372 In Sales, How To Be Liked By Different Types Of Buyers In Japan
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Release Date: 02/06/2024
Bait Your Hook In Sales
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Salespeople lose deals when they drown buyers in features and forget to make the benefits feel urgent, relevant, and irresistible. That mistake shows up everywhere in modern selling. Across Japan, Australia, the US, and wider Asia-Pacific markets, too many sales conversations still revolve around product detail, technical depth, and execution mechanics. Buyers do need to know how a solution works, but that is rarely why they decide to buy. They buy because they can see how the solution closes an important gap, reduces risk, creates speed, or improves results. Great salespeople do not just...
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A Different Value Based Selling
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
“Value-based selling” gets talked about as if it is some shiny new commercial breakthrough. Usually, it is not. In many cases, it is simply good sales practice with a fresh coat of paint. The more interesting question is not whether a salesperson can describe value. It is whether they actually live values the buyer can trust. That distinction matters in every market, from Japan to Australia, the US, Europe, and across Asia-Pacific. Buyers are already wary of polished pitches, smooth talkers, and rehearsed claims. They do not just want a supplier who can match a need to a solution. They...
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Package Up The Value In The Sales
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Price-only conversations are usually a trap. When buyers push you to “just send the price”, they are often turning your offer into a commodity before you have had any chance to establish value. That is where many salespeople lose control of the sale. In Japan, Australia, the US, and across B2B markets globally, procurement teams, compliance departments, and line managers often compare vendors in spreadsheets built to highlight the cheapest option. If you enter that process too early, you get dragged into a race to the bottom. The stronger move is to shift the discussion from price to...
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The Big Sales Audio Landgrab
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
If you are in sales today and you are not actively building your visibility through audio, video, and social media, you are making it harder for buyers to find you. That is the real sales landgrab now. The old model said success depended on how many people you knew. The modern model says success depends on how many relevant people know you, recognise you, and trust your expertise before they ever speak to you. In Japan, the US, Australia, and across Asia-Pacific, sales professionals are competing in crowded digital markets where organic discovery, personal branding, content marketing, and...
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Handling Post Purchase Mistakes
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Even the best laid plans go astray. The deal is done, the money is paid, and then something goes wrong in delivery—minor or catastrophic. The buyer doesn’t care which department caused it. They expect you to fix it and take accountability, because in their eyes you are the firm. In Japan, this is amplified because you are the tanto—the designated person responsible for the account—so “I’m busy” is not an acceptable answer. They expect you to be available, and if mistakes happen, they expect you to move fast and make it right. If delivery goes wrong after...
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Closing
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
“Closing” can sound like you’re ending something, when the reality is you’re starting the partner relationship with the buyer. In modern selling—especially in Japan—many people prefer to call it getting “commitment.” I’m fine with either term. What matters is that closing doesn’t have to be scary, complicated, or aggressive. In fact, the less drama you create, the easier it becomes for the client to say yes. There’s also a major cultural difference here: a lot of American closing techniques are forceful and direct, and that style generally won’t work in Japan. So...
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Painting a Word Picture of Why They Should Buy Now
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Most salespeople think the sale is won or lost in the solution. It isn’t. By the time you get to “Would you like to go ahead?”, the buyer is still deciding emotionally whether saying yes now feels safe, smart, and personally rewarding. That’s where a word picture becomes your unfair advantage: you help them see the future after they’ve chosen you—and feel what that future means for them. Is a logical solution enough to get a buyer to say “yes” today? No—logic explains, but emotion decides when the buyer will act. You can have rapport,...
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Four Powerful Japanese Mindsets For Sales
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Sales can feel like a battle, but most of the fighting isn’t with the buyer—it’s inside your own head: imposter syndrome, negative self-talk, quota pressure, price pushback, and the grind of rejection. Drawing on traditional karate training (and the kind of repetition that creates real calm under pressure), four Japanese “warrior” mindsets map beautifully onto modern selling—especially in a post-pandemic, AI-saturated, time-poor buying environment. Is sales really a battle happening inside your head? Yes—sales is often a psychological war of confidence versus...
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The Salesperson’s Time, Treasure and Talent
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Sales is a rollercoaster: one month you’re flying, the next you hit a wall because a client changes their mind, a supply chain hiccup wipes out the order, or someone inside your own organisation drops the ball. What we can control, completely, is our time, our talent, and our treasure—and that’s where the real leverage sits. In a post-pandemic market (and especially as of 2025), buyers are time-poor, inboxes are brutal, and competitors are one click away. So the question is simple: are we making the most of the three things that are actually ours? Why is a...
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Become A Master Of Handling Objections
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo Japan
Objections are not the enemy — they’re signals. In complex B2B and high-ticket selling, an objection often means the buyer is still engaged, still evaluating, and still leaving the door open. The difference between “this is going nowhere” and “we can win this” is whether you follow a disciplined process instead of reacting emotionally. Below is a practical, repeatable objection-handling framework you can run in real time — in Australia, Japan, the US, Europe, in-person or on Zoom — without sounding scripted. Why are objections actually a good sign in sales conversations?...
info_outlineOur circle of friends will usually be people with whom we share a lot of commonalities. Our viewpoints merge, our interests are similar, we like the same types of things. We get on easily. Life however throws us many curved balls, as meet new people who are not like us. Often we struggle when dealing with them. There are nine tried and true human relations principles we can use to improve our ability to get on with everyone, rather than just a select few who are more like us. I am going to analyse some different types of people we are likely to run into and align the principles with each type. This will create a handy guide on how to do better with people – all sorts of different people.
Some of these principles in the wrong hands can stray into manipulation, but that is not the goal here. We want to be able to form a good relationship with people who are different to us, so that means we have to make some changes to how we communicate with different types of individuals. You can have one mode of communication and be great with people like you, but you lose all of the others and we don’t want that.
The easiest type for me to deal with is the “time is money” type because that is how I am wired. This type is busy, businesslike, interested in outcomes, results, revenues, tolerates no excuses and is driven hard by their own standards and self-expectations. Don’t ever whine to them about anything, because they don’t care and they hate negativity. Don’t bother giving them appreciation because they sense flattery and doubt it. They don’t care what you think. They are driven by their running theirown race and your opinion is irrelevant.
They are perpetually interested in doing better, so we can arouse in them an interest in doing new things which will get them to their goals. You can try and become genuinely interested in them, but actually, they don’t care because they are totally self-contained.
Smiling is good, but they don’t tend to do a lot themselves because they are serious people, focused on winning. Using their name is good because they like to hear that magical sound, but don’t overdo it or they will think you are conning them.
Be prepared to listen to them pontificate and tell you what they think. Don’t interrupt them, cut them off or finish their sentences – they hate that when they are talking. Your role is to sit there quietly and listen. They have a lot to say so get them talking, especially about themselves.
Talk about the things they are interested in and despite how busy they are they will make time for you. You are warned beforehand that you only have fifteen minutes, because they are so busy. In fact, you spend ninety minutes talking with them because you found a topic which excites them. You don’t have to say anything to make them feel important – they already know they are and don’t care what you think.
The opposite type is the most difficult for me to deal with and these are the quiet, thoughtful, reserved people who border on timidity. They like to have a cup of tea to get to know you before they can open up to you. My energy overwhelms them, so I have to really tone it down when dealing with them.
They like people so don’t criticise others to them because they want to see the best in everyone. They do enjoy honest appreciation, so share that with them. They are interested in people, so if you have something in mind which benefits others, they will become interested in learning more. Smiling is good because they like to smile too. Using their name is good but again don’t overdo it.
Be a good listener and get them talking about themselves. They enjoy sharing their experiences and insights. Let them to do most of the talking because they feel comfortable when they are in control. Talk about the things they are interested in and they will grow close to you, because they feel the simpatico.
Make them feel important but do it sincerely, honestly. Everyone is an expert with flattery so don’t go there. Find things you admire about them and express your feelings to them openly, genuinely.
Another personality type I struggle with is the person who likes data, proof, evidence, testimonials and numbers to three decimal places. Don’t bother criticising anyone to them because unless you bring overwhelming evidence, they don’t believe it and basically they don’t care anyway.
Don’t bother giving them sincere appreciation, because words don’t count with them. You need to stump up the evidence before they are going to take any notice. You can get them interested in topics as long as you are supplying the proof and data. They will want a lot of it, because they have an insatiable appetite for information. They are not interested in you becoming interested in them. That is a diversion away from the numbers and they are not excited by what you may think about them.
Smiling is not a bad thing, but they don’t do much of it themselves, because they are serious people. Using their name isn’t important to them, so don’t bother. You will have a lot of difficulty getting them talking about themselves, because that has nothing to do with the business at hand. It feels invasive for them.
The topics you should address should only be those of interest to them. Find out what they are interested in or concerned about and go deep there. Don’t bother trying to make them feel important – your opinion is worthless.
The opposite type is the big picture, don’t drag me into the weeds, very outgoing person who enjoys people and parties. Don’t criticise anyone to them because they are doers and love positivity. They enjoy sincere, honest appreciation because they have a high self-image.
If you find out what they want and what they are interested in, they will enjoy talking about those items until the cows come home. They want people to be interested in them so they are happy to share a lot about themselves to everyone.
Smiling is easy for them and they like it when you do the same. They love the sound of their own name but again don’t overdo it. Be a good listener because they have a lot to say and will willing share a lot of information with you about them. Find the topics they are interested in and talk about those and they will be very happy. Make them feel important in an honest, sincere way that doesn’t smack of flattery or sycophancy.
As I mentioned, some of these principles in the hands of evil people can be used for manipulation. Our goals is to get on well with all types of people. With that goal in mind, we switch our communication style from what we like to what they like. We stay the same personality style but we speak different languages, depending on who we are speaking with.
Of course you can say, “I am me. Take it or leave it”. That is fine and you will get on with all of the people who are similar to you. If you want to get on with people unlike you, then try these principles with the various types you meet and see the results.