[Sales] Steady growth even for those with a liberal arts background! Supported by professionals in various fields

Our sales job is to import products from suppliers around the world and sell them to Japanese chemical manufacturers, agricultural chemical manufacturers, and oil companies. In the Production Materials Division, which handles pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, and chemicals, I am mainly in charge of fine chemical electronic materials, agricultural chemical raw materials, and catalysts and adsorbents used in oil refining. I am in charge of about 40 clients of this type, and I search for and introduce the products they are looking for from various countries.
 
At first, I was very worried about whether I would be able to keep up as I have a liberal arts background, but my seniors supported me step by step from the basics, and the training was also comprehensive, so I gradually acquired knowledge. I started working in sales in my second year at the company, and with the support of my seniors, I was in charge of customers with large transaction volumes from the beginning, which gave me a sense of responsibility and fulfillment. I gained experience by communicating with overseas suppliers via email and online meetings, and when suppliers came to Japan, I also served as an interpreter to introduce them to Japanese customers. By my fourth year, I had grown to the point where I could directly negotiate with my superiors if I wanted to visit overseas suppliers.
 
The destination where my boss agreed to go on the business trip was a Korean supplier that makes organic photoconductor materials used in printers. Since they didn't talk in detail online about the current situation of the company or the changes that had occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to meet them in person to get a sense of their enthusiasm. When we met in person, they spoke openly and we were able to get to know each other well, which raised the enthusiasm of both the supplier and us.
 
My future goal is to actively travel to other countries to expand my network and create a business from scratch. I would like to be able to find suppliers who are developing interesting products and introduce them to new customers. As I have noticed a significant increase in environmental awareness in my work, I would like to learn more about chemicals and petroleum product alternatives with less environmental impact in order to meet the changing needs of our customers. One of the attractions of our sales team is that we have a supportive team. Sales support is responsible for document preparation and inventory management, logistics is responsible for arranging transportation such as ships and planes and warehousing, and compliance is responsible for checking regulations. With the support of professionals from each department, sales can focus on business negotiations as a customer service representative.

[Logistics] In charge of steering import projects. Aiming to become a professional in international logistics

Our job as a logistics company is to manage the entire international logistics process, from receiving cargo shipped from overseas through customs clearance in Japan to delivering it to warehouses or customers. I am in charge of pharmaceutical and chemical logistics. Of the cases ordered by the sales staff on my team, I manage about 40 cases per month that are contracted under Incoterms (trade terms) for which our company arranges the import.
 
Shipping by ship is cheaper, so if we want to import a large amount, we arrange for a ship, but if delivery deadlines are a priority, we switch to air. This will allow the goods to arrive sooner, but the shipping fee will be higher, so we obtain information on the price and delivery date early, communicate it to the sales representative, and have them confirm and adjust with the customer as we proceed. Things have calmed down now, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of chaos in global logistics. I was in charge of importing chemicals purchased from an American supplier, but due to a labor shortage, it was difficult to arrange trucks. We considered switching to air, but the shipping fee would be even higher since it would arrive sooner. The longer it took, the later it would arrive, so while the sales staff negotiated with the customer, I kept in close contact with the freight forwarder who acted as an intermediary between the supplier and the transport company, and proceeded with what we could. I also frequently checked the news to understand the situation, and made adjustments in consultation with the sales staff. When the goods finally arrived in Japan, I was truly relieved and thought, "It's finally here."

Recently, I have been in charge of some food products as well. Only chemical products approved by the Chemical Substances Control Law (Law on the Examination and Regulation of Manufacture, etc. of Chemical Substances) can be imported. Once the Compliance Department has checked against this law and given the OK, we prepare the documents to be submitted to customs. In this regard, with food, the things you need to prepare vary depending on the country you are importing from, for example radiation data is required, so I have to study from scratch. If I can learn about the laws and regulations regarding the import of food in addition to pharmaceuticals and chemicals, I think I will be able to handle all the products that our company handles, so I would like to learn each one one by one.

[Sales Support] We are focusing on creating a system for properly managing a huge number of products.

The job of the sales support team is to provide administrative support to the sales staff who both purchase from suppliers and sell to customers. When receiving an order, we manage delivery information and input and output it on the system, manage inventory, and purchase products from suppliers if there are shortages. In many cases, we import products from suppliers after receiving an order and ship them directly to customers, but there are also over 100 items that are in high demand and are always stocked in domestic warehouses.
 
The difficult part is that the food and beverage products I am in charge of are directly linked to consumer spending trends, and the order quantity changes depending on the trend of the year. We need to select products that are in demand in advance and secure the quantity in the warehouse, so we need the ability to "read ahead." Now, due to the impact of COVID-19, there are large fluctuations, so we are still not used to unexpected trends and often have to place orders in a hurry. But that's why I feel a sense of accomplishment when my predictions come true and the products I prepared in advance come out, or when I receive a short-term order from a customer who says "I really need it urgently" and negotiate with the supplier to make it in time. Since my clients are confectionery companies and food manufacturers, I also feel a sense of accomplishment when I see the products turned into products and lined up on store shelves.
 
The most interesting part of my job is when I think about how the four-person sales support team can utilize their teamwork and make work go smoothly. If we create work that only one person can do, the work will not get done, so we do not appoint a leader, share work content as much as possible, and everyone does what they can when they have free time. However, since each person has a different personality and way of thinking, and there are various ways of management, we created a system to share information using Excel sheets, rotate main tasks, and share information verbally if there is anything because we sit close to each other. We all cooperate with each other to build the background system. I really enjoyed analysis and research in graduate school, so I feel that this kind of work is very enjoyable and suits my personality.

There are still many things I need to learn as a sales support professional. First of all, I would like to understand the overall process and structure of food and beverage imports, and then contribute to sales.