Why don’t clients in Japan return sales calls?
Because the gatekeepers are trained to block access. In Japan, the lowest ranked staff often answer the phones, but without proper training. Their mission is to protect managers from outside callers—especially salespeople. Instead of being helpful, they come across as cold, suspicious, even hostile. This is your client’s first impression of your business. If you test it by calling your own company, you’ll likely hear the same problem.
Mini-summary: Gatekeepers in Japan are defensive, not welcoming. This blocks callbacks from the very beginning.
How do cultural habits make it worse?
Risk aversion dominates Japanese business. Staff avoid giving their names when answering phones to eliminate accountability. For a salesperson, that means you’re dealing with an anonymous voice, reluctant to help. Courtesy in the West often means offering to take a message. In Japan, you usually just hear “they’re not at their desk.” The expectation is you’ll go away quietly.
Mini-summary: In Japan, anonymity and risk aversion fuel resistance to helping salespeople.
Why don’t messages ever get returned?
Clients are swamped. The Age of Distraction means their days are full of meetings, emails, and digital overload. Even if a message does get written down, it often ends up buried under papers or lost in an overcrowded inbox. By the time they notice, it’s too late—or it looks like clutter. Sales feels personal, but the silence is rarely about you.
Mini-summary: Messages don’t get returned because clients are distracted, not because they dislike you.
What should salespeople do instead of waiting?
Persistence. Leave messages every time. Follow up with email. Send physical mail. Try visiting, if you can get through building security. The salesperson’s job is to keep making contact, not to give up. When you finally reach them, never complain about how hard they were to contact. Courtesy has changed, and callbacks are no longer part of the business culture.
Mini-summary: Keep contacting, without complaint. Courtesy norms have changed—adapt or fail.
What if clients complain about too many calls?
Stay calm. Never get defensive. Apologise lightly: “You’re right, I have been calling a lot, haven’t I?” Then pivot: “The reason is what we have is so valuable, I would be failing my duty not to share it.” This shows professionalism and positions you as a value creator, not a nuisance.
Mini-summary: Deflect complaints with humour and reframe persistence as professionalism.
How can persistence win respect?
Remind clients that they expect their own salespeople to show persistence. They know follow-up builds results. Deep down, they respect salespeople who push through obstacles, even if they never admit it aloud. In Japan, patience and professionalism eventually break through. The wall will crack if you stay consistent.
Mini-summary: Persistence earns respect, even when unspoken.
✅ Final Takeaway: Silence from clients is not rejection. It is an invitation to stay persistent, professional, and patient until the door opens.
