[Employee Interview] What kind of work does pre-sales in the technical sales department do?

This is Fujisawa from the PR department, and I'm looking forward to the Tokyo Game Show, which will be held for the first time in three years

Beyond is currently actively recruiting "pre-sales"

Pre-sales is a job that requires not only sales skills but also knowledge of IT technology

Since you will be acting as a bridge between customers and in-house engineers, you will need not only the ability to communicate with customers, but also the ability to communicate closely with engineers

Beyond's pre-sales team consists of these three people from the Technical Sales Department

▲ From left: Ohara, Nakagawa, Nakauchi

This time, we asked members of the Technical Sales Department to dig deeper into the question, "What kind of person is suitable for pre-sales at Beyond?"

Interview with the Technical Sales Department

-First, please introduce yourselves

Nakauchi: I'm Nakauchi, the manager of the Technical Sales Department. I don't usually go out and do sales myself, but rather I work mostly through introductions and by making proposals in response to inquiries.

Ohara: My name is Ohara and I work in the Technical Sales Department. I belong to the Marketing Division within the Sales Department, and my sales work methods are the same as Nakauchi's. The main work of the Marketing Division is creating new service pages on Beyond's website, planning products, exhibiting at exhibitions, and managing social media.

Nakagawa: I'm Nakagawa from the Technical Sales Department. My work is almost the same as Nakauchi-san and Ohara-san's, but I mostly do odd jobs. I also appear on Biyomaru Channel

(Please subscribe to our channel!)

-What kind of people does the Technical Sales Department look for?

Nakauchi: First of all, someone who can think for themselves and act accordingly. Also, since it's sales, someone who isn't disliked by others. It's fine if people dislike you in the company, but I'd prefer not to be disliked by customers (laughs). In terms of skills, someone with knowledge of IT and servers is desirable, but what do you think?

Ohara: It's good to have basic knowledge of sales and etiquette.

Nakagawa: It's more like common sense than sales, so I don't think it's really sales skills. I think it's more like being a member of society.

Nakauchi: Also, although it's not a quota, we have target numbers, so I would like you to think for yourself what you need to do to achieve them and then act accordingly.

Ohara: What makes it a little more difficult than other sales roles is that Beyond has a lot of services, so rather than just selling a set of fixed products by saying "here you go," we often have to use our heads to combine them and propose them, so it requires a lot of brainpower.

Nakagawa: I might be a little odd, but I think it would be interesting if a type of person who doesn't exist in this company in a good way would come. I like people with strong personalities, so it would be nice to have someone who can utilize that in their work. Also, I would like to work with people who I find fun to talk to and who I think are interesting.

-Is there anything you would like new employees to do first?

Nakagawa: Rather than immediately sitting down and talking to customers, I think the first priority is to have them learn about the cloud and services. What services are available, and why each service is used, etc. By combining each of these, you can ultimately create a single form.

Nakauchi: That's right. If you don't have that knowledge, you won't be able to have a conversation with a customer when you suddenly meet them face to face.

Nakagawa: So rather than sales, I think engineer would be a more appropriate term.

Nakauchi: It's true that technical knowledge is far more important than sales skills. You don't even need the ability to make appointments. So if you're joining without experience, you'll probably have to study a lot, and even if you work hard for a day or two, it won't help you, so I think the most important thing is whether you can make daily progress.

-When do you feel that your work is rewarding?

Nakauchi: Whether it's Borusho (Ohara) or Nakashin (Nakagawa), I think we get along well and it's fun to work together, and it's really fun to work towards the same goal as them. I think the most important thing is whether we get along, rather than things like technical skills or sales skills (laughs). If they're people you enjoy working with, then results are probably secondary. I also think it's a job that helps people. In our everyday lives, we often come across our customers' products and services. I'm proud that customer service is a part of my life.

Nakagawa: That's true, I can really relate to that. We also deal with various server-related issues every day, which are handled by our in-house engineers, and we ourselves think that the quality of the service is very good. So even when I'm doing sales, I feel like I'm selling something really good, and even after the service has started, our engineers are making sure our customers are happy, so I often get a sense of accomplishment.

Ohara: Sales requires a lot of learning, so if you keep at it, you can acquire engineer-level knowledge. You'll become a salesperson who can work anywhere in the Japanese IT industry, so I think that's what makes it rewarding for those who work there.

-Specifically, what knowledge is required? Is it knowledge of the cloud/servers?

Ohara: Knowledge of infrastructure. Linux, databases, etc. The IT industry is constantly introducing new web services, but I think infrastructure sales is probably universal within the industry. It uses technology that remains relatively unchanged over time, and at its core are servers, networks, and databases. If you have a solid grasp of these, you can apply them to other IT businesses. That's why the technical sales department often focuses on studying servers, networks, and databases before making proposals to customers. The key is to become strong in the infrastructure area, so you'll never run out of work as an IT salesperson.

-Finally, please give a message to those reading this article

Nakagawa: Although it is a sales position, I think it is a job that is recommended for people who enjoy studying technical matters, so if you are interested, I would be happy if you would apply for Beyond's pre-sales position.

Ohara: We would love to have people with a frontier spirit join us and break new ground.

Nakauchi: We want people who can get along with us. People who are on the same wavelength. We want people who can speak honestly during the interview. There may be a lot you can learn, but I think it's difficult to get there, so we want positive people who enjoy their work.

We are looking for people who want to compete in the IT industry as pre-sales staff!

That concludes the interview with the Technical Sales Department!

Beyond's pre-sales work requires not only sales skills but also technical knowledge, so there's a lot to remember and you may struggle at first. However, with experience, you'll be guaranteed to become a valuable asset in the IT industry. If you want to become a master of both sales and IT technology, why not try working in our technical sales department?

Beyond Recruitment Site (Pre-sales Recruitment Information Page)

Wantedly job page

This is Fujisawa from Public Relations