"One Talent Per Person" Makes the Company Exciting

"Wouldn't you like to become a company where every salesperson has their own unique skill?"
This was the question posed to the client's president during a presentation. Initially, he looked surprised, eyes wide. However, after explaining the intent, objectives, and concrete plan, he responded with a smile, saying, "That's an interesting proposal. I'd definitely like to give it a try." This marked the birth of AutoBell's "One Skill Per Person Project." Auto Bell, a used car buying and sales company with 14 locations across Shizuoka Prefecture, is a well-known company familiar to residents through long-running TV commercials.

Company Design's First Initiative

Three years later, over 40 sales staff have mastered 20 different "special skills," which are now utilized in customer hospitality (service). This initiative, introduced in #01 and #02 of this series, was Company Design's first such project. It was also selected for the 2019 Good Design Award, making it deeply meaningful to the team members.

Part #01 of this series is here. Part #02 is here.
For details on the 2019 Good Design Award win, see here.
 

It all started when the advertising manager approached us saying, "We want to revamp our TV commercials." Instead of immediately planning a new commercial and proposing storyboards, we requested, "We'd like to speak with the president first," and were granted that opportunity. During our conversation, which covered the company's history, market environment, and internal initiatives, the top management mentioned various challenges they faced.

"Major national chain competitors are continuously expanding into Shizuoka, intensifying price competition. To stand out from this competition, we're focusing on enhancing customer service by leveraging Auto Bell's unique identity as a long-standing, community-focused business. We're investing in training our sales staff, but we need to accelerate this effort. Additionally, we want to increase employee satisfaction and purpose, while also addressing the challenge of attracting highly motivated talent. While we have name recognition, the quality of our customer service hasn't fully resonated yet. Branding is also an urgent priority."

First, starting with casual conversations with the sales team on the ground

As the top management, it's obvious that the challenges span a wide range, from the business itself to the people (employees), and simply changing the TV commercials doesn't seem like it will solve them. So, I made two requests to the president. The first was, "We are an advertising agency, but would it be okay if we made proposals that go beyond just TV commercials?" The second was, "I would like to have casual conversations with the salespeople who are active on the front lines."

He readily agreed to both requests. First, I had the opportunity to speak one-on-one for about an hour each with roughly ten junior and mid-level sales staff members on a later date. Given the company's strong focus on employee training, everyone was very polite and showed high enthusiasm for their work. I learned that their sense of fulfillment comes from "benefiting customers," "receiving words of gratitude," and "building long-term relationships even after contracts are signed." I could also feel their high potential.

I was particularly moved by stories of how each person leveraged their own skills or hobbies to bridge the gap with customers and build trust. "Used cars hold so many family memories. When I'm present for the moment of parting with a cherished vehicle, I take commemorative photos with my camera, which is my hobby." "Music is my hobby, so I casually ask customers about their favorite music genres during everyday conversations. When delivering the car, I present them with a recommended playlist."

As these thoughts swirled, the keyword "special skill" emerged from the perspective of "sales leveraging personal talents and hobbies." This led to the idea: "Let's become a company where every salesperson has their own special skill." Building on this, the team refined the plan. Starting from the entry point of "special skills," they ultimately delivered a cohesive proposal—the "One Special Skill Project"—all the way to the original request: a TV commercial.

The starting point was a newly introduced internal system: the "Special Talent Allowance."

Specifically, starting in the fall of 2017, it was implemented as follows.

First introduced was the new internal system, the "Special Skill Allowance." This system provides full company support for employees to acquire any "special skill" useful for customer hospitality, such as photography, barista skills, aromatherapy, fortune-telling, kendama... etc. Specifically, employees apprentice under a professional in that field for six months. After mastering their skill, employees become planners responsible for incorporating it into customer service initiatives. They also serve as mentors within the company, spreading their expertise through an "internal master-apprentice system."

Watch the web movie for the One Skill per Person Project here.

Leveraging the diverse range of "special skills" cultivated company-wide through these two internal systems, frontline staff autonomously deepen customer relationships. Initiatives include serving specialty coffee brewed with premium beans during wait times, curating store scents and decorations, designing thank-you notes and direct mail, and creating programs for families with children.

Simultaneously, we've turned these activities into content, disseminating them internally and externally through TV commercials, social media, web videos, business cards, and in-store tools. As a result, actual store visits have increased year after year. Furthermore, numerous benefits beyond customer interactions have emerged, including enhanced employee job satisfaction and purpose, as well as the recruitment of highly motivated new graduates.

A Strong Partner Even in Growth Phases

Furthermore, the "One Talent per Person Project" has served as a foundational contribution to the formulation of our new mid-to-long-term growth strategy, "Lifetime Transactions" (continuously supporting customers throughout their entire car life), launched in 2019. We are excited that this project not only solved the initial challenge presented by the president but also positions us as a partner poised to collaborate in the upcoming aggressive phase of expansion.

To summarize, let's map this case study onto the four steps of " Company Design. "

Company Design emphasizes "shining a spotlight on frontline employees—the organization's greatest resource—and tackling every challenge together." Autobell's "One Skill per Person Project" became a practical example embodying Company Design. Realizing various initiatives like this going forward is our team's goal. Why not join us in transforming the company through the power of our employees' frontline expertise? (Continued in #04)

If you're interested, please also visit the project site.