Episode #171: Just In Time Is Bad In Sales

Why do many sales meetings in Japan fail before they really start?

In Japan, sales meetings often fail because the salesperson arrives unprepared and jumps straight into pitching. Instead of learning what the buyer actually needs, they present products based on assumptions. This makes the meeting inefficient and ineffective from the first minute.

Many Japanese salespeople rely on catalogs and flyers, describing features the buyer may not even want. They sell “pink” when the buyer needs “blue.” Without preparation or discovery, the conversation becomes a one-way pitch that the buyer does not trust.

Mini-summary: Sales in Japan collapses early when sellers pitch first and ask questions later, because buyers don’t feel understood.

Toyota is famous for its JIT (Just In Time) logistics: parts arrive exactly when needed, reducing storage and waste. The lesson is efficiency. The danger is copying that logic into sales preparation.

Some salespeople do their research in a taxi or subway on the way to the client. They only start thinking about buyer needs once the meeting begins. That means they bring nothing valuable into the room — no insights, no data, no best practices.

Sales preparation is not something that can be done “just in time.” It must be done before the meeting if you want results.

Mini-summary: JIT works in factories, but JIT preparation in sales creates empty, low-trust meetings.

What should a salesperson bring to the first meeting to stand out?

In a perfect sales process, the salesperson brings something the buyer values before asking for anything in return. That could include:

• Relevant industry trends

• Data that explains what is changing in the buyer’s market

• Best practices the buyer may not know

• Insights tied directly to the buyer’s business challenges

This is how sellers differentiate themselves from every other salesperson selling the same thing. Prepared insights make you look like a partner, not a vendor.

Mini-summary: The best first meetings start with value-bringing insights, which immediately separate you from competitors.

If the goal is partnership, how should salespeople think long-term?

If you want a reorder, repeat business, and a lifetime client relationship, you must invest in preparation. A real partner doesn’t show up empty-handed. They come ready to help the buyer think better.

Trying to save time by doing last-minute research on the subway is not efficiency — it’s self-sabotage. It produces shallow conversations and weak relationships.

Mini-summary: Long-term partnerships require upfront investment in research and buyer-relevant insight.

Japanese buyers typically do not trust a salesperson in the first meeting because there is no precedent or track record. Without reliability, claims in catalogs or flyers feel like noise.

Trust must come before persuasion. The seller’s first responsibility is to reduce suspicion and create credibility through respectful discovery.
Mini-summary: In Japan, trust is the gate to sales — and without it, product pitches don’t land.

How do you get permission to ask questions in Japan?

Buyers in Japan often expect a pitch, not questions. Past experiences with poor salespeople have conditioned them to remain passive. The traditional mindset that “the buyer is God” means they may resist being questioned.

So permission must be requested carefully, for example:

“We have a very big line up of solutions, so it makes it very hard for me to know what will serve you best. In order for me to really pinpoint only the best solutions for you, from this big line-up, would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

This step cannot be skipped if you want to sell in Japan.
Mini-summary: Asking questions in Japan requires explicit, respectful permission — and this unlocks real discovery.

What are you really searching for when you ask sales questions?

Good sales questions reveal the gap between where the buyer is now and where they want to be. If the gap is large enough, outside help becomes valuable. If the gap is small, the buyer will likely solve it internally.

Example: after eight years of trying to sell to one company, a new president finally met. But through questioning, it became clear their gap was too small for them to need external support — meaning there was no real sale possible.

Discovery protects both sides from wasting time.
Mini-summary: The purpose of questions is to measure the buyer’s “gap” and confirm whether a real need exists.

Going straight into solutions feels efficient, but it’s actually the opposite. Without knowing what the buyer needs, you risk presenting irrelevant options and losing attention.

Solutions only matter after discovery confirms:

1. The buyer has a meaningful gap

2. The buyer agrees that gap matters

3. Your offering is truly the best fit

Skipping discovery creates dead-end meetings and weak trust.
Mini-summary: Early pitching is wasted effort because it ignores the buyer’s real needs and readiness.

How should a salesperson approach meetings in Japan to win business?

A strong Japan-ready sales approach looks like this:

1. Research thoroughly beforehand

2. Bring insights the buyer values

3. Build trust first, not excitement

4. Get permission to ask questions upfront

5. Explore the gap between current state and desired state

6. Only then propose solutions

This approach widens buyer thinking, strengthens credibility, and increases the chance of long-term partnership.
Mini-summary: Prepared insight + trust-building + permission-based discovery = sales success in Japan.

• JIT preparation in sales is not efficient; it leads to weak, empty first meetings.

• In Japan, trust comes before persuasion, so discovery is essential.

• Bringing buyer-relevant insight differentiates you from competitors immediately.

• Asking respectful permission to question unlocks real needs and real sales.

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.