今週は4泊5日のの海外出張へ出ております。今回は香港と台湾の2カ国です。
前回の香港、台湾出張から1年2ヶ月ぶりで、本来なら少なくとも1年に2回は訪問すべき程の情報量でいつも出張準備で資料をまとめているときにバタバタしております。
今回の最初の目的地の香港では酸性パーマとストレートのプレゼンがメインテーマです。
代理店のセールス4名を含めた6名に対して日本の酸性ストレートが話題になっている背景やマレーシアでの導入した事例などをまとめてしっかりと説明。香港市場では台湾製の酸性パーマ商品はすでに導入されているようですが、酸性メニューの普及の余地は十分にあり、今なら売り込んで行けるとの好反応。４名のセールスの内２名はスタイリスト出身で現場の事をよく理解しているため関心が高く技術者らしい質問を沢山受けました。
酸性パーマや酸性ストレートは日本でも使い方や結果に対する意見が二極化する商品だけに当社も海外での販売の経験がなく、アジア市場での導入は供給する我々が疑問を持っていましたが、マレーシアでの導入がキーポイントになったと感じています。
マレーシアでの導入については先日のblogに書いておりますのでよろしければご覧くださいね。
第一関門突破で次のステップです。ご要望の内容を取り入れて代理店・サロンへの教育プランをしっかりと考えて導入までサポートしていきます。
休憩の合間の代理店セールスとの雑談で・・・
香港には日本の美容師免許のような制度はなく、美容学校はあるが国家試験ではないので誰でも就業が可能とのこと。
日本の育成型サロンにおける教育の流れ（美容学校卒業➾アシスタント数年➾スタイリストデビュー）を話すと驚いていました。香港ではこの日本式は成り立たないため育成型サロンの形態はないそうです。サロン経営において人を採用して戦力になるまで育成するという概念そのもがなく、即戦力を必要に応じて採用するそうです。また、国家試験もなく誰でも就業可能ということは、スタイリスト間の技術レベルのギャップが大きく、お店の技術レベルを揃えるということは別の意味で大変だと推測します。
今回はこの辺で
滞在中の早朝の散歩の際に見つけたサロン、ヘアカラーが９８ドル（現在のレートで２０００円弱）です。
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In business in Hong Kong
• September 13, 2024.
This week I am on an overseas business trip, which is to Hong Kong and Taiwan, for 4 nights and 5 days.
It has been a year and two months since my last business trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Since I only go once a year, when I should really be going twice a year because I have so much information, so I’m always busy preparing.
The main theme of this first stop, Hong Kong, is the presentation of acid perms and straightening.
I gave a solid presentation to six people, including four sales representatives of the distributor, summarizing the background of the hot topic of acidic straightening in Japan and the case study of its introduction in Malaysia. Two of the four sales representatives were former stylists, so they had a good understanding of the market, and they were very interested in the topic.
We had no experience in selling acid perms and acid straightening products overseas, as opinions on their use and results are polarized even in Japan, and we had our doubts about their introduction in the Asian market, but we feel that their introduction in Malaysia was a key point.
Please refer to our recent blog about the introduction in Malaysia, if you would like to read it.
We’ve passed the first hurdle, so we’ll move on to the next step. We will support them through the introduction of the system by incorporating their requests and developing a solid educational plan for their agents and salons.
I was chatting with a salesperson from an agency during a break,
He said that Hong Kong does not have a system like the Japanese beautician license, and although there are beauty schools, there is no national examination, so anyone can work at hair salons.
When I told him about the educational flow in Japan’s nurturing salons (graduation from beauty school ➾ several years working as an assistant ➾ debut as a stylist), he was surprised. In Hong Kong, there is no such a salon in the form of a training salon because this Japanese style does not work. In salon management, there is no concept of hiring people and training them until they are ready to work, and they hire people who can work immediately as needed. In addition, the fact that there is no national exam and anyone can work as stylists means that there is a large gap in skill level between stylists, and I assume that it is very difficult to keep the skill level of the salon in the same level.
This time around.
The salon, which I found during an early morning walk during my stay, charges $98 for hair coloring (less than 2000 yen at the current rate).