『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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  • Be A Showman When Selling In Japan

    Be A Showman When Selling In Japan
    2026/07/16

    Q: What does showmanship mean in professional selling?

    A: Showmanship is the ethical use of communication to make value vivid and persuasive. It does not mean inventing claims, misleading the buyer or using a bait-and-switch. What you say must be true. The skill lies in presenting that truth with energy, clarity and memorable word pictures rather than in a flat, lifeless way.

    Mini-summary: Ethical showmanship gives truthful sales messages greater impact.

    Q: Why is showmanship important when selling?

    A: Buyers are naturally sceptical about salespeople's claims. Simply explaining a feature or stating a need may not be enough to prompt action. Showmanship helps the buyer understand the practical consequences of acting, delaying or doing nothing. It turns an abstract choice into something the buyer can picture and evaluate.

    Mini-summary: Buyers act more readily when they can clearly see the consequences of each choice.

    Q: How do word pictures improve a sales conversation?

    A: Word pictures create a scene in the buyer's mind. The tyre puncture example shows how this works. A service attendant notices a slow leak and offers a ten-minute repair. The customer refuses because they are busy. The attendant then describes a previous customer who delayed the same repair, suffered a tyre blowout on the highway and was involved in a fatal accident. The ten-minute repair is suddenly seen in a different light.

    Mini-summary: Word pictures make the cost of inaction concrete and emotionally understandable.

    Q: Is emotional language appropriate in sales?

    A: Emotional language can be appropriate when it is truthful, relevant and delivered with the right tone. In the tyre example, the language is powerful, but the attendant's subdued delivery avoids sounding theatrical or exploitative. The objective is not to frighten or manipulate the buyer. It is to ensure that the seriousness of the choice is understood.

    Mini-summary: Emotion should clarify genuine consequences, not manufacture false fear.

    Q: How can salespeople apply showmanship to their own offer?

    A: Identify the contrast between using your solution and doing nothing, delaying or choosing an inferior alternative. Ask what opportunity the buyer may lose, what problem may worsen and what risk may remain unresolved. Then create honest, vivid language that helps the buyer see those consequences. Keep every claim accurate and make the value of acting easy to grasp.

    Mini-summary: Contrast the gains from action with the genuine costs of delay or no action.

    Q: What is the central principle of sales showmanship?

    A: Great salespeople do more than describe products or services. They make choices vivid, consequences clear and value memorable. Showmanship does not replace truth. It gives truth persuasive force and helps the buyer make a better-informed decision.

    Mini-summary: The best showmanship communicates truthful value with clarity and impact.

    Dr Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is a veteran Japan CEO and trainer, author of multiple best-sellers and host of the Japan Business Mastery series. He leads leadership and presentation programmes at Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo.
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    9 分
  • 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
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