Episode #309: Pitching Preferred In The Japanese Sales Call

Why does selling in Japan often feel different from other modern economies?

In most advanced markets, a core sales skill is simple: ask the buyer smart questions, uncover real needs, and tailor the solution. Yet in Japan—the world’s third-largest economy—many sales conversations still rely on feature pitching rather than needs-based discovery.

This gap shows up repeatedly in real-world observations from 営業研修 (sales training) classes, and in everyday buyer experiences. Even capable salespeople may default to a “catalogue explanation” approach instead of diagnosing what the customer truly needs.

Mini-summary: Japan’s sales environment often rewards pitching more than questioning, even though questioning is the more efficient professional method.

Pitching is a shotgun approach: a salesperson shares many features and hopes something lands. That wastes time for both parties, increases buyer skepticism, and slows down decisions. In a world where executives are time-poor, sales must be focused, not random.

In Japan, however, cultural and organizational forces push salespeople toward pitching first—sometimes even when they know questioning would work better.

Mini-summary: Pitching is inefficient and risky, but cultural norms make it feel safer for many Japanese salespeople.

1) Why do buyers hold overwhelming power in Japan?

In Japan, the buyer is not treated like “King,” but like God. Social hierarchy is shaped by company size and internal rank. The buyer almost always outranks the seller socially, regardless of personal ability or actual decision power. That’s why business cards matter so much—rank must be decoded instantly.

In this setting, salespeople feel they’re not in a position to ask questions. Their “role” is to present, while the buyer’s “role” is to eliminate risk.

Mini-summary: The strong hierarchy in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) makes questioning feel socially inappropriate.

2) Why are salespeople afraid of embarrassing the buyer?

A needs-based question can accidentally expose that the buyer doesn’t know the answer. In Japan, causing someone to lose face is a big risk—especially with senior people who may not have operational details.

A salesperson who triggers embarrassment may lose the account permanently. So pitching feels like the safer move.

Mini-summary: Fear of making the buyer lose face pushes salespeople toward pitching.

3) Why are direct questions seen as too aggressive?

Many sales questions common in the West are blunt:
“What’s not working?” “Where are you failing?” “Why haven’t you fixed this?”

Japan’s communication culture relies on vagueness and indirectness to preserve harmony. Direct questioning can feel like confrontation.

Mini-summary: Indirect culture makes sharp discovery questions feel disruptive.

4) Why does fear of asking “dumb” questions stop discovery?

A poorly phrased question can signal ignorance or lack of professionalism. Unless a salesperson deeply understands the buyer’s industry, they fear asking something naïve.

Pitching hides uncertainty; questioning exposes it.

Mini-summary: Salespeople pitch to avoid the risk of looking uninformed.

5) Why can questioning feel like stealing secrets?

Discovery often requires asking about results, plans, strategies, pricing, volumes, or internal challenges. In Japan, that kind of information feels highly confidential, especially early in a relationship.

To the buyer, questions can sound like, “Why should I reveal this to someone I’ve just met?”

Mini-summary: Early-stage questions can be interpreted as intrusive or confidential.

6) Why do many salespeople simply never think to ask?

Because of OJT (On The Job Training / on-the-job training) as the dominant method, many salespeople learn by watching seniors pitch. If the senior style is pitching, the junior inherits pitching.

Over generations, pitching becomes “the job,” while questioning never enters the skillset.

Mini-summary: OJT traditions often pass down pitching habits without teaching discovery.

The key is permission-based questioning. Instead of jumping into direct discovery, a salesperson can first establish credibility and humility:

“We’ve achieved strong results for other clients. Maybe we can help you too. I’m not sure yet—may I ask a few questions to confirm what would be useful?”

This protects the buyer’s status while opening the door to real needs.

Mini-summary: Asking permission first allows discovery while respecting hierarchy and harmony.

The buyer-seller power imbalance is real, but it shouldn’t define the salesperson’s confidence. If you genuinely have a solution that cures the buyer’s “business cancer,” you’re not a subordinate—you’re a professional partner.

Your job isn’t to broadcast features. It’s to diagnose needs fast and deliver value faster.

Mini-summary: The professional role is diagnosis and value delivery, not feature dumping.

• In Japan, hierarchy, harmony, and confidentiality norms make pitching feel safer than questioning.

• Needs-based selling still works—when questions are permission-based and culturally sensitive.

• OJT-driven habits keep pitching alive across generations in 日本企業 (Japanese companies).

• Professional sales in 東京 (Tokyo) means diagnosing needs quickly, not hoping a pitch lands

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日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) ever since.