Episode #114: Lying Salespeople

Sales has a trust problem. In Japan, that problem feels even sharper because buyers expect honesty—yet too many sales interactions still start with exaggeration, avoidance, or outright lies. When trust collapses, deals become one-off transactions instead of repeat relationships, and the profession keeps its bad reputation.

This page reframes the issue and offers a clear, leadership-driven solution for sales teams in Tokyo (東京 / Tokyo) and across Japan.

Because sales is the most visible “moment of truth” between a company and a buyer.
Even though bankers, stock brokers, real estate agents, and officials can cause real harm, salespeople are the ones directly asking for commitment—so the buyer’s frustration lands on them.

Mini-summary: Sales carries the reputation cost of business mistrust because sales is where buyers feel risk most personally.

Japan is widely seen as an honest society, which creates a blind spot. When a lie happens, it is rarely admitted. Instead, people may deflect, soften, or rewrite reality to avoid shame. This cultural dynamic can let dishonesty spread quietly inside sales teams.

Also, in Japan the buyer is often treated as “god” (お客様は神様 / okyakusama wa kamisama, “the customer is a god”), which can push salespeople to:

• promise things delivery teams can’t fulfill,

• bend rules,

• avoid giving bad news.

Mini-summary: Japan’s honesty culture and extreme buyer-first norms can unintentionally increase hidden lying and over-promising.

What’s a real example of a sales lie buyers instantly notice?

A common script in investment product sales is:
“Someone will be in your area next week—can we meet?”

In many cases this is false. The rep is not “in the area”; it’s just a pressure tactic. Buyers quickly test this by asking which exact area—and the salesperson panics because the story isn’t real.

Mini-summary: Small “starter lies” damage trust fast because buyers can verify them immediately.

Why are intangible products (like investment products) a trust stress-test?

Investment products can’t be seen, touched, or tested. Buyers won’t know if they made a good decision for months—or years. So what they are really buying is confidence in the seller’s honesty.

In these contexts, even tiny distortions feel like major betrayal.

Mini-summary: The more abstract the product, the more the sale depends on trust—and the more costly dishonesty becomes.

When bonuses and quotas dominate, people rationalize shortcuts:

• “It’s just a small lie.”

• “Everyone does it.”

• “I need this deal.”

History shows how this ends:

• Suruga Bank (スルガ銀行 / Suruga Ginkō) faced heavy backlash after staff lied to push loans.

• Wells Fargo suffered years of damage after fake accounts were created to meet targets.

The reputational and legal costs last far longer than any quarterly win.

Mini-summary: High-pressure sales cultures don’t just raise numbers—they raise unethical behavior and long-term business risk.

What should leaders in Japan do to stop sales dishonesty?

This is an inside-out leadership job, not a problem outsiders fix. Sales leaders must:

1. Set a non-negotiable standard:
   “We do not lie to buyers—ever.”

2. Teach cause-and-effect:
   Lying creates internal conflict, delivery failures, and repeat-order collapse.

3. Reward trust, not just closing:
   Track repeat orders, referrals, and relationship quality.

4. Coach difficult truth-telling:
   In Japan, salespeople may avoid giving bad news unless guided. Leaders must model how to deliver truth respectfully and clearly.

Mini-summary: Ethical sales requires explicit standards, coaching, and incentives aligned with trust and repeat business.

How does trust drive repeat orders in Japan?

A sale is not the goal.
A repeat order is the goal—and that only happens when buyers trust the salesperson over time.

Trust grows through:

• accuracy,

• transparency,

• realistic commitments,

• consistent follow-through.

Mini-summary: In Japan’s relationship-driven market, trust is the engine of long-term revenue.

• Sales reputations improve only when leaders eliminate lying at the source.

• In Japan, cultural pressure to please buyers can lead to over-promising unless coached.

• Intangible products require even higher honesty because buyers can’t verify value quickly.

• The real win is repeat orders based on a track record of trust.

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.