CROSS TALK 4
Our work stage is expanding to global fields
MATSUOKA deploys its own factories mainly in the ASEAN region. Until now, we have grown mainly for customers in Japan, but the company intends to expand its activities with a focus on Europe and the US. Crosstalk between veteran sales staff and a newcomer shows us MATSUOKA’s potential.
Deputy Manager, Sales Division, Sales Department
SUIZU Yuya
Deputy Manager, Sales Division, Sales Department
NAGASHIMA Fumiaki
Sales Staff, Sales Division, Sales Department
NAKAGAWA Yuta
The work of a sales representative is to communicate in their own words
What kind of members are you?
SUIZU
The three of us form a team in charge of sales in principle. My previous job was at a sewing manufacturer, and I joined this company in midcareer. At first, I experienced “administrative work” in support of the sales representatives for about five years, and then took charge of sales.
NAGASHIMA
This is my 20th year since joining the company after working at a men’s apparel manufacturer. In my case, I was in charge of sales and administrative work in parallel from the beginning.
NAKAGAWA
I originally joined the company as a product planner in midcareer, and I was assigned to the Sales Division last year. As with NAGASHIMA, I am learning administrative work while taking charge of customer relations.
NAGASHIMA
I think MATSUOKA’s sales team is not an image of aggressive sales like other companies but involves managing our customer orders while also managing our own factory resources. Mr. NAKAGAWA, you took charge of sales a year ago, is your work going well?
NAKAGAWA
I have come to be able to answer questions about making products pretty well, but I still don’t have confidence in topics on delivery dates and entire flows ...
SUIZU
You may feel anxiety about some topics because you were directly assigned to the Sales Division without taking charge of administrative work. But, I think it is relatively easy for you to obtain a sense of balance to coordinate customer needs and factory needs.
NAGASHIMA
Because we make things in our own factories, we cannot shift responsibilities. Our customers expect that they can get clear answers about every process when they ask their sales representatives. Especially since we are constantly fine-tuning processes to prevent mistakes and maintain quality, it may still be difficult to understand the entire flow. We will support you in that area, so please ask as much as you like.
NAKAGAWA
Once again, I realize how hard it is to make things. When even a single item number was assigned to me, I had many steps to follow. Knowing detailed work flows, I once again felt that MATSUOKA was simply amazing, even though I am an employee of MATSUOKA. What I feel when I communicate with our customers is that they really seek “my own words.” When selling finished products, salespersons may use the same sales talk, but in our case, we must show “our factory capabilities” in an attractive way. If I do not give an explanation in my own words, it won’t get across to customers. So, I think I must reduce the number of things I do not know as quickly as possible to communicate in my own words with confidence.
It is also important to make a mistake safely
You do difficult work, but how do you remember it?
SUIZU
I think a certain amount of experience is necessary. Because there are various situations in business, we cannot grow accustomed to the atmosphere without experience. Therefore, I think training through real experiences like NAKAGAWA is also necessary. As “It is OK to make mistakes, but report immediately and make improvements.” and “It is natural that problems occur. Investigate the causes and prevent their recurrence.” are cited in the company’s “Code of conduct,” I suppose our company is tolerant of failure that leads to improvements.
NAGASHIMA
For example, when I assign preparations for meetings to a newcomer and see them working hard, I sometimes feel uneasy while thinking “Did they prepare that?” But I have them perform the task by themselves and let them make a small mistake without interfering. That gives them an opportunity to experience failure, learn how to recover from it, and reminds them of the responsibilities they are trusted with and that they have to think for themselves.
NAKAGAWA
That is true, but to be honest, I don’t want to experience too many failures if possible (laughs). I would appreciate it if you could give me a hint in advance.
NAGASHIMA
Well, obviously (laughs). For the company, I think it would be more efficient to train them properly before putting them on the front lines so that they will not fail. But the same mistakes and problems are not repeated, so they will eventually face something something that they were not trained for. Education by letting a newcomer make mistakes purposely is fundamentally time-consuming and risky, but I believe it is better for a newcomer to make a mistake under circumstances where follow-up is available.
SUIZU
What you said earlier is very important, and what you cannot tell us is often what you cannot tell our customers as well. So, I would like to build a relationship in which we can properly communicate with each other even about complaints and wishes. In this work, the worst fear is to lose confidence by causing big mistakes or problems. Instead, I would be glad if you grew so that you can carry out sales activities while taking advantage of your individuality without being afraid of failure. Imitating our sales style is not helpful (laughs).
Main pillar that supports many family members
What kind of mindset do you think is important?
SUIZU
What is difficult about our work is that we cannot simply say, “Sell aggressively!” to sales representatives. Since the production capacity of our factories is fixed, so we have to balance the workload. That is the only way we can ensure the delivery of high-quality products at optimum costs for our customers without delays.
NAGASHIMA
So, our sales team always keeps track of everyone’s situation. Based on the outlook for orders and the status of work in process, we must determine properly what kind of and how many orders should be assigned to which factory. That’s why our work is not completed without relationships of trust not only within the sales team but also with the factories and customers.
NAKAGAWA
True, after closing a deal, the immediate reaction was “How do we deliver it?”
SUIZU
I am sorry that I could not simply congratulate you. But, that’s true. One of the first things that comes to my mind after receiving an order is our colleagues working at these factories. To think about how to achieve a balance between customer requests and factory operation is our mission as a company operating its own factories, and this may be the most difficult part of this work.
NAKAGAWA
That is because many colleagues are greatly affected by a single judgment we make, isn’t it?
NAGASHIMA
That is why our team needs to make adjustments in cooperation with each other as smoothly as possible. We have managed to go through difficulties until now by helping each other.
Toward a global stage now
What kind of colleagues do you want to work with from now on?
NAGASHIMA
Now, our customers are mainly in Japan, but in the future, we need to go out into markets in Europe and the US, and other markets around the world. Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, online business talks have become common. In addition, since we have a translation team, I feel that language and distance barriers have disappeared all at once.
NAKAGAWA
When about six months passed after I joined this company as a product planner, I visited Vietnam on the occasion of the launch of our factory there. After the launch, I went to Vietnam for business trip almost every month, and I had good opportunities to communicate with factory workers there. I hope such trips will increase in the future.
SUIZU
What we learn on-site is great, isn’t it? I know that it is important to actually see and experience the atmosphere in the factory, the vitality of the people working there, and the town in which products are made. Such experience is connected to “your own words” mentioned at the beginning, and what we see with our own eyes and the fact that we listen directly give us confidence. Because overseas markets are also important for our company, I believe that our work stage is expanding globally.
NAGASHIMA
Other than the business trips to the areas where our factories are located, I made a business trip to Germany to attend a trade show before the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. SUIZU, you have also been to the US on business, haven’t you?
SUIZU
Yes, I have. It was a new experience because, until then, most of my business trip destinations were to China and the ASEAN region. I think seeing different parts of the world generates various ideas and broadens connections with people and factories.
NAKAGAWA
As I used to be a product planner, I would like to place expectations on the expansion of suppliers of threads, buttons, and other parts. I think that if we can make new proposals, the ways in which we do sales will also increase.
NAGASHIMA
Keep up that kind of spirit!
* The departments and content of the interview are as of the time of the interview.
