Episode #287: Can You Stimulate The Buyer Greed Gland In Japan?

Why do sales conversations in Japan often stall right after the first questions?

Sales processes move through stages, but one decisive stage is gaining trust. Before asking anything meaningful, buyers need to understand: who you are, what you do, where you’ve succeeded, and why you could succeed again with them. Without that trust foundation, even good questions feel intrusive.

Salespeople often forget that, to a buyer, we can seem rude: we barely know each other, yet we ask about confidential problems, failures, and internal barriers. That’s why permission to ask questions isn’t a formality — it’s a strategic gate.

Mini-summary: In Japan especially, trust and explicit permission come before probing questions, or you’ll get shallow answers.

Because the questioning phase can feel confrontational, the simplest reset is to ask permission clearly and early. For example:

• “May I ask a few questions to understand your situation better?”

This gives the buyer psychological space to engage. It signals respect, and it prepares them for deeper exploration. You’re not just interrogating — you’re entering a joint diagnostic process.

Mini-summary: Asking permission softens tension and makes buyers more willing to share real information.

What is the “personal self-interest” question, and why is it critical?

After learning what the firm is doing now, where they want to be, and why they’re stuck, one question unlocks the real decision driver:

“If this solution is successful, what will it mean for you personally?”

This is not about being manipulative. It’s about understanding the human motivation that connects to the business goal. Later, when you present, you will link your solution to:

1. the company’s success, and

2. the buyer’s personal motivation.

That’s the highest level of appeal a seller can make.

Mini-summary: Personal self-interest is often the hidden engine of purchase decisions, so you must uncover it.

In many Western firms, the link between performance and personal reward is direct. Buyers will openly say:

• “I’ll get promoted.”

• “I’ll get a bonus.”

• “My boss will stop pressuring me.”

So the question feels normal.

Japan tends to operate differently:

• Promotions in larger 日本企業 (Japanese companies) often track age and tenure more than measurable performance.

• Summer and winter bonuses are frequently deferred salary, not individual recognition.

• People are trained to frame success in group terms.

So when asked about personal outcome, buyers may look puzzled, need the question repeated, and then respond with group-centered answers like:

• “The team will be happy.”

• “Everyone will feel satisfied.”

• “The company will benefit.”

Here’s the key: any connection is useful. Individual or group framing — it doesn’t matter. You just need their stated motivation to echo later.

Mini-summary: Japanese buyers often answer in collective terms, but your job is simply to capture their motivation, however they express it.

Shut up.

This question creates tension — and that tension is productive. Silence forces reflection and increases the chance of a real answer. If you relieve the tension too early, buyers escape into vague replies.

If you bring a colleague, brief them in advance:

• no filler comments,

• no “saving” the buyer,

• no tension release.

Breaking the silence destroys the moment. The buyer will dodge, you lose the insight, and often you lose the deal.

Mini-summary: Silence after the question is a sales tool; manage your team so no one breaks it.

After discovery, you usually return for a second meeting to present the proposal. You’ll outline:

• features,

• benefits,

• internal application,

• proof from similar cases,

• and relevance to each buyer type (executive, finance, technical, user).

Before the detail, you deliver a summary statement that ties everything together:

1. their business problem, and

2. their stated personal motivation.

Examples:

• “You mentioned that if this succeeds, your team will feel good. This solution will deliver those outcomes.”

• “You said success would be personally meaningful for you. Here is how we ensure that success.”

Whether they said “bonus” or “team happiness,” treat it as valid. You’re showing:

• you listened,

• you believe them,

• and your solution supports both the company and what matters to them.

Mini-summary: Your summary statement links your solution to both firm-level needs and buyer-level motivation, making the proposal far more compelling.

• Trust first, questions second: gain credibility and ask permission before probing.

• In Japan, self-interest is often expressed as group benefit — accept it and store it.

• After asking the personal-motivation question, stay silent to protect the tension.

• In your proposal, explicitly reconnect the solution to their motivation and business goals.

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.