Turning Up Sales in Relocation

I was privileged earlier this week to attend a seminar by a Japanese gentleman, Vice President Yokoyama-san of “Attack Sales Associates”.

His presentation was one of the better I have seen from a Japanese person, because he kept it very simple. There were 3 basic points on how to increase our sales in real estate and relocation.

1. You must find a place to make the sales happen; this is done by “Sales on Foot” and by saying “Yes”. You have to visit your clients as much as possible (by foot) and you want them to say “Yes” as many times as possible in front of you, even if you are just talking about the weather. ie. You have to get out there and keep the conversation positively “yes”.

2. You must make a habit of things. Habits are created by the following formula;

IMPACT x FREQUENCY = EXTENT OF HABIT
ie. To really change something is to make a habit of it, and do it without thinking about it. In order to make a habit of something, the impact of the change and the frequency it is repeated determines if it becomes a habit or not. If it doesn’t become a habit, it is likely you have actually changed.

3. You must understand things correctly. Understanding comes from the following formula;

WORDS / EXPLANATIONS x EXPERIENCE
ie. In order to really understand something you have to hear about it and then experience it or do it.

If you want to increase your sales you therefore need to implement these things into your sales delivery. Yokoyama-san drummed home the follow things;
- You must find a way to touch your clients many times
- You must meet them regularly (frequency is everything, not the length of the meeting)
- Talk about yourself. By doing so you will naturally find common points / interests with the person you are selling to, and that will help you build a relationship
- Of meeting with someone, phoning them and emailing them, only meeting and phoning have impact
- Once you have built trust through a relationship based on frequent visits and finding commonalities with the person/s you are working with, you must understand what they need
- Once you truly understand, you then must lead your client to making the sale

Japan Housing Starts Climb Dramatically

Japan's housing starts rose 20.5% year on year to 71,972 units in August, expanding for the third straight month, the Land Ministry said on September 30, according to Nikkei. The increase was the steepest since the 54.2% jump in September 2008.

The increase appears to be due to the mortgage loan tax break as well as inventory released by condominium sellers.

Here are the main 3 areas of increase;

1. Starts for owner-occupied houses grew 15.5% to 29,036 units, up for the tenth straight month.

2. Rental housing starts climbed 16.9% to 25,892 units, marking the first increase in 21 months.

3. Starts for condominiums for sale soared 44.6% to 6,617 units.

While this alone doesn't signify the return of a healthy economy, it is encouraging that things are on the way up, and it is these kind of reports that slowly help to build business confidence.

More Than Japan Housing, More Than Japan Cars and Furniture, More than Japan Serviced Apartments, More Than Japan Destination Services, More Than Japan License Conversion, More Than Japan Information!
The H&R Group is MORE THAN RELOCATION!
www.morethanrelo.com

Building Trust in Relocation

I have recently been quite involved in a project to "build trust" or re-build it, and today I would like to share some of my findings. Business, well good business, is all about trust. For example, if you can build good trust pricing doesn't become the priority in the business conversation. For these kinds of reasons this has been a really useful exercise for me.

WHAT IS TRUST?
- Although trust sometimes seems invisible, it is the result of continuous attentiveness and activity.
- Trust is not a medium or glue that holds relationships and societies together, it is not a lubricant, it is not an atmosphere, nor is it “stuff”.
- Trust is dynamic; it involves personal responsibility, commitment and change
- Trust is social practice; it is not a set of beliefs. It is not just a matter of individual psychology or attitude
- Thinking and talking about trust will not only influence our beliefs, but will also change our behavior in the world and with one another
- Breaches of trust do not mark the end of trust, but are part of the process of trusting
- Trust is not only earned, it must be given. ie. It is not just about trustworthiness and who can be trusted.
- Trust is a matter of reciprocal relationships, not of prediction, risk and reliance
- Trust is transformative. It is not a matter of trusting or being trusted so much as it is a matter of changing each other and the relationship through trust.
- Trust is a matter of making and keeping commitments and the problem of trust is not loss of confidence, but the failure to cultivate commitment making.
- Trust is a matter of mood and emotional skills; a function of the imagination as well as the product of negotiation and understanding.
- Moods and emotions are engagements in the world, not just feelings. Trust is therefore not a feeling.
- Our emotional practices can change and be cultivated. We can (and must) learn to trust.
- Trust involves sincerity, authenticity, integrity, virtue and honor (a matter of ethics).
- The worst enemies of trust are cynicism, selfishness and a naive conception of life in which one expects more than one is willing to give.
- Trust goes hand in hand with truth. Lying is always a breach of trust.
- Authentic trust can never be taken for granted, but must be continuously cultivated through commitments and truthfulness.
- Competence is the ability to perform as expected, according to standards appropriate to the role or the task in question. To trust people involves, amongst other things, assessing the level of competence.
- Trusting is a decision (or a sequence of decisions) that opens up the world for us, builds and deepens our relationships and creates new possibilities.

TYPES OF TRUST
SIMPLE TRUST: The trust that infants have for their primary caretakers. Trust that is taken for granted or assumed. It cannot be recovered if it is lost.

BLIND TRUST: Is denial. Evidence for distrust has been presented, but it is denied. With blind trust one sees but refuses to see. Blind trust always has an element of self-deception, or at the least the will to be self-deceived.

CONDITIONAL TRUST: Trust is conditional, focused and limited. To recognize these limits is part of authentic trusting. Eg. You trust your dentist to fix your teeth, but not to look after your house.

AUTHENTIC TRUST: Trust need neither be blind nor simple. Simple trust is unreflective. Blind trust is self-deceptive. Authentic trust is both reflective and honest with itself and others. All forms of trust involve counting on other people and as such they are vulnerable to betrayal. All trust involves vulnerability and risk and nothing would count as trust if there were no possibility of betrayal. However, betrayal is not surprising or devastating to authentic trust. Authentic trust is trust that is well aware of the risks, dangers and liabilities of trust, but maintains the self-confidence to trust nevertheless. Authentic trust, like true love and genuine faith, is possible only in the light of a breakdown in trust. One cannot authentically trust unless one has experienced disappointment, loss or betrayal.

AUTHENTIC TRUST
Authentic trust is self-scrutiny, caring about the long-term relationship and not just the outcome, negotiation and mutual understanding, a willingness to make and stand by one’s own commitments, a keen awareness of the risks and liabilities and the recognition that taking on these risks and liabilities is above all one’s own responsibility.

Canada Means Business- COP10 and The Environment- August 25th 2010

On behalf of the TJCS Business Committee, I am proud to announce the third installment of the 2010 event series Canada Means Business on August 25th, 2010.

As Nagoya will host the COP10 in October, three speakers will specially focus on environmental issues. Not only in business, but also in our daily lives, much attention toward the environment is important. Such useful information will be offered to you at this event. This event will bring you the opportunity to communicate with many different companies. By doing so, it expands your business network and eventually will lead to develop international business relations between Japan and Canada.

We look forward to seeing you there!
When: August 25th (Wed) 19:00 - 21:00 (Registration starts from 18:30)
Where: Hotel Coms Nagoya, Cafe Lento
Address: 2-23-22 Higashisakura, Naka-ku, Nagoya
Hotel Coms Contact: Tel: 052-931-5811, Fax : 052-931-5808
Price:
TJCS Corporate Members: 5,000 Yen
TJCS Regular Members: 5,500 Yen
Affiliate Assoc. (ACCJ, ANZCCJ): 6,000 Yen
Non-Members: 6,500 Yen

Spaces are limited, sign up today to guarantee your spot. Click here to sign up now!
The Canada Means Business series continues throughout 2010 and 2011 with the following dates.
August 25, 2010 Canada Means Business, Meet and Greet
October 27, 2010 Canada Means Business (TBD)
January 26, 2011 Canada Means Business (TBD)
If you are interested in organizing business event with Tokai Japan Canada Society business committee, please contact business@tjcs.jp

New Ownership for H&R Group in Tokyo and Nagoya Relocation

NEW OWNERSHIP FOR H&R GROUP

Effective August 20th, Oak Lawn Marketing, Inc. has finalized the sale of its 100% owned subsidiaries H&R Consultants K.K and ReloJapan K.K. (known as the H&R Group) to private equity investment company Appreciate Co., Ltd. (“Appreciate”) and owner Hiroyuki Kurihara.

Through the acquisition, Appreciate has established a 100% subsidiary “H&R Group K.K.,” which will act as the parent and holding company of H&R Consultants K.K., and ReloJapan K.K.

H&R Group and Appreciate will make every effort to enhance the service provision of H&R Consultants and ReloJapan in real estate and relocation services to fully meet the global mobility needs of corporations in Japan.

Detailed information is as follows:

Background

H&R Consultants is an officially licensed real estate company that provides real estate and relocation services to both multi-national and Japanese corporations. ReloJapan is the sister company of H&R Consultants, and is 100% devoted to destination service provision and management of the entire relocation process for assignees destined to Japan.
Appreciate is a private equity investment company that focuses on small to medium sized investments across all industries in Kanto and Chubu.

Comments from Stakeholders

Harry Hill, President, Oak Lawn Marketing Inc.
“I have tremendous affection for the H&R group of companies, as this was one of the first businesses I started in Japan. As per the evolution of Oak Lawn Marketing joining NTT DOCOMO, INC. in April of 2009, this transaction is “win-win” for all parties and will empower the H&R Group management to seek further growth in an environment that fully supports their culture and core business. I am incredibly proud to be involved in another entrepreneurial success story here in Japan.”

Scott Reid, Operating Officer, Oak Lawn Marketing Inc. (Former President of H&R Consultants and ReloJapan)
“I have great faith in Steve Burson and his management team and I believe this is a great step for the H&R Group. I am sure it is the consistent performance over many years that has made this possible. This move can only make the H&R Group greater and allow them to take things to the next level.”

Hiroyuki Kurihara, President, Appreciate Co., Ltd.
“My instincts told me from the first meeting with Steve Burson that this was an organization I wanted to invest in. Ultimately, the international feel of H&R Group’s culture, the consistent financial performance through different economic times and the potential for continued growth into the future are the factors that determined the value of this investment. I really look forward to working with all the H&R Team.”

Steve Burson, President of H&R Consultants K.K. and ReloJapan K.K.
“We owe so much to Oak Lawn Marketing for their support and guidance over the last 18 years. Furthermore, I am very grateful that we have been able to find a great home with Appreciate and Hiroyuki Kurihara.
While we will seek improvements in all areas of our business into the future, I am also happy to report that H&R Consultants and ReloJapan’s operations and staff, in its entirety, will remain unchanged.
None of this would have been possible without the support of our clients, vendors and friends, so I would like to take this opportunity to portray my sincere appreciation to you all and to ask for your continued support and guidance into the future. We look forward to working with you and your teams to forge even stronger relationships and provide even better service.”

Outline of H&R Group (as of August 20th, 2010)

Parent Company: H&R Group K.K.
President: Hiroyuki Kurihara
Location: Yokohama, Kanagawa (will later be moved to Aichi)
Capital: 40 million yen
Date of Establishment: August, 2010

Name of Company: H&R Consultants K.K.
President: Steve Burson
Location: Nagoya, Aichi
Capital: 40 million yen
Date of Establishment: 1993 (Nagoya), 2000 (Tokyo Branch)

Name of Company: ReloJapan K.K.
President: Steve Burson
Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Capital: 10 million yen
Date of Establishment: June 2001

Inquiries

Human Resources and Administration Division
H&R Group K.K.
TEL: 052-973-3957
E-MAIL: InfoRequest@MoreThanRelo.com
ATTN: Yuki Yamada / Aki Kamiya

Breakfast With The American Consulate In Nagoya

I am pleased to organizing the following breakfast on September 3rd for the ACCJ. Please join if you can! Just 15 seats available, so book fast!

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BREAKFAST MEETING WITH U.S. CONSULATE NAGOYA

DATE: Friday, September 3rd, 2010, 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

VENUE: Hilton Nagoya, 28F, White Room

MAXIMUM ATTENDANCE: 15 people

COST: Members: 3,000 yen Non-Members: 4,000 yen

REGISTRATION AND CANCELLATION DEADLINE: Wed 1st September
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Come and join us for an informal breakfast with all of the officers (andprobably a few of the local staff) at the U.S. Consulate in Nagoya.Nagoya's three American diplomats are Jonas Stewart, who was the Director of the Nagoya American Center (part of the U.S. Consulate) since 2007 and extended a year to be Principal Officer during the gap created by Max Kwak's retirement and the arrival next summer of Max'sreplacement.

Stephen Wheeler just arrived in Nagoya last month as the new Nagoya American Center Director, and Commercial Consul Edward Yagi (who also arrived in 2007) still has a couple of years left on his assignment as well.

Edward and Jonas are keen to update us on what theyhave seen and heard during their last three years in Nagoya and tointroduce Stephen to us. All three diplomats have agreed to give us their honest take on U.S.-Japan affairs, offer us their insights on business, cultural, and political issues, and answer any questions we have about U.S.-Japan relations, consular issues, or anything else of interest to the ACCJ community.

I am sure this will be a reallyinformative gathering, and also a rare and ideal opportunity to meet theentire U.S. Consulate diplomatic corps in one place, at one time.

Steve Burson and Andy Boone
Business Program Committee - Chubu

TO REGISTER: Visit <http://member.accj.or.jp/> and log in with yourmember ID and password.

If you have any questions, please contact NorikoKato at 052-229-1525, nkato@accj.or.jp, or fax to ACCJ Chubu Office: 052-222-8272

Cultural Differences in Providing Relocation Services

I was priveleged to attend a seminar by Rochelle Kopp last week on bridging cultural differences as a leader in Japan. I found the session incredibly useful, not because it was incredibly new content, but because it refreshed me on the different backgrounds westerners and foreigners come from. We often forget the below when we are working with our Japanese colleagues, but when you think about it, it can be attributed to many of the problems.

The following is a summary of the seminar from my eyes on how Japanese people tend to be different from us in the West. It is a bunch of generalizations, but gives a good overview of how things happen in a Japanese office.

DECISION MAKING
- Decision making is very consensus driven.
- Decisions tend to take a long-time to make, as much “ne-mawashi” or (individual discussion with each stakeholder to gain their buy in) is required, before the formal decision is made
Different ways of approaching decision making, but in the long-run neither method is faster or slower (perhaps). For Japanese people, the time taken in the “lead-in” means that they are able to implement quicker when the decision is made.

WORK DELEGATION
- In the west we “delegate” work, but in Japan “delegation” takes a different form; it is not so much “delegation” as “working together”, and it looks like “micro-management” to the west
- The basis to delegation is “Hoo-Ren-Soo” (report, touch base and seek advice) and if this happens properly, there is a lot of back and forward on the delegated work, which would be regarded as micro-management in the west.

JAPANESE STAFF VALUE THESE THINGS HIGHLY
- Good company profile, prestige and recognition; often this can be done through CSR activities
- Group social events, group meetings, group coordination
- “Kikubari” or consideration for others feelings. There is an expectation for managers to be on the look out for how their staff “feel” about things, and that they understand how staff will feel under different circumstances.

GROWING TRUST WITH JAPANESE
- Be consistent in what you do. Act consistently.
- Spend time with your Japanese colleagues. Do lunches with them, do social events and dinners

SEEKING OPINIONS
- As Japanese communication is often “in-direct” or “non-verbal” seeking opinions can be difficult.
- Japanese typically don’t like conflict, so you need to be careful in how you ask for opinions; asking directly will not work in many cases (eg. Don’t ask “What do you think” or “What is your opinion”)
Advice for seeking opinions
1. Don’t say what you think first or don’t give your ideas first (particularly if there is hierarchy and you are of a higher level than the other Japanese members)
2. Be clear with what you are talking about; write things down as you go, use visual aids and use agendas
3. Once the topic is clear and set, use questions such as “Do you have any advice for me?” or “Do you see any difficulties with this?”

RECOGNITION
- Giving feedback in public is often counter-productive in Japan, as Japanese feel uncomfortable being singled out from amongst their peers. Giving feedback to teams in public is a better way to go.
- Japanese people generally dislike general positive feedback such as “I think you did a great job”, so you need to give concrete examples of what you like about them or what they are doing.
- Japanese are typically not good at providing “positive feedback” as it is not something taught in Japanese society historically (in fact many look down on positive feedback, as there is a saying “home-goroshi” or “killing by praise”). It is therefore recommended that training is undertaken on how to give positive feedback.
- Often Japanese prefer a different form of positive feedback such as being given a different status (job title, etc.) or being asked to join special projects, etc.

MOST RECOMMENDED WESTERN WAYS OF DOING THINGS (things you should implement!)
- Performance based reward systems
- Making an office fun
- Shorter working hours
- Hiring of those generally not respected by Japanese companies; female staff, staff over 50 years of age, and staff without “official qualifications"

TYPICAL JAPANESE BEHAVIOURS TO BE AWARE OF
- Japanese are often uncomfortable to tell you about things you don’t want to hear (ie. bad news) - Japanese are very harsh with each other when it comes to their level of English. They can be very un-accepting of other Japanese members with English levels better or worse than their own
- Japanese often believe there is “one best way to do things” through proven methods. This explains why they can be stubborn about doing things differently, if they believe they know the “one best way” and it is “proven”. In this case, the following wording can be useful; “I have a suggestion that would be even better”.

The above blows away some of the business theory suggested in Western business literature.... and makes you think!