Sales (Semiconductor)

First of all, what made you decide to join Macnica?

It all started when I attended a career forum in Shanghai, where I was studying abroad. When I visited Macnica booth, I was intrigued by the enthusiasm with which the human resources staff spoke. It was also impressive that he clearly said, `` Macnica is a company with many proactive people.In other words, people with a negative mindset or those who lack independence are not suitable for the company.'' It was also impressive.

Many of Macnica 's employees are passionate, but the human resources department is especially amazing. What made you decide to join Macnica?

This is because I felt that Macnica was the company where I could grow the most. Macnica provides an environment where you can be entrusted with big tasks from a young age, and I was able to try a variety of things immediately after joining the company, which I thought matched the career I had envisioned. I still remember that the pamphlet said, ``We are growing three times faster than other companies'' (lol).

The team that Aikawa-san belongs to is particularly challenging. Aikawa-san's growth rate may be 5 times faster than 3 times.

I'm humbled (lol). Mr. Nakade, why did you join Macnica?

There are two reasons why I decided to join Macnica. The first is because I was attracted to the people. All of Macnica employees I met during my job search were passionate and warm. I honestly thought, "I want to work with people like this," and "I want to be like that someday!"

When working as a member of society, ``who you work with'' is just as important as ``what you do.'' I also decided to join Macnica because I was drawn to the enthusiasm of my senior employees, so I understand how Mr. Nakade feels. Another reason?

The other reason is that you can get a fair evaluation. Since Macnica is an independent trading company, there are no personnel appointments from the parent company, and the people who are evaluated are all excellent people who have achieved results in their work. I believed that if I worked hard and produced results, I would be evaluated accordingly.

At Macnica, a person's accomplishments, abilities, and attitude towards work are thoroughly evaluated. Also, because it is such a fair company, I feel that we have created an environment where all employees can work comfortably.

Mr. Aikawa has been with the company for 4 years, and Mr. Nakade has been with the company for 9 years.

I find it rewarding to "create demand" by digging deep into the latent needs of our customers. Our work begins with proposing cutting-edge technology to our customers, but at first, there are many cases where they are not interested and listen to what we have to say. Without giving up, I listen to the customer's current situation, appeal the value of adopting the products that we can provide, and when the negotiation is finally closed, I feel a great sense of accomplishment.

It often happens that the customers themselves do not feel that there are any major issues with the current situation, so they do not listen to our proposals. Even under these circumstances, if we get close to our customers and listen deeply to various issues, we often find that there are many problems that can be improved and solved using the cutting-edge technology that Macnica handles. It's not just a matter of making a proposal, it's really important to ``create demand'', and when you can do that, the customer will be very grateful, which makes it very rewarding.

Even if our proposal is rejected, if we make a good proposal that is close to the customer, we will be able to gain their trust as a sales person. Building a relationship of trust with customers will lead to future business opportunities, so I find it very rewarding to build strong relationships with customers. Therefore, we are working hard every day without cutting corners, aiming to be a business that customers can consult at any time.

I think you both understand very well that building a good relationship of trust with customers is easier said than done, and it takes constant effort to become a company that customers can rely on.

Mr. Ohta, you've been with Macnica for 20 years now, so I imagine you've had a lot of different experiences. Have you had many rewarding experiences up until now?

I agree. Until now, I have experienced both customer sales and supplier sales, but I wonder if there were different rewards for each. When I was in charge of customer service, when a device equipped with the product I sold was put on the market, I felt that I had done a job that would contribute to the development of society.

I have been in charge of customer service since joining the company, so I understand how you feel. Especially in the semiconductor business, it takes a long time after the customer decides to use the product, we develop prototypes of the equipment many times, and it takes a long time to actually move to the mass production system. right.

It is a characteristic of the semiconductor business that it takes time to lead to sales. Sales are important, but semiconductors are indispensable for machines and devices. The pride of supporting and contributing to the foundation of society is also connected to my work motivation.

When you were in charge of sales for suppliers, when did you find it rewarding?

There are times when the customer's demand for product prices, support conditions, etc. is high, and in order to win business, the supplier sales representative must conduct tough negotiations with overseas supplier manufacturers. As a result of that negotiation, I felt rewarding when I won the business! In order to conclude negotiations, it is important to understand market trends and competition by asking, “If we win this business, what will be the benefits for the supplier manufacturer?” It is necessary to explain logically while presenting information of other companies. Gathering information before negotiations and making a presentation on the day of the meeting are extremely important, but as a result of my hard work in preparation, the supplier manufacturer also accepted my request, and the joy of winning the business in the end is exceptional.

I will do my best to become a sales person with negotiating power like Mr. Ota!

Concluding negotiations and closing business leads to good results not only for Macnica, but also for suppliers and customers, so it is a great benefit for a trading company!