Episode #162 Selling Yourself Before You Meet The Client

Why are salespeople being “checked out” before the first meeting — and why does it matter now?

Buyers today don’t wait for your pitch to decide if you’re credible. They research you first. A single interview moment — “I checked you out on social media” — reflects how modern clients behave everywhere, including Japan. Search engines and platforms surface your digital footprint instantly, and that footprint influences trust before you even shake hands. For sales in 東京 (Tokyo), where reputation and reliability shape decisions early, your online presence is effectively your pre-meeting introduction.

Mini-summary: Clients will evaluate you online before they meet you. Your credibility starts on the internet, not in the room.

When potential clients search your name, they form an opinion based on what appears. If the results are scattered or personal in ways you didn’t intend, you lose control of the narrative. But if your search results show clear, relevant professional value, you arrive at the meeting already trusted. Think of it as controlling your “first impression” at scale. This is especially critical for 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational firms), where decision-makers often validate expertise before committing time.

Mini-summary: Search results shape first impressions. Professional, intentional content lets you control what buyers believe about you.

Content marketing means offering useful knowledge for free to demonstrate competence. The key is relevance and restraint:

• Share insights about your industry, market problems, and practical solutions.

• Avoid propaganda-style promotion of your company or product.

• The moment your audience detects heavy self-promotion, engagement drops.

Well-written articles can even be repurposed for business media, where editors want credible, free expertise. For professionals in 営業研修 (sales training) or リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), this kind of value-first thinking aligns with what executives want to see.

Mini-summary: Effective content marketing proves your value. It builds trust only if it’s helpful, not promotional.

You can create content in formats that match your strengths and your market’s habits:

1. Articles / Blogs
   Write about real industry issues and fixes. Clear, practical writing signals authority.

2. Podcasts
   Read your articles into a microphone, add light editing, and publish audio. Many executives learn while commuting, walking, or at the gym.

3. Video (YouTube or short-form platforms)
   Deliver the same ideas on camera. It can be simple live streaming from your phone or more polished production. Video helps if you’re a strong speaker but not a confident writer.

Gary Vaynerchuk’s approach shows a powerful model: lead with video, then strip audio for podcasts and transcripts for text posts. If you can talk — and most salespeople can — you can create a full content ecosystem from one idea.

Mini-summary: Turn one idea into articles, podcasts, and video. Multi-format content multiplies discovery and credibility.

Voice search is rising fast. Google’s AI-driven search experiences increasingly interpret spoken queries, not just typed ones. If you don’t have voice assets — podcasts, video soundtracks, or other spoken content — you’re less discoverable in a world where buyers search by voice. For salespeople, that means missed opportunities to be found by the right clients at the right moment.

Mini-summary: AI search is shifting toward voice. Voice content makes you easier to find and harder to ignore.

Decide intentionally what buyers will see:

• Fill your platforms with credible, industry-relevant knowledge.

• Show consistent professional focus.

• Create enough volume that your best work dominates search results.

This is not accidental branding — it is strategic credibility building. When you do it well, the client mantra of “know, like, and trust” is amplified before you ever meet.

Mini-summary: Your digital presence should make expertise unavoidable. Consistent value content builds trust in advance.

• Clients will “check you out” online before the first meeting — plan for it.

• Control your search results with value-driven content, not random posts.

• Repurpose one strong idea into blogs, podcasts, and video for maximum reach.

• Voice and AI search are growing — voice content keeps you discoverable.

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研修 (DEI training). Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.