Inside Japan Market Entry with Shigeru HarasawaVol. 2 - Make the First Customer a Success, 
Even If You Run at a Loss

Why is the very first customer so critical? In this three-part series, we sit down with Japan market–entry professional Shigeru Harasawa for field-tested lessons you won’t hear elsewhere.

In Vol. 1, he argued that who you team up with determines success or failure. Vol. 2 focuses on the first customer: why Harasawa insists on winning that first account—even at a loss.

TL; DR (Summary)

• Your first customer must succeed—full stop. If the first customer says, “It doesn’t work,” you’re done.
• Lock in case-study rights up front. Bake marketing cooperation into the first contract (PR, white paper, speaking, logo/quote).
• Never run PoCs for free. Charge—even a token amount—to force real ownership and a clear yes/no outcome.
• Use hands-on seminars as the feeder: sandbox with test data for free; switch to paid when it’s on the customer’s real data.
• Treat PoC as a formal company project with approval, timeline, people, and deliverables—avoid “PoC hell.”

“Success isn’t just delivering value—it’s turning that first success into a public proof point.”

Why Does the First Customer Decide Your Fate?

Interviewer: Today, we would like to discuss the importance of "the first customer" in entering the Japanese market.

Harasawa: If you fail with your first customer, you can consider your Japan business over. Once that first customer says, “This doesn’t work,” it’s already finished.

Interviewer: So not just “important”—you’re saying it has to succeed.

Harasawa: Exactly. It must succeed. Before you even win that first account, you need certainty that what the customer wants to do is actually doable. And the first contract needs to include: “cooperate with marketing,” “discount in exchange for a white paper,” “permit case-study use,” “allow a joint press release”—all agreed up front.

Interviewer: So private success isn’t enough—you need to amplify it.

Harasawa: Right. Teams often chase the deal and forget this. You need the first customer not only to succeed, but to show up publicly—in a press release, on stage for a use-case talk, in an interview. That cooperation belongs in the contract from day one.

If You’re Willing to Lose Money, What Exactly Are You Buying?

Harasawa: When I say “make the first customer a success,” I mean as a case study, not just financially. If anything, you need the resolve to succeed even if you run in the red—because you’re buying proof you can publish.

Interviewer: What should teams watch for when trying to create a strong, publishable first-customer case?

Harasawa: Don’t run the PoC for free. As a new entrant, few people know your product—you want them to try it, but the rule is: PoCs must be paid. Define a clear target segment, collect payment, and drive to a firm yes or no. Without that plan, you slide into PoC hell—endless free trials with no decision.

Interviewer: And on the buyer side, the mindset is different when it’s free versus paid.

Harasawa: Completely. Internally I always say, even one yen is better than zero—charge something. If a company pays for a PoC, it starts as an approved project with someone’s sign-off. If it’s free, a single person can start it just because it “looks interesting.” That said, people do need to touch it first. So I start with a hands-on seminar: three hours, come to our office, try the system using test data. When they say, “We want to try it on our own data,” that’s where it becomes paid.

Interviewer: So the hands-on session is the feeder into a paid PoC.

Harasawa: Exactly. Treat PoC as a company project: assign people and pros, set timelines and decision gates. If you run it free, it tends to drift—and nothing moves forward.

Side Note: Terms at a Glance

• PoC (Proof of Concept): A bounded project to validate feasibility and value with defined scope, success criteria, timeline, and a firm go/no-go.
  
• Hands-On Seminar: A guided session using test data to let prospects experience the product; switches to paid when they want to use their own data.
• Case-Study / PR Rights: Contractual permission for press releases, white papers, conference talks, logo/quote usage—secured as consideration (often via discount).
  
  

What's Next (Vol.3 Teaser)

In Vol. 3, Harasawa maps the move from first proof to repeatable motion: how to avoid PoC creep, build references in adjacent verticals, and time the shift from partner-led to a hybrid model without losing momentum.

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