Japan's B2B buying process is characterized by consensus-based decision-making involving multiple stakeholders, so appealing to a single contact rarely leads directly to a deal. Trust and track record also carry significant weight, which tends to lengthen the time from first contact to a signed deal.
- Lead-generation efforts are running, but the conversion rate to sales opportunities is low
- The organization has not built up know-how for marketing tailored to the Japanese market
- Global initiatives led by headquarters do not fit Japanese business practices
- Marketing and sales are not well aligned, making it hard to measure the effect of initiatives
This article explains how foreign companies can think about strengthening B2B marketing in Japan.
Characteristics of B2B Marketing in Japan
Japan's B2B buying process is characterized by consensus-based decision-making involving multiple stakeholders, so appealing to a single contact rarely leads directly to a deal. Trust and track record also carry significant weight, which tends to lengthen the time from first contact to a signed deal.
Marketing initiatives that work well globally often do not function the same way in the Japanese market, so Japan's buying behavior needs to be factored in from the design stage of any initiative.
Levers for Strengthening B2B Marketing
The following levers are effective for B2B marketing in the Japanese market.
| Lever | What It Involves |
|---|---|
| Content marketing | Building out case studies and white papers that decision-makers reference |
| Seminars and webinars | Creating touchpoints with prospective customers and building credibility as a specialist |
| Marketing and sales alignment | Sharing common KPIs and hand-off criteria between the two functions to improve lead quality |
| Using existing customers | Turning customer feedback into case studies that appeal to new leads |
| Data-driven improvement | Measuring the response and conversion rate of each initiative and improving continuously |
Organizational Practices That Make B2B Marketing Work
To keep marketing initiatives from being one-off efforts and instead build up results over time, marketing and sales need to work toward the same goal in a coordinated way. In the Japanese market especially, how well leads are followed up with after hand-off has a major effect on the conversion rate.
With limited resources, rather than trying to handle every initiative internally, sharing tasks such as content production or event management with outside partners makes it easier to maintain both the quality and speed of initiatives.
Summary
- Japan's B2B buying process is consensus-based, making trust and track record important
- Consider content marketing, seminars, sales alignment, using existing customers, and data-driven improvement
- Have marketing and sales share common KPIs and hand-off criteria to improve lead quality
- Use outside partners where useful to balance the quality and speed of initiatives
Contact
JBN provides one-stop support for foreign companies strengthening B2B marketing in Japan, from strategy through execution.
To discuss strengthening your B2B marketing, please contact us.