Partner Roundtable Sales Edition Part 1Salesmen’s talk

Please tell us about your involvement with FLEXSCHE.

YJP Sasaki

Our company became a partner when FLEXSCHE was first released. We now have a department in charge of production schedulers. While we also handle ERP in our sales activities, about 80% of my work is related to FLEXSCHE sales.

KSI Nakai

Our company is a subsidiary of Kubota Corporation, and we handle all of its systems. We started handling FLEXSCHE after hearing that a certain Kubota division wanted to use it. In external sales, we also handle our own production management systems and products from other vendors, and over 30% of my work is related to FLEXSCHE.

ACT Katayama

Our company has been handling FLEXSCHE for 13 years. Initially, we focused on the CAD business, but gradually shifted, and now most of our new business deals involve FLEXSCHE. Therefore, most of my sales activities are related to FLEXSCHE. We have now developed and sell a production and process management system package called 'APICT' based on FLEXSCHE.

UIS Otsuka

Since joining the company, I have been dedicated to sales activities for FLEXSCHE. As a company, we are currently focusing on the manufacturing industry and also handle production management systems, but we center our sales around FLEXSCHE.

MSI Watanabe

In the department I belong to, which specializes in the manufacturing industry, acquiring new customers is a major challenge, and it's important to leave a strong impression on them. Unlike production management systems that all look the same, FLEXSCHE has a strong impact, making it a breakthrough for creating business opportunities. Therefore, the presence of FLEXSCHE is helpful in most sales activities.

JCS Miyazawa

We have a similar stance to MSI. When conducting sales activities focused on the manufacturing industry, we concentrate solely on FLEXSCHE during the approach phase, but it can also lead to uncovering other business opportunities.

Does introducing FLEXSCHE make sales activities easier?

MSI Watanabe

Yes, that's right. We conduct sales activities mainly in the Tohoku region, but in rural areas, it's rare for factories to use production schedulers. We explain what a production scheduler is, and that serves as a starting point for subsequent business discussions.

JCS Miyazawa

With common solutions, it's hard to get attention, but we can break through with FLEXSCHE, and it can eventually lead to other business opportunities.

ACT Katayama

After all, the visual aspect stands out. The response is good, and just a little movement can pique interest.

KSI Nakai

With production management systems, they all look the same, so in that regard,FLEXSCHE can make an impact with its dynamic screens.

MSI Watanabe

Moreover, when we listen to the challenges our customers face, most of them cannot be solved with just a production management system, and in fact,they can be solved with a production scheduler.That's precisely why we make FLEXSCHE the pillar of our sales activities.

UIS Otsuka

Trying to compete with production management systems is tough because there are many competitors, the scale is too large, and honestly, it's hard to win in a competition. In that regard,if you have engineers with solid FLEXSCHE know-how, you can compete anywhere with a production scheduler.That's why.

JCS Miyazawa

With FLEXSCHE, the possibilities of associating with top-tier companies, which you might hesitate to contact, expand.

ACT Katayama

That's right.Even with projects that large local SIers cannot meet the demands of, we can handle them with FLEXSCHE,and in such cases, it feels like we've outsmarted them.

MSI Watanabe

As a salesperson, I'm always pleased when there's an inquiry about FLEXSCHE. Projects involving production management systems take more time to propose than FLEXSCHE, and there are more competitors.

ACT Katayama

It's the same with any project; if we don't secure the order, the sales costs just pile up.

MSI Watanabe

In that regard, with FLEXSCHE, if we do a demo and say, "Please take a look," the benefits are immediately apparent, and the likelihood of securing the order is high.

Does the fact that the benefits are immediately apparent mean you conduct demos from the early stages of negotiations?

UIS Otsuka

We don't usually start with a demo. Even when there's an inquiry, we first ask why they want a production scheduler. The first step in negotiations is to clarify whether FLEXSCHE is truly the right tool to solve the customer's challenges. In some cases, another solution might actually be more beneficial for the customer than FLEXSCHE.

KSI Nakai

For example,If they want to shorten lead times or if planning seems challenging, then it becomes, "Well, FLEXSCHE is the answer."Based on what we hear, we often propose a demo for the next meeting.

YJP Sasaki

I often conduct demos right away. I prepare data tailored to the customer's industry in advance, and after showing it, I ask if it suits their needs. If they are convinced, the speed of negotiations increases.

MSI Watanabe

Usually, I listen to the customer first, but I'm always prepared to show a demo.

Do you all often conduct demos yourselves?

ACT Katayama

I'm not very good at it, so I often do it with an engineer. Showing a poor demo can have the opposite effect (laughs). If you can demo smoothly in conversation, it opens the customer's heart.

So, do you also do simple prototyping while listening to the customer?

ACT Katayama

Sometimes we do. If it can be done quickly, it leads to good negotiations.

KSI Nakai

I also do demos, but it's not easy to do them well.

MSI Watanabe

That's true. A demo that just shows data is easier, but if it's interactive with the customer, the salesperson needs a certain level of system knowledge to do it well. In our company, it's not uncommon for a sales trip to take three hours one way, so we want to be able to do it to some extent.

YJP Sasaki

During a demo, issues the customer doesn't understand or hasn't noticed become clear, so demos are important. The depth of the hearing also changes with the demo.

JCS Miyazawa

It would be ideal if salespeople could do it to a certain level, even if not as well as engineers. Once negotiations reach a certain stage, engineers must accompany them.

Please tell us about the points you pay attention to during the negotiation process.

UIS Otsuka

Because it's such a great product, the scary part is that it might be seen as a "magic box." What used to take people dozens of hours of overtime can now be done with the push of a button, but it requires a vast amount of data to make that possible. Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, this doesn't seem to resonate.We make sure to convey that "it's a dream tool, but you need to master it properly."If we carelessly say, "It can do anything!" we'll get scolded by our engineers later...

MSI Watanabe

Exactly,It's not a magic tool, so a dedicated person is essential for implementation, and there are many things the customer needs to do for the setup..

ACT Katayama

Recently, it's often mistaken for AI. It's not; it's a tool based on the data you input, so we need to clear up that misunderstanding.

YJP Sasaki

Some people perceive FLEXSCHE as a management system, but it's more like a calculator that performs calculations.

JCS Miyazawa

It's important to clearly explain what a production scheduler is and help them understand its benefits.

YJP Sasaki

I think it's important to know the position of the person you're negotiating with. For example, in a demo,If you show too many features to someone who actually has to master it, they might think it's too complex and give it a negative evaluation. In reality, it's a system with good operability and ease of use.

MSI Watanabe

It's important to know which department within the company the inquiry came from. If the negotiation comes from the manufacturing site, they are very cooperative with the implementation work, making the project progress smoothly. However, if it requires approval from the site, it takes a considerable amount of time to get internal approval and secure the order.

On the other hand, if the inquiry comes from the management level, once they understand the appeal of FLEXSCHE, the process to secure the order is shorter, allowing for a speedy start to the implementation work. However, if the people on the ground are left behind in this process, they may not understand FLEXSCHE and may not actively cooperate with the implementation work, so it's essential to communicate with them as early as possible.

YJP Sasaki

When the management and the people on the ground are united in the inquiry, everything tends to go smoothly.The cooperation of the people on the ground is indispensable, and getting them to agree to use FLEXSCHE is very importantI feel.

Please tell us about the impact handling FLEXSCHE has had on your business.

ACT Katayama

When our company was founded in 1994, the CAD business was our main focus. However, we couldn't add much value to the products, resulting in a low-margin business. We were exploring new styles for ourselves,but after encountering FLEXSCHE and focusing on it, we were able to enhance our employees' skills and become a company with distinctive features.We developed our own unique business model.

KSI Nakai

Since FLEXSCHE doesn't do direct sales, it was significant that we started receiving project introductions from manufacturers.The adoption of FLEXSCHE led to securing orders for core systems and production management systems, significantly changing our sales style.

YJP Sasaki

Amidst claims of low labor productivity in Japan,if you aim for a higher level of production with the same equipment and personnel, FLEXSCHE becomes an important tool.The value created by incorporating excellent production planning becomes immediately visible. It's very rewarding for our company to contribute to the manufacturing industry in this way.

MSI Watanabe

Before handling FLEXSCHE, our company's business pillars were local governments and the construction industry. However, in the 2000s, those areas shrank, and we felt a sense of crisis that we might run out of work. That's when we started focusing on the manufacturing industry, and further,by encountering FLEXSCHE, we were able to build a business model specialized in the manufacturing industry.

JCS Miyazawa

Our company's main pillar was originally the construction industry. We still generate a certain amount of revenue there, but by relatively early handling of FLEXSCHE in the region, we gained a unique weapon in the form of a production scheduler, and our sales destinations increased significantly. Although we struggled for a while,now we feel that we have become a company that is recognized as "such a company exists even in the region."I feel.

UIS Otsuka

I believe that by handling FLEXSCHE, engineers can gain a deep understanding and knowledge of the manufacturing industry. Since planning involves handling all processes from the beginning to the end of manufacturing, it comprehensively deepens understanding of the manufacturing industry. As our company focuses on the manufacturing industry,the deepening of engineers' knowledge about the manufacturing industry through FLEXSCHE is leading to further business development.