Active globally
After graduating from the Faculty of International Liberal Studies, I joined the company in 2024. After joining the company, I was assigned to the Planning and Sales Group, where I am in charge of major discount stores and the Towel Research Institute.
When I was looking for a job, I looked for companies that focused on planning daily necessities and character goods.
I attended an information session for Izawa Towel and decided to apply because they make towels, a product that is essential to our daily lives, and it fit my core values. Also, since I mainly studied English in high school and university, one of the reasons I wanted to work there was that they are focusing on global expansion.
As a planning and sales representative, you will plan and propose new and renewed products to your clients. While understanding the client's requests and ideas, you will prepare quotes based on those requests, arrange for towel and packaging samples, and proceed with production according to the planned schedule.
I have to keep track of everything from proposals to products being on display in stores, so there is a lot to think about and remember. When I first joined the company, there was a lot to remember and it was difficult, but I learned one thing at a time by checking my notes and asking my seniors.
I also have a lot of interaction with overseas factories, which allows me to utilize my English skills, but cultural differences and language barriers can also be a challenge. I take on these challenges every day!
The planning and sales group I belong to is responsible for clients such as the Towel Research Institute, convenience stores, and mass retailers.
Each salesperson is responsible for their own clients, but when they need to gather ideas for a project or when they suddenly need more manpower, they help each other within the group.
If there is something you don't understand, all of the seniors are kind and will kindly teach you and think with you.
Rapid growth
I feel proud when I see the products I was in charge of on display in stores or featured on TV, and I think the best part of working in manufacturing is getting reactions from customers.
In fact, during my first year at the company, a product that I was involved in planning was featured in a client's advertisement and was even shown on national television. I was proud to have been able to plan a product that was featured on television, and I immediately boasted about it to my family. As communication with my client increased, I felt that I was gradually gaining their trust, which made me want to do even more to meet their expectations.
I studied abroad in the United States during my student days, so I was used to speaking English, but I had a hard time negotiating with factories in areas such as India where English is not the native language.
We were both poor at English, and it was my first time using English in a business setting, so I had to learn a lot of new things, such as the ability to persistently ask questions and terminology related to towels, production, and logistics.
After being assigned to the Planning and Sales Group, I have an opportunity to meet with my supervisor once every two weeks to talk freely about my worries and hopes regarding work, etc. At those times, my supervisor may also talk about how he or she wants me to grow, so I can concretely visualize my future and incorporate it into my daily work.
As a field salesperson, I am responsible for communicating with clients and manufacturing plants, and I lead the entire process from product planning to delivery.
It's an environment where anyone can raise their hand and take on a challenge, regardless of their years with the company, so I feel like I'm growing faster than I ever imagined I would when I was a student. I've also been appointed by my superiors to be members of large projects, which really makes me feel like they trust my skills.
It's been a few years since I joined the company, and I can personally see the company's rapid growth, with listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard and the start of sales on Amazon US. Up until now, my goal in my work has been to grasp the flow from product planning to delivery and execute it. However, going forward, I would like to grow every day so that I can work with a greater awareness of the company's growth and direction, such as deepening my understanding of the towel market not only in Japan but also overseas, and communicating with clients and factories as a salesperson while keeping sales budgets in mind.