Episode #15: You Don't Want Sales

How do you grow revenue in Japan without turning your sales force into fast-talking “sharks” who damage your brand and burn client trust?

Executives in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (foreign-capital / multinational companies) in 東京 (Tokyo) are under pressure to hit aggressive targets. But in a market built on relationships and reputation, short-term sales tactics kill long-term opportunity. This page explains how to shift from “get the deal” to “win the re-order” using kokorogamae (心構え, true intentions), backed by Dale Carnegie’s 100+ years of global experience and 60+ years in Tokyo.

Movies like The Wolf of Wall Street and Boiler Room, scandals like Bernie Madoff—these stories have shaped a global stereotype:
salespeople as clever, shallow, “rat with a gold tooth” manipulators focused only on getting your money fast.

Because there are no real barriers to entry into sales, unqualified people flood the profession:

• They say anything to close the deal.

• They chase quick wins and disappear when problems appear.

• They operate as “snake oil” sellers, leaving buyers suspicious and defensive.

This reality affects everyone. Even serious professionals—lawyers, dentists, architects, engineers, doctors—now compete actively for business, whether their title says “sales” or something softer like “business development.”

Mini-summary: The sales profession suffers from a global trust deficit, and this negative image affects everyone who needs to win clients, not just people with “sales” in their job title.

In today’s environment, everyone is in sales:

• Specialists in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (foreign-capital / multinational companies) must pitch ideas internally and externally.

• Professionals compete for clients, budgets, and influence, even when their role is “technical” or “professional.”

• Titles like “business development” often mask sales responsibilities—without the benefit of formal 営業研修 (sales training).

However, many professionals:

• Underestimate how much they are “selling” every day.

• Lack structured skills in relationship-building, questioning, and value demonstration.

• Rely on logic and credentials alone, assuming clients will “understand.”

Mini-summary: Regardless of industry or title, professionals in Japan are now constantly selling ideas, projects, and services—often without the necessary sales training to do it in a trust-building way.

What is the real difference between chasing one-off deals and building re-orders?

A single sale is often just a “temporary itch” being scratched:

• It can be transactional.

• It may never repeat.

• It forces you to constantly chase new clients and live with a thin, unstable pipeline.

Re-orders, by contrast, are based on lifetime value and long-term relationships:

• A single 10,000 USD (or JPY equivalent) purchase may seem small.

• But if the client returns year after year, that amount compounds into a major revenue stream.

• One Dale Carnegie client in Tokyo has been sending a few participants to public courses every month for forty years—the annual figures look modest, but the lifetime value is enormous.

Another client may skip a year and then resume buying; in one case, such a client reached over one million dollars in total revenues, despite inconsistency. The key is that trust and perceived value pulled them back, even after a gap.

Mini-summary: A “sale” is a moment; a “re-order” is a relationship. Sustainable growth comes from clients who repeatedly choose you because they trust your value.

Kokorogamae (心構え, true intentions / mental attitude) comes from traditional Japanese disciplines like calligraphy, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and martial arts. In business, it means:

Your true intention is to become a long-term partner in the client’s success.

Practically, that means:

• You focus on the client’s growth, not just your quarterly target.

• You understand that as they grow, they will naturally need more of your product or service.

• You measure success not by “Did I close them?” but “Did I help them enough that they feel safer, stronger, and more competitive?”

With correct kokorogamae:

• You do not snow the client with jargon or hype.

• You clearly state what you do, who you’ve done it for, and evidence of results.

• You walk away if you honestly don’t have the right solution, rather than forcing a bad fit.

Mini-summary: Kokorogamae (true intentions) shifts sales from manipulation to partnership. When your genuine intent is to support the client’s success, trust and re-orders follow naturally.

How can my team prove value with evidence, not hype?

Fast-talking salespeople are often an “evidence-free zone.” They rely on:

• Loud promises

• Bold claims

• Feature-heavy presentations with little proof

To earn re-orders, you must be evidence rich:

• Collect testimonials that clearly state results.

• Show before-and-after metrics (e.g., sales volumes, productivity, engagement scores).

• Use self-assessments pre- and post-intervention to reveal measurable change.

• Document case studies that link your solution to real business outcomes.

In 営業研修 (sales training) and プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training), Dale Carnegie Tokyo teaches teams how to:

• Turn vague claims (“We improve communication”) into specific outcomes (“Cross-functional project cycle time shortened by 20%”).

• Present evidence in a way that is clear, credible, and easy to retell inside the client’s organization.

Mini-summary: Trust grows when you replace exaggerated claims with concrete proof. Evidence makes it easier for clients to re-justify choosing you again and again.

Most salespeople talk too much and listen too little. Clients notice this instantly.

Trust-building sales conversations focus on:

• Powerful questions that uncover the client’s real business issues.

• Active listening that makes the client feel heard and understood, not “processed.”

• Honest evaluation: sometimes the right answer is, “We are not the best fit for this particular need.”

Once you truly understand the situation, you can:

1. Present the feature of your solution.

2. Explain the benefit in business terms.

3. Clarify the application to the client’s specific situation.

4. Support all of it with back-up evidence.

This methodology is central to Dale Carnegie’s 営業研修 (sales training) in 東京 (Tokyo), designed for both 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (foreign-capital / multinational companies).

Mini-summary: Skilled questioning and deep listening show clients you genuinely understand their business, making your recommendations credible and your relationship resilient.

What you do after the client signs tells them everything about who you really are.

Trust is destroyed when:

• Problems are minimized or hidden.

• Salespeople defend the indefensible.

• Refunds or fixes are delayed or resisted.

Trust is reinforced when:

• Issues are fixed immediately and transparently.

• You return money without argument when the problem is clearly your responsibility.

• You learn from the failure and improve your process so it never repeats.

Consider a real trade example:

• A Japanese client’s container missed the scheduled ship.

• The exporter thought: “No problem, we’ll put it on the next vessel.”

• The buyer, however, had already promised delivery to their key customers; a delay would damage their reputation built over many years.

• Result: major buyer anger, lost trust, and no further business.

In relationship-based markets like Japan, one careless attitude to service can erase years of opportunity.

Mini-summary: The true test of your kokorogamae is how you behave when something goes wrong. Speed, honesty, and accountability after the sale decide whether re-orders will continue—or stop permanently.

When sales teams are constantly “chasing the next deal,” follow-up erodes:

• Promised calls are forgotten.

• Little issues escalate into big problems.

• Internal miscommunication creates broken promises to clients.

Leaders must:

• Build robust follow-up systems (CRM usage, checklists, clear ownership).

• Ensure time management skills are strong enough to avoid “too busy” mistakes.

• Encourage slowing down to “get the basics right” before scaling activity.

In リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training) and DEI研修 (DEI training), Dale Carnegie Tokyo helps managers:

• Create cultures where accountability is normal and safe.

• Support engaged, self-motivated employees who own client outcomes, not just their own tasks.

• Align incentives to long-term client satisfaction, not just short-term numbers.

Mini-summary: Leaders must design processes and cultures that protect follow-up quality, even in high-pressure environments. Without reliable follow-up, trust and re-orders quickly disappear.

How can training and coaching support trust-based sales in Japan?

To consistently deliver value and build re-orders, organizations in 東京 (Tokyo) need more than good intentions—they need structured skill development:

• リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training) to align managers around long-term client value.

• 営業研修 (sales training) to upgrade questioning, listening, evidence-based persuasion, and follow-up.

• プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training) to help teams communicate results and proposals with clarity and impact.

• エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching) to support leaders in modeling kokorogamae and trust-building behaviors.

• DEI研修 (DEI training) to create inclusive cultures where diverse perspectives produce better solutions for clients.

Dale Carnegie Training, with over 100 years of global history and more than 60 years serving the Japan market, helps both 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (foreign-capital / multinational companies) adopt trust-based, re-order-focused sales cultures.

Mini-summary: Training and coaching provide the tools and behaviors needed to turn kokorogamae from an ideal into a daily, repeatable practice across your sales and leadership teams.

• Think re-orders, not just deals: Sustainable growth comes from lifetime client value, not one-off wins.

• Lead with kokorogamae (true intentions): When your genuine aim is to grow the client’s business, trust and revenue grow together.

• Prove value with evidence: Testimonials, metrics, and case studies beat hype and protect your reputation.

• Win after the sale: Fast, honest problem resolution and strong follow-up systems decide whether clients return—or leave forever.

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.