Episode #213: Sell With Passion

Why do buyers in Japan still “buy on emotion and justify with logic”?

Even in highly analytical business environments, purchasing decisions are strongly emotional first, then logically defended. The real question for sales leaders is: where does that emotion come from in Japan, where sales conversations often sound dry and monotone?

Many Japanese salespeople rely on long, low-energy explanations, focusing on details and logic alone. But logic doesn’t create desire. It only supports a desire that already exists. If a buyer doesn’t feel anything, there’s nothing to justify.

Mini-summary: Emotion drives action; logic defends it. If you don’t spark emotion, your logic has no power.

A common pattern in Japan is a one-way “download” of information:

• little emotional tone

• few questions

• minimal engagement

• steady, monotone delivery

This style assumes that data persuades by itself. But buyers don’t want a lecture—they want a partner who understands their internal debate and guides it forward.

Mini-summary: Information alone doesn’t persuade; interaction and emotional resonance do.

Buyers always have an internal conversation running:

• “Is this safe?”

• “Will this work?”

• “Can I trust them?”

• “What happens if I’m wrong?”

Your job is to join that conversation and shape it. But notice: the buyer’s inner voice is often cautious and unexcited. If you match their low energy, nothing moves. If you bring grounded passion, you can lift the conversation toward decision.

Mini-summary: You don’t just follow the buyer’s thoughts—you influence their direction with your energy.

Many outsiders assume Japanese people are unemotional in business because they appear reserved. But in reality, Japanese business culture is highly emotional—just expressed differently.

In Japan, emotional commitment forms through trust. Once trust is established, buyers feel a strong emotional need to continue the relationship. They want to avoid mistakes, embarrassment, or failure, so they choose suppliers who feel safe and predictable.

Mini-summary: Japanese buyers are emotional through trust; once trust exists, loyalty follows.

Why does trust-based buying limit new customer growth?

Trust works wonderfully for existing accounts—but it blocks new customer acquisition. A new buyer has no track record with you. Their mental question becomes:
“Can I trust you without proof?”

That uncertainty makes it hard for them to recommend you internally. In many Japanese companies (日本企業 / Japanese companies), a buyer must convince their boss, who convinces their boss, up the chain. Nobody wants to risk blame if the experiment fails.

Mini-summary: Without trust history, buyers hesitate—because internal risk is high.

How can you reduce the risk for first-time buyers?

A simple way to overcome “no track record” is to create one quickly:

• a free trial

• a sample order

• a pilot project

• a low-risk small start

This makes participation safe for everyone involved and gives your buyer a story they can sell internally with confidence.

Mini-summary: Trials and pilots turn trust from a barrier into a bridge.

Risk reduction opens the door, but passion makes buyers step through it. When buyers feel authentic belief in your product or service, that belief spreads. Passion signals confidence, seriousness, and long-term commitment.

Importantly, passion is not hype. It’s energy rooted in conviction.

Mini-summary: Trust removes fear; passion creates momentum.

What does “passion that wins trust” look like in real life?

A powerful example: a young entrepreneur in Nagoya stood outside a company president’s home every morning for two weeks, bowing as the president left for work. Eventually, the president asked why. The answer: he wanted to supply curtain products.

Was it logical for the president to give him a chance? Not really.
Was it emotional? Absolutely.

What the president felt was:

• passion

• belief

• discipline

• patience

• commitment

• seriousness

• courage

That emotional impression created trust before any track record existed.

Mini-summary: Passion expressed through action can create trust faster than data ever will.

How do you audit your own passion in front of buyers?

Ask yourself honestly:

• Do I sound sold on my own offer?

• Do I ask questions that show I care?

• Do I speak with confidence and calm certainty?

• Do I show commitment to the relationship?

• Do I paint vivid outcomes that the buyer can imagine?

• Does my passion feel natural—not forced?

Buyers want to see your belief “pouring out of your pores,” not scripted enthusiasm.

Mini-summary: If you don’t feel conviction, the buyer won’t either.

• Buyers in Japan decide emotionally first, then justify logically.

• Trust is the main emotional engine in Japanese business buying.

• New customers need risk-reducing trials before trust can form.

• Authentic passion is contagious and accelerates 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.