Japanese travelers come to Hawaii, and other U.S. Resort areas in huge numbers, spend 5 times what other travelers spend, and do it in less than half the time. Resort retail salespeople owe it to themselves and their stores to learn how to sell to the Japanese.

The first step is an understanding of some basic facts that attribute greatly to the huge amounts spent by our Japanese visitors.

The next step will be how to align yourself to successfully sell to the Japanese. Some companies exist on Japanese sales, some others can’t seem to crack the market even though they may sell very similar products at fair prices. None of this is coincidental.

1. The Japanese government encourages worldwide travel to its citizens, Hawaii and other U.S. Resorts are seeing increasing numbers of Japanese visitors.

2. Today’s visitors are more affluent than in the past. They are proud of their success and ability to travel the world. They express this pride in what they wear, where they go, and what they buy.

3. Honeymoon season is March through June, even though most were married in Japan before December.

4. Japanese workers receive a substantial bonus 2 times each year. It is always in July and December.

5. On December 27, most Japanese businesses close down and their workers travel around the world comfortably with their semi-annual bonus in hand.

6. There are 2 Basic Travelers:

a. ORGANIZED TOUR–In this case the tour guide is very influential in determining where to shop and what to buy.

b. FREE INDEPENDENT TRAVELERS — They have usually been here before and are heavily influenced by advertising and other marketing programs.

7. Most vacations are limited to 3 or 4 days, and a huge portion of them are spent shopping.

8. The OMIYAGE custom. When Japanese people travel, their friends give them money. This money, SENBETSU, is not to spend on a good time, but to bring back a gift, OMIYAGE, to the giver. The Japanese traveler must keep accurate track of the amounts given, and must spend “at least” the amount given.

These 8 factors can amount to huge sales for you.

The 2 biggest factors that will determine your success are:

1. II OMIYAGE - That means good OMIYAGE, or souvenir. To qualify as good (II) OMIYAGE your product must be in one of two categories:

A. Worldwide Name Brand Products: We all know who they are, and Japanese travelers spend millions on them.

B. Locally Made: Products that originated in the place being visited, or are in anyway unique to the place being visited.

The givers determine the amounts being spent. They have all ranges of OMIYAGE obligations to fulfill. Millionaires must buy trinkets, and workers often times buy gifts for millionaires.

2. SERVICE - In Japan, the customer is the King or Queen, OKYAKUSAMA. People who grow up in that culture expect good customer service. Companies, who learn how to combine appropriate service with II OMYAGE, will sell well to the Japanese.

We sell to the Japanese the same as we do to anyone.

1. Establish Communication.
2. Give Information.
3. Assist in the buying decision.

All three are impossible until you accomplish number one: Establish Communication.

Remember, this program is How To Sell To The Japanese Without Speaking Japanese.

Understand this:

-Japanese students today, must take 6 years of English to graduate from High School.
-Anyone under 40 (approx.) has had major exposure to English.
-The older the person the less practiced the English is.
-Many Japanese hide their English abilities for 2 big reasons:

1. They are not comfortable with their pronunciation, and do not want to embarrass themselves.

2. They can understand you, but you can’t understand them. Nice buying edge.

Our goal here is to get our Japanese customers to admit to their ability to understand English, at least a little bit, Sukoshi. We achieve this by demonstrating our interest in their language, and our willingness to mispronounce it.

To help you, I offer what I call Hauole Phonetics, in parenthesis.

It all starts with the GREETING…The first impression in Japan, for customers is a greeting at the door with “IRRASSHAIMASE”, (ear-ah-shy-maw-say), meaning, “welcome to our store”.

In Hawaii use “Aloha”, they have fun returning the greeting and you have already begun to establish communication.

You can now add to the 1st impression with a follow up, in Japanese, as clumsy as you might be.

GREETINGS:

Welcome IRRASSHAIMASE (ear-ah-shy-mah-say)
Good Morning OHA YO GOZAIMASU (ohio-go-zye-moss)
Good Afternoon KONNICHIWA (cone-eech-chi-wah)
Good Evening KONBANWA (cone -bon-wah)

Your first 2 Japanese phrases to learn are:

1. Do you understand English? - EIGO GA WAKARIMASU KA? (Egg-oh-gah-wa-car-eee- mas-ka)
2. I don’t understand Japanese - NIHONGO GA WAKARIMASEN (knee-hon-go-gah-wah- car-eee-moss-sen )

Using these two phrases forces communication and establishes which language will be used. Any other Japanese phrases you can learn will serve to add to this experience and your communication.

SELLING PHRASES

Please try this on. - (As in jewelry) TSUKETE-MITE-KUDASAI (sue-kate-ay-me-tay-kuta-sigh)
Please try this on. - (As in clothing) KITE MITE KUDASAI (key-tay-me-tay-kuda-sigh)
How about this one? - KORE WA DOO DESU KA (core-ay-wah-doe-des-kah)
It looks nice on you. - TOTEMO ONIAI DESU (toe-tay-mo-oh-knee-eye-des-yoh)
Please wait just a second. - CHOTTO OMACHI KUDASAI (cho-toe-oh-mah-chi-cuda-sigh)
More expensive. - MOTTO T AKAI (moe-toe-tah-kai)
Less expensive. - MOTTO YASUI (moe-toe-yah-sue-ee)
Bigger (than) -MOTTO OOKII (moe-toe-oh-key)
Do you prefer this one, or this one? - KORE GA II DESU KA, SORETOMO, KORE GA II DESU
KA? (Core-ay-gaw -ee-des-kah -sore-oh-toe-moe-core-ay-g aw-ee-des-kaw)
I understood - WAKARIMASHITA (wah-car-ee-mosh-ee-tah)
I don’t understand -WAKARIMASEN (wah-car-ee-moss-en)
Thank you - DOMO ARRIGA TO GOZAMASHITA ( doe-moe-are-ee-got-toe-go-zye-mash-tah)
Your welcome - DOO I TASH IMASHITE (doo-ee-tash-eh-mash-teh)
Please come back again. - MATA DOOZO IRRASSHATTE KUDASAI
(mata-doe-zo-ear-ah- shot-teh-kuda-sigh)

Since much of what’s being bought is OMIYAGE, packaging TEISAI (tay-sigh) is very important. Your customer will want a separate bag, FUKURO (foo-koo-row) for each purchase.

Eye contact can be mistaken for rudeness, so be careful in that area, and allow your customers enough
time to mentally translate as they respond to you.

One more phrase, Happy New Year - SHINNEN AKEMASHITE OMEDEETO GOZAIMASU
(She-nen -ah -kay-mosh -tay -oh-may -day -toe-go -zye-moss)

HOW TO SELL TO THE JAPANESE

Using a flash card, discipline yourself to learn one phrase a week. As you get comfortable with each phrase, you will naturally learn more, and have another example of Success Dynamics working for you.

JAPANESE NUMBERS
1. ICHI (ee-chee) 11. JU-ICHI (jew-ee-chee)
2. NI (knee) 12. JU-NI (jew-knee)
3. SAN (sawn) 13. JU-SAN (jew-sawn)
4. YON (yawn) 14. JU-YON (jew-yawn)
5. GO (go) 15. JU-GO (jew-go)
6. ROKU (row-ku) 16. JU-ROKU (jew-row-ku)
7. NANA (nah-nah) 17. JU-NANA (jew-nah-nah)
8. HACHI (haw-chee) 18. JU-HACHI (jew-haw-chee)
9. QUE (q) 19. JU-QUE (jew-q)
10. JU (jew) 20. NI-JU (knee-jew)

To go to multiples, add the 10,20,30 etc to the number.
30. SAN-JU (sawn-jew) 200. NI-HY AKU (knee-hey-a-koo)
31. SAN-JU-ICHI (sawn-jew-ee-chee) 1,000 SEN (sen)
40. YON-JU (yawn-jew) 2,000 NI-SEN (knee-sen)
41. YON-JU-ICHI (yawn-jew-ee-chee)
50. GO-JU (go-jew) 10,000 ICHIMAN (ee-chee-man)
51. GO-JU-ICHI (go-jew-ee-chee) and so on… 20,000 NIMAN (knee-man)
100. HYAKU (hey-a-koo) 100,000 JUMAN (jew-man)

As you practice these phrases with customers it is okay to read from this handout. Your Japanese customers will appreciate your willingness to try their language, and sometimes will even help you with your Japanese as you help them with their English.

This is all a form of communication, which is the gateway to a sale, your goal.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 25th, 2007 at 8:02 am and is filed under Japanese Customer Service. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.