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> The process is different. You just can’t treat sales and go-to-market as a whole in Japan the same as you would in North America or Europe. As if the european market didn't consist of dozens of languages, legislations, cultures and histories. > When should a SaaS company consider reaching out to Nihonium? Aah, that's what the article is about
There is always that one person who writes that Europe is many countries. Yea, we know. But European countries also collectively represent themselves to the world through EU. Look at how Europe talks about the Greenland issue. It’s always a collective.
You are correct that to the outside the EU market negotiates as a single entity, like, say, an interface:
interface Market {
interact(string payload)
}
> The process is different. You just can’t treat sales and go-to-market as a whole in Japan the same as you would in North America or Europe. As if the european market didn't consist of dozens of languages, legislations, cultures and histories. > When should a SaaS company consider reaching out to Nihonium? Aah, that's what the article is about
> As if the european market didn't consist of dozens of languages, legislations, cultures and histories. Not really. They just use whatever the Americans give them. What are they gonna do anyways? Europe is a captive market. (As is the third world.)
€334.8 billion worth of EU imports from the US
€532.3 billion worth of EU exports to the US
which shows a) that trade is heavily bidirectional and b) that US is importing more from EU than vice versa. So that doesn't add up to support your statement at all.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Working in that area in Japan. I think I can provide some answers. Payment: CC are mostly used for BtoC but if you are a BtoB SaaS you want invoice and a local presence (ie no tax or currency shenanigans for your customer). Hand on sales: Don't expect customers to sign up for a free plan and convert. Your conversion rate will be close to 0. Mostly scammers. Instead: Contact form, Cold call, go out to events, lots of…
> Hand on sales: Don't expect customers to sign up for a free plan and convert. Your conversion rate will be close to 0. Mostly scammers. Brutal! Is that true even for Japanese companies with a traditional sales force?
I run a successful SaaS biz in Japan. Its possible, but its waaay hard. The article is right in principle. Unless you are 110% all in on localizing and hiring lots of local staff, to the extent that you will give up priorities in other markets, its not worth trying. Otherwise its a waste of blood and treasure—a local player will eat your lunch. A consultant like Nihonium or whatever wont be able to help you really. L…
Seems like you have a lot experience in that regard. I have some questions about software companies in japan, is possible to send you a DM or mail?