stories, examples and insights. The problem is not a lack of material. The problem is that most speakers fail to capture their experiences before they disappear into the fog of daily business life. In Japan, where audiences often value credibility, humility, context and practical examples, personal business stories can make presentations much more persuasive. Data and expert authority matter, but stories make the point come alive. A good story does not need Hollywood scriptwriting. It needs observation, relevance and a clear connection to the message. The smartest speakers plunder their own lives for insight and then use those moments to make their presentations memorable. Why should presenters use their own experiences in speeches? Presenters should use their own experiences because real stories make ideas more credible, memorable and human. Audiences trust examples that feel lived, observed and connected to the speaker's business reality. A presenter can quote data, cite an expert or show a graph, but a personal experience gives the message texture. In Japan-based leadership talks, sales presentations, training sessions and conference speeches, an authentic story can cut through formality and create connection. The story might come from a client meeting in Tokyo, a negotiation in Osaka, a leadership failure, a customer insight or a lesson from a mentor. These are not random anecdotes. They become evidence when tied to a clear point. Do now: Identify one key message in your next talk and match it with a real experience that proves the point. How can speakers collect better stories for presentations? Speakers collect better stories by keeping notes as soon as useful incidents happen. Memory is unreliable, so capture the raw material before it evaporates. Use Evernote, Apple Notes, Notion, OneNote, Google Keep or a simple notebook. Write down the date, setting, people involved, what happened, what was said and the lesson. Do not wait until you need a speech. Build the vault continuously. Business life is full of characters: difficult clients, brilliant colleagues, eccentric bosses, unexpected failures and surprising wins. Some of this stuff you couldn't make up, which is precisely why it works so well. Do now: Start a "presentation story bank" today and add at least one business incident each week. What makes a story useful in a business presentation? A story becomes useful when it directly supports the conclusion or key point of the presentation. Entertainment alone is not enough; the story must carry the argument forward. Start planning the talk by clarifying the conclusion. Then choose the main points that prove why that conclusion is correct. After that, search your story vault for examples that match those points. If the talk is about customer trust, find a moment where trust won or lost the deal. If the topic is leadership, choose a story about coaching, conflict or decision-making. The story must not wander off into businessland for its own amusement. Do now: For every story, ask: "What point does this prove?" If the answer is vague, cut it. How should presenters structure a talk around stories? Presenters should start with the conclusion, build the main points, then use stories as evidence inside the body of the talk. The opening comes last because it must grab attention quickly. This structure works for executive briefings, sales talks, training sessions and keynote presentations. First, boil the conclusion down to its essence. Second, select the major points that support it. Third, build the opening to break through the audience's distraction. Fourth, add evidence: data, expert authority and stories. In Japan, where audiences often appreciate logic and preparation, this structure helps the speaker sound organised while still being vivid. Do now: Design the close first, choose three supporting points and attach one story to each point. Where do good presentation stories come from? Good presentation stories come from successes, failures, observations and borrowed lessons from credible sources.Speakers should become collectors of business moments. Your own life is the best source, but not the only one. Stories can come from colleagues, clients, authors, biographies, business books, podcasts, industry news and public cases, provided you acknowledge the source and tell the lesson in your own words. In Japan, examples involving Toyota, Sony, Rakuten, SMEs, regional offices or cross-cultural teams can create relevance if they support the point. The key is observation. Most people walk past material every day and never harvest it. Do now: Look for stories in wins, mistakes, client reactions, market shifts and moments that changed your thinking. How can leaders make stories sound authentic? Leaders make stories authentic by telling them in their own words and connecting them honestly to the lesson learned. A story does not need theatrical polish; it ...
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    8 分
  • Sales Made Simple In Japan

    Sales Made Simple In Japan
    2026/07/02
    Sales in Japan becomes much simpler when salespeople understand one core job: bridge the gap between value and cost. Too many salespeople meet a lead, get the appointment, explain the service, submit the quote and then collapse the moment the buyer says, "too expensive". That is not selling. That is price delivery with a business card. In Japan's B2B market, where trust, rapport, needs analysis and careful follow-up matter enormously, salespeople need a repeatable process. They must prepare for the meeting, build trust, ask strong questions, explain value clearly, handle objections professionally and aim for the reorder, not just the first order. Why do salespeople in Japan need a clear sales process? Salespeople in Japan need a clear sales process because trust, value and timing must be built before the buyer sees the price as reasonable. Without a process, salespeople become quote-submitters rather than trusted advisors. A weak salesperson contacts a lead, secures a meeting, explains the service and submits a price. A stronger salesperson prepares with the reorder in mind. In Japanese B2B sales, especially in professional services, training, manufacturing, technology and consulting, the first sale is only the beginning. The real objective is a long-term relationship. That requires rapport, diagnosis, tailored solutions and follow-up. If salespeople skip those steps, the buyer compares price without understanding value. Do now: Map your sales process from lead contact to reorder, not just from appointment to quotation. How should salespeople prepare before meeting a client? Salespeople should prepare by clarifying the buyer's likely needs, decision process, risks and long-term potential before the meeting starts. Preparation gives the salesperson control and purpose. The goal is not merely to show up and talk. The goal is to understand enough to ask intelligent questions. In Japan, where buyers may be cautious, consensus-oriented and reluctant to reveal concerns too early, preparation matters even more. Salespeople should research the company, industry pressures, possible budget timing, competing priorities and decision influencers. Whether selling in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya or Fukuoka, preparation helps the salesperson avoid generic explanations and create relevance. Do now: Before every meeting, write the client's likely business problem, buying process and possible objections. Why is rapport important in Japanese sales? Rapport is important because Japanese buyers rarely buy from people they do not trust. A salesperson who rushes into the pitch before building credibility makes the sale harder. Trust does not mean small talk for the sake of small talk. It means showing respect, listening carefully, understanding the client's world and demonstrating that the salesperson is not there merely to push a product. In Japan, relationship quality can influence whether the buyer shares real concerns or hides them behind polite language. Rapport opens the door to better discovery. Without it, the salesperson receives surface-level answers and then wonders why the deal stalls. Do now: Build trust before presenting. Ask thoughtful questions and show genuine interest in the client's situation. What questions should salespeople ask before presenting a solution? Salespeople should ask well-designed questions that reveal needs, priorities, constraints and the real buying motive. The presentation should come after discovery, not before it. Too many salespeople explain their service before they understand the buyer. That is backwards. Strong questions uncover the client's pain, desired result, urgency, stakeholders, budget timing and success criteria. In B2B sales, the most important issue may not be price. It may be internal competition for budget, timing, risk, volume of cash, lack of clarity or insufficient perceived value. The salesperson must find the highest-priority concern before recommending anything. Do now: Ask enough questions to know whether you can help, how you can help and what the buyer must believe to proceed. How should salespeople respond when buyers say "too expensive"? Salespeople should not immediately discount when buyers say "too expensive"; they should ask, "Why do you say that?" The price objection may be real, tactical, temporary or a sign that value is unclear. Dropping the price by 20% as a first response is an expensive habit. If five salespeople in a team all do that, the company is bleeding margin. The buyer may be negotiating for sport, testing flexibility, dealing with budget timing or comparing against an internal project. They may also simply not understand the value yet. In Japan, where buyers may avoid direct confrontation, "too expensive" can mean several things. The salesperson must diagnose before reacting. Do now: Protect margin. Ask the follow-up question before offering any discount. How can sales managers know what their team is really doing? Sales managers must ...
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    8 分
  • Keeping Staff Is A Nightmare in Japan

    Keeping Staff Is A Nightmare in Japan
    2026/06/25
    Keeping staff in Japan is becoming a serious leadership challenge. For decades, Japanese companies relied on lifetime employment, loyalty, internal training and slow career progression to hold people in place. That world is changing. The problem begins long before employees enter the company. Japan's education system has traditionally rewarded rote learning, exam technique and memorisation. That may help students climb the school ladder, but it does not automatically produce the innovation, creativity, persuasion, leadership and problem-solving skills companies now need in the internet and AI age. Add demographic decline and greater job mobility, and the coming war for talent in Japan becomes very real indeed. Why is keeping staff becoming harder in Japan? Keeping staff is becoming harder in Japan because the old lifetime employment model is weakening while young talent is becoming scarcer and more mobile. Employees who once stayed for security may now move for growth, pay, flexibility and better leadership. For many Japanese companies, the traditional bargain was simple: join the firm, work hard, receive training, stay loyal and build a career over decades. That made corporate training a sensible investment. If the employee stayed, the company reaped the long-term return. But younger workers in post-pandemic Japan are facing different choices. Recruiters, competitors and global firms can offer new pathways. Talented staff may start behaving like baseball free agents, switching teams when the offer improves. Do now: Stop assuming loyalty is automatic. Build a workplace people actively choose to stay in. How does Japan's education system affect future talent? Japan's education system still produces many disciplined learners, but rote learning alone is not enough for the future of work. Companies need creativity, initiative and innovation, not just exam technique. Parents pay cram schools to help children master tests and ride the education escalator. That approach can produce persistence and technical accuracy, but it may not develop the skills required in AI-enabled workplaces. As of 2025, companies in Japan, Singapore, Australia, Europe and the US are all asking similar questions: who can think critically, solve messy problems, communicate persuasively and adapt quickly? Memorisation is no longer the scarce skill. Applied thinking is. Do now: Hire for learning ability and curiosity, then train people to think, question, create and communicate. Why is rote learning less useful in the AI age? Rote learning is less useful in the AI age because information is instantly searchable, while judgement, creativity and execution remain human differentiators. Knowing facts matters, but knowing what to do with them matters more. Search engines, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and enterprise AI tools have changed the value of memorised information. The employee of the future must ask better questions, evaluate answers, collaborate across functions and apply knowledge to client problems. Japanese firms in manufacturing, finance, healthcare, technology and B2B services cannot rely only on obedient execution. They need employees who can innovate inside constraints. Do now: Train staff in problem-solving, critical thinking, presentation skills and leadership judgement, not just technical procedures. What happens when companies stop training people? When companies reduce training, they weaken the very loyalty and capability they need to keep staff.Underinvestment creates a dangerous cycle: weaker skills, lower engagement and easier poaching. In the lifetime employment era, companies could justify comprehensive internal development because employees were expected to stay. If job mobility increases, some leaders may hesitate: "Why train them if they might leave?" That sounds logical, but it is short-sighted. If people are not developed, ambitious employees leave faster. If managers lack coaching skills, staff feel ignored. If career pathways are vague, recruiters become more attractive. Training is no longer just development; it is retention strategy. Do now: Treat training as a retention weapon. Develop people so staying feels better than leaving. Why will young workers have more power in Japan? Young workers will have more power because demographic decline will make capable talent harder to find and harder to replace. Scarcity shifts bargaining power toward employees. Japan's shrinking youth population means companies will compete fiercely for the same smaller pool of workers. Large corporations, SMEs, startups and foreign multinationals in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka will all feel the pressure. Talented younger staff will compare pay, culture, flexibility, manager quality, learning opportunities and career speed. The company that says, "Be grateful you have a job," will lose to the company that says, "Here is how you will grow." Do now: Build clear career development, manager ...
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    7 分
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