Thought Leadership

Episode #61: Widen That Buyer Gap Or Else

Many business leaders know they should invest in growth—new training, better systems, stronger leadership—but ...

Episode #62: Don't Blow The Solution Presentation To The Buyer

Are you winning trust with Japanese and multinational clients in Tokyo (東京, Tokyo) — and then losing the deal ...

Episode #63: Admitting Wrong In Customer Service

Why do service failures feel so explosive in Japan? In any business, mistakes happen: missed deadlines, broken...

Episode #64: Story San, We'll Think About It

Why do Japanese clients often say “We’ll think about it” after your proposal? In Japan, hearing “We’ll think a...

Episode #65: Sale's Case Studies

Why is getting client approval for case studies in Japan so difficult? In Japan, many firms treat external inf...

Episode #66: In Sales Don't Soldier On Sick

Why is influenza hitting Japan so hard right now, and what does that mean for sales teams? Japan is experienci...

Episode #67 Extracting The Truth From Buyers

Why do sales conversations in Japan feel like detective work? Sales is a profession for sleuths. In every buye...

Episode #68: Growing Existing Account Sales

Most sales teams in Tokyo end up in a comfortable routine: you meet your client, review the last deal, and tal...

Episode #70: Handling Sales Meltdowns

Why do even strong sales leaders sometimes walk into a “disaster meeting”? Sales can feel like a high-stakes p...

Episode #71: The Most Difficult Part Of Business? People!

Running a business in Japan (日本 — Japan) is hard enough with cash flow, shifting markets, seasonality, and pri...

Episode #72: Business Contracts In Japan Aren't Worth The Paper They Are Written On

Why does “always enforce the contract” feel risky in Japan (日本 / Japan)? Many business professionals trained i...

Episode #73: Sell The Sizzle Not The Steak

Why does “Sell the Sizzle, Not the Steak” still matter—and when does it fail? “Sell the sizzle, not the steak”...

Episode #74: Do Your Homework When Selling

What happens when a salesperson doesn’t even know their own company name? A cold call can reveal everything. I...

Episode #75: Totally Ineffective Sales

Why do even experienced salespeople still fail to sell effectively? A sales professional with 18 years of expe...

Episode #76: No Sale's Questions Please, We Are Japanese

What’s the real reason experienced Japanese sales teams still lose opportunities? In many Japanese B2B markets...

Episode #77: Selling To Buying Teams

Why do sales and presentations in Japan feel more complex than elsewhere? In Japan, it’s rare to sell to just ...

Episode #78: Where You Sit Determines How You Buy In Japan

Why do sales conversations fail when we talk to “a company” instead of a person in a role? In B2B selling, you...

Episode #79: Educate Yourself In Sales

Why do universities rarely teach sales, even though selling drives business? Most universities offer almost no...

Episode #80: Salespeople, Money and Motivation In Japan

In many markets, sales performance rises and falls with commission. But what happens when that lever barely mo...

Episode #81: Getting Paid In Business In Japan

Why is getting paid in Japan usually reliable compared with other countries? In global business, a sale isn’t ...