『The Sales Japan Series』のカバーアート

The Sales Japan Series

The Sales Japan Series

著者： Dale Carnegie Japan
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The vast majority of salespeople are just pitching the features of their solutions and doing it the hard way. They are throwing mud up against the wall and hoping it will stick. Hope by the way is not much of a strategy. They do it this way because they are untrained. Even if their company won't invest in training for them, this podcast provides hundreds of episodes with information, insights and techniques all based on solid real world experience selling in Japan. Trying to work it out by yourself is possible but why take the slow and difficult route to sales success? Tap into the structure, methodologies, tips and techniques needed to be successful in sales in Japan. In addition to the podcast the best selling book Japan Sales Mastery and its Japanese translation Za Eigyo are also available as well.Copyright 2022 マネジメント マネジメント・リーダーシップ 経済学
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  • Your Agenda Or The Buyer's When Selling

    Your Agenda Or The Buyer's When Selling
    2026/06/02
    In a sales call, the person who controls the agenda usually controls the outcome. Buyers are busy, cautious and often defensive because they worry about wasted time, poor fit, cash flow pressure and being sold something they do not need. Professional salespeople do not bully the buyer, but they also do not drift along sweetly while the buyer runs the meeting. They build trust early, set a clear structure, ask intelligent questions and guide the conversation toward whether real value can be created. Why should salespeople control the sales meeting agenda? Salespeople should control the sales meeting agenda because buyers need structure, confidence and relevance before they will trust the conversation. Without a clear agenda, the meeting can wander into price, product features or objections before the salesperson understands the buyer's real business situation. In Japan, the United States, Europe and across Asia-Pacific, executives are under pressure to protect time, cash flow and decision quality. A buyer may be thinking, "Don't waste my time," "Don't erode my budget," or "Don't sell me something irrelevant." That is why the salesperson must professionally map the meeting from the start. This is not about domination. It is about leadership, clarity and respect. Do now: Open the meeting by explaining the value of the conversation, then propose a simple agenda before asking permission to proceed. How do salespeople build trust at the start of a sales call? Salespeople build trust by looking professional, sounding confident and explaining quickly who they are, what they do and who they have helped. Trust forms before the buyer has seen the proposal, the pricing or the solution. The stereotype of the salesperson is still damaging: pushy, smooth-talking, self-interested and focused on closing. Professionals must separate themselves from that image immediately. Appearance matters because buyers initially judge what they can see. Voice matters because hesitation, mumbling and unclear language signal uncertainty. A strong opening covers four points: who you are, what your company does, who else you have created success for and why the same may be possible for this buyer. Do now: Prepare a concise credibility opening that can be delivered clearly in under one minute. What should a salesperson say before asking discovery questions? Before asking discovery questions, the salesperson should explain the meeting flow and gain the buyer's agreement to that structure. This creates permission, reduces resistance and stops the buyer from hijacking the conversation. A useful sales call agenda starts with the benefit of the meeting for the buyer. Then the salesperson checks how familiar the buyer is with the company and asks about existing perceptions. After that, the conversation can move into the buyer's current situation, future goals, obstacles and the implications of not solving those challenges quickly enough. Only then should the salesperson ask detailed questions. Do now: Use a simple transition: "How does that agenda sound, and are there any items you would like to add?" Why should salespeople ask about buyer perceptions early? Salespeople should ask about buyer perceptions early because hidden resistance blocks trust and later slows or kills the sale. If a buyer has a negative view of the company, the salesperson needs to know before presenting solutions. Competitors may have spread rumours. A previous salesperson may have disappointed the client. The buyer may have experienced poor service, weak follow-up or unreliable communication. In Japanese B2B sales, where reputation, consistency and long-term trust carry heavy weight, unresolved perceptions can become silent deal-breakers. Asking early feels risky, but it is professional. If the issue is severe, it would block the sale anyway. Better to surface it, address it and show accountability. Do now: Ask calmly, "What perceptions do you currently have of our company?" Then listen without becoming defensive. How can salespeople respond to past negative experiences? Salespeople should respond to past negative experiences by acknowledging the issue, showing accountability and demonstrating that the company has changed. Defensive excuses weaken credibility; professional ownership strengthens it. If a buyer says a previous representative was unreliable, the salesperson can ask, "If a member of your sales team created complaints from customers, what would you do?" Most executives would say they would remove, retrain or replace that person. The salesperson can then say, "That is exactly what we did, and I am here now to make sure we provide real value." This approach reframes the issue from denial to responsibility. Do now: Prepare a calm, respectful response for common legacy objections before the meeting begins. Why should salespeople discuss speed to business goals? Salespeople should discuss speed because buyers may be able to reach their goals eventually, ...
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    12 分
  • Work On Your Sales Not In Your Sales

    Work On Your Sales Not In Your Sales
    2026/05/26
    Business owners often hear the advice, "Work on your business, not in your business." The same principle applies to sales. If the founder, president, or owner remains the main rainmaker, the company may generate revenue today but struggle to scale, transfer value, or survive without them tomorrow. Sales can be addictive. Winning deals, building relationships, and landing major clients all create a powerful dopamine hit. The problem is that when the owner keeps doing the selling, the business stays dependent on one person rather than becoming a scalable sales organisation. Why should business owners work on sales, not in sales? Business owners should work on sales, not just in sales, because scale comes from building a repeatable system rather than personally closing every deal. Founder-led selling may produce revenue, but it can also trap the company at its current size. In SMEs, professional services firms, training companies, consultancies, agencies, and B2B businesses, owners often love the client-facing work. They enjoy the relationships, the negotiations, and the thrill of the win. Yet growth requires hiring, training, coaching, and developing more salespeople. This is true in Japan, the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. If the owner is always out selling, they cannot properly build the sales engine behind them. Do now: Audit how much revenue depends directly on the owner. If the answer is "most of it," the business has a scale problem. Why is founder-led selling hard to give up? Founder-led selling is hard to give up because it feeds ego, identity, habit, and cash flow. Owners often believe they are the best person to win the deal, protect the client, and keep revenue moving. This creates a chicken-and-egg problem. The company needs deals to fund growth, but it also needs the owner to step back so the sales team can grow. Many small businesses bootstrap expansion, so stopping the owner's selling suddenly can damage cash flow. The smart move is not to go from star salesperson to zero overnight. Like a successful athlete becoming a coach, the owner must gradually shift from being in the limelight to developing others. Do now: Start reducing personal selling gradually, not dramatically. Replace founder activity with team capability. How does owner-dependent revenue reduce business value? Owner-dependent revenue reduces business value because buyers worry the sales will disappear when the owner leaves. If the founder is the key rainmaker, the business is less transferable and less attractive to a potential acquirer. When owners eventually sell, buyers examine whether revenue is institutional or personal. If the owner owns the client relationships, the purchaser may lower the valuation, demand an earn-out, or require the founder to stay for several years. For many entrepreneurs, that is a painful surprise. After years of being the boss, working for a new owner can feel impossible. A company that runs without the founder is an asset. A company that relies on the founder is closer to a job with overheads. Do now: Build client relationships with the company, not only with the founder. Why should owners hand clients to salespeople? Owners should hand clients to salespeople because delegation turns personal revenue into organisational revenue.It may feel uncomfortable, but it is necessary if the business is to grow beyond the founder. This handoff can be emotionally difficult. The owner may think, "These are my clients." The clients may also enjoy direct access to the boss, because it makes them feel important. There is another sticking point: once salespeople manage accounts, commissions become a visible cost. But this thinking is small beer compared with the bigger commercial goal. A scalable business needs trained people who can win, retain, and expand client relationships without the owner controlling every conversation. Do now: Create a staged client transition plan. Introduce the salesperson while the owner is still present, then gradually step back. What should owners do instead of personally selling all day? Owners should use their time to coach, mentor, inspect, and improve the sales team's performance. The owner's highest-value role is multiplying the effectiveness of others. Consider the leverage. One owner working 12 hours a day can achieve a lot. But ten salespeople working eight hours each create 80 hours of selling capacity every day. The real question is how the owner should use their 12 hours to make those 80 hours more productive. That means improving prospecting quality, reviewing pipelines, coaching sales conversations, strengthening proposal discipline, and making sure the sales manager is actually managing. Compensation alone is not enough motivation. Habits, accountability, and coaching drive performance. Do now: Shift from "How many deals did I close?" to "How much better did I make the team today?" Why does the sales manager still need supervision? The sales manager still ...
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    11 分
  • Blocking, Tracking and Grinding In Sales

    Blocking, Tracking and Grinding In Sales
    2026/05/19
    Sales success rarely comes from one brilliant play, one miracle client, or one giant deal. It comes from doing the basics repeatedly: prospecting, following up, meeting buyers, tracking activity, and grinding through the boring work other salespeople avoid. Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach, talked about the importance of blocking and tackling in American football. The same idea applies in sales. The flashy strategy matters, but if the fundamentals are weak, everything collapses. Why do salespeople need to master the basics? Salespeople need to master the basics because revenue is built on consistent, repeatable activity, not hope. Big deals are wonderful when they land, but they rarely arrive without disciplined prospecting, follow-up, and pipeline management. In sales, the equivalent of blocking and tackling includes cold calling, referral requests, client research, CRM updates, proposal follow-up, and face-to-face buyer contact. These tasks are not glamorous. They are often boring, irritating, and repetitive. Yet in Japan, the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, the salespeople who survive downturns are usually those who keep doing the fundamentals while others chase bright shiny objects. Landing the whale client sounds exciting, but years can pass while the promised revenue never appears. Do now: Measure the activity that creates revenue, not just the revenue you hope will appear. Why do talented salespeople sometimes fail? Talented salespeople sometimes fail because intelligence can tempt them to skip the grind. They believe the basics are for lesser mortals and that one clever strategy or major client will rescue the numbers. This is a dangerous mindset in B2B sales, professional services, corporate training, SaaS, consulting, and recruitment. Smart people can talk persuasively about future revenue, strategic accounts, and game-changing opportunities. The problem is simple: until the deal is signed and the money is banked, it is not revenue. Many capable salespeople have left organisations because they preferred impressive possibilities to daily execution. Talent matters, but discipline converts talent into income. Do now: Treat your sales pipeline as evidence, not imagination. If it is not moving, it is not real. How did the pandemic change sales prospecting? The pandemic made sales prospecting harder by pushing buyers out of offices and behind new barriers. Cold calling became more frustrating because receptionists, assistants, and internal gatekeepers often had less access—or less willingness—to connect sellers with decision-makers. Since COVID-19, many clients in Japan and other markets have shifted to hybrid work, remote meetings, and stricter communication filters. Calling the office may produce vague responses, blocked contact details, or a polite refusal to share an email address or phone number. This makes the traditional sales routine more difficult, especially for SMEs and service businesses that depend on new conversations. Yet the need for sales has not disappeared. Business still depends on buyers discovering better solutions, services, and ideas. Do now: Assume the old route to the buyer may be blocked. Build several routes instead. Should tobikomi eigyo make a comeback in Japan? Tobikomi eigyo, or unannounced in-person sales visits, may deserve a careful comeback when phone and email access are blocked. It is not always efficient, but it can create a buyer contact when every digital channel is failing. In Japan, 飛び込み営業 has a long history in sales culture, even though many modern sales teams consider it outdated or inefficient. Post-pandemic, that assumption may need rethinking. If the buyer is back in the office two or three days a week and competitors are not visiting, a professional drop-in can stand out. Not every building allows easy access, especially newer offices with QR codes, reception systems, and security gates. Still, where access is possible, a short visit may create enough human contact to secure a proper appointment later. Do now: Use in-person visits selectively, respectfully, and with a clear reason the buyer should care. How can salespeople respond when gatekeepers block access? Salespeople should respond to gatekeepers with calm persistence, not frustration or arrogance. The aim is to protect the brand while still showing the resilience expected of a serious sales professional. Gatekeepers often believe they are helping the boss by blocking unknown callers, visitors, and sellers. Sometimes they are. But companies also need new suppliers, better services, and fresh ideas, especially during difficult business conditions. A useful response is to acknowledge their viewpoint while reframing the behaviour as the same determined mindset they would want from their own sales team. This approach is particularly important in Japan, where professionalism, politeness, and face-saving matter. Being pushy damages trust; being resilient ...
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    12 分
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