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

Every role in a company has its own priorities, perspectives and functions. When we are selling to individuals inside the company we need to make sure we really understand who we are talking to. When we are out networking at events, we meet a broad sway of people from different industries, companies and functions within the companies. Fortunately with the business card system here in Japan, we can quickly tell what section and role the person we have just met is playing. I find that it is always a good practice to check the kanji on the Japanese language side of the business card. Sometimes the English translation is a bit misleading. Knowing the role helps us to gear our sales talk toward focusing on the key interests they have.

Presuming we have been able to flag their interest in whatever we are doing, we are able to get an appointment to meet with them. This is where we really have to be on the ball and fully understanding where they are coming from.

If they are the CEO, then usually they are focused on the strategy for the enterprise. How to get the whole thing to move from A to B. They have a number of drivers influencing them. They are tuned into the overall direction of the enterprise. They know what are the current key themes being stressed inside the company. They are very aware of the quality of the people working for them. Equally they are also very aware of the gaps and inadequacies. They have a need to leave a legacy for themselves. To create a “dint in the universe” as Steve Jobs said. They want to use this opportunity to take themselves to the next level. They want to make sure their vision is realised and that everyone is getting behind the effort to make it happen.

So with the CEO we had better have already read the company’s annual reports to know what the company is planning. If they are not a listed company, we need to see if there is any media reporting on their plans. We don’t want to waste a CEO’s valuable time with dumb questions like, “what does your company do?”.

We need to be asking questions which show we have done our homework and that we are here to help the CEO make their goals a reality. Does the CEO want to partner with a company when the rep hasn’t bothered to do any research prior to the meeting and obviously takes the company so lightly. Is this the type of person a CEO is going to want to entrust part of the realisation of the vision to? No, never!

The CFO on the other hand is interested in the impact of the payment on this month's cash flow. The CFO’s job is to keep the business safe, efficient and effective. They want to make sure the investments are paying off to warrant the expenses. They will want to know what are the payment terms and timing? Can this item be moved into the balance sheet as an asset? How can we push the price down further? They like numbers to three decimal places, love data, proof, testimonials, evidence, etc. If the money spent can bring in more money through business expansion or through cost reduction, then they are all ears. We had better be talking in terms of the returns the buyer will get though partnering with us.

The technical buyer is concerned that the specifications will be met. They want to know the standards, the detail, the measurements etc. They are well trained in their field and need to justify the spend against the return. That is usually measured in greater efficiencies and cost savings. The existing system may not be fully maximized and if there is a way to squeeze more out of the existing system, then they want to hear about it. If there is a new and better system, then they prefer to hear about that. They love new things, complicated things, expensive things. They need to be well armed by us to fire the arrows internally to get the CFO and the CEO to go along with investing more in the business.

The User buyer is worried about ease of use, functionality, who to call if things go wrong. This buyer is rarely the final decision maker, but they can have a big influence on upper management. They need arrows to fire to convince others in the company they need this so that they can be more effective. We need to be trying to set some measurements or milestones which will show the investment is worth it. This is where evidence from other similar users is so powerful. The money people inside the company want proof and that usually involves numbers. Come armed with the data and proof, to help them get internal support for the purchase.

When we understand that the buyer's role has a strong bearing on their areas of interest we can better hone our questioning skills and our ability to present our solution in the best possible light.