Olympus Marketing Corporation Metropolitan Area Sales Department, Takeshi Seino

Building a bridge between medical device users and manufacturers through sales

Olympus Marketing Corporation Metropolitan Sales Department　Takeshi Seino(Seigo)

■ Profile
After graduating from the Faculty of Law at Gakushuin University, he joined a Japanese implant manufacturer in 2010. He was in charge of new business development and focused on acquiring customers by leveraging domestic technological capabilities against the brand power of overseas manufacturers. After joining Olympus in 2013, he continued to be in charge of sales. He has experience in planning and promoting sales promotion measures in the Kanagawa Tokai region. He is currently engaged in sales promotion, including organizing events centered around Japan's core hospitals in Tokyo.

Olympus developed the world's first practical gastrocamera in 1950. It boasts the world's top market share in the field of gastrointestinal endoscopy. What are the important perspectives and roles, not from the perspective of a medical professional, but from the perspective of a provider of medical equipment? We spoke to Takeshi Seino, a sales representative at an Olympus Group sales company, about what to keep in mind when working in the field.

"Medical equipment x domestic manufacturer" was the deciding factor in my employment

The reason I am in my current position is because of the combination of medical devices and domestic manufacturers.
First of all, regarding medical equipment, I majored in law as a student, so I wasn't originally interested in it. However, I always felt that there was a growing need as the aging population became a social issue. And as I interacted with people from all kinds of industries during my job search, I was particularly drawn to those in the medical industry. I was attracted to the way they worked with confidence and pride in a job that involved such a great deal of responsibility, involving people's lives. From around this time, I began to feel a strong desire to work closely on-site as a sales representative in the medical industry.　
Next, my love for domestic manufacturers is entirely due to the influence of my father. My father worked for the watch brand "SEIKO," and from an early age I had a great respect for "Made in Japan," a manufacturing technique that Japan is proud of.
For these reasons, I decided to join our company, which best fit my criteria of "medical devices x domestic manufacturer," and I am currently in charge of sales operations as a sales representative.

A bridge connecting the needs and aspirations of each individual

Our role in sales is to act as a bridge between the medical professionals who use medical equipment and the engineers who make it. Even if the technology is excellent, products cannot be sold unless they are linked to on-site needs. In this role, I have three main principles that I value.
The first is to "know the customer." We conduct thorough interviews with medical professionals who handle the products in the field to find out what they want to use, when they will use it, and where they will use it. By first getting to know the customer in this way, we can determine the subsequent direction for optimal proposals, such as whether our own products can meet their needs or whether new development is necessary.
The second is to "communicate your thoughts simply." Medical professionals don't have much time. Sometimes, they have to explain a product in the brief moment they're washing their hands between surgeries. That might take less than a minute. It's important to communicate what you want to say as simply as possible. I always insist on wearing everything made in Japan. This is also to simply communicate what I want to say to customers. In other words, we communicate our company's strength, that "all the products we provide are safe and made in Japan," not just with words, but also with our appearance. In order to reassure and convince medical professionals within a limited time, I believe it's important to embody our thoughts and convey our message visually.
The third is "empathy." Even though we refer to medical professionals as a whole, their needs vary widely. The appeal of the same product can be completely different; for example, a doctor may be attracted to analytical technology in diagnosis, while a nurse may be attracted to the operating environment during treatment. We believe that listening to each individual's voice and empathizing with their thoughts and concerns will lead to optimal proposals.
Of course, I wasn't able to put these three principles into practice from the beginning. When I first joined the company, I would accompany my seniors and simply watch and learn. Recently, I have often been in a higher position, so I value the attitude of learning from my juniors. From the perspectives and ways of thinking that come from being inexperienced, I often gain new insights that I would not have noticed on my own. Every day, I communicate with people regardless of their position or title, and I try to work while keeping the three principles I mentioned above in mind.

Further strengthening sales capabilities and organizational management

In the future, I would like to take on new challenges that utilize my experience and sales skills. The domestic market in which our company conducts sales activities accounts for approximately 15% of Olympus' total global sales. I would like to develop a global perspective through sales experience in overseas markets, such as what product technologies are in demand around the world and what sales activities are optimal.
I also want to focus on management in order to pass it on to the next generation. When we hear the word "management," we often imagine a boss supervising and guiding his or her subordinates, but in the sense of "managing and managing work to achieve results," I feel that self-management is the most important. It's not easy to achieve results in your own style, and I have struggled with it myself. I would like to contribute to the growth of the company by passing on the knowledge and experience I have gained to my juniors and building a strong organization in which each individual can manage themselves.

Message to university students

Now that I'm a working member of society, when I look back on my time as a university student, I feel both satisfaction that things went well, and regret that I should have done things differently. However, all of these are connected to "encounters with people." I met all of you reading this right now through online media. Thanks to that, you were able to learn about me and our company. This is also another encounter. I believe that each and every one of these experiences has brought me to where I am today. I encourage you to cherish your encounters with people and spend each day cherishing them.

Student Newspaper Online, August 1, 2023, Interview by Yui Takemura, 3th year student at Senshu University