Thought Leadership

Episode #144: Stop Slamming The Square Peg Into The Round Hole When Selling

Why is not listening the fastest way to lose a sale? When salespeople don’t truly listen, they misread the cli...

Episode #145: Generating Your Own Leads In Sales

Why do many B2B companies in Japan struggle to generate enough qualified leads? In Japan, even strong marketin...

Episode #146: Typical Japanese Salespeople's Objection Handling Issues

Why do sales conversations in Japan so often end in pushback or “no”? Pushback, rejection, and disinterest are...

Episode #147: Why We Mess Up Customer Service

Poor customer service doesn’t just annoy customers—it makes them feel betrayed. In today’s fast-paced, always-...

Episode #148: Why No Omotenshi From Some Chinese Retail Service In Tokyo

Tokyo is one of the most competitive service markets on earth. If customers feel ignored, unwelcome, or disapp...

Episode #149: Sales Bad News Travels In Threes

Even when revenue is up 20% year-on-year, many sales leaders feel an unexpected dip at the start of a new fina...

Episode #150: In Sales We Need To Create Super Re-Order Customers

We don’t want a sale; we want the re-orders. In today’s market, that’s the real competitive edge. Customers ar...

Episode #151: Survival Tips For Stressed Out Salespeople

Sales is one of the most emotionally demanding jobs in any market, and in Japan (日本 / Japan) the pressure can ...

Episode #152: How To Disagree But Still Keep Your Customer

Are you losing margin or team morale because customers demand the impossible? In many 日本企業 (Japanese companies...

Episode #153: The 80-20 Rule Of Selling

Why do so many sales conversations fail before they even start? Most salespeople know the 80/20 Pareto Princip...

Episode #154: How To Present To A Diverse Buying Team

Japan-based buying teams can look deceptively calm in the meeting room, while the real decision has already be...

Episode #155: Success Negotiating Part One

Why do many negotiations fail in Japan when we use a “winner-takes-all” mindset? Most people still imagine neg...

Episode #156: Success Negotiating - Part Two

Why do negotiation outcomes matter so much in B2B relationships in Japan (日本企業 — “Japanese companies”) and glo...

Episode #157: Add Some BANTER To Your Next Sales Call

Why do sales calls in Japan feel successful…but still stall? Sales professionals in Japan often leave meetings...

Episode #158: The One Minute Pitch

Why do business people in Japan often dislike “pitching,” and what goes wrong? In many Japanese business setti...

Episode #159: My Clients Never Call Me Back

Reaching a client by phone today can feel like a miracle—especially in Japan. If your calls go unanswered, mes...

Episode #160: Nine Major Mistakes By Japanese Salespeople

Many leaders in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational companies) across 東京 (Tokyo) tell us the sa...

Episode #161: How To Sell To A Buying Team

Why is selling to a buying group in Japan (日本企業 — Japanese companies) so different from a one-to-one meeting? ...

Episode #162 Selling Yourself Before You Meet The Client

Why are salespeople being “checked out” before the first meeting — and why does it matter now? Buyers today do...

Episode #163: Why "Okay, Send Me Your Proposal" Is A Bad Idea In Japan

Why does “Please send a proposal” in Japan not always mean yes? In Japan, reaching the proposal stage is often...