My hometown is Hiroshima, and I couldn't study at all and didn't have anything I wanted to do. I joined the company as a fresh graduate from a university in Hiroshima as an intern, and have been working in sales ever since.
I wasn't very dissatisfied with the company itself, and there were some excellent people there, but I just felt that it would be very difficult to be a route salesman for the next 20 to 30 years in an environment with a seniority system. After about two years, I quit and moved to New Zealand.
I used to snowboard as a hobby, but I was feeling limited because I couldn't do it in the summer in Japan and the season was so short. But that means that if I went to the other side of the globe every six months, maybe I could snowboard all year round? ** I thought. It was an auspicious day for me, and I jumped right in.
However, when I try to return home, I have no money. I went to a language school and studied English in the mornings and snowboarded in the afternoons, and although I had a home stay while I was attending school, I was lost as soon as I graduated. It was really hard at this time.
It took me about a month to finally get a job, and I was working at a souvenir shop owned by Ohashi Kosen. I didn't think it was fun, but I was working hard to save money.
! Forest in a snowy mountain in New Zealand](NZ.jpg)
Because of my experience at my first company, I had a preconceived notion that I didn't want to work for a Japanese company... I had a preconceived notion that I didn't want to work for a Japanese company. Also, I went to New Zealand without being able to speak English, but I decided to study English in the Philippines for a couple of months because I thought I was not good enough to use it for work. Later, I got a job at a foreign sales company.
In the beginning, I worked at a local branch, and after achieving some results, I was transferred to the head office in Tokyo. My parents always told me that I should definitely go to Tokyo at least once because it's completely different from Hiroshima.
But I was always thinking, "How can I be the best in the world...? By spending one day at a time thinking about that, I was able to achieve a certain amount of results and gain confidence.
As soon as a company's performance deteriorates, people are dispatched from overseas and it becomes increasingly difficult to move. I was getting used to it to some extent, and I was getting results, but I was feeling my limits.
In the midst of all this, I happened to have a chance to talk to Hirata through my boss. Actually, I have a dream of opening an okonomiyaki restaurant in the future. When I mentioned this in front of Hirata, I was confronted by the whole thing (laughs).
I'll give you 10 million yen right now so you can do it. Why don't you do it? **".
I thought, "That's a lot of people coming to meet you for the first time... But on the other hand, it was too much like you said, and I thought that maybe this would be a new place of training for my naive self, so I said "I'm going" right then and there.
At the time, I had no idea what Repro was doing (laughs).
!
It was really hard at first. It was so hard. It was a company of about 30 people at the time, but there was no education system. You don't know anything about digital marketing, you don't even know the words that are flying around, and you have to think and study from a zero base to get results. It was tough.
But even here, I responded by constantly thinking and covering the areas where I was lacking with the "amount of action". **I'm sure there are great people in every industry, but I think the only way to win is to take action. **
You're practicing keep doing what you take for granted. If you go into another industry like yourself and you're unsure, first of all you have to thoroughly pucker it up, etc.
For example, I asked them to record all of Hirata's business negotiations and input and output word for word. From there, I add arrangements while watching the client's reaction, and gradually make them my own. That's something that I still continue to do.
In order to beat someone who is better than you, you only have to work many times harder than that person.
It's been about three years since I joined the company, but I think the number of people has increased and the environment has changed a lot. In addition, as a business, we have increased the number of products we offer, which has broadened the value we offer to our clients.
At the time, we were fighting in the field of so-called app marketing, such as app SDKs and operational support, but now we are able to make proposals to the web and game industries, as well as advertising operations. On the one hand, I am able to make really valuable proposals to clients, but on the other hand, I find it hard and interesting that I have to learn so much.
Yes, that's right. **Since we are not selling things, the best part of the job is that we are able to make solid proposals for each client's issues, which is the most challenging part of the job.
If you can provide solutions to clients who are professionals in the field of marketing, rather than just changing jobs on the salary you're getting now, you'll definitely increase your market value.
I think that Repro is the best environment if you want to train with that much in mind.
We don't sell tangible things. In the end, by using Repro, our clients' services will grow. Every day, I am conscious that I am being compensated for this value.
I think Client first is "How can we develop the client's business and service itself, how can we see it as our own".
I would be happy if the client's service grows by using Repro, and I would like the client's business as a whole to grow by doing so.
**Ultimately, it would be great if the business grows to the point where the salary of the person in charge of the decision to introduce Repro goes up. I have always thought so.
It may not be possible to accomplish this with sales alone, but for example, when the person changes jobs, by writing in their resume that they used **Repro, they will be evaluated by the company. I want to create a worldview like that.
In addition, when I sell with this kind of thinking in mind, some of my clients share my feelings and sometimes refer me to other companies.
I think it's ultimate that introductions occur naturally.
For example, if you introduce a friend to a restaurant, what? Over there... Wouldn't you hate it if that happens? Since the introduction is fraught with risk, I don't do it voluntarily unless it's very bad. However, if people really understand and empathize with you, you'll get more referrals. It's something I'm thankful for, and it's something I want to aim for.
When I was in my previous job, I would do sales with a stance of only chasing numbers, and as a result, clients would scream. As a company, if we can raise the numbers, we will be appreciated, but we can't help but feel unsettled.
But even under these circumstances, more than half of the clients responded to the greeting email I sent to them when I left the company. "Thank you" or "What's next? and so on. Some people even said, "I don't know what you're going to do, but if it's your business, I'll sign it without even looking at the application form. In that moment, I realized once again the importance of connection.
Repro is a group of people who are serious about doing those things. Starting with Representative Hirata, the business and engineering sides of the company are all. Even when I go to the sales floor, the company's reputation from clients is extremely high. It's the complete opposite of my previous job, and I think it's a unique quality that is unique to Repro.
As the organization has grown, so has sales at Repro. **If sales can't provide value to the client, the product and CS will all go to waste.
The more products we sell, the more we need to be aware of how we can broaden the range of proposals and increase the speed of those proposals as a sales team.
If we don't do it one by one, we'll be poor in terms of dexterity.
**This is a place where you can only experience what you can do now, isn't it? There are probably only a handful of people in the world who can really experience it.
It's interesting to expand the business as a phase, and the root of it is the best product called Repro. It's a great mix of engineers, a supportive back office, a post-contract support CS and operations support team, and a lot of other great people.
**It's a great environment and product, and if you work hard, you will be able to compete not only in Japan, but also in the world. **
**If you work hard and produce results in this fast-paced environment with excellent colleagues, it will surely lead to your own growth, which will surely increase your market value. **
There's no reason not to do it anymore (laughs).
I would like to work with someone who is always thinking on their own and developing their own path. Even if you do have an accident, it's not a problem at all, and it's far better to make a mistake quickly than to stop and think about it.
There are two types of sales positions at Repro, but for solution sales, the best candidate is someone who has sold SaaS tools, but who has basic sales skills, can properly interview clients, clarify their needs, and make proposals that meet their needs. I'd like to work with someone who is honestly willing to work hard to make the best offer for their clients.
Also, post-sales has, in a word, unusually high communication skills. You must be able to build a good relationship with the client while always keeping in touch with them and catching up on the current situation, goals, issues and causes. Because it's important to guide them to the right solution for their ever-changing client challenges.
Personally, I'm still learning, but I want to make the sales team the best it can be, so join us at Repro and work for the rest of your life! I don't want to say that, but if you write on your resume that you worked in sales at **Repro, you'll be like, "Hey, you got a great hire! I'd like to create a team that people will think, "Oh, my God!
Once each sales person's individual power is enhanced, I want to transfer more and more authority and create situations where I don't need it as soon as possible. I want to try overseas as an individual, and I'm sure I can still make more in-depth proposals to clients.
That's how I want to keep blazing new trails. There's no shortage of things to try.
Reported and written by: Ryo Haraguchi
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