Episode 370: Why New Salespeople Fail in Japan — And How to Fix It

Let’s talk about something every sales leader in Japan wrestles with — the expectations we place on new salespeople. Whether they are fresh to sales or just new to our company, there is always going to be a lag before they start producing results. Yet, too often, leaders convince themselves that miracles will happen from day one.
If the person already knows the industry, the product set, and has an existing client base, then yes, results can appear quickly. But in today’s Japan, where hiring sales talent feels like trying to find a four-leaf clover, we are rarely that lucky. We are compromising on who we bring in. On top of that, the recruiting companies charge a hefty 40% of the first year’s base salary as a fee. That makes the cost of the new hire a very expensive undertaking. The outflow of money is instant, like a flood. The inflow of revenue is a slow trickle. Add English-speaking skills into the equation and the salary base is even higher, so the pressure builds further.
And what do companies do? They set themselves up for failure by providing superficial training. The assumption goes, “They already know how to sell, so let’s just teach them our product knowledge.” Maybe throw in two or three client visits with the sales manager to “show them the ropes” — and then we expect magic.
Here’s the problem: very few Japanese salespeople have ever been trained in how to sell, full stop. They typically enter a company, receive a microscopic amount of OJT — On the Job Training — and then must figure the rest out for themselves. That is the talent pool we are hiring from.
If we are serious, the smartest move is to send them off for professional sales training. That is the fastest route to results. In training, they can learn how to gain permission to ask questions, how to design those questions for maximum impact, how to present solutions that connect with real client needs, techniques for handling objections, and clear direction on how to close deals.
Think about this: the vast majority of Japanese salespeople never ask qualifying questions. None. They walk straight into a pitch, throw the product catalogue or a flyer on the table, and hope something sticks. It is sales by hit-and-miss. A newly trained salesperson who understands how to zero in on needs will be miles ahead from day one. Instead of wasting time rattling through everything under the sun, they will focus only on what the buyer actually wants to hear — and they will use that precious meeting time far more effectively.
Now, let’s turn to targets. Setting sales targets for new hires often descends into fantasy land. A sales leader plucks a number from the air, with no science behind it, and then pressures the newcomer to achieve it. No surprise that this becomes disheartening. For someone in their first year, the mountain is often set way too high.
We decided to take a more scientific approach. We created a big spreadsheet. Down the left-hand side we list all the salespeople. Across the top, we map every quarter since they joined. Everyone has a day one, and from there we can compare quarter by quarter. Out of this, we build averages of revenue production over time. That gives us a realistic expectation for year one, year two, and beyond.
When we know what performance is truly realistic in year one, it allows us to reduce unnecessary pressure. Instead, we can focus on encouragement and development. That matters, because recruiting is only half the battle. The other half is retention. If we pile on too much pressure in the early days, the salesperson starts to believe they cannot succeed here — and they quit.
At that stage, they may have already built some product knowledge, gained substantial sales training, and established relationships with clients. Losing them is not just losing a person; it is losing an investment. It hurts financially, it hurts the team’s stability, and it damages how clients view our reliability. I know this pain first-hand. Recently, I lost someone in exactly that way. They walked out the door with their training, their knowledge, and their client base — and, to add salt in the wound, they became our competitor. That one still stings.
So, what is the answer? Bring some science into your expectations. Back it with real, professional training. And layer it with positive encouragement so that new hires feel they can succeed. None of this is complicated. None of it is revolutionary. It is the obvious stuff. The only question left is — are you actually doing it?