The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show Podcast Por Dr. Greg Story arte de portada

The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show

The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show

De: Dr. Greg Story
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For succeeding in business in Japan you need to know how to lead, sell and persuade. This is what we cover in the show. No matter what the issue you will get hints, information, experience and insights into securing the necessary solutions required. Everything in the show is based on real world perspectives, with a strong emphasis on offering practical steps you can take to succeed.copyright 2022 Economía Gestión Gestión y Liderazgo
Episodios
  • 386 Pitchpeople vs Salespeople: Why Pitching Doesn't Work

    386 Pitchpeople vs Salespeople: Why Pitching Doesn't Work
    Feb 23 2026
    Why are annual sales targets "irrelevant" once they are set? Annual sales targets often feel like the main event, but this script argues they are already decided: "The targets for the year are already set or will be set shortly". Because the number is locked in, therefore obsessing over it does not change your daily behaviour, your sales conversations, or your results. What matters is what you will do to improve yourself this year so hitting those targets becomes "more certain and easier to do". The practical warning is about momentum without reflection. We "roll one year into the next" and keep operating without "interventions to recalibrate what we are doing and why we are doing it". Because habits drive behaviour, therefore bad habits become "the enemy of progress". The next step is to identify the habits that reduce results and ditch them on purpose. Mini-summary: Targets do not create results. Habits and interventions create results. How does a "victim mentality" form in sales, and why does it hold people back? The script frames a common pathway into sales: "Sales is the refuge of failures from other jobs." People lose a job, companies always need salespeople, and they "find themselves in a sales job". Because they "get no training", therefore "the job is horrible", and confidence takes a hit. That is where mindset collapses into identity. The text describes "chains of low esteem and low self confidence", and says it becomes hard to break free. This matters because sales is a communication profession. If you approach buyers with low self-belief, therefore you will avoid control, accept poor meeting structures, and fall back on pitching instead of diagnosing needs. The intervention is simple and direct: "Decide you will become a professional." Mini-summary: No training creates pain, pain creates low confidence, and low confidence keeps you unskilled. Decide to be professional to interrupt the cycle. What does "study sales and communication" actually mean in practice? The script is specific: if you cannot read, "listen to audio or watch videos". Because there is "so much free content marketing pieces available out there today", therefore access is not the barrier. The barrier is the decision to take learning seriously and make it routine. It then pushes beyond free learning to paid training: "Get yourself on a sales training course and even if you have to borrow money to go on that course, do it". The reason is outcome-based: "the investment will repay you a hundred fold and more". The text even offers a named option: "Naturally I recommend a Dale Carnegie sales course for you, but at least get training." Because training upgrades skill and confidence, therefore the "difference is night and day" and so is the "money flow" that comes back as a result. Mini-summary: Use any learning format you can sustain, then commit to structured training because skills change outcomes fast. What is "kokorogame" and why does "true intention" change sales results? "Kokorogame" is translated as "true intention" and is treated as pre-performance preparation. The script uses Japanese cultural examples: in martial arts "we meditate", in flower arranging "the master strips the flower stems", and in shodo "the calligraphy expert rubs the ink stone". Because these rituals set the mind for the task, therefore they improve the quality of what follows. Sales is framed the same way. Before you sell, the fundamental question is: "Why are we selling? Is it to make ourselves money or make the client money?" Because your intention shapes your behaviour, therefore the answer triggers "a chain reaction of further decisions and actions". That chain defines whether you are "professionals or transients in the world of selling". If your intention is client-centred, therefore your questions, pacing, and recommendations become more useful and more credible. Mini-summary: "Kokorogame" is mental set-up. Intention drives decisions, and decisions drive behaviour in sales conversations. Why is buyer-controlled selling "ridiculous" in Japan, and what should replace it? The script makes a strong claim: "In Japan, in 99% of cases, the buyer controls the sales conversation and this is just ridiculous." The reason is role clarity. "The salesperson's job is to help the buyer make the best decision to advance their business." Because buyers are busy and have blind spots, therefore leaving them to "self-service" produces weak decisions and weak outcomes. The corrective is also direct: "Decide to control the sale conversation." That does not mean dominating the buyer. It means structuring the conversation so the buyer reaches a better decision faster. If the salesperson does not lead, the script says it "only happens when the salesperson is inadequate and untrained". Training and professionalism therefore show up as meeting control: the ability to guide, clarify, and then present the right solution. Mini-summary: Buyer control leads to self-service...
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    10 m
  • 385 Big Venue, Big Results: Practical Techniques for Large Crowds

    385 Big Venue, Big Results: Practical Techniques for Large Crowds
    Feb 8 2026
    Presenting to a very large audience demands a different approach because distance changes what people can see, hear, and feel. The core problem is not your content — it is visibility and connection at scale. When the venue grows, you shrink. The solution is to deliberately "big up" your delivery so the people seated at the far extremes still experience your presence and message. What changes when you move from a normal room to a large venue? Large venues create the tyranny of distance. Because the back rows sit so far away, the speaker looks "quite small" from those seats, which means subtle gestures and normal stage behaviour lose impact. Therefore you must scale up what you do on stage so you do not look like "a peanut" to people at the far extremes. When you accept that the room makes you smaller, you stop relying on nuance and start designing for the cheap seats at the back. Mini-summary: Because distance reduces your visibility, you must deliberately enlarge your delivery so your message still lands. How do you diagnose what the back row experiences? Arrive early and sit in the most far flung locations: the last row at the back or the rear seats on an elevated tier. Because you see the stage from the hardest viewpoint, you learn how small a speaker looks from there and you adjust accordingly. This is a practical, reality-based check: instead of guessing, you confirm what the audience will actually see. Then you can design your presence for the far extremes, not only for those close to the stage. Mini-summary: Because you cannot improve what you have not observed, sit in the back and design for what you see. How do you avoid stage-edge mistakes in big venues? Big venues often have a defined space between the front row and the stage, sometimes with an orchestra pit. Because you will stand very close to the apron to be more easily seen, you must know where "far enough forward" is before you begin. The risk increases once you start scanning for faces high up on the back tiers, because your eyes go up and you stop looking down where you are walking. Curved stages make it easier to forget the edge is not straight. Therefore, check the front of the stage beforehand so you can move with confidence and stay safe. Mini-summary: Because large stages include hidden hazards, you must inspect the front edge early and set your safe boundary. What microphone choice and gesture size works best at scale? Use a pin microphone so your hands stay free for gestures. Because you are effectively "a peanut" to the people in the cheap seats at the back, your gestures must become much larger than anything you have used before. Therefore, use double-handed gestures to fill up more of the stage with your presence. When you use open palms to signal trust, spread your hands far wider than the boundaries of your body. When you indicate something "high", raise your hand as high above your head as possible so it has impact. Mini-summary: Because the audience sits far away, you need free hands and much larger gestures for visibility. How do you use audience participation to create energy in a massive room? Ask the audience to raise their hands for a common experience, but do not overdo it. Because many people do the same thing at the same time, crowd dynamics and crowd psychology kick in: the room becomes "infected" with energy and agreement. This shared movement also feeds back into you on stage, giving you a serious energy lift. When a big audience leans in, the connection feels electric, so use that surge to reinforce your message and build momentum. Mini-summary: Because synchronised audience action amplifies energy, a simple show of hands can lift the entire room. How do you project ki, voice, and eye contact to the back wall? Marshal your ki or chi for the task and mentally push your energy to the very back wall of the hall. Because you are miked up, you do not need to yell; yelling will distort the sound. Instead, direct your voice strength to the last rows without forcing volume. Then use your eyes to reach the whole space. Break the audience into a baseball diamond: left, centre, right field, plus inner and outer field. Work those six sectors by picking out individuals and looking straight at their faces. Even if they are blurry outlines to you, people around them will feel seen because they believe you are looking at them. Mini-summary: Because a large hall demands deliberate reach, project energy and voice to the back while distributing eye contact by sectors. How should you move on a big stage without distracting people? Avoid nervous wandering, where a speaker goes up and down continuously and distracts from the key message. Because constant movement draws attention to itself, it pulls focus away from what you are saying. Instead, use controlled movement with purpose. Walk slowly to the extreme left edge, stop, settle, and speak to that side. Return to centre, stop, settle, and speak. Then move to the right and ...
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    12 m
  • 384 Japan's Ageing Workforce: Why "Recruit and Retain" Must Include Seniors

    384 Japan's Ageing Workforce: Why "Recruit and Retain" Must Include Seniors
    Feb 1 2026
    What problem is Japan actually facing with its ageing population? Japan is ageing rapidly, and most of the attention goes to welfare, health, and pension systems. The less-discussed problem is what to do with the "young" oldies—people reaching 60, the retirement age, while still having decades of life ahead of them. Because many are healthy, active, relatively digital, and well-connected, therefore they do not fit the old model of "retire and disappear". They also believe the government pension system will break down under the weight of their cohort's numbers, therefore they do not feel confident about having enough money to last their lifespan. The result is straightforward: they want to keep working, and many can. Mini-summary: Japan's challenge is not only an ageing society, but an ageing workforce that still wants, and needs, to work. Why is "recruit and retain" becoming harder for Japanese companies? Japan's working population aged 15–64 is projected to decline from 73.7 million in 2024 to 44.2 million by 2060, a 40% drop. Because there are not enough younger workers to match corporate demand, therefore the usual hiring playbook fails. At the same time, because the population itself is getting older, therefore the share of experienced people who could keep working increases. This creates a talent paradox: companies are short of people, but they are also pushing capable workers toward retirement. If companies keep treating 60 as an exit point, they will intensify their own labour shortage. Mini-summary: A shrinking 15–64 population means the talent pipeline tightens, and the "retire at 60" habit becomes a business risk. Why is immigration not the main solution being pursued? The script is clear that bringing in foreigners is not considered an option to make up the difference. The Takaishi Cabinet has stated it will never adopt an open immigration policy to solve the labour shortage and will set "strict boundaries". Because immigration is now a big and contentious political topic, therefore the trade-offs feel even sharper. Japan values social harmony highly, and the idea of tolerating large numbers of foreigners with different languages, ethics, morals, social values, and ideas is described as unattractive. Whatever the merits of immigration, the practical point for company leaders is this: they cannot build their workforce plans around it. Mini-summary: If immigration is politically constrained, then the labour shortage must be solved with domestic talent and productivity. What role does the trainee system play, and why is it limited? At lower skill levels, the so-called trainee system has functioned as disguised immigration, bringing in cheap workers from Asia for factory-level work. Because trainees can be repatriated easily, therefore the system has flexibility. However, the system is also attacked for exploitation, and the Labour Standards Inspection Office in 2016 found 70.6% of workplaces hiring foreign trainees were violating labour laws. The government tweaked the system to reduce some of the worst aspects, but trainees remain a temporary approach. They must go home after three years or obtain a work visa. So even where foreign labour exists, it is not a stable, long-term pipeline. Mini-summary: The trainee system can provide short-term labour, but it is temporary and controversial, so it cannot anchor long-term workforce strategy. How are companies handling people who would normally retire at 60? The script points to a common corporate approach: salary drops to half once a person gets to 60, even if they keep working. Because this is a fixed-cost adjustment strategy, therefore it may feel convenient for companies in the short term. But as the bite of not having enough skilled staff becomes more powerful, that thinking must change. If companies need capability, networks, and experience, then a blunt pay-cut model can weaken motivation and reduce the chance that seniors stay engaged and productive. Mini-summary: A standard pay cut at 60 may control costs, but it can undermine retention and productivity when skilled labour is scarce. How is technology being used to avoid the immigration option? Japan is planning to get around the immigration option with technology: Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, robotics, online services, and automation. Retail banking is given as a conservative example. Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Bank saw branch visitors drop by 40% from 2007 to 2017, and 10,000 positions were eliminated over a ten-year period. Because customers moved to mobile devices and PCs, therefore service consumption moved online. This shift changes workforce needs: fewer roles tied to physical branches, and more roles that fit a digital service model. Technology is not only replacing tasks; it is reshaping the job mix. Mini-summary: Technology reduces reliance on physical labour by moving service delivery online and automating tasks, especially in conservative sectors like banking. What is the ...
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    12 m
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