Episode #258: Buyers Don't Buy, So How Do We Get Them To

https://dale-carnegie.wistia.com/medias/iscytt2aw

The distance between wanting to buy and actually buying is often vast. Business leaders all have goals, but constraints around money, people, and bandwidth hold them back. The higher up we go, the more strategic the thinking. The CEO is concerned with the future. The CFO focuses on cash this quarter. Line managers just want to hit their numbers and hold on to their team. HR? In Japan, they’re often passive—gatekeepers and internal rule police, not champions of change.
If a buyer feels their current situation and their desired future aren’t too far apart, urgency disappears. No pressure on them so no decision. And doing nothing is always the easiest option. It’s not just about money—it’s also about fear. A purchase can trigger more work, risk, or reveal gaps in capacity. In sales, we need to draw attention to the cost of inaction.

But it doesn’t work if we just tell them. We’re salespeople. They’ll doubt our motives. From their side, they have to tell us the gap is real—and unacceptable to them. That’s why we ask smart, reflective questions. “What happens if you can’t get there fast enough?” We bring speed into focus because nobody gets there as fast as they want. “What happens if you can’t clear that obstacle?” That’s where we come in with our solution lineup. We speed things up and make success smoother.

We also bring it to the personal level. “If this fails, what does it mean for your team?” Buyers in Japan often avoid talking about personal risk, so we need to connect it to group outcomes.

Our goal isn’t to push—it’s to guide them to the realization that they need help to bridge the gap. Once they see that, they’re open. Now we’re not just selling—they’re buying. The shift is subtle, but it changes everything. Ask the right questions, and the urgency to act starts to belong to them.