Asie

Des conseils pour réussir au Japon

Tips for doing business in Japan

Whilst many countries may view Japan as a difficult market to penetrate, it is in fact, most accessible, given the correct product/service matrix. Although the recent Global Financial Crisis
resulted in a 35% contraction of Japanese imports over the 2008-2009 period, demand is now on the rise. If your company boasts an innovative range of products/services and is passionate enough to pursue business in the Japanese market, we would like to share a few basic tips:

Preparation before making contact:

Prior to contacting Japanese companies, be ready. You need to provide Japanese companies with your company profile, website address, product information, catalogues etc. In Japan, the business language with foreign companies is English. Few people speak or understand French.. As a first step, all your documents should be prepared in English. If your company would really like to make an impression, have your documents prepared in both Japanese and English. Without taking such basic steps, it will be difficult to convey an acceptable level of professionalism. Be ready to answer various questions from Japanese companies. Even before you start contacting Japanese companies, make arrangements to have samples ready for dispatch to ensure you can act quickly when there is a request. Japanese companies will generally require a good deal of information from your company before agreeing to a meeting.

Preparation for company visit :

Business cards are very important in Japanese business. Be clear in and concise in the language you use on your cards and ensure you have plenty of extra cards at the ready. Prior to meeting with Japanese company officials, have an idea of the level of management you need to be networking with to deliver the most effective pitch.

Visit companies:

After you study the Japanese market and judge that your products/services would be highly sought after, make arrangements to visit potential clients in Japan. Please do not expect to meet with key managers at the first meeting - especially in many of the larger companies. Ensure that you are on time for your appointments. Japanese business people will almost always arrive at least 5 minutes in advance of any meeting. This is considered polite in Japan.
Public transportation in Tokyo is very complicated and there are many ways to arrive at a given destination. Train/subway stations are very big and maybe confusing for the uninitiated. Taxis on the other hand, whilst simpler in many ways, are subject to the frequent traffic jams which plague all large cities. You need to be aware of these issues when arranging transport for meetings.
Finally, personal contact is very important when doing business in Japan. It is important that you know exactly who you are dealing with. Learn as much as possible about potential clients before meeting with them. Think about what kind of synergies might be created through a partnership with your own company.

Follow-up :

Japanese business people often say “We will make an examination in this matter....” This means that they would like to have more internal company discussions on the subject. Please be patient. It is likely that any decision will not be made in haste, and will be the product of many meetings with your company. As such, regular visits are an indispensable part of the decision making process..
If you receive a question from a Japanese company that you cannot answer right away, simply inform them that you have received their request, and will respond shortly. Japanese companies get very nervous when they do not receive any response to proposed questions. Such a lack of response (or delayed response) creates a negative impression, and will most certainly not work in your favour.
In summary, the key to business success in Japan centers on creating strong personal relations with your potential clients.