Japanese Online Lessons using SKYPE

10 Tips for Entertaining Business Clients

May 31, 2018

Following the previous blog “10 Tips for Entertaining Business Clients Preparation”, this time we will introduce five tips of the day of business entertainment and following up.

【On the day of business entertainment】

Show respect to key persons

Ask the director of Company A for the toast and ask the director of Company B for the closing remarks.(It is better to check in advance whether they can accept these greetings. )

 

Stay sharp even if you drink

Entertainment is a part of business. Even if client says “Le’ts loosen up and enjoy!”,you must behave responsibly.If you are in a position to invite, please always look after clients carefully if they are enjoying it.

 

Smart payment

Check the way of payment with your boss in advance whether your company will pay all or a split bill.If you need to pay, payment will be made before your client notice.

 

Ask your client for second party

If you invite your client for business entertainment, just in case, prepare the second party in advance.The location of the second party will be close to the venue of the first party.

 

【Following up】

Express your thanks to client within the next morning.

Tell your client? a feeling of thankfulness as quickly as possible (The best time is the next morning ).The most polite way is a letter, however, recently telephone is mainstream.

 

 

10 Tips for Entertaining Business Clients – Preparation –

May 28, 2018

In Japan, “business entertainment” is done to get to know each other. Business entertainment has been stopped as frequently as before so as not to adhere to the outside of the company, but there is still a drinking party like a social gathering. Therefore, I will introduce 10 points of business entertainment so as not to fail in the entertainment scene.

[Preparation]

Do not judge by yourself if you are invited.

Some companies prohibit to invite or to be invited to the business entertainment. Make sure consulting with your boss before you reply. And, if you go, decide who will go as well.

 

Tell your clients who you will go with (especially your boss) in advance.

Let your clients know like “I will go by three members of ○○ of the department manager, □□ of section chief, and myself” in advance.

Generally we will ensure that the titles of both participants are balanced.

 

(In the position of inviting) Be careful not to forget to invite a key person.

When inviting to entertainment, there must be a purpose for it. And, roughly the purpose of business entertainment should be strengthening relationship with a key person. If you can not directly invite the person you want to meet, ask the other person of the company whether the key person can join the entertainment.

 

(In the position of inviting) Make sure what is Not Good

Make sure to ask clients about their allergies or NG foods.

 

(In the position of inviting) Choose a suitable restaurant

For business entertainment, you choose a restaurant with a private dining room to have conversations comfortably. There may be a noisy atmosphere in a cheap chain type Izakaya. If you do not know a good restaurant, ask your seniors and bosses for recommendations.

 

 

Why don’t you check the top 50 songs by year before going to Karaoke with co-workers?!

May 18, 2018

If you are working in Japan, you will often go to karaoke in a second party etc.

If you sing at karaoke and you can enjoy it with the Japanese, you can enjoy deepening relationship with your business partners.

 

The difficult thing for foreigners will be choosing a song that will be appreciated by Japanese people.

So, I will teach you the site introducing the ranking of Japanese songs by age.

 

1950’s Ranking: http://nendai-ryuukou.com/1950/song.html

1960’s Ranking: http://nendai-ryuukou.com/1960/song.html

1970’s Ranking: http://nendai-ryuukou.com/1970/song.html

1980’s Ranking: http://nendai-ryuukou.com/1980/song.html

1990’s Ranking: http://nendai-ryuukou.com/1990/song.html

2000’s Ranking: http://nendai-ryuukou.com/2000/song.html

 

* You can jump to the ranking of TOP 50 for each year from the link above.

* If you click on each song title, you will be connected to YouTube so you can listen to that song.

 

The point is “Choose songs that were popular when people going along were around 18 to 22”.

Because people listen to music the most during these ages.

 

For example, in my case, I often listened music from 1996 to 2000, so I checked the yearly ranking of 1996 to 2000. As a result, I found that each TOP 50 songs by year were very familiar.

 

If a person going to karaoke with you is around 50 years old, that person may often listens to songs of 1984 to 1988, so it is better to check these pages.

http://nendai-ryuukou.com/1980/song/1984.html

http://nendai-ryuukou.com/1980/song/1985.html

http://nendai-ryuukou.com/1980/song/1986.html

http://nendai-ryuukou.com/1980/song/1987.html

http://nendai-ryuukou.com/1980/song/1988.html

 

If you know old Japanese songs, it will be a good conversational material. Also, learning the song lyrics is useful for Japanese study.

 

Exciting Japanese company: Start Today

May 15, 2018

Do you know a site called ZOZOTOWN or a company called Start Today that runs the site?

ZOZOTOWN is Japan’s largest fashion mail-order site where many popular brands gather, and it has enormous popularity from fashionable people and young generation.

http://zozo.jp/

 

Start Today’s market capitalization exceeds 1 trillion yen, which is slightly higher than the goods plan managing MUJI, and more than twice the largest department store, Mitsukoshi Isetan HD. (As of May 9, 2018)

 

This time, I picked up this company for the following three reasons.

 

Reason 1: Business model is cool

Normally EC is prone to price competition and profitability tends to be low.

However, the company’s current profit margin for the most recent three years exceeds 30%, 32.86%> 34.61%> 33.26%.

This is because the company’s main business is consignment sales, sales are not sales value of apparel products, but from commission from shops.

The consignment sales commission rate is said to be around 28%, which is higher than department store with real store, and inventory risk is also not included because ownership of inventory is in shop.

Although the apparel brand may have its own EC site, since only brand products are sold, users wanting to buy products of various brands will buy with ZOZOTOWN.

In addition, the company attracted attention by issuing new products called ZOZO suit.

http://zozo.jp/zozosuit/

This is a suit for accurately measuring the shape of the user, allowing users to order at their exact size and ZOZO gains the strongest tool for selling their own brand products It will be.

 

Reason 2: Management is cool

Mr. Maezawa, president, is also a luxury car collector such as Bugatti Veyron, Aston Martin, Ferrari Enzo etc.

When he caused an accident while driving Pagani Sonda, the other car was Maybach, so it became a hot topic to have caused accidents between super luxury cars.

He is also famous as a collector of arts and paintings and it became a hot topic that he bought a painting of Bathkia’s for 12.3 billion yen at an auction. (Before that, he also paid 6.24 billion yen at auction for an art work of Buskia.) There are not so many Japanese executives of listed companies that spend money in this way.

Reason 3: Personnel strategy is interesting

Working hours in Japan are generally from 9 to 5 o’clock, but ZOZOTOWN is 6 hours from 9 to 3 o’clock. Mr. Maesawa set a goal that “employees should give the best performance in the shortest time and use the remaining hours for fun.” Also, hiring highly qualified engineer at a maximum annual income of 100 million yen became a hot topic.

Since the company announced that it will strengthen overseas expansion by IR, the name of the company may be recognized in your country from now on.

 

PS

For Japanese learners who are interested in presentations, IR, economic terms, etc., I think that it will be a good learning to see IR movies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqoCpUGPxtY

How 18 Japanese companies got their quirky names?

May 10, 2018

Since I gathered most of the information from the Internet, there are some information that I do not know whether it is true or not.

But, especially for those with dealings with companies on this list, I think that it will be a good story.

SONY (Sony)

It is combined the Latin “SONUS” which became the origin of English “SONIC” meaning sound, and English “SONNY” meaning boy.

 

Canon

“Cannon” was the first camera prototype machine with the thought of creating the best camera in the world with the help of Kannon（Avalokiteshvara）.

It became English “Canon” because the pronunciation is similar and meaning of “standard”, “normality” are appropriate.

 

MINOLTA (Minolta)

Kana notation of “a ripening rice plant”.

※ Now merged with Konica and KONICA MINOLTA

 

NEC

Nippon Electric Company, Limited “that is written in English (Nippon Electric Company, Limited).

 

Sega (Sega)

From SERVICE GAME.

 

Bridgestone (Bridgestone)

Founder’s surname “Ishibashi” in English, “Stone Bridge”, turning it over to “Bridge Stone”.

 

EDWIN (Edwin)

“D” and “E” of “DENIM” are reversed, turning “NIM” 180 degrees to convert it to “WIN” and convert it to richness of idea and to EDWIN.

It is enthusiastic to want to do free thought utilizing denim.

As another theory, there are many Japanese jeans makers in Okayama prefecture, there is also the theory that the company that is the Tokyo headquarters to compete with it, “Edo wins” = “Edo + WIN” originated.

 

Glico (Glyco)

From “glycogen” discovered from oyster broth.

 

Calbee (Calbee)

Composite word of calcium + vitamin B series.

 

MOS FOOD SERVICES (Moss food service)

Mos Burger’s MOS is an acronym for Mountain, Ocean, Sun respectively.

“Mountain, the sea, the sun” mean “with noble and dignified like a mountain”, “with a deep wide mind like the sea” and “with a passion that does not burn out like the sun”.

 

fumakilla (Fumakira)

FLY + MOSQUITO + KILLER

 

Kao (Kao)

Face wash soap was initially called “face soap”. Face → Kao

 

DHC

The initials of Daigaku Honnyaku Center (University Translation Center).

Originally it was a company started from the translation industry and still uses its company name.

 

Chifure (Chihure cosmetics)

It is from the initials of the “National Regional Women’s Organization Liaison Council (Municipal Welfare Council.

 

AUTOBACS (AUTOBACS)

It adds Service to products (Appeal, Unique, Tire, Oil, Battery, Accessory, Car audio) to be provided.

From the philosophy that AUTOBACS SEVEN’s official name SEVEN always keeps searching for the seventh product for customers.

 

Secom (Secom)

It is a coined word that abbreviates the word “Security Communication”.

 

MARUHA (Maruha)

It puts the wave round and puts in the meaning that it wishes for safe fishing. It is a source full of kindness that prayed for fisherman’s safety.

 

STUDIO GHIBLI (Studio Ghibli)

GHIBLI (ghibli) means “hot air blowing in the Sahara desert”.

Hot feelings such as “Make a whirlwind in Japanese animation world!” are put in it.

 

How was it?

I was most surprised at the origin of DHC.