Fostering a new view of sales through cross-industrial exchange ＜National Knowledge Manufacturing Conference＞

Sanko Techno Group
WDS Corporation

President and Representative DirectorHiroyuki Yamada he

Surprised by "the collaboration that was born here last year."

　(WDS), a developer of AI-embedded biometric authentication terminals such as face recognition, will become a subsidiary of major construction materials company Sanko Techno Co. in 2022. The National Knowledge Manufacturing Conference was also introduced to him by his parent company, and he decided to participate with the aim of "making contacts with industries different from telecommunications and civil engineering, with which he already has connections. Despite his high expectations, Mr. Yamada regarded the conference as "just one of many exhibitions," but his image was overturned the moment he stepped into the venue, he said. When I visited other companies' booths, it was common for them to say, 'This is a product we developed with a company we met here last year. When I returned to my own booth afterwards, the organizer, RIVANES, would introduce me to companies from different industries one after another, asking, 'Are you interested in a company that has this kind of technology? It was the first exhibition where exhibiting companies were so actively connected.

An attitude was created that allowed for in-depth discussions.

　On the day of the event, five people from WDS attended, including the parent company. Two were selected to be in charge of their own booths because they had "extensive experience in exhibiting" and "comprehensive knowledge of their own products and technologies. In other words, they were employees who were familiar with exhibitions, but the atmosphere unique to the National Knowledge Manufacturing Conference brought about a variety of changes.
The questions from those who are highly motivated to collaborate are rich in content and motivate our staff. In the past, we tended to talk superficially at such meetings out of fear that it might be perceived as a sales pitch, but this time we were able to have an in-depth discussion. They were proactive, wanting to communicate this content and see what kind of reaction they would get. The lack of psychological hurdles had a big impact.

What can be done in a non-passive setting?

　Through this participation, WDS is beginning to develop a new perspective on sales. In general, exhibitions are passive environments in which people wait for visitors with their products lined up in booths. So what can we do in a non-passive environment? That's what we came to think," says Mr. Yamada.
What should your company appeal to a gathering of various industries? In addition to explaining the superiority of their products, could they also discuss the scalability of their products when combined with other elements? Furthermore, shouldn't we be proactive in gaining perspectives from a wide range of connections that our companies may not be aware of on their own? Next time I attend the National Knowledge Manufacturing Conference, I would like to have a solid strategy in place in advance. That's what I'm thinking.

(Text: KURAMOTO, Hitoyuki)