Hello, everyone.

This is Enta.

It's really cold today, isn't it!

Even here in Iwakura City, where I live, the temperature is 1 degree below zero, and the conditions are great for skating (thanks to the rain the day before).

Since we work in the mountains, winter tires are a given, and we’re used to the snow, so it doesn’t really bother us, but,

It's total chaos in the cities, isn't it?

It's safer not to drive today ^^

I did my first sales pitch a while back.

When I write it like this, you might be thinking, “Huh? What does that mean??”

I think that's what people will think.

I just did my first sales pitch since starting my business. (I called a company for the first time and asked them to let me give them a quote, lol.)

Until now, we’ve been getting work primarily through specific general contractors we’ve known for a long time or through referrals.

I’m truly grateful that I’ve been able to keep going this far.

 

However, the reason I approached them this time is that I had worked with them on that project a year ago, assisting with design and cost estimation.

So, since I already had a general idea of what it was like, I was thinking I’d like to take on this project.

So, I checked the auction results, gave them a call, and went there! lol

 

I wasn't particularly nervous or anything, but the person who helped me asked, "Why didn't you come sooner?" lol

"The contractors we usually work with on the design are the first ones to show up!" lol

We talked about various things, and since they said it was okay to send a quote, I’ll email the materials.

I told them, “I have the construction skills and management abilities, but I don’t have any sales skills, so I can’t suck up to people or butter them up!” and they said,

People laughed at me, didn't they? lol (That's just my own image of sales. I guess nobody does that these days?)

The person in charge was really great—it was a huge help lol

Then, a few days later, I delivered the estimate in person instead of sending it by email.

I also received advice from various people on this matter, and we decided that handing it over in person would be best.

I actually ended up telling the person in charge about that, too (they laughed at it lol).

 

A few days later, I received a call from the site manager, and we immediately had a site meeting; it seems they’ve pretty much decided to go with us.

To be honest, I don't think sales is a piece of cake!

Sales is really tough.I thought, "Yeah, that's right."

 

It starts with the auction results, then I call the other party to set up a meeting and meet in person.

In the meantime, calculate the costs and prepare the estimate.

And since salespeople don't just handle one job site, it's really tough.

I thought the on-site team was great. (It’s easier because they know the situation better.)

Site supervisors have it just as tough, but both salespeople and site supervisors have a tough job.

If the salespeople don't bring in the work, the site supervisors can't do their jobs. It's a give-and-take relationship.

People often joke that salespeople and site supervisors are like oil and water, but I actually think they’re essentially the same.

If either one is missing, we can't do our work.

I used to think the same thing about salespeople: “How could they bring us a job like this?!”

But that’s a mistake—what’s important is having the mindset of, “How on earth are we going to build on a site like this?!”

It made me realize that we—the sales team and the field staff—need to work as one.

 

I decided to continue doing some sales to attract new customers.

 

See you later.