Luke Motomura

Looking 10 Years Into the Future and Proposing Solutions

I decided to join Macnica because I wanted to contribute to society with cutting-edge technology. This year marks my fourth year at the company, and since then I have been in charge of supporting customers with world-class products as a sales representative for the cybersecurity business. In my first and second years, I mainly supported government agencies and local governments in preventing the leakage of confidential information, and from my third year, I also took on the role of PM (product manager), and as a team leader, I also negotiate prices with suppliers and adjust delivery dates. In addition, I also serve as a sales representative for the account team, which proposes the most suitable products from among those handled by Macnica based on the customer's issues, regardless of the specific product.

Needless to say, the damage caused by the leakage of national secret information and personal information held by governments and companies is enormous. Cyber-attacks that attempt to infiltrate systems and steal confidential information are becoming more complex and sophisticated day by day, and the damage they cause has become a social problem. Since I am in charge of a government agency that has a great influence on the entire country, I am in a position to propose very important data security products, and I have a social responsibility and a sense of mission to work with customers. We work collaboratively.

Our job requires understanding "where the customer is aiming for in the long term". Instead of focusing only on the immediate issues that our customers are currently facing, what kind of long-term goals are we aiming for in the future, 3, 5, or 10 years from now? As a security professional, we are proposing solutions based on thorough coordination. Our true mission is not to solve immediate problems, but to protect customer information from threats over the long term.

Aim to Be a Good Listener, Not a Good Talker

Macnica is a trading company, not a manufacturer. I am in a position to provide customers with products developed by supplier manufacturers. Naturally, there may be customers who want to do business with the supplier manufacturer who is most knowledgeable about the product. For this reason, I always conduct my sales activities with the goal of making customers feel the `` Macnica Value.'' Macnica possesses a variety of cutting-edge products thanks to its unique discerning abilities and connections that differ from other companies. We purchase security products that encrypt data, cloud-based ID management/integrated authentication software, endpoint protection platforms, etc. from manufacturers in the United States and Israel, and are able to comprehensively propose a variety of solutions. Additionally, Macnica employs a large number of highly skilled professionals and is able to provide high-quality technical support. By clearly demonstrating these values to our customers, we help them feel the benefits of purchasing from us.

In addition, in order to properly appeal to customers with Macnica 's solutions and technological capabilities, we place importance on ``understanding the customer's business flow.'' In order to present effective solutions, we first need to understand in detail what kind of work our customers do on a daily basis and what kind of flow they follow. There are issues that can only be seen by understanding the customer's internal situation at the same level as the customer, and it is possible to discover latent needs that the customer is not aware of. What is required of us in sales is to be a good listener rather than a good talker. Therefore, we have many meetings with many customers and thoroughly listen to their business flow.

The More You Feel Growing Pains, the More You Can Challenge Yourself

Macnica is a company that allows young employees to take on various challenges. The most challenging experience was something I experienced half a year after joining the company. Macnica has been providing products directly through system integrators, which are business partners, as we anticipate new and even larger business for customers with extremely large sales volume. We decided to try to increase our business by approaching our customers. And the person who was selected to be in charge of sales was none other than me. At the time, I felt an unusual amount of pressure, thinking that my activities would have a huge impact on the team because the potential business opportunity for that customer was so large.

When we actually started our sales activities, we realized that we had not been able to build a relationship of trust between Macnica and our customers because up until then, our business partners had been working directly with customers. No matter how hard I tried to find a clue, I couldn't get a chance to meet customers directly, and I was forced into a constant state of psychological stress. However, as we continued our sales activities steadily without giving up, we were able to build a relationship with a key person who was considering security products. With his help, we planned and held a study session on security solutions, and on the day, many people from other departments participated, making it a great success. Through the connections I gained there, I was able to meet customers from various departments, and as a result, I was able to triple my sales compared to before I took charge. At the time, the environment was very demanding and it was really difficult, but looking back now, I feel that it was the ``growing pains'' that I needed.