A Company that Values Individuality, Not Just Numbers.

Q.Please tell us why you decided to join BEAMS.

A.I changed jobs from a bank employee. At the time, I thought that getting a job was the goal, and I became a bank employee in Fukuoka because I had to get a job at a good company, but it didn't feel right. On weekends, I used to go shopping to change my mood. Among the various shops, I fell in love with the fun atmosphere of "BEAMS Fukuoka". I was looking at the staff of my generation who were talking happily and working briskly, and I thought it was great, and then I saw a sign at the cash register saying they were looking for staff, and I thought, "This is it!" From my parents' perspective, I must have been an idiot (laughs).

Q.What kind of work have you been in charge of since joining the company?

A.I started my career at BEAMS Fukuoka. I had a casual image of BEAMS, so when I was assigned to the men's dress department, I was surprised to find out that such a world existed. After moving to Tokyo in 2004, I accompanied buyers to fabric exhibitions and dealt with suit factories. The more I understood the products, the easier it became to communicate them to customers, which I enjoyed, and I became absorbed in customer service work. I currently serve customers as a service master, a customer service professional, at BEAMS House Marunouchi. I was then appointed as an executive officer.

Q.What do you find rewarding about your job?

A.A salesperson's job is to help customers by making them look good when they leave. I'm happy when they say "thank you" and feel happy, and I think my work is fun. That's all there is to it. To be honest, I don't think I have anything outstanding. However, I always think about what the customer is thinking and make it a priority to match the customer's pace. I'm quick and energetic to those who are energetic, and calm to those who are relaxed. And I'm considerate so that I can be there for those who are in trouble. I've been a salesperson for many years and have continued to achieve results, but making sales is not my only goal. There are companies that think that the right answer is to set and achieve numerical goals, but BEAMS is different. At BEAMS it's cool to endlessly convey the appeal of a single handkerchief and sell it. That's the kind of value we have.

Q.Are there any rules that you follow when working at a store?

A.It is to cooperate with the staff in the store. Find the good points of the staff, recognize each other, and ask them to do the work. A store is not good if one person has a good sales. If a process to order an item of a different size from another store comes up while I am serving customers, I ask another staff member to get involved. If one staff member is busy and the others are relaxing because it is not related to them, customers will sense that atmosphere and feel uncomfortable. It is because the whole store welcomes customers that they feel that this store is well-organized. I think that because the staff can naturally cooperate with each other and the store has a good atmosphere, customers will come back.

Q.What is the significance of juggling your roles as both a salesperson and an executive officer?

A.When I was appointed as an executive officer, President Shitara told me, "BEAMS' core is sales and service. I want you to be an example for the staff on the sales floor and show the way to those who follow." The majority of BEAMS' employees are in sales, so it's natural that some of them will go on to run the company. There are things that can't be read from data or reports, but can only be felt by our own eyes on the ground. For example, the number of inbound customers has increased recently. Many of them are well-built, and men's dresses that fit just right often miss sales opportunities. Should we increase the number of large sizes? Should we hold inventory that is a risk? You can't judge these things without having many customer visits on the ground. Reflecting the real voices of the field should be a strength of BEAMS.

Q.What skills do you need to be successful at BEAMS?

A.Have something that you're good at that will sell you. If you like talking, keep talking happily, and if you like learning about things, dig deeper than others. I think it's more important to develop what you can do than to be pessimistic about what you can't do. Look at the good in others, rely on others for what you can't do, and make it work. The idea that you can contribute with what you're good at is also reflected in the career system. You can choose for yourself whether to become a generalist aiming for a managerial position, or a specialist who masters a specific task. I'm glad that the company recognized my path as a sales specialist rather than moving into management.

Q.What kind of company do you think BEAMS is?

A.It's a company where you can enjoy doing the work you love. If you want to pursue what you want to do, there is an environment where that is recognized. I like customer service and continue working as a salesperson, but customer service is not everything. If you feel that your current position does not fit you, you can challenge other possibilities. There are various jobs at BEAMS, so you can find a job that suits your characteristics. I think that's a good thing about BEAMS.

Q.What do you value in your daily work?

A.It's important to be healthy in both body and mind. Sometimes things don't go as planned in my daily work, but if I don't keep my mind calm, it will affect my customer service and I'll feel unwell. I pray to God for that, and I have lots of talismans (laughs). Only I can improve my human abilities. I'm conscious of keeping my mental health in my own way.

Q.What are your hobbies and favorite cultures?

A.If I had to pick one, I like listening to jazz, especially piano jazz. I still collect CDs because I enjoy the act of taking each one out and putting them back in while looking at the jacket. My favorite artist is Michel Petrucciani, known as the best jazz player in France. Despite having a congenital physical disorder, he plays the piano with a powerful touch and there is no sense of tragedy in the sound. I was attracted to the pure sound he played. On my days off, I listen to music while taking care of pets. I clean the tanks of the killifish that my children bring home, shampoo dogs, and do other things like zookeepers.

Q.What are your goals for your future work?

A.Recently, the prices of products have become so high that even if you come across something wonderful and get excited, you hesitate and find it difficult to buy. It is not a problem that one company can solve, and it is not an era in which lowering prices can be said to be the right thing to do, but I hope that the price will settle down to a level where high quality products can be purchased at an affordable price. I want people to feel that shopping is fun. And I want to continue to place importance on imagining how our customers feel. Each customer has different values and financial sense. I think it is important to understand each person's position, provide professional guidance to those who are unsure, and continue to create opportunities for the next step.