[Employee interview] What kind of work is pre-sales in the technical sales department?

This is Fujisawa from PR and I can't wait for the Tokyo Game Show for the first time in three years.

Beyond is currently actively hiring "presales"

Presales is a profession that requires not only sales skills but also knowledge of IT technology.

Since you will be acting as a liaison 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.

The pre-sales staff at Beyond are three people who belong to the technical sales department.

▲ From left: Ohara, Nakagawa, Nakauchi

we asked members of the technical sales department what kind of people are suitable for Beyond's pre-sales work

Technical sales department interview

-First of all, please introduce yourself.

Nakauchi: My name is Nakauchi and I am the manager of the technical sales department. I don't usually go into sales myself, but rather I work in a style where I mostly make introductions or make suggestions in response to inquiries.

Ohara: My name is Ohara from the Technical Sales Department. I belong to the marketing section of the sales department, and the way I work in sales is the same as Mr. Nakauchi. The main tasks of the marketing department include creating new service pages on Beyond's homepage, planning products, exhibiting at exhibitions, and operating SNS.

Nakagawa: I'm Nakagawa from the Technical Sales Department. My work is almost the same as Mr. Nakauchi and Mr. Ohara, but I often do chores. I also appear on Beyond's YouTube " Biyomaru Channel

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-What kind of person is the technical sales department looking for?

Nakauchi: First of all, someone who can think and act on their own. Also, since I work in sales, I guess I'm the kind of person that people don't dislike. I don't mind if people dislike me within the company, but I don't want customers to dislike me (lol). In terms of skills, it would be desirable to have someone with IT knowledge and server knowledge, but what do you think?

Ohara: It would be better to have basic knowledge of sales and good manners.

Nakagawa: I don't think it's really a sales skill, it's more of a common sense level than a sales one. I guess that's what it means to be a member of society.

Nakauchi: Although it is not a quota, there is a numerical target, so I would like them to think for themselves about what they need to do to achieve that goal and take action.

Ohara: It's a bit more difficult than other sales, because Beyond has a lot of services, and instead of selling a fixed item and saying, "Here you go," there are many cases where we use our brains to propose combinations. , you use your head a lot.

Nakagawa: I may be a bit unusual, but I think it would be interesting if someone who doesn't mean it in a good way joins this company. I like people with strong personalities, and I think it would be nice to have someone who can utilize that in their work. After all, I would like to work with someone who is fun to talk to and who I find interesting.

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

Nakagawa: I think the top priority should be to get customers to learn about the cloud and services first, rather than just talking face-to-face with them. What kind of service is there and what is this service for? By combining each piece, you can finally create a single shape.

Nakauchi: Well, if you don't have that knowledge, you won't be able to have a conversation when you suddenly meet customers face-to-face.

Nakagawa: So rather than sales, I think it would be more appropriate to say engineer.

Nakauchi: Indeed, technical knowledge is far more necessary than sales skills. They don't need the skills to make an appointment. So if you're going in with no experience, you'll probably have to study a lot, and there's nothing you can do about working hard for a day or two, so I think the most important thing is to be able to build up your skills each day.

-When do you feel that your work is rewarding?

Nakauchi: Both Borsho (Ohara) and Nakashin (Nakagawa), I think we get along well with each other and it's fun to work together, and it's great to work toward the same goal as them. It's so much fun. Rather than technical skills, sales skills, or anything like that, the most important thing may really be whether you get along well with each other (lol). If you work with someone who is fun to work with, then the results are secondary. I also think that my job is helping people. Even in our daily lives, we often see our customers' products and services. I feel proud that customer service is a part of my life.

Nakagawa: Certainly, I can relate to that aspect a lot. We also have to deal with various server-related problems every day, and our in-house engineers take care of them, and we ourselves think that the quality of the service is very good. So even when I'm doing sales, I can feel like I'm selling something really good, and even after the start of operation, the engineers are working hard to make sure the customers are happy. There are many opportunities to feel a sense of accomplishment.

Ohara: After all, there is a lot to remember in sales, so if you keep doing it for a long time, you can acquire engineer-level knowledge. I think it's rewarding for people working there because you can become a salesperson that can be used anywhere in the IT industry in Japan.

-Specifically, what knowledge do you need? Is it cloud/server knowledge?

Ohara: Knowledge of infrastructure. Linux, databases, etc. In the IT industry, various web services are coming out all the time, but I think infrastructure sales is probably universal within the IT industry. We use technology that has not changed much over time, and the core of it is servers, networks, and databases. If you have a solid grasp on that, you can apply it to other IT businesses. Therefore, the technical sales department often focuses on studying the server/network/database area and then makes proposals to customers. The key point is that by becoming strong in the infrastructure area, we can stay on track as IT salespeople.

-Finally, please give a message to those reading the article.

Nakagawa: Even though it is a sales position, I think this is a job recommended for people who like technical studies, so if you are interested, I would be happy if you could apply for Beyond's pre-sales position.

Ohara: We would like people with a frontier spirit to come. Break new ground.

Nakauchi: We want people who can get along well with us to come. Someone on the same wavelength. I want you to speak honestly during the interview. There may be a lot to learn, but I think it will be difficult to reach that point, so I would like positive people who can enjoy their work to come.

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

That’s it for the interview with the technical sales department!

Beyond pre-sales requires not only sales skills but also technical knowledge, so you may have a lot of things to remember at first, and you may have some trouble. However, once you gain experience, you are sure to become a valuable asset in the IT industry. If you want to be able to work in both sales and IT technology, why not try working in the technical sales department?

Beyond recruitment site (pre-sales recruitment requirements page)

Wantedly Job Page

This is Fujisawa from PR.