Hiring sales talent requires assessing not only a candidate's track record but also whether they can deliver results within Japan-specific business practices. A candidate who performed well at an overseas office will not necessarily produce the same results in the Japanese market.
- The candidate has extensive sales experience, but their track record in Japan is hard to assess
- There is a gap between the performance indicators headquarters expects and the sales style needed in Japan
- New hires sometimes fail to deliver expected results and leave early
- Evaluation criteria and incentive design specific to sales talent are not in place
This article explains what to watch for when a foreign company's Japan entity hires sales talent.
Why Hiring Sales Talent Can Be Difficult
Hiring sales talent requires assessing not only a candidate's track record but also whether they can deliver results within Japan-specific business practices. A candidate who performed well at an overseas office will not necessarily produce the same results in the Japanese market.
There is also often a gap between the performance indicators headquarters expects (such as how the pipeline is managed or the timeframe used to measure results) and sales practices in Japan, which means hiring criteria themselves need to be adjusted for the Japanese market.
What to Assess When Hiring Sales Talent
When hiring sales talent, it is important to evaluate the following areas in addition to their track record.
| Criterion | How to Assess It |
|---|---|
| Repeatability of results | Whether past results depended on personal connections or a repeatable sales process |
| Market understanding | Whether the candidate has a feel for Japanese business practices and decision-making processes |
| Communication style | Whether they can coordinate and report smoothly with both headquarters and overseas offices |
| Self-direction | Whether they can form hypotheses and act independently within a small team |
Points for Retention and Evaluation Design After Hiring
Sales results are relatively easy to see in numbers, but it often takes time to produce results at the start of a new role. It is important to align expectations with the candidate at the time of hiring about how long it may take to see results and when evaluation will occur.
For incentive design as well, rather than applying headquarters' standard scheme as-is, designing it around Japanese business practices and competitor benchmarks tends to improve retention after hiring.
Summary
- Sales results at an overseas office do not necessarily translate directly into results in the Japanese market
- Assess repeatability of results, market understanding, communication style, and self-direction
- Align with the candidate at hiring time on the timeframe for results and when evaluation will occur
- Design incentives around the Japanese market rather than applying headquarters' standard scheme as-is
Contact
JBN provides one-stop support for hiring sales talent in Japan, from defining requirements through to finding candidates.
To discuss hiring sales talent, please contact us.