今回は仕事を少し離れて、ちょっと変わったトピックをお届けします。

以前にも香港の方々は日本の文化や製品、日本そのものが好きな方が多いというお話をさせて頂きましたが、今回、香港の4連休を利用して香港のある会社の社長に日本旅行にご招待されました。実はこの社長、政府系の物件を手掛け、学校改修の中では大きな割合を占める受注をなさる方なのですが、大の釣り好きで3度のメシより釣りが好き‼という方なのです。実際何回か日本で釣りをなさっていますが、営業でお邪魔した際に仕事の話から釣りの話になり、では次回、彼が友人たちと計画している日本釣り旅行に参加しなさい。。。ということになりました。

当日、見事な快晴の中、6人のお友達（もちろん、全て建築関係の方々です）とご一緒に、思う存分船釣りを愉しませてもらった次第です。

日本でもお客様とお話をさせて頂くときに、仕事の話だけではなく、その方々の趣味の話に話題が拡がることもありますが、どんな話が出てもそれに沿った会話ができ、お客様の心をくすぐることも、営業の手法のひとつではないでしょうか？　そしてそれは日本だけではなく、海外でも同じことだと思います。実際、この社長も別の塗料会社の接待で日本に行ったことがありますが、お仕着せの旅程を強制され、非常につまらないものだったそうです。彼曰く、「自分たちは自分たちのお金で日本旅行くらいできるのだから、どうせ日本に招くのであれば、もっと頭をつかった饗応をしないと我々を満足させることはできないよ。」

これは何も旅行だけに限らず、またしても社長曰く、「関西ペイントの社員は非常によく働き、気が利いていて、責任感があるだけでなく、頭をつかった営業や現場管理を行っている。安売りと他社の悪口ばかり言う塗料供給会社とは、製品だけでなく担当レベルでも大きな差がある」

そして今回の日本旅行同行は◎のご評価を頂戴し、いみじくも意図していた夏の学校改修で 関西ペイントの製品をお使いいただくことの言質も得ることが出来ました。

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This time around, we would like to introduce a topic which may be a little off our usual themes. In one of our past entries, we have had a glimpse into how Hongkongers are particularly fond of visiting Japan for relaxation. In this article, we would like to elaborate on how businessmen can indulge in leisure activities they truly enjoy.

For our four-day long weekend in Hong Kong, we had an amazing fishing trip with our client. The company this client owns has occupied a lot of share in the government renovation market, having a critical standing in the areas of design and build, term contracts as well as summer school projects. Last we visited our client’s office for business, it just so happened that he asked if we had any curiosity for fishing – he is a typical fishing maniac! The discussion went wild, and we were turning thoughts into action, by going off to Japan for fishing! On a very fine and sunny day, we found ourselves sunbathing in the middle of the sea right by Shirahama. We were on a boat with our client and his fishing companions, and we all went crazy trying to show off our fish catching techniques this whole time!

As a sales person, on top of being conscientious and attentive to our clients’ business needs, one has to be sensible enough to develop topics that are intriguing to the clients, whether it be of current events or common hobbies and interests. These are key ingredients to building a strong and meaningful relationship that is reciprocal.

It is the sales activities that we do our best in order to let our clients have what they desire. What do our clients need? What are their likes and dislikes? In what ways may we go the extra mile to support our clients? We believe the success lies in building trust from our clients through continuous collaborative interactions. It is only then would one’s professional conduct and capabilities be fully shown.

Our client has shared his impression of us Kansai Paint staff, that we are knowledgeable, responsible, and hard-working, and that we are willing to devote our time and effort in hopes of helping them run their business smoothly in terms of sales activities and project management. In fact, our client has guaranteed with us recently to employ Kansai Paint products for his summer school projects this year. To be trusted by our client is a great compliment that we feel grateful for!

▼  The fishing adventure began at dawn with a scenic view


▼  Everyone showing off their fish catching skills!




▼  Amazing fish catch photos! Everybody was having an enjoyable trip.


▼  The boat captain prepared sashimi for us from our freshly caught fish – a unique eating experience for a great taste of the sea!


▼  Group photo of the fishing companions!



▼ [Behind the Scenes] A seabird was caught in the fishing net while attempting to grab some delicious food from us. We hurriedly helped set it free