* This article re -edits the third chapter of "How to make a mechanism to sell" (Gentosha), "How to make a mechanism to sell" (Gentosha).
■ "Considering 100 years later, this will not last"
Speaking of TV shopping "Japanet Takata", everyone remembers that unique narrative signboard MC (narrator) Akira Takada.However, Akira Takada has already retired and has not appeared on the program.
Japanet Takata was founded in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture in 1986.He grew up in a large company with a powerful leadership of President Akira Takada.Akira retired in 2015, and now his eldest son, Asahi, is the president.Sales in FY2016 were 178.3 billion yen, and sales in FY2017 were growing at 192.9 billion yen.
Until then, it was a top -down by charismatic founders, so employees often decided to judge Mr. Akira.President Asahi, who succeeded the trace, thought, "This will not last in 100 years later."
How do you change the current organization into an organization that thinks and verifies hypotheses?There are many companies and business people who are worried.I thought that the company would have the hint and talked to President Asahi Takada, who is undergoing a change.
■ The hypothesis is Zakkuri, speed -oriented
[President Asahi Takada (hereinafter referred to as Takada)] The first thing I remember in hypothesis was that a lot of air conditioners sold this summer (2017).In the past, a large amount of flyers was distributed with a one -month plan.After confirming the sales results, it sells well on hot days.So I thought with the site, "Is there a way to roll a flyer on a hot day?"First of all, it turned out that a few days could print a flyer and distribute it in a newspaper.So, if you check the results of the weekly forecast of the temperature, it's almost accurate.It was a very good result to try this year, saying, "Would you like to put a flyer on a hot day!"We were all happy.
で す ね It's a successful pattern of hypothesis verification.
[Takada] It's actually difficult to strictly verify hypotheses in the business world.There is a hypothesis verification method called
で す ね It takes time to start pursuing strictness.
[Takada] The important thing is time.Strictness is not so important.So the employees say, "If you think it's probably like this, you should do it right away, look at the results, and make the next hypothesis."But Japanese people are too serious, so I feel like I'm doing extra work.
── Roughly decide the rough direction and execute it immediately.It means to focus on speed.
[Takada] I think it is a waste to use labor to pursue "What is the cause?"The book "Toyota's mouth" (edited by the OJT Solutions) I read earlier has the word "better than skillful", but I am always conscious of "execution".It's better to do 80 points three times and lose 2 wins and 1 loss, rather than paying effort to make 80 points 100 points.
■ If the number of products was reduced to 1/4, strength was reduced.
What do you do when it doesn't work?
[Takada] There are two.First, keep a lot of seeds before that happens.Even if you do not bloom two seeds, spread the remaining three at a stretch.However, it may not work.So the other is that if it doesn't work, you'll give up and change it all at once.If it doesn't work, it's a chance to change a lot.However, in reality, it is difficult to see, thinking, "I've come here so far."I think, "Isn't it okay if the hypothesis is wrong?"
─ President Takada has changed a lot since taking office.
[Takada] Last year (2016), the products listed on the website were reduced from about 8500 to about 600 points.1/14.
──It reduced at once.
[Takada] An old product was posted on the homepage, so when I asked, "Can I sell this?"On the other hand, the team that registers new products is "not enough people."It's a waste to register a product that sells only two a month.In the first place, Japanet's strength is "small varieties in large quantities", which is the opposite of Amazon and Rakuten's "small amount of small quantities".Looking at the data, 1000 products accounted for much sales.Then, I decided to hit the "selection" of "carefully selected" and decide to make it within the "thousand" products, and when I narrowed down the products, it was surprisingly reduced, and it became 600 products.However, if you do not decide on the upper limit, it will increase again, so it is said that the word is good for the time being, so let's make up to 777 products. "
─ If you try to do it accurately, the purpose is to do it.It is also important to decide such parts quickly.
[Takada] It's a waste of time to discuss the discussion at the meeting, "700, 600? 800?"So there is no big difference.I tend to think that it is scary if the number of products is 1/14, but even if it fails, I thought it would not be a big problem because many of the sales were secured.
── Conversely, what are the benefits of reducing it to 1/14?
[Takada] First of all, we were able to dissolve 10 product registration teams.I was working hard on improving the mechanism, so I went to another job because I should stop it in the first place.
■ It is wasteful to discuss and make decisions with everyone
。 It is big to be able to turn 10 people to other jobs.
[Takada] Since there are about 20 buyers, if it is 600 products, 30 products per person will be in charge of.The buyer has only a confident product.So, when I asked the buyer, "If you are confident, if you order in advance, the delivery date to the customer will be very short?"
── I really understand my feelings (laughs).
[Takada] "Are you confident?" "Yes," "What is the order?" "I'm scared", "I don't understand the meaning" (laughs).Now, all 600 products are ordered in advance, and there are also videos produced in -house.In this way, we have the strength of our company called "small variety of sales".
──I also watched the video, but the playback time is 45 seconds.When I started looking at it, "1 minute is long, but 45 seconds is fine", it was interesting, so I saw it one after another (laughs).
[Takada] I decided on this, saying, "If I look at my smartphone, it's a little longer for one minute. 45 seconds."No matter how much you look for the theoretical best playback time, there is no answer.It's a waste of time to discuss and make decisions.
──The Japanese like to make a decision (Ringi) and the basis, and try to create a situation in which everyone agrees.But it takes time for the purpose.
[Takada] On the other hand, I want to avoid being "because the president says", so if there is a reason to be convinced, "50 seconds is better" is fine.In fact, it often changes while talking.
■ Create a future by verification
Do you not blame employee failure?
[Takada] No, I will blame.I never scold me like "Why did you fail?"If you fail and leave it without thinking about what to do next, you will scold."I don't have to regret. Let's reflect and fix it."We believe that reflection and correction should be done immediately.It's a waste to spend too much time.
In terms of tornado, if you are resting without going up the jerk, you will scold, but those who want to go up a little will evaluate them.
[Takada] That's right.It's a problem to take a break there because I'm doing it fast to go to the future.
── How do you expand that idea?
[Takada] I say, "Even with the same opinion, Mr. A can say no to J and B."Mr. A, who examines the hypothesis and verifies the results, thinks that the opinion is based on it.But if you don't have a track record, you'll get into that opinion.
──It's different from “making a hypothesis with basis” and “thinking”.Is there a rationale and hypothesis that decided the video to 45 seconds?
[Takada] may seem to be saying "45 seconds" in your eyes.In the past experience, product introductions are conveyed in three appeal points.It would be easy to understand if you explain the number 1, 2, and 3 every 15 seconds, and if you do all the products in this pattern, it would be easy for people to see it, so I thought it was 45 seconds.
■ Why did you start cruise travel as a business?
─ Did you think the cruise trip you recently started in the same way?
[Takada] There was a proposal from a young officer.I thought it was "interesting" intuitively, and it was really good to test drive a cruise ship in Italy for two days.I knew that the ship would come to Japan, so I bought 900 of the 2500 rooms.
──Are there a hypothesis and basis?
[Takada] On the cruise around Japan, we left Yokohama, arrived in Toyama the next day and sightseeing until 8:00 pm.The next morning, I arrived in Kanazawa and went sightseeing.It lasts for 10 days like this.All -you -can -eat meals on board.And our customers have a higher age group, so you want to relax on your trip.Moreover, the cruise population is about 100,000, not well known.It is perfect no matter what you think.If you start selling it because you think, "If you tell this goodness in Japanet, you will definitely sell it."So, this time, I bought one of the whole ship in Japanet, and if I decided on all destinations and meal menus on Japanet, it was almost sold out.For this reason, we take a first -class travel industry, hire a tour conductor with hospitality, so that more than a dozen of our employees are always on board.
で す ね It's exactly the creation of a new market.My parents are completely retired and love cruises.
[Takada] There are many people who are addicted to going.On the other hand, some people feel uneasy about cruising, but they seem to be able to think that Japanet is okay.I would like to make a new route every year without disappointing the expectations of our customers, so that we can create a plan to gather colleagues.
■ Turn "tornado" of various sizes
─ Cruise trips have led to a big new movement.
[Takada] That's my ideal.In the nine group companies, members with will spontaneously enjoy various things, and I support them.
On the other hand, it has become quite large as a company.
[Takada] I don't think employees are large companies.There is a venture -like air.Our new graduation retention rate is high, but the retention rate of job change groups is surprisingly low.It's really fast to work in the company, so it's surprising to be surprised.Some officers were surprised that they had changed jobs and said, "There is no one who is skipping."
──In a normal company, there are about 20 % of "uncles who do not work" (laughs).
[Takada] If you work with a hypothesis, your work will be fun. For example, we sent a failed product to the repair center of the manufacturer. But in this case, your products are only a small part of the repaired products for manufacturers and time takes time. Immediately before becoming the president, we made a company specializing in after -sales service so that we could accept repair. This quickly relieves your anxiety and dissatisfaction, and you can also understand the product. The person in charge of the attached call center will also help repair it, so it can respond from a failed customer. Furthermore, it is now possible to propose the next model to the manufacturer. With these hypotheses, you can move spontaneously, and your work will be fun. I think the ultimate appearance is that there are many tornades of various sizes in the company.
──It's an image of individuals, teams, and the company to turn the tornado of each size.
[Takada] That's right.And I would like to share the big hypothesis with all employees so that employees voluntarily say, "I want to do this."
■ For 10 years after joining the company, I was translating my father's words
What made President Takada came to have this idea?
[Takada] The influence of parents is great. First, parents do not blame anything. I don't say "the economy is bad" or "the store has been built there and sales have fallen", but only think "what do you want to do?" Thanks to that, when I failed to take the exam, I had no regrets of saying, "If you do this at that time," I thought, "I will take it for 14 hours a day next time." The other is my experience working with my father after joining the company. I've always thought, "Why is Japanet growing?" My father is a sensational person, and I am a genius, but I am a genius. When he made a decision, he didn't understand what he was thinking because he didn't say why. So for 10 years after joining the company, I was translating my father's words. Then, there were many things that I thought, "I'm not assembling the theory properly", and this was really big in thinking about my current way of thinking.
か If you know the background of decision making, will the employee's movement change?
[Takada] Things that exceed expectations will come back.I'm really happy when I get a proposal than I imagine at the meeting.
。 If you come out in various places in the company, some people will think "I am too!"
[Takada] The J -League V. Farren Nagasaki ( *) is exactly like that.I think the employees also feel that it is a successful example of "the result of the motivation of the players".I think I will win the J1 two years later.(Continued to the second part)
* V. Fahren Nagasaki, which was just before the disappearance due to poor management, became a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan's Japanet Holdings in Nagasaki in May 2017, and Akira Takada was appointed President.After that, the player's face was almost the same, but it was a major advance.In November 2017, J1 was promoted from J2.
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永井孝尚（ながい・たかひさ）マーケティング戦略コンサルタント1984年慶應義塾大学工学部卒業、日本IBM入社。マーケティング戦略のプロとして事業戦略策定と実施を担当。さらに人材育成責任者として人材育成戦略策定と実施を担当。2013年に日本IBMを退社。ウォンツアンドバリュー株式会社を設立して代表に就任。執筆の傍ら、幅広い企業や団体を対象に新規事業開発支援を行う一方、講演や研修を通じてマーケティング戦略の面白さを伝え続けている。主な著書に『100円のコーラを1000円で売る方法』『戦略は「1杯のコーヒー」から学べ！』（すべてKADOKAWA）、『これ、いったいどうやったら売れるんですか？』（SB新書）、『「あなた」という商品を高く売る方法』（NHK出版新書）などがある。--------------------
(Marketing Strategy Consultant Takasa Nagai)
