This is Okuyama from sales.
This time I would like to introduce Mr. Matsubara, who provides sales support.
It was only thanks to Matsubara-san that we were able to get through the hectic year following the change in our sales structure.
We'll introduce you to Matsubara while looking back at his daily work.
I don't know if I can do it, but I'll try.
Okuyama: We've been in contact almost every day, but it's been a while since we've had such a long chat. I look forward to working with you. When did you start providing us with estimates as a sales support?
Matsubara: I think it was in 2017. Until then, you were making the estimates yourself.
OKUYAMA : Yes. At that time, we were estimating by the cost per page, and I think we would check with the production team as necessary to calculate. As the production content gradually became more complicated, there was a discrepancy between the amount we had figured out and the actual labor hours, so we decided to reconsider how we estimated.
If they had a dedicated director who would calculate the man-hours, they wouldn't have to stop the production team members from working all the time, and there would be no discrepancies in the costs depending on the person, so Kojima, who was the department manager at the time, asked Matsubara, who was working as a coder at the time, to take on the role.
Matsubara: I was just starting to feel uneasy about continuing as a coder. With the ever-increasing technology in the world, I was vaguely wondering if I could keep up. When I was approached, I thought I'd give it a try, even though I wasn't sure if I could do it.
Okuyama: The sales team puts the information they hear from customers into a format, and Matsubara-san creates an estimate. It was a time when the number of sales staff was reduced, so since last year, although I wouldn't say it was my full-time job, the number of projects that the two of us worked on together has increased dramatically.
Matsubara: That's right. The person I've been in contact with and worked with more than anyone else right now is definitely Mr. Okuyama.
Okuyama: At first, I was feeling my way around, but now, without Matsubara-san, I couldn't do my job. He participates in meetings with clients and writes up minutes, asks questions from the production side's perspective, and gives estimates that take various things into consideration. He's really helpful.
Finding a new role
Okuyama: How do you feel about your current job?
Matsubara: There was no position like this in the company until I took it on, so there was no right answer. I felt like I was groping around without really knowing what the right thing to do was. I always thought about whether the feeling I had now was good, and whether I should try this next time. I also felt that everyone around me was very supportive.
OKUYAMAWhen we first receive a consultation, the specifications have often not been finalized, so it can be difficult to calculate the labor hours and provide an estimate.
Matsubara : With Okuyama-san's projects, the information is so well organized that I'm amazed they were able to find out so much in just one interview. I feel very at ease when assigning man-hours. Even though they have a lot of projects, they organize the information before rolling it out. No matter how busy they are, they don't just forward emails, but share information in a way that follows the rules, which makes it really easy to work with them.
OKUYAMA : Maybe it's good that we have similar points that we want to protect. Matsubara-san has done production work himself, so even for vague projects, he'll suggest, "Doesn't this need design?"
Matsubara : That's true. However, if you go too far with your predictions about things that haven't been decided yet, the actual product may end up being quite different from the estimate. That being said, that doesn't mean all the specifications are decided from the beginning. It's difficult to strike that balance.
Okuyama : What you're doing could end up in a loss, so it would be a waste. If things continue like this, even though you've done so much, I sometimes worry that your motivation is dropping. What do you think?
Matsubara: It's unfortunate, but I don't really care. When you do everything you can and it ends up like that, I just think, "It can't be helped."
I remember Tatsuta-san telling me before that "an estimate is an estimate, so it doesn't matter if it's different from the actual work hours." I tend to be a bit of a worrier, so I tend to overthink things. Having him say that made me feel a lot better.
OKUYAMA : It would be great if the estimated man-hours were close to the actual man-hours required for production, but they are only estimates.
Depending on the client or project, sometimes I sense a little risk and raise the price, but sometimes I lower it. We have a standard unit price within the company, but in the end, it's meaningless if we can't get the job. When I give the client an estimate based on the man-hours I received from Mr. Matsubara, I think very carefully about the balance.
A partner who shares the same business sense
When I was consulting with the Okuyama production team about estimates, it was really hard to keep track of everyone's schedules, or rather, everyone's situation. Since Matsubara-san joined us, I've had to prepare documents to coincide with his work from early in the morning, or he said he was going to the dentist on this day. Now that I have fewer people to worry about, it's become much easier.
I always feel that Okuyama -san is considerate towards me. Thanks to him, I can move around easily.
Okuyama : When a salesperson receives an inquiry, the quickest response is the best chance to get an order. Once, I had a long meeting and didn't respond to a customer's inquiry for three hours, so the customer got really angry with me. I learned that it can be fatal if a salesperson can't contact a customer when they need something urgently.
Matsubara :I see.
Okuyama: If I told the production team members who were concentrating on their work that kind of thing, it would just make them anxious. So I tried not to say too much.
Recently, Matsubara-san has been communicating with me while taking into consideration my position as a salesperson, saying things like, "This is urgent, isn't it?" and "This one can be done tomorrow, right?", which makes it really easy to work with him. I think the reason we're able to move projects forward smoothly is because we've become able to understand each other's needs without each other having to say anything.
When we were in a meeting and I thought it might be a good idea to invite Matsubara-san, I contacted him at short notice and he joined us. I knew he understood what I was going through, so it was a great help to me.
Matsubara: I once hurried in and turned on the camera even though I had a terrible bedhead. It was so embarrassing...
Since I started working mainly with Mr. Okuyama, I feel like my way of working, or my sense of time, has changed. I feel like I'm more in the business side than the production side, and the things I value have changed.
Okuyama : Our company has far more production members than sales people, so to be honest, I sometimes felt lonely, but now I have an ally who has a sales sensibility. I'm very happy that I now have more people who understand me.
Matsubara: I've been working without any right answers, so I'm happy to hear you say that. Thank you.
Okuyama Matsubara and I are completely different types of people. That's why I feel like we complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. I think of us as more like partners than a pair. I hope we'll continue to work together.
Matsubara : Thank you very much.
It's been a long time since Kojima-san handed over the baton to introduce the members and we had a discussion among the three of us, talking about our respective jobs.
Matsubara is such an important figure in Coding Factory's current sales operations that I immediately thought he would be the person to whom I would pass the baton.
In addition to providing man-hours, they also handle all internal business tasks thoroughly and without any omissions, so I really rely on them.
Matsubara and Kojima work together, worry about things, eat meals together, talk about trivial things, and laugh together.
I have once again come to realise how important it is to have such people close by.
OKUYAMA Hideno