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

I was visiting the office of one of my multinational corporate clients and we were talking about the issues he was facing with his Japanese sales team. His product is given the “yes” or “no” purchase decision by the business owner. In this industry the business owners have very little time available so getting an opportunity to speak with them is gold in itself. There are also lots and lots of competitors in this business, so the buyers have no shortage of choices. The sales team are experienced salespeople and have been selling this range of products for a number of years – they are veterans. And yet they haven’t come to grips with one of the most important precepts of selling – ask well designed questions of the buyer.

Japan throws up all sorts of interesting challenges in the selling field. One of them is social hierarchy. This can be pedigree – coming from an elite social group, who tend to marry within their own ranks and who tend to inherit the business. It can be based on education. The name of the elite institution you went to, puts you into a very small circle of the best and the brightest in the land and everyone knows it, including you. It could be the faculty you attended within that elite higher education organization, that marks you even further apart as an expert. It could be the title on your business card, that tells everyone you are a formidable person who has risen to the top of the tree in business. It could be the size of the organization you work for, a massive machine of vast power and scale, a behemoth bristling with power and influence.

The lowly Japanese salesperson calling on one of these elite buyers is fully conscious of their own inferiority and the low rung they occupy on the totem pole of influence. Unless they are properly trained they can be on the back foot from the start and never get in control of the sale’s conversation. This was the problem I was discussing with my client. His salespeople are telling him they cannot ask questions of their elite buyers because of their own social inferiority and position as salespeople.

Nonsense. This is a lack of sale’s ability not a business barrier erected to keep the hoi polloi at bay. As in all cases in Japan, the buyer is GOD. Note: they are not king as in the West but GOD, regardless of their background. When they are part of the super elite, then they are a bigger GOD. You don’t just start interrogating GOD, you get permission first. Now this would seem a relatively straightforward process, except that few sales people in Japan have any well defined process for the activity of sales.

The first thing we need to do in setting up the permission to ask questions is to design our Credibility Statement. It is not complex. Tell the buyer what it is you do, but do it in a succinct way. Do not ramble and do not go into super detail – just the broad brush of what your company does. For example for my company we would say, “we are global experts in training soft skills”. Four key words there – global, experts, soft skills. That is enough for the buyer to clearly understand what it is we do and to make an initial judgment of whether that is relevant or not to their business.

Next we give a relevant example of where we have provided our service or product for a similar buyer and had success for them. We know that buyers doubt seller’s claims as fluff, unless there is some evidence to back it up. It is not always possible to come up with a similar case. However we should try to get as close as we can, even if it is a different industry but a similar echelon of scale – for example, very boutique or gargantuan, start up or 19thgeneration, foreign or domestic.

“We recently did some work for an asset management company to improve their people’s pitch quality, they made it to the final round and won the billion dollar pitch”. Here we are proving evidence that what we do works, that we have the skills to make a difference securing the client’s desired outcomes.

Finally we make a suggestion, but not a bold claim. In America a bold claim, actually a super bold claim would be de rigeur but not in Japan. We need to be subtle so we say, “Maybe, we could do the same thing for you. I am not sure, but in order for me to find that out if that were possible would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”. It is showing respect for the buyer, saying that we are not presumptuous or arrogant enough to think we know what they need, without discussing it with them first.

We don’t say we are going to spend the next twenty minutes drilling down on your needs and finding out all the issues of your company, going deep and personal. We just say we want to ask “a few questions”. Every client will think a few questions is better than an interrogation. However, because our questions are very well designed, we will have them thinking more deeply about their own business. In this case, they will not have any hesitation to continue the session with us beyond a few questions. If our questions can trigger a thought bubble inside their head that says, “we hadn’t thought of that” or “we haven’t planned for that”, then you have struck gold right there. Ask stupid questions instead, suddenly the interview will be over and you will be out on the street.

Getting permission to ask questions is not hard, if you know what you are doing. Years in the job of selling doesn’t mean the salespeople actually are professional. They are just repeating the same mistakes their sempai or seniors taught them when they entered the company. So getting progress here in the sale’s field is glacial. Japan – you have run out of time, we need to do a lot better.

Engaged employees are self-motivated. The self-motivated are inspired. Inspired staff grow your business but are you inspiring them? We teach leaders and organisations how to inspire their people. Want to know how we do that? Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com

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About The Author

Dr. Greg Story: President, Dale Carnegie Training Japan

In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making and become a 30 year veteran of Japan.

A committed lifelong learner, through his published articles in the American, British and European Chamber journals, his videos and podcasts “THE Leadership Japan Series”, "THE Sales Japan series", THE Presentations Japan Series", he is a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. Dr. Story is a popular keynote speaker, executive coach and trainer.

Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.