今週は東京出張
海外のお得意先が来日されるので当社の東京営業所で商談をすることに
そのお得意先は当社と２０年以上お取引のある台湾の美容商社の社長の息子さんで、今回お一人で来日されました。
日本に在住経験もある彼は現在３３歳で日本語が話せます。
日本の理美容系メーカーとも取引のあるこのお得意先に当社からはヘアカラーやスキャルプ関連の商品を供給していますが、ここ数年はコロナ禍や価格高騰の影響で取引頻度が少なくなったところに、更に定番で供給していた商品がメーカー廃番となったため、代替商品を探しては提案を繰り返してきました。そして今回の商談で直近に提案していた２つの商品を中心に説明をして見積りも提示したので、あとは彼が台湾へ帰ってから社長と協議をして結論を下し当社へ回答をもらうのみです。
注文が来ますように・・・と祈るばかり
そして彼から、台湾での輸入に関する法律が変更になるとのことで、２０２４年から医薬部外品が対象に、そして２０２５年からは化粧品が対象になるそうです。内容を聞く限り、輸入の際に当局へ提出する書類の種類が多くなるようで、手続きは大変そうですがお互いの商売のために、当社も必然的に対応をしていくことになります。
商談が終わった後は夕食へお誘いしてにコミュニケーションを深めます。
商談と同じくらい大切なのがこの食事の際のコミュニケーションで、プライベートな話は普通にしますし、聞かれたら私もオープンに話します。SNSでもプライベートで繋がっているのでお互いの家族構成や趣味がよく理解できます。海外のお得意先とは言葉のギャップやの国の文化が異なるだけにお互いを理解し合う姿勢が大切だと思っています。
そんなプライベートなお話から今回新たに知ったこと
彼のお爺さん御年９４歳 台湾でコームのメーカーを経営している現役社長で日本語も話せるそうです。
９４歳で現役社長というのも驚きですが従業員６０人ほど雇っているのも驚きです。
コームのメーカーで６０人の従業員とはかなりの規模と想像します。
そう考えると彼の家系は美容業の家系ということになります。
彼らのルーツは 客家 と呼ばれる漢民族の一支流で”中国のユダヤ人”と呼ばれるほど商売上手で勤勉と言われています。
台湾総統の蔡英文さんや台湾元総統の李登輝さん シンガポールの元首相リー・クアンユーさん タイの元首相 タクシン・チナワットさん 各国の著名なリーダ―も客家出身です。
当社の海外の取引先の中でも客家にルーツを持つ人はいますが、商売上手で勤勉なのは納得できます。
客家にルーツを持つ彼は日本在住経験と日本語が話せることから日本のことをよく知っており、そして日本のことが大好きです。
ラーメンが好きで
日本に来たらライス無料のラーメンをよく食べる。
ラーメン二郎に行って野菜マシを注文する。
日本の芸能ニュースにも詳しく、最近では広〇涼〇さんのスキャンダルも知っている。(笑)
彼の家族がコロナに罹った時に彼は日本酒を飲んで喉を消毒した。(笑)
そんな日本好きな彼は７月にモデルのようなべっぴんさんとお見合いをする予定で、
そのお見合いが彼にとって素晴らしいご縁となることを日本から祈るばかりです。
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A son of a beauty trading company came to Japan from Taiwan
• June 16, 2023
Business trip to Tokyo this week
An overseas client came to Japan, and we had a business meeting at our Tokyo office.
The client is a son of the president of a Taiwanese beauty trading company with which we have been doing business for more than 20 years, and he came to Japan on his own this time.
He has lived in Japan for some time and is now 33 years old and speaks Japanese.
We have been supplying hair color and scalp-related products to this customer, who also has business with Japanese hairdressing and beauty salon manufacturers, but in recent years, due to the Corona disaster and price hikes, the frequency of business has decreased. Because a regular product was discontinued by the manufacturer, we have been repeatedly searching for alternative products and making proposals to them since then. We have explained to him about the two products that we had most recently proposed to him and provided him with a quotation. Now all that remains is for him to return to Taiwan, confer with the president, reach a conclusion, and give us his response.
I just pray that the order will come in…
He also told me that the laws regarding importation in Taiwan will be changed, and that quasi-drugs will be covered from 2024, and cosmetics from 2025. As far as I have heard, it seems that there will be more documents to be submitted to the authorities when importing, and the procedures will be more difficult, but for the sake of our mutual business, we will inevitably have to comply.
After the business meeting is over, I invite him to dinner to deepen communication.
It is as important as a business meeting, I think, to communicate during dinner. We talk about our private lives and I am open to talk with him if he asks me about it. I think it is important to have an attitude of mutual understanding with overseas clients because of the language gap and different national cultures.
From such a private story, I learned something new this time.
His grandfather, 94 years old, is the president of a comb manufacturer in Taiwan and speaks Japanese.
It is not only surprising that he is 94 years old and an active president, but it is also surprising that he employs about 60 people.
I imagine that 60 employees for a comb manufacturer is quite a large scale.
So, his family is in the beauty business.
Their roots are in the Hakka, a branch of the Han Chinese ethnic group, and they are known as the “Jews of China” for their business acumen and diligence.
The president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, the former president of Taiwan, Lee Teng-hui, the former prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, the former prime minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, and other prominent leaders of various countries are also from Hakka ethnic backgrounds.
Among our overseas business partners, there are those who have Hakka roots, and I am convinced that they are good at business and hardworking.
With Hakka roots, he has lived in Japan and speaks Japanese, so he knows and loves Japan.
He likes ramen.
When he comes to Japan, He often eats ramen with free rice.
He goes to Ramen Jiro and orders ramen with more vegetables.
He is also familiar with Japanese entertainment news and knows about the recent scandal of Ms. Hiroxxx Ryoxx. (LOL).
When his family got corona, he drank sake to sterilize his throat. (LOL)
The Japan lover guy is planning to arrange a meeting with a model-like beautiful women in July,
I wish it will be a successful matchmaking from Japan.