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Selling SaaS in Japan

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Re: Selling SaaS in Japan

#3
I'm still pre-launch, but I've attended (and presented at) a couple conferences / industry events for my SaaS in Japan. You can get a lot of traction by getting out there and actually talking to people. Networking is important (probably this is the same anywhere?) and talking to other presenters is as important as talking to potential customers, because you can get that relationship going for mutual benefit.

Re: Selling SaaS in Japan

#4
Brilliant article and thank you for sharing.

Local payment methods seem to be a really huge thing. For instance, I'm told that in India most people want to use Google Pay, and even street vendors have QR codes at their stalls. If anyone can weigh in on that I'd love to hear about it.

Re: Selling SaaS in Japan

#5
post #4

Brilliant article and thank you for sharing. Local payment methods seem to be a really huge thing. For instance, I'm told that in India most people want to use Google Pay, and even street vendors have QR codes at their stalls. If anyone can weigh in on that I'd love to hear about it.

Its UPI. Google Pay is just one provider among many including Amazon.

You don't even need a middleman. Your regular bank app also directly supports UPI payments.

Re: Selling SaaS in Japan

#6
post #4

Brilliant article and thank you for sharing. Local payment methods seem to be a really huge thing. For instance, I'm told that in India most people want to use Google Pay, and even street vendors have QR codes at their stalls. If anyone can weigh in on that I'd love to hear about it.

Those QR codes are for a payment method called UPI that is managed by a conglomerate of banks (NPCI), with the blessings of the Reserve bank. Google Pay, PhonePe etc are apps that are interoperable and allow P2P or P2B payments by scanning a code. The payments are instantaneous and free; at least for P2P scenarios. Anyone with a bank account can sign up for any of the UPI apps and generate a QR code using which they can accept payments from anyone and this drastically reduces the effort it takes to join the digital payments economy.

Re: Selling SaaS in Japan

#7
> 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

Re: Selling SaaS in Japan

#8
One thing I agree with the Japanese on is that documentation is king! One major reason I decline various software demos or testing opportunities is the lack of proper documentation or screenshots. Maybe it's because I am from SEA; I tend to hesitate to confront people or ask questions, especially during a demo.

Re: Selling SaaS in Japan

#9
post #4

Brilliant article and thank you for sharing. Local payment methods seem to be a really huge thing. For instance, I'm told that in India most people want to use Google Pay, and even street vendors have QR codes at their stalls. If anyone can weigh in on that I'd love to hear about it.

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 drinking.

Regarding language: Many people do not speak English. I think that surprises some, but Japan is big and you can live forever happily only speaking Japanese. So if you don't support Japanese it's a complete no go.

Re: Selling SaaS in Japan

#10
Great insights on selling SaaS in Japan! I found the emphasis on documentation being "king" particularly valuable, especially how it helps those who hesitate to ask questions during live demos. It’s a good reminder that GTM strategies must be tailored to specific cultural and regional nuances.
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