Episode #408: Balancing Questions With Suggestions In Sales In Japan

Why do so many salespeople struggle with the full sales process?

Many salespeople are effectively self-taught. They’ve assembled fragments of technique—some rapport here, a bit of questioning there—but they don’t carry a complete, integrated sales process in their minds. Without the full map, they can’t diagnose where a deal is truly stuck, or what comes next.

A vivid example of mastery is watching a trained professional outline the entire flow from start to finish. When a Carnegie Master Trainer demonstrated the sales process on a whiteboard—building it step by step until it filled the space—it made clear that selling is not a bag of tricks. It’s a system. Today, that same complete process can live in a salesperson’s head, guiding every client conversation.

Mini-summary: Salespeople fail when they rely on scattered tactics instead of a unified sales process. Mastery comes from seeing and using the whole system.

In Japan, it’s rare to complete the full sales process in a single meeting. The pace and structure of client engagement are different. Typically:

1. First meeting: You build credibility and reach the questioning model.

2. Second meeting: You present your proposal and explain the solution.

3. Later meetings: You handle objections and move toward closing.

Even “closing” in Japan may not mean an immediate agreement. Instead, it often triggers an internal review process. Your meeting is the start of the decision—not the end of it.

Mini-summary: Japan’s sales rhythm is multi-meeting and proposal-driven, and “closing” often begins internal approval rather than sealing the deal.

Japanese organizations often use a consensus-based system that moves carefully and involves many stakeholders. The process can feel “glacial” because:

• Multiple actors must be aligned.

• Many true decision makers remain behind the scenes.

• The people you meet must act as internal champions.

• External pressure to hurry rarely works.

Your champions can’t simply “speed it up,” even if they want to. They are navigating a structured internal harmonization process.

Mini-summary: Decisions move slowly because Japanese firms rely on wide internal alignment, and your client contacts must champion the deal internally.

In many Japanese companies, decisions flow through Ringi Seido (稟議制度 / “ringi decision-making system”). The proposal circulates internally, and:

• Section Leaders (課長 / “kacho, section leaders”) and

• Division Heads (部長 / “bucho, division heads”)

attach their hanko (判子 / “personal seal or stamp”) to show agreement.
Once enough seals are collected, the document escalates to Directors, who usually approve because due diligence has already happened at lower levels.

This means your proposal must be designed to travel. It should help your champions explain value upward and sideways across the organization.

Mini-summary: Ringi Seido requires broad internal sealing and endorsement, so your proposal must support internal champions and survive circulation.

To move from questioning to being invited to propose, you enter a suggestion phase. Here, you don’t need deep detail yet. Instead, you:

• Confirm you understood their story and goals.

• Test whether your direction fits their needs.

• Describe the solution outline in rough, practical terms.

• Check continuously for alignment.

If your suggestions match their expectations, you earn the right to submit a formal proposal—often in competition with rival suppliers.

Mini-summary: The suggestion phase is where you validate fit before proposing; in Japan, it’s a required bridge to formal invitation.

A proposal in Japan must go deeper than early conversations. It needs clarity on:

• What will be done

• How it works in practice

• What results clients can expect

• Pricing and scope

Even if it’s not perfect initially, being “most of the way there” keeps you in the running, because many buyers refine proposals through feedback.

At this stage, the client is buying trust as much as content. They must believe you can deliver what you claim—at the quality you promise.

Mini-summary: Japan-ready proposals combine clear execution detail with credibility, because buyers choose providers they trust to deliver.

Presentation quality is not cosmetic in Japan—it’s evidence. Your ability to explain solutions confidently, without flipping through materials, signals:

• Expertise

• Experience

• Reliability

• Predictable outcomes

Sharing prior success stories is essential. Japanese firms don’t want to be “guinea pigs.” Even if you can’t name clients, describing what you did and the results reassures them you have a proven track record.

How you describe these projects matters: it must come with belief, knowledge, and calm certainty.

Mini-summary: Japanese buyers need confident delivery and proof of past success; your presence and stories reduce perceived risk.

• Untrained salespeople rely on fragments; a complete sales process creates control and consistency.

• In Japan, selling is multi-meeting and proposal-centered, with slow consensus decisions.

• Ringi Seido (稟議制度 / ringi system) means proposals must support internal champions and circulate clearly.

• Confidence, clarity, and proven track record are decisive trust signals for Japanese buyers.

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.