-
Staff interview: Tomoyuki Unno
In this issue, we speak with Tomoyuki Unno, who is busy every day visiting various clients with his smartphone in hand, carrying out website production solutions sales.
Unno-san receives inquiries on various topics related to websites, from web consulting related to a company’s corporate image to the design and actual production of websites.
We asked Unno-san what solutions sales were about, and what the current trends in corporate websites were.Who is Tomoyuki Unno of Sales?
What kind of work did you do before you joined Arc Communications?
In my previous job, I proposed ad solutions utilizing digital signage.
It’s an ordinary sight these days to see an LCD screen showing ads on display at convenience stores and drugstores. But it was a completely new business when I was involved, and I had to begin sales by explaining what digital signage was. I had no doubts about the market for digital signage expanding, and I was full of confidence. The truth, however, was that it was more difficult than I had imagined (laughs).
The people who listened to my sales talk always said, “It sounds great!” But would they buy it? No, they were not very willing. And I couldn’t tell them about how well they performed, because it was a new business without a track record. So, I spent my time creating plans, thinking of possible beneficial effects for the customer and racking my brain on the best way to explain the product to customers. It made me learn the hard way how difficult it can be to have customers pay for a brand new solution.
So, it was that experience that created the “Unno of Sales” of today?
What I learned was that it’s not enough to simply propose a solution that we think is fantastic. A customer will accept it only if the timing is right and there is an optimum environment in place for realizing it. Since then, I began looking at things, racking my brains about them from the customer’s perspective and judging, in a cool-headed way, how I can use those insights to close a deal.
Big Surge in Needs for Multilingual Sites
Tell us about your current work at Arc Communications
I carry out solutions sales for the Web & Cross Media Department. I try to gain an understanding of the customer’s needs, with a focus on corporate websites, and propose the optimum solution that utilizes the Internet.
Solutions sales are different from sales of material items, isn’t it?
Yes, that’s right. Solutions sales are a sales activity in which we propose solutions to a customer’s problem. Customers have an infinite variety of problems, and in many cases, the problem itself is not very clear. So, I suppose you could say that my work involves finding out what the issue is from the customer. I then propose the optimum solution from the various solutions we offer at Arc Communications. In that sense, I think that my experience from my previous job is proving useful in my current work.
I hear that you are receiving many inquiries about foreign-language websites.
With the wave of globalization that we are seeing in recent years, there are many companies that are wondering how they should be utilizing their websites. It has become extremely noticeable in these past two years.
I especially see an increase in companies wanting to create both English- and Chinese-language websites. In other words, a need for a multilingual website is becoming increasingly common. However, there are companies who have their hands full simply updating their Japanese site. I sometimes get calls from people who say that they have created a foreign language website, such as an English site, but have left them untouched since.
Why Companies Need an English-language Site
How many companies have an English-language website?
According to a survey carried out by Arc Communications, only about 70% of listed companies have an English-language website. Of course, I’m sure that the needs differ according to the industry the company is in, but when you compare it against how much progress we’ve seen in globalization, I think that it is still a very low percentage.
Even if a company’s market is limited to Japan, there are an increasing number of trade connections and stakeholders, such as investors, who are abroad. I think that particularly in the case of corporate websites, there is a need to ensure that information is disseminated to as many people as possible from the perspective of accessibility.
I especially want to suggest to companies that have both Japanese and English written on their business cards that they create an English-language version of their website immediately. You’d be surprised that there are quite a number of companies who don’t have such sites.
Start With the Things That You Can Do
So, you could say that an English-language site is a must for a company. But they would be a rather heavy burden for a Japanese person in charge to handle, I should think.
As I talk with customers, I find that there are many customers who say that their consideration of an English-language website stalls because they do not have the capability to respond to inquiries made in English or because it takes too much time and effort to update information, etc. on an English-language site.
These things are certainly very important elements to consider when building a full-blown English-language website. However, there are various ways to deal with these issues, and in some cases, you may not need to worry about those things.
In the case of a company that has no English-language website, narrowing down the English-language content to elements that contain relatively few matters that need to be updated – such as a corporate outline and descriptions of the company’s services and products – can go a long way in reaching people abroad, who did not know about the company before then, or in providing information to foreigners living in Japan. Furthermore, something like I just described would only require a few pages, so a company would be able to open an English-language site at a relatively low cost.
I make the recommendation that the customer starts with what they can do at the time, and build their English-language site in stages into one that is more full-blown.
Is an English-language Website a Translation of the Japanese Site?
Can you make an English-language website by simply translating the Japanese site?
Many English-language version of a corporate website is a translation of the Japanese site. Of course, I think that this is an extremely valid method when you think about things like efficiency. However, because Japanese websites are designed to be read by domestically by the Japanese, there is often a lot of information that has been unintentionally omitted based on the thinking that it would be understood. The problem is that if it is translated as is, it can often be difficult to understand or could be written in a way to bring about misunderstandings, particularly among those who live overseas.
For example, Japanese-language websites often list directions for getting to their office from the closest train station. However, it may be necessary to include directions on how to get there from the closest airport in the case of a site intended for overseas readers. Furthermore, in many cases, the company will not be as well known abroad as it is in Japan, so it is sometimes effective to include more basic information as well, such as the company’s domestic ranking or a description of the industry itself.
Arc Communications has ample experience in not only proposing solutions for the improvement of a website but also in the proposal of content that will make an English-language website even more effective. I hope that customers will feel free to contact me.
Post Script from the Interviewer
I was starting to think, “Isn’t he looking even better than he used to,” when I found out that he had succeeded in losing seven kilos. He said his secret was taking up running, which he started about six months ago when he was told he was ‘slightly overweight’ after a health checkup. It must be true, what they say—that a healthy body is very important when you work in sales. He is very dedicated to his physical training, too, and apparently runs between five and ten kilos, four to five times a week. He said he plans to enter a full marathon next year. Unno-san is looking for running buddies, so please contact him if you’re interested!
- Profile
- Tomoyuki Unno
Joined Arc Communications Inc. in 2007. In charge of solutions sales for the Web & Cross Media Department. Involved in sales and systems development at a travel agency, advertisement solution sales utilizing digital signage for a venture company before joining Arc Communications. - My Film Recommendation
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, directed by Thomas Jahn (1997 German film)
“This is an action road movie about two men who are told that they don’t have much time left to live. They slip out of the hospital, steal a Mercedes and go off on their last adventure to see the ocean before they die. It brings on both laughter and tears. The ocean that appears at the end leaves quite an impression.”
-
-
-
-
-
Present for Our Readers! Arc Communications will be sending you clean air.