Episode #158: The One Minute Pitch

Why do business people in Japan often dislike “pitching,” and what goes wrong?

In many Japanese business settings, pitching follows a predictable pattern: show up, deliver heavy detail, and hope something lands. This “data dump” style can feel safe, but it often fails because it skips the buyer’s reality. Without questions, you can’t discover what the client actually needs—so your “solution” may be irrelevant.

Mini-summary: Traditional pitching in Japan often overwhelms instead of clarifying. Without questions, you can’t connect to real needs.

In Japan, strong trust and proper process matter. You usually need permission to ask questions, then a clear, respectful formula to uncover needs. When you get that window, you should explore the buyer’s situation first, then decide if you can genuinely help.

But sometimes you don’t get that window—especially in short, high-speed encounters.

Mini-summary: Japanese buyers expect a careful, permission-based questioning approach. But short interactions can remove that opportunity.

A one-minute pitch helps when you have minimal face-to-face time—like at networking events. Conversations may be brief because you’re filtering who is worth a deeper follow-up. Your goal isn’t to “close” on the spot. It’s to identify whether a longer meeting is worthwhile and earn the right to continue later.

Mini-summary: Use a one-minute pitch when time is limited and your real objective is a follow-up meeting.

Numbers create curiosity because they feel incomplete on their own. In Japan, people will often look at your meishi (名刺, “business card”) and ask what your company does. Instead of reciting a long history, give a short set of “mysterious numbers.” The listener naturally wants to know what they mean—and that creates engagement.

Mini-summary: Short, intriguing numbers spark curiosity faster than a long company explanation.

Here’s a simple, high-impact structure:

“Let me give you four key numbers to explain what we do—108, 64, 100, and 95.
108 is how long Dale Carnegie has been operating since launching in New York.
64 is the number of years we’ve taught in Japan.
100 is the number of countries where we operate locally.
95 means 95% of our soft skills training in Japan is delivered in Japanese.”

This short burst signals:

• what you teach (soft skills),

• your reliability (over a century globally, decades in Japan),

• your global support for multinational business (外資系企業, “multinational companies”),

• and that your local delivery is truly local-language.

Mini-summary: A few well-chosen numbers can communicate credibility, global reach, and Japan-specific value in under a minute.

What should you ask right after the pitch?

After the numbers, move immediately into a simple need-discovery question:

“What are you doing to support your team’s soft skills right now?”

This shifts the conversation from you to them. If there’s a fit, end cleanly:

“Sounds like we might have something that can help. I’ll reach out after the event—please allow me to stop by your office and show you what’s available.”

Then stop. Don’t over-explain. The one-minute pitch is only a doorway to a real meeting.

Mini-summary: Follow your pitch with one focused question, then invite a meeting—no extra selling.

How should executives or sellers create their own one-minute pitch?

Pick 3–4 numbers that represent real value and credibility. Good categories include:

• years of expertise,

• client impact,

• geographic or industry reach,

• delivery advantage in Japan (日本企業, “Japanese companies”) or Tokyo (東京, “Tokyo”).

Keep the pitch short, repeatable, and designed to earn a second conversation—not to win the whole deal instantly.

Mini-summary: Choose a few numbers that express trust, reach, and relevance, then use them to secure a follow-up.

• One-minute pitches are for opening doors, not closing deals.

• In Japan, curiosity beats “detail overload.”

• Numbers make your credibility easy to grasp fast.

• Always pivot from your pitch to the buyer’s current situation.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership (リーダーシップ研修, “leadership training”), sales (営業研修, “sales training”), presentations (プレゼンテーション研修, “presentation training”), executive coaching (エグゼクティブ・コーチング, “executive coaching”), and DEI training (DEI研修, “DEI training”). Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.