Episode #407: In Japan, How To Tell If The Deal Is Real?

Why do smart salespeople still waste time on deals that never close?

You already know the painful truth: roughly one-third of prospects will never buy, one-third will buy later, and one-third are ready now—if you can help them act. The problem is that on a first meeting, every prospect can look like the “ready now” group. That uncertainty creates a brutal cost: time, energy, and emotional bandwidth drained in the wrong places.

In Japan’s competitive B2B environment, especially across 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational/foreign-affiliated companies), slow qualification means slow revenue. The faster you identify real buying signals—and real non-buying signals—the faster your pipeline becomes predictable and healthy.

Mini-summary: If you can’t tell who is ready, who is later, and who is never, you’ll over-invest in the wrong third.

Most experienced salespeople recognize a simple pattern:

1. Never-buyers: They won’t buy from you—ever.

2. Not-now buyers: They may buy, but timing, politics, or budget makes it impossible today.

3. Ready-now buyers: They can buy quickly if the value is clear and urgency is created.

Your success depends less on persuading everyone, and more on correctly spotting which bucket a prospect is in—early. That’s the core of high-performance 営業研修 (sales training).

Mini-summary: Qualification is about bucket-identification, not just relationship-building.

Salespeople are trained to resist “no.” Experience teaches you that resistance often hides interest. The prospect who says “I only have 15 minutes” might stay for 90 if you solve a real problem. And “no” today can become “yes” tomorrow.

That resilience is a strength—but it also creates a blind spot. Because you don’t accept surface-level rejection, you sometimes keep walking into swamps: long pursuits that feel promising but are structurally impossible.

Mini-summary: Persistence wins deals, but it also masks non-buying signals unless you stay analytical.

What are classic non-buying signals in Japan-based firms?

Here are patterns that reliably signal “dead-end” or “not-now,” especially in Japanese corporate structures:

1. The enthusiastic leader who doesn’t hold real power

You meet a President or senior leader who loves your proposal. The conversation is warm, ambitious, exciting. But the company has been acquired, merged, or operates as a joint venture. Someone from the “mothership” holds budget control.

Signal: The true decision maker is invisible—or sits in Finance/HQ control.
Better move: Ask subtly how approvals work, and who must sign off. Then listen closely for hesitation, vagueness, or deflection.

2. The perpetual “interested but unreachable” executive

You follow up. No reply. You finally catch them at an event and they say they’re busy but still interested. Industry turmoil, internal uncertainty, or shifting priorities keep them frozen.

Signal: Interest exists, but ownership and internal momentum don’t.
Better move: Maintain low-cost follow-ups without emotional investment.

Mini-summary: In Japan, titles can hide power realities; follow approval paths, not charisma.

In リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training) and proactive B2B sales, you need questions that feel respectful but reveal truth. Try framing around process rather than authority:

• “How do decisions like this typically get approved here?”

• “Who else would want to weigh in before you move forward?”

• “What internal outcomes would make this a priority right now?”

Then pause. Your job is not to fill the silence. Your job is to watch what they do with it.

Mini-summary: Qualification questions should be process-based, not power-based, so prospects stay open.

Ready-now buyers show a specific combination:

1. They acknowledge a real cost of waiting.

2. They can describe the internal path to yes.

3. They engage in next steps without you pushing.

4. They connect your solution to urgent business outcomes.

When those signals appear, your role shifts from “chasing” to “guiding action”—using strong value framing, outcome clarity, and confidence.

This is the heart of Dale Carnegie-style performance: practical communication that moves decisions forward, especially in 東京 (Tokyo) where competition and decision pace are intense.

Mini-summary: Ready-now buyers don’t just like your idea; they can move it through their system.

Not-now buyers can still become future wins. The key is to separate activity from attachment:

• Keep a light, periodic follow-up (low cost).

• Track industry triggers and internal change signals.

• Deliver useful insights, not emotional pressure.

• Stay “last helpful contact,” so they don’t drift to a competitor.

You’re planting seeds without bleeding energy.

Mini-summary: Follow up consistently, but don’t emotionally “move in” until the deal is structurally possible.

• Qualification is about identifying which third the prospect belongs to—fast.

• In Japan-based organizations, decision power may sit behind formal titles.

• Process-focused questions reveal real buying capacity without harming rapport.

• Ready-now buyers show urgency + path-to-yes + self-propelled next steps.

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.