Joined ZEALS to Challenge Myself in an Energetic Environment

– I heard that your previous job was at a non-IT company. What made you decide to transition to ZEALS, which is also an IT company?

In my previous job, I worked in sales for a company that operated in the energy media sector. They also ran a web media outlet that provided diverse information such as news in the renewable energy industry and potential customer introduction services, where I was responsible for advertising sales.

Despite being in a niche industry, it was a company that was often at the top of the list for customers wanting to attract more customers. After working there for several years, I was able to achieve a sense of fulfillment and felt that I had accomplished my goals. I considered it time to seek new perspectives and challenges to grow further, thus started looking for a new job.

While my previous company was also a venture, when I joined, there were many employees in their 30s and 40s, which created a calmer atmosphere. As a result, I wanted to pursue new possibilities in a more energetic environment at my next workplace. After reading articles by Masa, the president of ZEALS, I felt that it aligned with my values and direction, and I became interested.

Furthermore, I had experience in media operations at my previous job, where I was involved in selecting keywords for SEO and worked on designing marketing automation tools as well since we provided BtoC services. This connection to ZEALS’s chat commerce, along with the opportunity to capitalize on that experience, motivated me to join. Also, coincidentally, like President Masa, I had a shared interest in Doraemon, which made me smile (laugh).

To Overcome Challenges, Ask About the Unknown

– Having joined the energetic ZEALS, did you notice any differences compared to your previous job?

Actually, my previous company was founded in 2014 as well, and located in Gotanda (ZEALS used to have its office in Gotanda too), so there were similarities between ZEALS and my previous job. However, what really stood out was the difference in pace. At ZEALS, influenced by the characteristics of the IT and advertising sectors, product and solution development progresses at a very fast pace depending on the external environment. To keep up with the rapid changes, the current strategies are frequently reviewed, and I felt that the sense of urgency required by the management was exceptional.

I believe working in such a fast-paced environment will be a significant experience in my long life. This is because it provides an opportunity to update my skills and ways of thinking while requiring quick decision-making and flexible responses to changes. In this environment, one naturally develops a mindset that does not settle for the status quo and continues to evolve.

To adapt to this rapidly changing environment, what I valued was the attitude of "going out for primary information." Many employees at ZEALS are well-versed in ad tech, the IT industry, and the advertising field. I actively questioned and learned from the basics, such as the product appeal points and mechanisms, to practical content, like how to convey messages to customers convincingly. I expanded my knowledge and skills by frankly asking about unknowns and taking real action.

What particularly impressed me was that my colleagues were incredibly friendly. I believe it's because there's a shared awareness of aiming for the same goals across different departments. Being in this environment allowed me to feel my personal growth while strongly experiencing both the speed of ZEALS and the warmth of the team.

At ZEALS, the speed allows for abundant opportunities for challenge. The environment is set up to let one tackle undeveloped areas or fields one has not handled before, and I saw it as a chance to grow and have worked on it. In doing so, not only did my team members actively share ideas, but despite the rapid pace, the team cultivated a supportive atmosphere together. I feel that this organizational culture is a significant attraction of ZEALS.

Another characteristic of ZEALS is its strong 'engagement ability.' Compared to other companies, the aggressiveness in moving things forward and the pace of environmental changes are particularly marked. For example, when taking on a new project, a specific action plan is already in place, and there’s no time for hesitation as we swiftly engage others in the process. I also naturally got swept along with that flow and was required to take proactive action.

In such an environment, it’s essential to approach with a mindset of “let's try doing it” without fixed notions or biases. Through this experience, I believe I’ve been able to strengthen my ability to think flexibly and act quickly. The combination of ZEALS’s speed, engagement ability, and team unity creates an environment that allows for continuous challenges, which I feel is a significant strength of ZEALS.

– It seems like you have been swiftly adapted to the speed of ZEALS. Did you acquire any skills to deliver results at work?

It could be about flexibly adjusting words and messages according to the perspectives and values of different stakeholders. We emphasize the value of communication design, but I believe it's an area that's hard to define. For instance, within the single term 'marketing,' there are those who speak philosophically, others focused on advertising strategies, and some who prioritize conversions. There are people who talk from points of view as well as those who approach from a broader perspective, so I had to consider communication tailored to each.

Honestly, this cannot be resolved just by researching, so I pretended not to know and directly conversed with each customer to align our perspectives.

Additionally, understanding everything in sales and providing detailed explanations does not necessarily lead to results. In the case of chat commerce, merely conveying the entire mechanism didn’t lead to the customer’s satisfaction or decision to implement it. What’s crucial is to identify the points that allow the customer to confidently decide to implement it, believing that “this will yield results.”

Through this process, I realized that the key is to concretely visualize the “success for the customer.” It’s not just about explaining the product functions; it’s about showing how introducing chat commerce can create results and how the customer’s issues can be solved. As a result, when customers were convinced to implement, and they actually achieved results, I experienced a great sense of accomplishment.

This process deeply connects with ZEALS’s VISION of “saving Japan from a labor shortage and delivering hospitality to the world.” For me, the outcome is conveying the spirit of “hospitality” during the process in which customers experience specific results from the introduction of chat commerce. That is a step in embodying ZEALS’s mission and a point I treasure in my daily work.

Look for things that others can’t do but you can

– I got the impression that you have made efforts to achieve results steadily. What points did you innovate?

In my first and second year after joining, I was in charge of new AP (sales), and from the latter half of my second year, I also began to handle existing projects. The companies I belong to target enterprise-level clients, so I think the duration until contract acquisition is relatively long.

To achieve results, I focused on executing essential activities as an AP while paying attention to areas that were not sufficiently managed due to a lack of human resources.

Specifically, I maintained regular communication and deepened relationships with customers by increasing the quantity of interactions, or when there were detailed updates about the product, I carefully communicated their effects, thoroughly performing activities considered “standard” as an AP.

Additionally, I approached customers with whom we had previously held discussions but, for some reason, had not finalized a contract. For customers we could not adequately support because of our lack of resources, I prioritized improvement efforts based on sales scale and contact history. These efforts were generally close to what is referred to as “digging up,” but I believe that the detailed execution and innovation led to results.

Ultimately, I found opportunities to contribute in areas where “others are unable” and focused on that, which gradually increased the number of clients interested in chat commerce.

– ZEALS’s vision is “to elevate Japan and the world.” Through your work, how do you think you manifest this vision?

Compared to two years ago when I joined, the introduction of chat commerce in the education industry has significantly expanded. In addition to traditional offline efforts, the optimization of digital marketing is being demanded, and I feel that utilizing chat commerce is becoming “normal” in the education sector.

Chat commerce provides a heartfelt experience to customers digitally by hearing individuals' needs via chat and proposing personalized offers. The realization of this value of “hospitality” strongly embodies ZEALS’s vision of “elevating Japan and the world,” meaning “increasing those with intention, saving Japan from a labor shortage, and delivering hospitality to the world.”

Moreover, ZEALS has begun expanding its products originating in Japan to the U.S. to deliver a new form of “hospitality” cultivated in Japan. Opportunities to spread our newly established ‘norm’ (i.e., ‘hospitality’) globally are steadily increasing, and personally, I want to contribute significantly to this trend and challenge myself to create additional value.