The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show

Running a business in Japan is not for the faint hearted.  Plenty of big companies with deep pockets have failed here.  There are plenty who have succeeded though.  Let's pull back the velvet curtain and get real on leading a business here in Japan.   Running your own business is challenging anywhere, but Japan adds a bit of spice to the broth.  According to official statistics, seventy percent of...

Getting an objection from a buyer is a joy.  Getting nothing is a pain.  At least when they object, they are displaying some level of interest to know more.  Many salespeople fear objections, but when you know what you are doing, trust me, you welcome them.   This is what caught my attention lately: Legal action against Line is being considered. Line is a popular messaging app in Japan and I am a...

Presenting exposes a lot about us to our listeners.  In this modern age it is more and more important that we can be professionals when we present.  Knowledge is power in the presenting stakes, so the safest course is to develop the skill rather than bumbling along like a loser.   This is what caught my attention lately: Religious institutions have been suffering during the pandemic.  Japan has mo...

As a species, we like to dominate rather than be dominated, which is why we are trashing the planet so vigorously.  Given we like to be the boss, robots are not going to get very far whipping us up into a state of extreme engagement with the Vision and Mission statements.  We need the human touch and we still have got a long way to go just getting on with each other.   Here is what caught my atten...

The sale waits for no man.  Either you make that sale or your competitor does.  If it is a non-starter then start moving on to the next prospect.  Life is Latin for TIME.  That is all we have, so in sales we have to get moving and keep moving and moving.   Here is what caught my attention lately: Average land prices have fallen for first time in six years. Land in all categories, including residen...

Practice makes Perfect except when presenting.  Why?  Because as businesspeople, we just don't get enough speaking opportunities to become really excellent.  Repetition is key and with it frequency.  Today we look at the problem and what we can do about it.   The usual frequency for most people for giving formal presentations is once in a blue moon.  In other words, we don't do so many in a year. ...

Japan doesn't appreciate embarrassing truths.  The temptation to be right can be overwhelming to Western business people and is a fatal mistake in Japan.  This is a land founded on harmony and truth gets sacrificed on that alter every day.  Today we look at how to navigate our way through this mine field.   You have to tell people how it is or you will lose power and authority.  If you swallow wha...

Jan Carlzon wrote a fascinating book called Moments of Truth on how to maintain the trust in your brand, through the many changing touchpoints the company has with the consumer.  Today we look at what happens when we get it wrong and the damage is does to our brand.   You really appreciate the importance of brand, when you see it being trashed.  Companies spend millions over decades constructing t...

How much is enough data in a presentation?  How much is too much?  Generally speaking, most presenters have a problem with too much, rather than too little information.  Your slide deck is brimming over with goodness.  And you just can't bring yourself to trim it down. After all the effort you went to assembling that tour de force, you want to get it all out there in the public arena.  You have sp...

"Born to lead" is nonsense.  Many things shaped that person in order for them to achieve credibility with others.  Of course, we can become a "leader" as part of our company designated hierarchy.  We sit somewhere in an organizational chart above others, with various reporting lines elevating us above the hoi polloi.  We know many people with that august title of "leader", who we would never willi...

"I would be able to sell a lot more except for all the extraneous, external factors over which I have zero control".  Actually, you have never heard this line of argument before from a salesperson.  This is because this statement is an honest appraisal of what they see as the problem, but they don't express it that way.  This comes from not having sufficient self-awareness to realize this is what...

Suddenly you hear your name being called upon and you are being requested to make a few remarks.  Uh oh.  No preparation, no warning and no escape.  What do you do?  Extemporaneous speaking is one of the most difficult tasks for a presenter.  It could be during an internal meeting, a session with the big bosses in attendance or at a public venue.  One moment you are nice and comfy, sitting there i...

The hero's journey is for the very, very few.  I did it my way, I slaved away in a garret and got to the top, I realised the American dream – all good stuff, but an illusion for most.  The reality is there are more of us who need the cooperation of others, than those who can succeed despite others.  The age of the "one" has been taken over by the age of the "many".  Hero teams are more powerful th...

The object of a sale is to exchange a good or a service for money.  The degree to which that money can exceed the variable and fixed costs associated with delivering it, determines the success and longevity of the company.  We all know that nothing happens in business without a sale.  If that is the case then salespeople have a critical role to produce as much revenue as possible for the firm.  Th...

Questions in general are powerful tools for speakers.  They bring focus to key points we want to get across.  They are particularly useful in getting our audience engaged.  They also have danger within them.  Knowing when to use questions and what types of questions to use are things which must be worked out in the planning of the presentation and shouldn't be done on the fly.  If you want to get...

We love acronyms!  Our workplaces are thriving with them such that we can hold extended conversations composed entirely of seemingly impenetrable codes.  They are handy though and this one R.E.AL. is short and serviceable to describe best practice leadership attributes.  It always good to have evidence around pontification. This summary of the great and the good tendencies amongst leaders is based...

Proof, data, evidence, facts alone are not enough in selling.  The first thing a buyer buys is us.  We have to stand out amongst our competitor rabble.  We have to bring enormous energy and belief to what we sell to convince the buyer that they should buy from us. Today, we will delve into how we do that.   Often in business, we will hear a sales presentation and receive a lot of information from...

Pizazz is one of those unusual words, that sounds kind of cool, but is a bit vague.  In presenting terms, we are really looking at being more interesting and engaging and doing that in a sparky, non-anticipatory way.  Droning on when presenting is a pretty strong norm for many people.  They talk at us, not with us.  They are lifeless and low energy.  This may be fine for having a cup of tea with y...

Projects are too common.  Because of this we take them for granted, seeing them as part of everyday work, but we don't approach them properly.  We usually gather the team together and then dive straight into the details of the project, without really applying a professional approach.  We certainly don't apply as much planning expertise to the task as we should, as we wade straight into the mechani...

Tricky area in sales, showmanship.  The word has a certain odor about it that reeks of fake, duplicity, con game, spruker, carnival barker, etc.  Yet, like storytelling, this is an important part of the sales professional's repertoire.  Clients are card carrying members of the Great Guild Of Skeptics.  They are highly doubtful about salespeople's claims. We need to bring some powerful persuasion t...

Zen study is a way to strip out all of the non-essentials in life.  The noise, the distraction, the things that are not so important.  People sit around concentrating on their breath cycle or one word or any number of other methods to quiet the mind. They are seeking to get more clarity about themselves and what are their real priorities.  As presenters, this is a good metaphor for when we are in...

Projects have been around for a long time of course and in the modern era we have accumulated a vast amount of best practice on how to manage them.  It isn't usually that we don't know what to do, it is that we don't actually do it.  We get into trouble when we just leap in and dig straight into the logistical entrails,  without giving enough thought to a macro 360 degree view of what is involved....

Great service is so fleeting and  illusive. You encounter it and then like the morning mist, the next minute it is gone.  One company representative is so spectacularly helpful and then next one is seemingly possessed by evil spirits and demonic. As companies how do we get the angels inside our staff to engage with the clients, rather than having reputation destroying devils intrude.  Good service...

I have often thought there are so many lessons from the martial arts for our businesses.  Here are my musings after 50 years of training in traditional Shitoryu Karate.     Stepping on to the floor The dojo is the ultimate equalizer.  Whether you arrived by chauffeur driven Roller or took Shanks's mare, once you step on to that dojo floor only your ability and character separates you from everyone...

Sales is a tough enough job without having additional complications.  Clients can be very demanding, often we depend on logistics departments and production divisions, to get the purchase to the buyer.  We can't control the quality, but we have total responsibility, as far as the client is concerned. There is the constant pressure of producing revenue results, with bosses always pushing hard on th...