Unlike in the U.S. where sales funnels push for immediate demos, the SaaS sales process in Japan is slower and more deliberate. Japanese buyers prefer to first download and thoroughly review product documentation to conduct internal research. Only after building this foundational understanding do they engage directly with a vendor for a demo or trial.
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The modern B2B buyer journey is overwhelmingly self-directed. Research shows 71% of buyers form a strong preference for a "winning provider" through their own digital research and content consumption before they formally engage with sales or even create a shortlist of vendors.
A common sales mistake is showcasing a product's full capabilities. This "push" approach often overwhelms and confuses buyers. In a "pull" model, the demo should be surgically focused, showing only the clicks required to solve the specific, pre-identified problem on the buyer's "to-do list."
Traditional sales separates discovery from the demo. A better approach is to start the demo immediately and ask discovery questions in context. Asking "How do you track applicants today?" while showing your applicant tracking dashboard grounds the conversation in reality and makes your product's value more tangible.
With buyers completing nearly 80% of their research using tools like Generative AI before vendor contact, the linear funnel is dead. Traditional metrics like MQLs and SQLs are meaningless. Go-to-market strategies must be rewritten to influence buyers during their independent, non-linear discovery phase.
A critical mistake for Western companies in Japan is pursuing a transaction before a relationship. The Japanese business culture requires building deep trust and rapport as a prerequisite for any deal. The long courtship is a litmus test for commitment, not just a formality.
The traditional sales discovery question "How do they buy?" focused on the procurement process and economic buyers. In a Product-Led Growth (PLG) motion, the crucial question is about the *usage journey*. Sales must analyze user behavior signals within the product—like downloads or manual views—to understand when and how to engage effectively.
Contrary to traditional sales processes, the demo is the ideal moment for discovery. Prospects' defenses are down when viewing the product, making them more open. Prepare specific 'bridge questions' to ask before showing each feature to fill informational gaps.
Founders mistakenly believe a demo should showcase every feature to prove the product works. The real goal is to make the buyer feel understood. Show the minimum necessary to make it 'click' for them that your solution fits the specific demand they just described.
After discovering that 78% of their best customers consumed at least two pieces of long-form content before buying, the company mandated this step in their sales process. This pre-qualification ensures new leads behave like past high-value customers, systemically increasing conversion rates for ideal clients.
Customers will abandon a sales process at the slightest complication or request for too much information. This intolerance for friction means salespeople must execute a more deliberate, upfront discovery process to qualify or disqualify prospects much faster, rather than trying to prolong the conversation with low-potential leads.
