After joining the company in 2011, I was assigned to the Electronic Equipment Division, and I have been involved in the marketing of new products, with the marketing of micro-nano bubble generators as my main focus.
In simple terms, a micro-nano bubble generator is a device that produces small bubbles within various fluids. My work involves making proposals with consideration given to the matters of what exactly can be done with the use of nano- and micro-level bubbles, and where they can be used.
At this point, the only thing that is known about this field is that we have the technology to generate these bubbles. We have to consider for ourselves what kinds of uses the technology might have. We are moving forward while doing research with our clients, from the first stage of developing applications for the technology. We loan out demonstration machines to manufacturers and study applications together with them. This is a completely new technology, and marketing products without a defined purpose is my duty and responsibility.
At my previous job, I was commuting by car, so in my first year after joining this company, it was difficult to get used to the crowded trains in the city.
As I was moving from the category of manufacturer to trading company, and from the job category of research to sales, there was also a disconnect that came from those differences. I had been doing research work at my previous job, so when explaining our chemical products, I would end up saying difficult words that I had been accustomed to using in a research context. I also heard from clients that some of my explanations were difficult to understand.
After that, I thought in my own way about how I could best give these explanations. Using an introductory text on chemistry as a reference, I worked to give explanations that anyone could understand.
Furthermore, I was made to understand deeply that sales is person-to-person, and that making interpersonal connections is a skill that people learn. That is because, when my training period ended and I was given a defined area of responsibility, this overlapped with the time frame for price revisions, so I made the price revisions and gave my address as the new representative at the same time.
At first, I struggled to get clients to understand, but I was able to develop familiarity as we continued to interact. This led to results such as the resolution of problems as well as the receipt of new inquiries. I learned first-hand that by successfully building interpersonal relationships, you can also solve difficult problems.
In the course of the business of equipment sales, the tasks of transporting and installing demo equipment arise frequently. Various problems can crop up on-site, and it is rare that the equipment gets up and running smoothly. Amid all of that, our policy is to get the equipment running properly that day. We work to deal immediately with any on-site repairs, plumbing work, and electrical issues.
Also, as it regards our clients in various industries, it is not possible to speak when you have no knowledge at all. With micro-nano bubble generators in particular, the issue is "We don't know how we can put it to use," so as advance preparation for interviews, I first go online to look up things like the patents the company I will be meeting has obtained, as well as the products they deal in and the kinds of business they do. Then, I keep in mind to provide specific suggestions on the ways in which they could use micro-nano bubbles on that basis. I am called upon to acquire knowledge in advance about the areas of business in which the people I will be meeting work, to discover any problem areas, and to be able to make concrete proposals.
Japan is a manufacturing country, but with our technology steadily finding its way overseas, but when I think about the necessity of protecting Japanese technology, I think about what I can do myself in order to create technologies that are unique to Japan. I would like to personally start a new business, like what we have with micro-nano bubbles, and thoroughly implement that idea up to the point at which it becomes a business unto itself.
What appeals to me is the ability to do the work I want to do. Of course, I have business for which I am responsible, but the ability to think up new kinds of business and build them myself makes this a company that offers a real degree of freedom, in my opinion.
Currently, our division is thinking about chemical sales, which would be a new area for us. Originally, the department had been focused on equipment sales, but we have been able to move forward on the new idea, not constrained by the notion that "equipment-related business is the main focus of this section." It is a given that we will report diligently and that what we can do is tied to results, but as long as we can abide by that, we have a considerable amount of freedom.
This is a company of 100 people, but I think it offers a degree of freedom that large companies do not.
When you can build a business with your own effort that you have thought up yourself, I think that is something that can contribute significantly to the improvement of your skills. I think it is important to carefully consider where you would like to be and what sort of business you would like to do 5 and 10 years from now.
Being aware of my own standing in the business world
"Making personal connections is a skill that is learned": Thinking about what I can do myself
"Lending a hand when someone is having trouble": The real experience of working as a team
An atmosphere where the culture is friendly and communication flows smoothly
