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
  • 374 Selling in Japan: Why Two Out of Six Is a Win
    Oct 26 2025
    Salespeople worldwide use frameworks to measure meeting success, but Japan's unique business culture challenges many Western methods. Let's explore the BANTER model—Budget, Authority, Need, Timing, Engagement, Request—and see how it fits into Japan's sales environment. 1. What is the BANTER model in sales? BANTER is a simple six-point scoring system for sales calls. Each letter stands for a key factor: Budget, Authority, Need, Timing, Engagement, and Request. A salesperson assigns one point for each element successfully confirmed. A perfect score means six out of six, showing a fully productive meeting. In Japan, however, acronyms like BANTER face cultural headwinds. Consensus decision-making, indirect communication, and reluctance to disclose financial details make scoring all six nearly impossible. Mini-summary: BANTER is a six-step framework to assess sales calls. In Japan, cultural barriers make a perfect score rare. 2. Why is budget so hard to confirm in Japan? Budget transparency is crucial in sales, yet in Japan, buyers rarely share numbers openly. Many fear that revealing too much will encourage vendors to push for higher spending. As a result, responses are often vague or evasive. This contrasts sharply with Western practices, where budget conversations are normal and allow salespeople to tailor proposals. In Japan, salespeople often end up working blind. Mini-summary: Japanese buyers protect budget details, leaving salespeople without clear financial guidance. 3. Who really has authority in Japanese companies? In many countries, the people at the table can make decisions. In Japan, it's different. Authority is diffused through ringi-seido, a process of circulating documents for approval. Stakeholders who never attend the meeting may hold veto power. This means even strong supporters in the meeting may lack final say. Authority is hidden, and salespeople must navigate carefully. Mini-summary: Decision-making in Japan is consensus-driven, so real authority is often invisible in the meeting. 4. Do Japanese buyers express their needs clearly? In consultative selling, uncovering client needs is the first priority. But in Japan, cultural norms make direct questioning difficult. Salespeople often feel compelled to begin with detailed presentations before asking what the client truly needs. This reversal wastes time and often leaves core needs unspoken. Identifying pain points is possible, but rarely straightforward. Mini-summary: Japanese sales meetings emphasise presenting solutions before probing needs, making "N" hard to score. 5. Why is timing both clear and paradoxical in Japan? Japanese buyers are usually precise about timing once a decision is made. Execution must be flawless and fast, sometimes immediate. However, decision-making can take weeks or months due to consensus processes. The result is a paradox: slow approvals but urgent delivery expectations. At least here, salespeople can usually secure clarity. Mini-summary: Timing in Japan is paradoxical—decisions are slow, but execution is expected immediately. 6. How do Japanese buyers show engagement? Engagement is often signalled through questions and objections. In fact, objections are a positive sign in Japan. Silence or polite agreement may actually indicate lack of interest. This is where salespeople can earn a point in BANTER. Detailed questions show buyers are seriously considering the solution. Mini-summary: Objections in Japan mean engagement. No objections usually mean no interest. 7. Why do Japanese meetings rarely end with clear requests? In other markets, meetings often end with a next step: proposal, trial, or follow-up meeting. In Japan, it is common to hear "we will think about it." Far from being a brush-off, this reflects the need for internal alignment. Still, the absence of a concrete request means this element is rarely scored. Mini-summary: Meetings end vaguely in Japan, as decisions move to backroom consensus. Conclusion: What's Japan's BANTER score? Adding it all up: Budget 0, Authority 0, Need 0, Timing 1, Engagement 1, Request 0. That's two out of six. It may sound discouraging, but that's the reality of selling in Japan. If you can succeed here, you can succeed anywhere. The difficulty makes the victories even more meaningful. Mini-summary: Japan scores two out of six on BANTER, proving why sales here is among the toughest in the world. About the Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including...
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    11 m
  • 373 From Scripted to Authentic- How Leaders Win on Stage
    Oct 19 2025

    In high-stakes business events, especially in Japan, executives are often forced to deliver presentations crafted by others. This creates a dangerous disconnect between speaker and message. Let's explore how leaders can reclaim authenticity and impact, even when the material is not their own.

    Why is speaking from a borrowed script so risky?
    Executives frequently inherit content from PR or marketing teams. These materials may be polished, but they are rarely authentic. Japan's perfection-driven corporate culture magnifies the stress, where even a small misstep can harm reputations. When leaders recite material they didn't create, they risk looking robotic, losing credibility, and failing to connect. Communication isn't about flawless delivery; it's about belief. If the audience senses the speaker doesn't "own" the words, the message falls flat.

    Mini-Summary: Borrowed scripts strip away authenticity. Leaders must make the material their own to connect with audiences.

    What happens when the script becomes a straightjacket?
    One executive rehearsed using a teleprompter positioned to one side of the stage. The result? Half the room was excluded. Worse, he struggled to squeeze himself into a text written by others. It felt stiff, unnatural, and ineffective. The breakthrough came when he abandoned the teleprompter, created his own talking points, and delivered them in his own voice. Suddenly, the same leader became engaging, credible, and powerful. In Japan's business environment, where leadership presence is scrutinised, this was transformative.

    Mini-Summary: Leaders who abandon rigid scripts and speak from their own knowledge project confidence and authority.

    Can imperfect English still be effective on the international stage?
    A senior executive from Japan's automotive sector had to speak overseas in English, though his skills were limited. The PR team wrote flawless notes, but memorising them was impossible. Instead, he distilled each slide into a single sentence, then into one kanji "trigger" word. He spoke freely to those words, sometimes in broken English. The audience didn't mind. They cared about his conviction. Just as mime and silent film thrived without words, authenticity can transcend grammar. Cross-cultural research shows audiences reward sincerity over perfect structure.

    Mini-Summary: Audiences value authenticity over perfect English. Heartfelt communication beats flawless but soulless delivery.

    How can slides undermine communication?
    Slides packed with pre-written notes tempt executives to bury their heads, reading aloud like narrators. If that's all a speech requires, a video could replace the speaker. Instead, slides should act as prompts, not scripts. By distilling meaning into a single guiding word, slides become springboards for authentic storytelling. Leaders then speak to the audience rather than at their slides, which is critical in global communication.

    Mini-Summary: Use slides as prompts, not crutches. A single keyword can unlock genuine, impactful delivery.

    What's the real risk of outsourcing your presence?
    When others dictate your words, you gamble with your personal brand. The stakes are high: reputation, authority, and influence all hinge on how you appear as a speaker. If you fail to own the material, you risk being forgettable, or worse, irrelevant. The solution is simple: either involve an expert coach or adapt the material yourself until it sounds like you. In Japan's corporate context, where trust and reputation define long-term success, outsourcing your voice can undermine years of effort.

    Mini-Summary: Outsourcing presentation content risks your credibility. Leaders must personalise material to safeguard their brand.

    What is the ultimate lesson for leaders?
    In Japan, events are choreographed to perfection. But communication isn't choreography; it's human connection. Perfect grammar or stagecraft matters far less than belief. When leaders own their material — even if imperfect — they give the audience authenticity. That authenticity is what cuts through the noise of videos, slides, and panic-driven rehearsals. In the end, leaders must choose: become a mouthpiece for someone else, or speak like the leader the audience came to hear.

    Mini-Summary: True leadership communication is authentic, not flawless. Own your material and the message will resonate.

    Conclusion
    The danger of delivering material created by others is universal, but in Japan's high-pressure, error-averse environment, the risks are magnified. Leaders who reclaim ownership — by simplifying slides, abandoning rigid scripts, and speaking authentically — gain far more than fluency. They gain the trust of their audience. And that, ultimately, is the point of every speech.

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    10 m
  • 372 From Ritz-Carlton to Pasona: What Leaders Can Learn About Mood Making
    Oct 12 2025

    What does it mean for a leader to be the "mood maker"?
    A mood maker is someone who sets the emotional tone of the team. When leaders stay isolated in plush executive offices, they risk losing contact with their people. Research and experience show that a leader's visibility directly affects engagement, loyalty, and performance. Leaders who project energy and conviction, day after day, create the emotional climate that shapes culture.
    Mini-summary: Leaders set the emotional temperature—visibility and energy are non-negotiable.

    Why does visibility matter so much?
    Japanese business leader Yasuyuki Nambu of Pasona insisted his executives work in open-plan spaces. Employees saw him move through the office daily, reinforcing approachability and connection. Management thinker Tom Peters called this MBWA—Management by Wandering Around. Leaders who are visible influence more effectively than those hidden behind doors.
    Mini-summary: Visibility breaks down barriers and makes leadership influence real.

    How do rituals reinforce leadership mood?
    The Ritz-Carlton perfected daily rituals to unite staff worldwide. Every shift, in every location, employees review the same service principles. Even CEOs attend and sometimes junior staff lead. This proves that culture is driven by daily repetition, not occasional slogans. Leaders who commit to rituals demonstrate that mood-making is everyone's responsibility.
    Mini-summary: Daily rituals anchor culture and sustain a leader's influence.

    What can Japanese leaders learn from this?
    In Japan, the chorei morning huddle serves the same purpose. At Shinsei Retail Bank, leaders ran daily principle reviews at every branch. At Dale Carnegie Training Japan, the "Daily Dale" ritual uses 30 human relations and 30 stress management principles. These routines turn abstract values into lived behaviours, shaping mood across teams.
    Mini-summary: Daily huddles transform values into lived culture.

    Isn't it exhausting for leaders to always project positivity?
    Yes—but that's the job. Leadership isn't about how you feel in the moment; it's about what the team needs. Even on bad days, leaders must rise above personal moods and radiate passion, commitment, and belief in the "why." Energy is contagious. Without it, teams drift into disengagement.
    Mini-summary: Leaders must project energy even when they don't feel it.

    What is the ultimate impact of leaders as mood makers?
    When leaders step forward and embody visibility, energy, and conviction, they inspire trust and engagement. They don't just manage—they infect their teams with purpose. In contrast, leaders who retreat into offices create distance and apathy. The leader's mood becomes the team's culture.
    Mini-summary: Leadership mood directly becomes organisational culture.

    Great leaders are always mood makers. By staying visible, leading rituals, and projecting energy, they set the culture in motion and inspire teams to perform at their best.

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    11 m
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