Hara’s presentation
I. Introduction:
Good morning.
I am very honored to be here and speak to you about my methods, which you can use to boost your sales in a very short time.
Before getting into my methods, let me introduce myself.
After I graduated from the Osaka Institute of Technology, I worked as a salesperson for a food manufacturer, and, after that, for Funai Consulting Company. I was aiming to be Japan’s best consultant. However, I felt strongly that the consultants of the next generation should better understand how to deliver the desires of upper-management to workers in the field.
So, I changed jobs to become a dish-washer in a ramen restaurant. I was determined to be a consultant who could easily empathize with workers.
From there, I learned a lot and worked my way up to become the restaurant manager.
Now, I am a consultant again, but I won’t give you a typical plan for the future. My plan is always based on experience.
Most of my customers are owners of shops and restaurants and they fully trust me because I have become the instrument through which they can communicate their desires to their employees. Workers listen to me and understand what I say because we have shared the same experiences. Eventually, this rapport leads to changes in their actions.
So, after all this, you may wonder, “Why is he in the U.S.?” I am here because I am certain that I can create a new management culture by integrating the following four points of knowledge from both America and Japan:
(1) the high level of customer service from Japan
(2) the rational way of thinking from America
(3) the positive, forward-looking drive from America
(4) the idea of continual improvement from Japan
Finally, Los Angeles is a place I can’t live without. I’ve dreamed of working in L.A. for over 20 years. The Japanese frontier spirit is rooted in this place, and I would like to carry on in the spirit of the Japanese who first set foot in California to forge a new way of life. I am determined to spread Japanese values from L.A. to the whole world.
II. Case Reports:
First, I’d like to tell you about some of my actual cases that increased sales:
I’ve helped 36 companies in one year. And at those companies, about 15,000 employees developed better skills through my training. For example:
1. a barbecue chicken restaurant in Hawaii
Their current sales are about $70,000 per month, from just 44 seats and about 4 rotations (of customers) per day. The part-time employees work so hard that the local customers ask the manager, “What kind of training did they have? I’ve never seen such hard-working part-timers before!”
2. a pizza delivery service in Japan
Their profits improved by 500% compared to the previous year’s earnings. Their manager receives a “Happy Birthday!” e-mail from all his employees. Part-time workers regularly ask to be allowed to become full-time employees.
3. a supermarket in Japan
They are currently using my flyers, and have already achieved a daily sales increase of 171%, and a monthly sales increase of 110%. Before they hired me, their sales had decreased by 25% due to a large supermarket opening near them. However, they recovered their sales instantly with my revival plan, including the flyers and special meetings.
Now, let me tell you about my methods. My method can be divided into three parts:
III. Method #1:
The first training method is used to enrich the employees’ skills and education in three steps. This method is called “Appreciating Your Resources”.
In the first step, we must observe which actions and words of the employees boost the sales of the business, and then tell the employees which of his/her actions and words are useful. These words and actions can be improved upon when top managers change their points of view and their ways of thinking.
In the second step, we verify if such actions actually have a positive effect on sales, and make notes, or lists, of these actions to build up our knowledge base. We ask the employees, “Why did you take that action?”, “What made you decide to do that?”, and, “What efforts did you make in order to get that result?” Further, we form a hypothesis about why the business attracts its customers.
In the third step, we share this knowledge base with all of the employees. We set up a place to distribute this information among the employees and encourage all employees to model it. Teamwork improves at once by setting the stage for the free distribution of information and resources amongst everyone in the business.
IV. Method #2:
In my second method, I use a magic tool that smooths out all communication instantly.
How do you know when your communication is not going well? It’s not about how interesting the conversation is. You feel anxious when you think you are being misunderstood by others, having doubts such as, “That isn’t what I meant to say,” or, “I’m not getting my point across.”
Everybody wants to maintain their self-esteem; we would like to be accepted by others, and we’d like to affirm the value of our being. A famous psychologist, Dr. Will Schutz, stated the following was necessary for effective communication: “The three dimensions of interpersonal relations are inclusion, control, and affection.”
Number 1, “inclusion” (or “self-importance”) means wanting to be recognized as an important part of the group.
Number 2, “control” (or “competence”) means wanting to be recognized as a capable and knowledgeable member of the group.
Number 3, “affection” (or “compatibility”) means wanting to be liked by the group.
Our total communication skill is reflected by our ability to fulfill these three desires.
Teaching the employees the fundamentals of proper behavior, and telling them that you count on them is very effective. The most important thing that supervisors need to do for their employee training and team building, is to regularly tell their subordinates that they count on them, and that their efforts are a vital part of making the company work.
I made these as a team-building tool. This is the Employee Appreciation Sheet. Management writes their detailed comments in sections 1, 2, and 3 of the sheet, in about 3 sentences. It’s ideal if you fill this out and give this to your employees on the first day of every month.
Now, let’s take 5 minutes to try it! Please write your comments. Think of one of your employees who has a lot of potential, and please write your comments about him or her on the sheet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~( ~5 minute pause )~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Is everyone finished? Ok? Now, please read your comments aloud to the person next to you.
How was it? (wait to see people’s reactions)
What did you discover? (let people answer if they want to)
V. Method #3:
The third method is to find which actions of the employees specifically increase sales, by using the Logic Tree. For example, in the case of restaurants, we can divide their total sales amount into two categories:
1) the number of customers
2) the unit price per customer
The first element, the number of customers, can be improved in several ways: by gaining new customers, increasing the visitation frequency of regular customers, earning publicity by word-of-mouth, and decreasing the turnover rate. If you further divide each of these elements into smaller branches, you can build your Logic Tree in order to break down the specific actions the staff contributes to each element of the sales.
For example, please look at this chart. (show chart)
Make a Logic Tree, find which actions and which staff members stand out, and then, specifically outline your appreciation of those actions to those employees. Linking the Logic Tree with the Employee Appreciation Sheet, as previously mentioned, is even more effective.
VI. Conclusion:
I’d like to end by outlining my company’s mission, with the hope that you will be able to integrate some, or all, of these ideas into your own:
- Where there is a will, there is a way.
- First of all, take a step forward. Action evokes emotion, and emotion accelerates action.
- Always use positive words. A positive outlook will form networks of like-minded individuals, who will back you up in earnest.
- Don’t be selfish. If you have no sympathy for your fellow man, your life has no worth.
- Grow together with other companies; work through friction and disagreements.
- Do everything you can to make your family happy; your family is your flesh and blood.
- Make sure you follow your own path to make yourself happy.
- Hold onto your desires firmly; focus and run with them.
- Be determined to be happy and successful, and give it everything you’ve got.
Also, I’d like to add that there is a questionnaire which is important to tailoring and linking these ideas to your company and your goals, so please be sure to fill one out. Thank you. Does anyone have any questions?
