1. Preparation
準備
However, when you say, 営業の仕事をしています。(I work in sales), it means that you work to sell your company's products and services to customers. To preparation for sales activities you will need:
■Appointment
When going to a business, make an appointment first. Sometimes your boss can come as well, so do not forget to provide him/her with details.
■Appearance
When you go to work, please be careful about your appearance. Even if people at your partners’ company wear casual clothes, they generally wear suits to work.
■Introduction
If you are meeting a customer for the first time with a senior colleague or boss, first introduce them to the customer. When introducing your boss, be careful not to use honorific titles such as さん or 部長. Please introduce yourself by saying, 部長の森です (This is Mori, the manager).

2. How to speak
話し方
When you hear about sales, you probably get the impression that you are a good talker. In order to explain your company's products and services to customers, you need the ability to speak well.
■If you are not very confident in using Japanese or honorific language, then please study Japanese thoroughly before visiting customers. However, when you actually go to the customer, don't worry and just focus on speaking from the heart. If you put your heart into it, you will be more likely to accept mistakes in Japanese, and your feelings will be conveyed to the other person.
■Also, just as important as the ability to speak well is the job of providing products that are useful to customers. In other words, we have to find out what our customers need and what will make their jobs easier. For this it is important to listen carefully to what the other person has to say and to understand what the other person is looking for.
■For the sake of business, if you talk too much, customers will feel “oppressed”. Furthermore, some people feel that they no longer want to meet such a sales person. When explaining your company's products and services, be sure to listen to the customer's reaction. One-sided explanations can make the other person feel uncomfortable.

3. How to end
終え方
■Greetings at the end of a business day
Before we finish talking to customers, please briefly summarize what we talked about today. Reconfirm with the customer what has been decided and what will be considered.
何かご不明な点などはありませんか？(Do you have any questions?).
■Things to take home
There will be times when you will be asked different questions or requests. There may be some questions that you cannot answer without consulting your superior. In such situations you can say, 社の戻って確認いたします。(I will go back to the office and confirm).

4. Returning to work
帰社後
On the day of your visit or the next day, thank your customers for their time. In recent years, greetings by email have become commonplace. Also, summarize your discussions with customers and send them as soon as possible. Please report to your superiors, immediately pass on any matters you bring back for consideration, and be sure to respond by the agreed date.

How do you prepare for meetings in your country? Share in the comments!