Category: Column (e.g. in newspaper)

Introduction of daily columns by our advisor, Teruo Ichiki

Preparation is essential to making a job successful.

When I was young, I was a poor salesman. I moved from one section to another, and finally I was assigned to a cut-and-sew company where I was known as the devil’s section chief. I was in a state of self-doubt.
I was in a state of self-doubt and was told, “Go to the cut-and-sew factory in Yoshino, Nara, for training! I was told.

From morning till night, I ironed and visited subcontractors, where the factory manager would often say, “Eight minutes for set-up! If you reply to a sample confirmation like that, the arrangements will go awry! We can’t guarantee delivery time!
Our sewing work is all set up and done in eight minutes! Your section chief doesn’t understand how a factory works! He would often yell at us, “Eight minutes for setup.
He would often yell at us, “Arrangement is the eighth part of the work.
Arrangements mean preparation in advance. Work does not start without arrangements.

When I was not doing well in sales, I was often told by my seniors, “It is important to put in the root of the problem.
You need to lay the groundwork with your clients, with your suppliers, with your bosses, and with many other places in order to get the job done right.
The term “laying the groundwork” was also created because of how much “advance preparation” is necessary. The word “nezawashi” was born from the fact that successful transplanting of a tree requires digging around the tree, cutting most of the roots except for the main roots, and allowing hairy roots to grow out of the cut areas before transplanting the tree.

Professional craftsmen of the past knew how important advance preparation was, and so the term was born.
I think it is safe to say that in all of our jobs, not just sales, there is no such thing as a job that is done haphazardly.

When proposing a project, we need to be able to predict what sold or did not sell last year, what the current situation is for this fall/winter season, and what kind of products will be in high demand for the next summer collection, otherwise our business negotiations with our clients will be out of focus.

In business negotiations with customers, you have to read what they want.
You need to find out what they are feeling inconvenienced about and what they want from us, and then narrow down the list of what they want. If you talk on and on about something they do not want, the customer will get fed up and label you as someone who cannot read the air. The next business meeting will not move forward.

It is difficult to predict what the other party will request without careful preparation.

I was often told by former advisor T that Mr. Y, who was called the mirror of sales at the time, was a great reader.
When a customer said, “I don’t know what I want,” he would say, “This and this should be the products you want,” and the customer would say, “I see! and they bought them, and the products sold well. The customer naturally becomes Mr. Y’s fan, and the next business meeting goes much smoother.

I think the reason why this happens is because Mr. Y has been studying hard to find out what products are selling well in the market, what products will sell well in the future, and what products will sell well in this kind of sales space but not at this kind of price. He then considered the customer’s sales route and gave appropriate advice. That’s why it’s incredible that I know the products they want better than they do. I knew them better than they knew themselves, because I had prepared well in advance.

Sometimes a casual remark can upset the other person.

For example, a customer may say, “Your product is so good that if I buy it and copy it, it will sell well elsewhere,” without knowing that the company even publishes a notice in the newspaper saying that “copying products is a crime. What if he said something flattering and optimistic like, “Your products are great, and if I buy and copy them, they will sell well elsewhere. That statement alone would probably lead to a suspension of business.

Know what kind of company you are dealing with, provide them with information that they will find attractive, recommend products that they will want, and propose plans that will stimulate their interest. I think these are the basics.

If the business meeting does not go well, you leave the meeting early and go on to the next topic of conversation or to the next request. We start preparing for the next step. The courage and wisdom to narrow down the list will be the key to success in planning and sales, and if all we do is explain our planned products, we are no better than an order taker.

Introduction of daily columns by our advisor, Teruo Ichiki

I recently had the opportunity to meet and speak with the chairman of a well-known company at an event.

He was very friendly and I ended up being very prolific. When the conversation was over, I felt very good. Later, when I asked people who knew him well about his reputation, they unanimously gave him high marks. We all discussed the reason for this and came to the conclusion that he is a “good listener. It was a moment that made me realize how important it is to be a good listener.

It may be common to think that in a business meeting, you have to talk anyway because you have to explain your product and why it will sell. However, I believe that listening is more important than talking. First of all, I think it is necessary to find out what the other person is requesting. To do this, it is important to be a good listener. Once you become a good listener and know what they want, you can focus your conversation on that product. So how do you become a good listener?
If you want people to hate you, you can certainly make them hate you by doing the following

１） Never listen to the other person for too long.
２） Talks only about himself from beginning to end.
３） When he has something to say, he does not hesitate to interrupt the other person in the middle of his speech.

They are people who are intoxicated with ego and think they are the only ones who are great. I am sure you have all met people like that.
To be a good listener, you need to do the opposite.

１） Listen carefully and with interest to what the other person has to say
２） Let the other person do the talking and talk sparingly yourself.
３） Timely timing and phasing make it easy for the other person to speak in a rhythmic manner.

This will make the other party feel comfortable to talk with you, and you will be able to hear their true feelings, which will make the business meeting go smoothly. This will make them feel good about you, and you will become a very good person to them.
Do you know the term “Edo shigusa”?
It is said to be the wisdom of Edo merchants for good communication.
The “Edo shigusa” means to be a good listener.

Do not cross your legs in public. Do not fold your arms.
Listen to them by looking them in the eye and leaning forward.
I’ll minister to you at the point of view.
Even if I know some of the story, I don’t say “I know”.
If you look interested and urge them to go ahead and talk.
An unexpected harvest is inevitable.

It was written. Edo wisdom is a stone’s throw, isn’t it?
The basic techniques of a good listener are actions (mainly questions) and reactions (aizuchi/expressions/movements, etc.) to what the other person says.　If the other person does not start talking, you can ask him or her questions.　　If the other person starts to speak, you can react to what he or she says. You can do this by using your “aizuchi” (a Japanese word that means “to strike a chord” in Japanese) and matching your facial expressions and actions to it.　The following are some examples of aids.

・affirmative　：「Yes,” “hum-hum,” “hmm,” “hi,” “I see,” “I see,” “I see,” ….
・ask the leading question ：Then what? And then what? What happened? What do you mean? What do you mean? Ask deeply: “Why? What’s going on? What do you think? ….
・approval　　：I think so,” “That’s good,” “I think so too.” …
・surprise　　：I can’t believe it”, “I can’t believe it”, “I didn’t know that was possible”….
・praise　：”Wow,” “great job,” “you’re good,” “good job,” “good job.
・blessing　　：I am happy for you,” “Congratulations,” “I am happy for you,” and so on.

I too tend to talk too much, and I am constantly reminded of it, but I think the key to being liked by others is to be a good listener rather than a good talker.
As I am sure you have experienced, people who always take the time to listen to you will be an indispensable person for you.
Most of us are comfortable talking, so the only way to become a good listener is to work on it. Let’s both do our best!

Introduction of daily columns by our advisor, Teruo Ichiki

※ The “Company” in the text refers to the former employer of our advisor

During a business trip to Shanghai, the director of a Japanese-affiliated inspection company in China (an alumnus of our company) said to me, “Your employees are not able to greet each other,Someone makes eye contact and doesn’t say hello.”I was told. The Chinese employees of this Japanese-affiliated inspection company are very thorough in greeting customers in a pleasant manner, so they told me, “I feel quite uncomfortable when I see your company’s greeting. No matter what their position is, from the customer’s point of view, they are all employees of our company. Whether they are our clients or suppliers, they are important customers, and I think it is important to express our gratitude in our greetings and make them feel comfortable in conducting business negotiations.

When you go to a company that has a greeting that you think is refreshing, you get the impression that the company is well established and educated.

The more our company’s performance improves, the more we receive backlash for being too cocky when we neglect our greetings and manners.

Customers, especially those in the retail business, are trained by their employees to respond to consumers with sincerity, so they may feel uncomfortable with salespeople who cannot even greet them adequately.

It is natural for a sophisticated member of society to have good greetings and manners.

Although this is a theme that has been said many times before, it is one that is often forgotten and easily faded away. A long time ago, one of our employees was detained by Chinese public security authorities in China. Today, when overseas business trips have become the norm, can we say that a recurrence of such an incident is unlikely?

I would like to make efforts so that wherever and whenever I meet our company’s employees, they will be known for their excellent greetings and manners, good business performance, and excellent human resource training.
Is the morning greeting energetic and proper?→When I warn them that they are not doing it, they say, “I am doing it. From my point of view, that is not a greeting. It is just a mumble looking the other way. Look them in the eye and greet them loudly and clearly! 

Are they polite and courteous to customers with a smile, or do they treat customers in an arrogant or ungracious manner?、→I once flew to Tokyo because a customer was angry with me, saying, “Your sales person is trying to have a business meeting while chewing gum. When I asked him about it, he told me that he had chewed gum during the waiting time because it would be rude if he smelled bad at the business meeting after eating ramen noodles. The gum chewing must have seemed very arrogant.

Is the agency prompt and neat?→On the way back from Shanghai, I called the company before boarding but was told to wait a moment. I called the company before boarding the flight, but they just said wait a minute.

I believe that a proper attitude toward work is only possible when there is a spiritual soil of politeness appropriate for a member of society, and that a person who is not sincere toward others cannot be sincere only in his/her work.

I believe that good communication is necessary in any workplace or work area, and that it is only through good communication that the power of an organization can be demonstrated.

The basics of communication are greetings and good manners.

It is important for us to pay attention to each other in our daily work life to improve this work, and I hope that we will take the initiative in striving to improve public morale.

Introduction of daily columns by our advisor, Teruo Ichiki

There are always going to be complaints because you are in business.
Needles, poor quality, late delivery, slow replies, bad attitude, and any number of product OEM jobs have the potential for complaints. Therefore, we must be meticulous in our work to prevent complaints from occurring, but if a complaint does occur, we have no choice.
We should aim to minimize the damage and, as they say, “when it rains, the ground hardens,” so we should aim to overcome the complaints and build a stronger relationship of trust.

When I was at Company T, I received a complaint about color fading from Company W’s storefront. The customer was very angry and wanted me to go with him. the general manager of company W repeatedly told me, “I don’t want you to make any excuses, just bow down.

The product was color-faded colored jeans that were labeled as color-faded, so I felt unconvinced, but it was a request from an important client, so I went along with the person in charge.
I went to a coffee shop near the storefront where we were to meet, and there was a person who looked like a typical thick-skinned Osaka woman. She told me, “The color of my pants had transferred to the tote bag that my beloved grandfather had bought for me. The person in charge at Company W apologized in a low, flat tone of voice.
Eventually, when the customer’s anger had subsided, he said, “I am truly sorry, and I apologize for the inconvenience. This is just a token of our apology. I’m not asking for these things, I’m complaining about your slow reply and poor response. I understand. I know you won’t forgive me for this, but I would be happy if you could use it,” the W Company representative said with a bow, and the lady smiled and said, “I’m sorry to get such a cute product from you, but I want you to do well because my daughter loves this brand. Please do me a favor,” she said, and after a lot of bragging about her daughter, she left the coffee shop in a good mood.
I thought she was a kind of complainer, but then I realized that retailing is a tough business.

What this case shows is thatTo expedite the initial action of the claim.、Listen to complaints politely and in good faith.is that it is important to

The truth is that the storefront could have ended the situation with just a quick response, but because of the lack of a quick response, they wanted the person responsible to come out and apologize directly to the consumer, with the general manager of Company W and the manager of the manufacturer’s section going out and apologizing directly to the consumer. That and an immediate investigation of the facts. In my experience, in the cases where needles were issued, there were many misunderstandings by the consumers and also misunderstandings by the clients.

The following is the Chief’s response.

１） Understand their feelings and listen carefully and politely to their complaints well.
２） Check the facts about what is at stake.
３） Provide a solution to the problem with an alternative proposal for the product.
４） Apologize and thank both the manufacturer and the customer for the complaint.

If a claim is madeFirst, an apology.Do. What they have to say.After listening carefully until the end of the story.、It is important to explain our circumstances.

While the occurrence of a complaint is unfortunate, sincere efforts to deal with complaints can lead to a stronger relationship of trust and increased business than before the complaint occurred.
Rather than avoiding complaints, I believe that they are an opportunity to train yourself, and that you should look at the problem head on and do your best to address it.

If a client is making unreasonable demands, you must consider why they are making unreasonable demands. If your boss is asking you to “get a discount,” no matter how reasonable you may be, a zero answer will cause the conversation to become vexed, so you need to find a way to settle the matter.
However, we should take a firm stand against the one-sided unreasonable demands of the person in charge of the client in order to make a profit.

Although the company has already gone bankrupt, I have had the bitter experience of being confronted with a claim for triple the contract amount for a one-month delay in delivery, and due to my poor response, the president of the client requested a meeting directly with the honorary chairman, and the honorary chairman of Company T accepted the entire claim.
Although I received an outrageous claim, you should not respond in a way that goes far beyond socially accepted norms. An outrageous claim means suspension of business. Many customers wish to continue doing business with us, so we often do not receive that many complaints. The president, who went bankrupt about a year after this claim, was in financial trouble and took advantage of the delayed delivery date to bite the honorary president in the spirit of “biting the cat that bites the mouse.

Making and selling things is a very risky business. I was also reminded that selling to a company with poor financial condition is an extremely high-risk business.

Another important aspect of claims is to report, communicate, and consult (hōrensō) within the company. Especially when there is a bad story, the company needs to promptly communicate with the customer.
Napoleon said, “Good stories are fine the next morning, but bad ones knock me out.”He said. It’s hard to talk to your boss about something that grates on your ears, but your boss wants to hear the bad news as soon as possible.

On August 13, Mr. T, a former senior employee of mine whom I respected very much, passed away.
Because I have fond memories of him, I feel a great sense of loss that I will never see him again.
I feel sad that I will never see his smile again.

We used to play golf together.
He usually liked jokes and puns, and we had a great time playing golf together.
He would say, “Ichigo-kun, there’s a pond! There’s a pond there! Do you understand?”
When I put the ball in the pond, he laughed so happily that even I, who was supposed to be frustrated because I put the ball in the pond, couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

He was usually a pleasant person, but I think he was a man of uncompromising conviction in his work,
I did not have much time to work with him, but I heard a lot about him.

This is an episode from when he had just become a section manager.

The episode featured a friend of mine, Mr. Y, with whom I often play golf now.

Y, who was still in his mid-20s, was in charge of Gifu in the fabric department. He was noted among young salespeople as the best seller of Mrs. Y’s products. However, the section he belonged to was not making money. This was because they were selling Mrs.’s materials at a low price in the face of competition.
Unprofitable sections were either shut down or replaced by new section managers.
The new section manager, Mr. T, came in and planned a new product that was a little younger than the traditional Mrs.’s material, and tried to get everyone to sell it at this price. However, Y, who was in charge of Gifu, had only Gifu’s Mrs. customers, so she complained, saying, “This kind of product will not sell. The new section chief says, “Only you don’t have to sell it!” and becomes somewhat emotional.
The rebellious Y, perhaps frustrated at being told she did not have to sell, desperately searches in Gifu for a client who will buy the new, slightly younger product.
Soon it is Y who sells the most of the new product.
The new manager praised Y and told him the cost of the new product. The profit margin was incomparably higher than before.
The new manager was impressed by the new product and learned the secret of business. He then decided that he wanted to sell his products in Tokyo, and eventually became involved in product planning and began to instruct his seniors in planning and sales, even though he was still a young man. The surprisingly ambitious Y one day becomes executive director, and the new section chief becomes vice president, creating a golden age for the fabrics department.
I believe it was the “spirit and persistence” of these people that led to Company T’s fabrics being said to be the sole winner.
The new section manager, Mr. T, with his “grit and determination” to turn an unprofitable group into a profitable group. Inspired by his determination, he told me, “You don’t have to sell.” Young man Y, with his rebellious spirit and persistence, said, “I’m going to sell it, no matter what it takes.

Looking back on my time at Company T, there were many people with “grit and tenacity. In particular, I think that almost all section managers had spirit and persistence.
Perhaps it would be more correct to say that they were compelled to have them.
The times were different, and most of the executives at that time were high school graduates who had worked their way up, although there were some university graduates as well,
It seems to me that the executives who graduated from high school were more talented.
It might be better to say, “Management is not about academic background, but about grit and persistence.
But why were there so many people with “grit and persistence” at Company T?

I think one of the reasons was the management’s belief that “competition nurtures human resources.

At that time, we had the Nagoya head office and the Osaka branch compete with each other, consciously making them do the same products to compete.
There was a similar section in the Osaka branch office, and we had them compete with the section.
Every month, sales targets and results for all salespeople are distributed to all sections, and
Once a half year, a sales performance chart ranked from No. 1 to No. 200 is distributed to all sections.
Of course, the results of each section were distributed monthly to the entire company, and the results of Nagoya were also distributed monthly, which stimulated me.
If the performance was bad, as a matter of course, we had to explain why it was bad and how we could make it better,
I had to explain why it was bad and how we could make it better.

Management would stimulate the section managers by raising the commonalities between good sections and bad sections.
In any case, there is a climate of competition in the company, whether it is positive or negative,
There was an atmosphere that forced us to be obsessive about numbers.
Some salespeople work hard under this tension and grow, while others drop out.
I think it is true that competition encourages friendly rivalry among employees and fosters human resources with “spirit and persistence.
The other was a divisional independent accounting system.

This system was based on the idea that each division was responsible for completing everything.
Of course, purchases and sales were made by each division, but expenses were allocated to each division, not only the expenses of the division, but also the non-operating expenses.
Location fees are also allocated based on how much space is used by the section, and interest is also allocated.
This was a system of independent accounting by section so that the performance of each section was clearly reflected in the performance of the company.
The section manager’s authority increases, but so does his/her responsibility.
It is the section manager’s responsibility if a section member’s performance is poor, and it is also the section manager’s responsibility if expenses and interest rates increase.
The system was such that it was impossible to say that it was the department head’s fault or the staff member’s fault if things did not go well; it was the staff member’s fault.
Under this system, bonuses were paid according to semiannual performance results.
Some people received a lot of bonuses, while others received zero (0).
Naturally, section managers had to work hard to increase sales, increase profit margins, and reduce expenses.
If the section manager becomes desperate, the section members will also become desperate. A group of “spirit and persistence” will naturally be formed.
I was taught the importance of spirit and perseverance by my late senior Mr. T.
I learned the importance of spirit and persistence from my late senior Mr. T. Thank you very much!

Mr. Ichigori-kun! There is heaven and there is hell! Do you understand?

Yes, I understand, but a little later …..