Senior Message VOICE OF SENIORS

Training After Joining Our Company

The thing that made the biggest impression on me was the experience of doing on-site training for a few weeks immediately after joining the company. The training was done at a manufacturer that is one of our clients, and they have been very helpful to me ever since I joined this company, as I am a representative of the division with which they work. I was taught about the business of sales as well as technology testing methods there. I was able to observe a site of manufacturing, to actually experience the process of inspecting products for quality before they ship, and to get deeply involved with that factory floor. Normally, it is quite rare at any manufacturer to be shown their internal circumstances. This was a valuable experience, and when speaking with clients in the course of my business activities since then, there have been many times when I felt like I was able to understand precisely because of the experiences I had in training.

About Your Work

I present proposals to the other parties, and when they are interested, we work out the requirements and cost. This leads to another round of dealings. Generating new business in this way is our job in the trade business, and when it comes to fruition, I feel a sense of fulfillment.
However, it takes a lot of information to be able to fulfill the clients' demands, and the first hurdle is figuring out where to acquire that information, and whether it can be acquired at all. Even when you are able to make a proposal, there are times when the other party is already using a product that suits them better. You cannot make much of a proposal if the product is not necessary to the client to begin with, and that is the second hurdle. Then, when a proposal has been accepted, the third hurdle is the matter of how you can meet the client's needs in terms of the cost and the physical properties of the product. You need to be able to get over all of these hurdles, which I think can be very difficult.
Some of the business we are working on now was originally developed by one of my former senior colleagues. Of course, I treat existing business with the care it deserves, and I think I am being asked to add something on top of that

Also, when I learn that I have been recognized by a client as "Kawamura from Kohyei Trading," I feel that what I am doing is very worthwhile. Once, I got a call from a person with whom I had never had any prior contact. That person was told about me by a co-worker of theirs, with whom we had done business. Apparently, they said, "If it's about that product, you should ask Ms. Kawamura at Kohyei." I was very happy to be recognized personally. Information is the lifeblood of a trading company, and for that reason, I think a relationship of trust with the client is essential. I also feel happy and fulfilled when I get the sense that we are building a trusting relationship.

Work-Related Goals/Motto

At a meeting for prospective employees before I joined the company, several of the experienced employees gave a presentation on the company and the specifics of the work here. The people who would be joining at the same time as me were blown away by the presentation of one of the senior employees in particular, and I wondered if I would be able to get to that sort of level by the time I had been with the company for that long. Now, I have been with the company for about as long as that senior employee had been at that time. I am always wondering about the extent to which I have caught up, and I think that my efforts are still not quite enough. I am setting my sights on being at that level, but that does not mean that I should do exactly the same things. I think I need to go on establishing a business style of my own.
My motto is: "Never forget your original intentions, never forget your humble, honest feelings." Also, this is a great company, but I always keep in mind to maintain an objective perspective without having my views colored too much, and that I do not want to forget the questions I have had and the unease I have felt.

Message to Students

I think Kohyei Trading could be suited to people who would like to work with people and companies overseas, but, I do wonder if people would last very long thinking that, as they are unsure as to where in the company they would be needed, they would take an interest in anything and do the best they could, even if they did join the company. Rather than being passive, if you actively look for where the need is, gather the information that forms the basis of that, and make it clear that you want to do the job, I think this company has the environment that will allow you to do that. Even if you make mistakes along the way, we have dependable supervisors that will take ownership, and I think that makes this a workplace where you have the sense that what you are doing is worthwhile. The work will not really get anywhere if you just wait for instructions. You have to think and investigate for yourself, and seek advice under your own initiative. When you are consulting with someone, you still have to figure out what the options are, and what each of those options' advantages and disadvantages are. You need to have your own ideas, with reasons behind them, and to be able to present them persuasively, not only to people outside of the company, but also to the people here.