Episode #3: You Can't Cold Call In Japan. Really?

Why are our sales results not growing fast enough in Japan?

Sales targets in Japan rarely stand still. Every quarter, leadership asks for more revenue, faster growth, better margins. Your sales team works hard, they’re polite, conscientious, and customer-focused — but the numbers still fall short.

Typical underlying issues include:

• Too few active customers

• Stagnant purchase volume per customer

• No increase in share of wallet

When this happens, sales professionals often blame:

• Marketing for not generating enough leads

• Customers for “not having budget,” “not deciding now,” or “needing to think more”

• The market (“Japan is different; it can’t be done”)

In other words, the causes are pushed outside the sales team’s control.

Mini-summary:
Sales stagnation in Japan is usually driven by limited customer acquisition, low volume growth, and flat share of wallet — and these problems cannot be solved by excuses. They demand a more proactive approach to new business, including cold calling.

In many 日本企業 (Japanese companies), the moment someone says “Let’s do cold calling,” the pushback begins:

“You can’t cold call in Japan.”
“It doesn’t work here.”
“Clients will hate it.”

Yet strangely, tobikomi eigyō (飛び込み営業 — unannounced walk-in sales calls) is often accepted as “normal”. Some teams will happily walk into a few offices, drop off business cards and brochures, and call that business development.

Objectively, which is more productive?

• Walking into 2–3 companies per day, or

• Calling 50–100 carefully selected prospects per day from your desk?

The real issue isn’t that cold calling “cannot” be done in Japan — it’s that poorly designed cold calling doesn’t work anywhere.

Mini-summary:
Cold calling is not culturally forbidden in Japan; badly executed cold calling is simply ineffective. With the right design, message, and mindset, outbound calls can open doors even in conservative markets.

Most salespeople, in 東京 (Tokyo) and worldwide, never design their conversations. They improvise the same vague lines over and over and are surprised when they keep getting rejected.

Common problems include:

• Asking vague questions like:

  “Do you know anybody who might be interested in our product?”

• Trying to sell the entire solution over the phone

• Failing to signal credibility in the first 10–20 seconds

• Ignoring the gatekeeper’s role in 日本企業 (Japanese companies)

A cold call is not the place to present your full proposal. In almost every B2B context in Japan, the realistic outcome of a successful cold call is one thing only:

A specific date and time for a face-to-face (or online) meeting.

When salespeople try to close the sale on the phone instead of simply selling the appointment, the call breaks down.

Mini-summary:
Cold calling fails in Japan when it is unplanned, vague, and overloaded with information. Success comes from designing the call to sell only the meeting, not the full solution.

In many 日本企業 (Japanese companies), the first person you speak with is a young office assistant whose main “system rule” is:

“Protect the manager’s schedule. Keep salespeople away.”

If you are persistent, you might be passed to a slightly more senior but still non-decision maker — someone with no budget authority and very low risk tolerance.

To get through this layer, you need a high-impact credibility statement that clearly answers three questions in seconds:

1. Who you are

2. Why you are calling

3. Why talking to their boss will matter for the business

Key principles when speaking to gatekeepers:

• Be polite and respectful, but also clear and confident

• Use business outcomes (cost reduction, risk mitigation, growth) instead of product features

• Reference credible sources (industry data, global research, benchmark results)

Once designed properly, this same credibility statement works:

• With the gatekeeper

• And later, with the decision maker themselves

Mini-summary:
Gatekeepers in Japanese organizations are doing their job. To get through them, you need a concise, outcome-driven credibility statement that makes it obvious why their manager should invest 30 minutes with you.

Below is a sample call structure that works well for 営業研修 (sales training) clients and other B2B solutions in Japan. The objective is only to secure a meeting.

Step 1: Acknowledge their time pressure

“Thank you for taking my call today; I know you are extremely busy.”

This shows respect and lowers resistance.

Step 2: Introduce your business-relevant insight

Example approach 1 — using research and data:

“We have just completed a global survey on how buyers in your industry make purchasing decisions. Japan was included, and the results for Japanese customers are quite striking, especially regarding what really drives their final decision.”

“The research also highlights where buyers believe the industry is moving. That insight is extremely useful for making sure suppliers stay aligned with customer expectations as the business environment changes.”

Then move directly to a choice-based close:

“I would like to walk you through the key results. Would this week work better for you, or next week?”

Example approach 2 — using market trends and opportunity cost:

“In our work, we meet a wide range of companies in your field, so we pick up insights that are not widely shared. Recently, I saw some approaches that helped three companies grow their market share by three times over the last six months.”

“Early movers are clearly gaining a strong advantage, while late adopters appear to be falling behind. I thought these insights might be very relevant for your business as the industry shifts. Would this week be possible, or shall we look at next week?”

Step 3: Make the opportunity cost explicit

People often act faster to avoid loss than to gain benefit. Briefly highlight what they might lose by not talking to you:

• Missed growth opportunity

• Risk of competitors moving faster

• Inefficiencies that remain unaddressed

Step 4: Set a clear, limited time frame

Always ask for 30 minutes:

• Less than 30 minutes sounds trivial or unprofessional

• More than 30 minutes feels like a burden to a busy executive

If the client insists they “only have 10–15 minutes,” accept it. Once the conversation delivers value, 15 minutes can naturally become 60–90 minutes.

Mini-summary:
A successful cold call in Japan uses a respectful opening, a strong insight-based credibility statement, a clear articulation of opportunity cost, and a simple choice of times — and aims only for a 30-minute meeting, not an immediate sale.

Many companies in 東京 (Tokyo), including both 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies), struggle to:

• Motivate their salespeople to proactively reach out to new prospects

• Design effective call scripts that work with Japanese decision-makers

• Build the confidence to handle objections from gatekeepers and executives

Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo provides:

• 営業研修 (sales training) focused on consultative selling and cold calling in Japan

• リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training) for sales managers to coach and inspire their teams

• プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training) to help teams convert meetings into business

• エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching) for senior leaders who need to drive cultural change in the sales organization

• DEI研修 (DEI training) to support diverse, inclusive, and highly engaged teams

We combine Dale Carnegie’s 100+ years of global sales and leadership expertise with over 60 years of local experience in Tokyo, helping sales organizations redesign how they approach clients and win new business.

Mini-summary:
Dale Carnegie Tokyo helps sales teams in Japan move from “cold calling doesn’t work here” to a disciplined, confidence-driven approach that opens doors, secures meetings, and builds long-term client trust.

• Cold calling is possible and effective in Japan when the conversation is carefully designed and focused on selling a meeting, not the full solution.

• Gatekeepers are not the enemy; they are part of the process. A powerful credibility statement and outcome-focused message are essential to reach decision-makers in 日本企業 (Japanese companies).

• Opportunity cost drives action — highlight what executives may lose by not hearing your insights, not only what they might gain.

• Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo leverages over 100 years of global know-how and 60+ years in Tokyo to equip sales teams in both 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) to prospect confidently and grow revenue.

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.