In Japan, One Box of "Magic" Cookies and an Apology is Worth Millions!

In Japan, when someone makes a mistake at your company, and you are the boss, you can never berate that employee in public nor can you, as boss, tell the offended client or customer that your employees is to blame. You can never blame the mistakes on your staff. You have to take the blame.

No matter what happens, as captain of the ship, you must be the responsible person for whatever goes on. It can be a thankless job too. If things go well, you must give credit to your staff. If things go bad, you must take all the blame.

THE JAPANESE TRADITION: APOLOGIZING

Sometimes, even the Japanese laugh at these traditions....

(well, older folks don't... No sense of humor!)

That is the honorable and smart was way to do business in Japan.


Last week, my company royally screwed up a campaign for a client. That client had over 300 complaints from customers in less than a few hours! The error was 100% the fault of my company and it was an embarrassingly foolish mistake; we had incorrectly written bank information for money transfers on an online document. This made a situation whereby hundreds of people couldn't transfer the money to the appropriate account in order to received the goods they wanted.


As I said, over 300 people had complained to our client and the client was, understandably, furious at us. I was furious at my staff for making such an amateurish mistake but I couldn't say that to the client. Nor did I berate my staff openly.


First we calmly rectified the account information. That night I called the people in charge at the client company and apologized. They were noticeably upset. This client is my companies #1 most important customer. Their account is worth tens of millions of yen to us. But because of this mistake, we were in danger of losing that account forever.


And all because of a careless Jr. high school level mistake.


I knew what I had to do.... I had to buy a box of cookies.... Not just any cookies. "Magic" cookies. The good stuff.


Yes. That's right. A box of quality cookies, a sincere apology, accepting complete responsibility along with bowing profusely to the in-charge at the client company.... Just might make things all right.


It certainly couldn't hurt and is worth the risk in order to save the contract.


In Japan, no matter what happens, the Japanese like it if you take complete responsibility and humbly apologize for your errors. Being able to say "I'm sorry" and saying it like a man and not someone who wishes to blame someone else, will make the Japanese respect you as a person and a businessman much more.


I went to a ritzy department store and bought the best box of cookies they had. The box cost ¥5,600 (about $73!) pretty expensive for  a dozen cookies! I went to the client company with the cookies. I knew that the in-charge showed up for work around 1 ~ 3 pm everyday. 


But he doesn't know that I know that.


I showed up at his office at 11:00 and let the receptionist know I was there.


She said, "Do you have an appointment?"


"No." I replied, "But my company made a serious mistake last night and I must apologize so I came here. I will wait until he arrives. Please tell him that I am waiting." Of course, I asked the receptionist what time it was so that she would make a mental note of it.


Then, I sat in the lobby and waited. Well, actually, I did work on my laptop. Work I would have done had I been at my office. But here, I could do the work and show diligence in making sure that I met with the in-charge.


I waited and the girl asked me a couple of times if I still wanted to wait. "Of course," I replied.


Finally, at 2:30 pm, the in-charge showed up. He was so surprised to see me.


He said, "You've been sitting here for a few hours!?"


"Yes. I needed to see you and apologize." I replied.


We sat and talked and I explained everything all the while taking full responsibility. I bowed over and over and handed over the box of "Magic" cookies and asked that he share it with his staff who we had bothered with our stupid mistake.


After thirty or so minutes of talking he became much calmer and actually smiled. I told him that they were the #1 most important client to us and that we would do anything to make it all right - even forfeit all of our commissions for this one event. He thanked me and asked that we be more careful next time and he promised me that, on his side too, they'd try to be more organized so that things weren't done so rush-rush and last minute.


I thanked him and we shook hands. The contract was saved and we won't be penalized for the error. We just must be more careful next time.


With this 3.5 hour effort of waiting and a $73 dollar box of cookies I saved a multi-million yen contract.  I also saved us from losing all commissions from this particular event. This one event was worth about $60,000 to us. I saved it with a short wait, a bunch of humility, a lot of bowing and taking responsibility... 


...And a $70 box of cookies.


Now, if those cookies aren't magic, I don't know what is.  

THE JAPANESE TRADITION: DOGEZA

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"Sumimasen" What to Do in Japan if a Customer Complains

"Sumimasen" in Japanese means "sorry" or "excuse me." Sometimes, depending on context, it can mean "thank you" (if someone is, say, kind to you or does you a favor).

MAC DAVIS - IT'S HARD TO BE HUMBLE

If you ever come to Japan and you only learn one word, "Sumimasen" is it. It is so versatile. Some of the big lessons of Japan and living in this country is that Japanese will teach you patience. It will will also teach you to be humble. It will also teach you to say, "Sorry"... Well, specifically, "Sumimasen".

In Japan the customer is "God!"

Foreigners who do not learn these things quickly don't do well here. They don't last. For nearly three decades I've seen foreigners come and go and the ones who go the fastest fail to learn the simple lesson of "Sumimasen".


In a previous post I spoke about how, in Japan, the customer is god. That's right. In this country, even when the customer is wrong, the customer is still the customer and is god.


If you are ever here working for a Japanese company or with the Japanese and there's some sort of problem - even if it is not your fault - the first thing out of your mouth should always be "Sumimasen".


Sumimasen and a sincere attitude and bowing of ones head shows that you know your place in society and that you respect people.


I've seen many cases where there was some sort of problem at work. I can't remember exactly what those problems were or whose fault they were. It doesn't matter. But when the foreign staff were summoned by the Japanese management or the Japanese client or customer, I told that foreigner, "No matter what, the first thing you do when you walk into that room is to bow your head and say, 'Sumimasen'." I've even pleaded with some foreign staff to do this. Most wouldn't have it. They wouldn't listen.


"I'm not going to apologize, Mike. I didn't do anything wrong."


"No one is saying you did anything wrong. You must must say 'sumimasen' to show that you are sorry for this regrettable situation." 


They wouldn't do it. Fools. Why wouldn't you say 'sorry'? When, for example, you friend's mom or dad passes away, you say 'I'm sorry' even though you had nothing to do with it, right? Why can't you say 'sorry' in this case?


They wouldn't do it. They had a attitude of superiority. They didn't bow their heads.


They lost their jobs. 


They thought they were God's gift to the business world, but they got their butts out of a job. It happened every time. 


Once again, in Japan, the customer is god. The person paying the money is lord. If that person who is paying the money - be they a customer or your boss - wants to complain or has a claim against you or your company, even if it isn't your fault, you must do these things:


1) Say "Sumimasen" repeatedly.
2) Bow your head and repeat #1.
3) You better show a sincere attitude that you are listening and not just acting like you are listening.
4) This is an important one! No matter how upset the client, customer or your boss gets, no matter how much they shout or raise their voice, you had better damn well not talk back. Talking back to the person who is paying the money is a cardinal sin. Talking back is called "iikaeshi" and that is absolutely verboten! No matter how upset they get, you follow rule #2.


Recently, I was at a meeting where a customer got very hot under the collar and began to raise their voice. It was a difficult situation. It got even worse when the person who was the receiver of monies from this customer committed iikaeshi and talked back. That employee said, "Don't shout at me!"


No! No! No! That only escalated the situation and made a situation whereby that employee had just put their neck out asking to get terminated.


Never! But never talk back to an angry customer in Japan. That is behavior that is not tolerated in this country. That kind of behavior is asking to get fired.


When the customer is mad and yelling, the proper reaction is to respond in a quiet voice, "Sumimasen! Sumimasen!" This response will diffuse the situation and then the customer must be allowed to blow off steam. A demur attitude and a repetition of 'sumimasen' (along with a ton of bowing and a humble and sincere attitude) will show professionalism and it will show that customer that here is a person who respects the customer and, in return, deserves to be respected.


Any other response besides the above shows the customer an amateurish and low level employee that is not deserving of higher pay nor a higher position. If that employee commits such a sin repeatedly, that employee only deserves a pink slip.


"Sumimasen" not only means, "Excuse me," "I'm sorry" and "Thank you" it is also a word that works like just like magic.


UPDATE: "Boo" Has commented below about this funny parody about apologizing. As Boo has commented, it has just enough truth in it to be hilarious. Watch!

This comes from an entire series of funny skits made by younger Japanese people that make a mockery of ancient Japanese traditions and culture that was featured on a very famous Japanese TV show. (PS: At least some people can see the humor of their situation. A commentator below writes, "So the implication here is that in order for one to get ahead, he or she must grovel in humiliation. What exactly does this suggest about the culture?" Isn't that a scream also? I'll bet you a donut that this foolish remark comes from a conceited American who never once stops to thinks, "Gee? Mine is that a culture of fighting and insisting on always being right (or going to court for spilling McDonald's coffee on one's lap), or constant war and killing millions of people around the world....What exactly does this suggest about the culture?" You would never see on American TV a parody along these lines being critical of the way Americans swagger and act. Americans wouldn't tolerate it.


なぜですか？アメリカ人のけつの穴はちっちゃいから　;)


Too funny.

    

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