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One and only! Repeaters keep coming back for impressive customer service! ~Behind the scenes of a home appliance chain that overcame family turmoil: Read and understand "Cambrian Palace"

A consumer electronics store that is flooded with fans who choose products together

A consumer electronics retail chain that is attracting attention for its different approach from its rivals is Nojima, which is currently doing well. Despite being ranked 6th in the industry, it recorded the highest sales ever last year. The reason for this is said to be the existence of a passionate fan like no other. Wherever you buy home appliances, the price is the same. Despite this, the secret behind the many enthusiastic fans who go out of their way to buy Nojima lies in their customer service. Nojima-style customer service technique 1 "No prejudice against the manufacturer" Salespeople dispatched by home appliance manufacturers are often seen at rival stores, but there is no such salesperson at Nojima. All the customers are Nojima employees. Therefore, he says that he can accurately propose the products that customers are looking for without hesitation to any manufacturer. Fujisawa store in Fujisawa city. Kazuya Kamiyama, a store clerk, called out to a customer who came to see a drum-type washing machine. In fact, even with the same washing machine, the point that the manufacturer focuses on is different. Panasonic's speed from washing to drying, Toshiba's quietness, etc. Toshiba "Zaboon" is about half the sound of other companies. Therefore, it is recommended for those who wash early in the morning or at night. Next, I introduced Hitachi's "Big Drum." I'm not just saying good things. It takes 165 minutes (standard) from washing to drying. He explains the good and the bad without being dependent on the manufacturer. Customers come to Nojima for such honest customer service. Nojima-style customer service techniques 2. “Let's find the customer's best together!” I talked with a customer who was looking for an air purifier that can also humidify. There is a type that sucks from the back and a type that has a suction port on the lower front side. “Because pollen is a fairly heavy molecule and falls right down, it is better to suck it in from the front,” he says. We listen to what customers value and use, and narrow down the products. After hearing about the maintenance situation, the store clerk recommended Daikin's "Streamer" air purifier. The filter and tank are specially devised to prevent water stains from forming, making it easy to clean. The customer decided to buy the Daikin product recommended by the salesperson, as they would work together to find something that would meet their needs. Together we search for the best products for our customers. This is Nojima's "consulting customer service" that other companies cannot imitate. Nojima has 250 stores mainly in Kanagawa. The Sagamihara main store in Sagamihara City has a sales floor that became the starting point for consulting services. More than 2000 audio equipment were lined up there. It is characterized by an enthusiastic product lineup that is not found in other electronics mass retailers. For example, German tube amps. It is said that even at high volumes, the sound is pleasing to the ear and produces a glossy sound. The price is 1.64 million yen. There is also a viewing room where you can actually hear the sound of expensive audio. In addition, there is also a service where you can bring your favorite expensive products to your home to try them out. Of course it doesn't matter if you buy it or not. I go to that extent to convince the customer to buy it. This customer service method in the audio department is the origin of "consulting customer service" that sets it apart from other companies.

Thorough Pursuit of Customer Joy-Secrets of Surprise Consulting Management

President Hiroshi Nojima (70) says, "Our basic idea is to listen to what our customers have to say and provide consulting so that they are happy and become repeat customers." Nojima began providing consulting services over 40 years ago. Since then, he has focused on selling what customers really want, rather than selling quantity. Nojima was founded in 1959 during the high economic growth period. It was an electric shop in the town where Nojima's father, who quit his job at Tokyo Electric Power Company, started with his mother. The eldest son, Nojima, joined the company in 1973. It was an era when prices soared due to the oil crisis and things did not sell. Moreover, the parents are at odds over the management policy. When my father left the store, the employees also quit and the business performance deteriorated. It was on the brink of bankruptcy. “Sales were steadily declining, and we were running out of working capital. In that respect, it was a very bad situation.” rice field. An increasing number of enthusiasts enjoy combining their favorite amplifiers and speakers from set stereos. Noticing the boom, Nojima spent what little money he had and built an audio floor on the second floor of the store. "By pleasing our customers, word of mouth increased, and it grew little by little month by month, and it continued to grow." Mr. Chuichi Kasuga, a legend in the audio industry who launched one of the three major audio companies, "Trio", called out to Nojima, saying, "It's a great product lineup, as rumored." When an excited Nojima said, "I'll sell you a lot," Mr. Kasuga said, "You don't have to sell a lot. You can sell only one unit every three months, so please increase the number of real audio fans." Words came back. “I suddenly realized that it is not about selling quantity, but about making customers happy and creating fans.” I am convinced that this is the essence of continuing business for a long time. Since then, it has improved its customer service. He has also developed sales specialists known as "Ace Consultants" who are familiar with all genres of products. One of them, Noriko Toyama, who has 18 years of career, treats customers from a completely different point of view. "If you look at the catalog, you'll see the functions, but if you don't talk about how those functions will change your life, I don't think your once-in-a-decade purchase will impress you." (Toyama) On the day, Toyama served a mother and daughter who came to buy a washing machine. "We're getting older, so it would be nice to have a (product) that saves us a lot of trouble," said Toyama. Hitachi's "Big Drum". The tank holds a bottle of detergent, so you don't have to put it in every time. He says he is grateful to the elderly. In addition, I took out the "lint filter" on the drain, which is not usually explained. Other companies' products are longer than Hitachi's. Regarding this difference, Toyama explains, ``It feels as if the longer one can remove more, but in reality, it is only the tip that gets entangled with lint and dust.'' It's not just that the longer the better. He advised that the shorter the filter, the easier it is to clean the main unit, making it easier to use for older people. Proposing products with life in mind 10 years from now. This is Toyama's service. The trust of the customers is so great that some customers even go out of their way to wait for Toyama to explain. Nojima currently has 71 ace consultants like Toyama. Each store continues to increase the number of enthusiastic fans. With this unique strategy, Nojima has grown from a town electronics store to a company with annual sales of 500 billion yen. “Rather than simply making money by selling quantity, the company will grow only when the customer is happy. I believe that sales will also be No. 1 in Japan.” (Nojima)

One of a kind! Impressed repeater One after another!-Behind the scenes of a home appliance chain that overcame family turmoil: Read and understand

Finding the products you want

"The important thing is to please the customer, not the 'number'." In order to realize this, Nojima has come up with a system of "all-inclusive management" that empowers each and every employee to take on new challenges. The manager of the Aeon Mall Ageo store in Ageo City, Saitama, which opened two months ago, is Hiroki Takahashi, who has been with the company for five years. Nojima believes that the store manager is the president of the store, and gives the store manager great authority. “Nowadays, more and more people are buying home appliances online, but I think everyone has the experience of finding that the product they received is not what they expected, or that it is different after using it,” says Takahashi. Therefore, the Ageo store aimed to eliminate the dissatisfaction of online shopping and become a store where customers can shop with satisfaction. For example, the massage machine corner. Takahashi has made it possible to try out 52 different products in-store, from exercise machines to shoulder massagers. At the vacuum cleaner corner, when a customer wants to try it, the store clerk sprinkles powder instead of garbage and asks them to try it on the spot. We actually compared the "suction power" and "lightness" of each unit, and made it possible to choose after convincing. You can even experience the refrigerator. For example, Hitachi's "refrigerator HW type" has a function to decompose ethylene gas emitted from vegetables and maintain freshness. Among them is the spinach that I put in without wrapping 9 days ago. I put it in the same way in the refrigerator of other manufacturers, so I can compare it. With the authority of the store manager, Takahashi created a store where you can actually compare and experience. Taking advantage of the strength of a real store that is not found on the Internet, it has been gaining support from customers since its opening. On the other hand, "Prime Selection Ebisu Branch" is located in the celebrity town of Meguro-ku, Tokyo. The product lineup is completely different from Nojima in the suburbs, and it's all a little fashionable. Kazunori Kimura, the first store manager, planned this store three years ago. We have created a store with a selection of fashionable, high-performance, but slightly expensive products that are not often found in rival stores. For example, a "glass sound speaker" like a candle. The glass around the light vibrates and the sound spreads in all 360 degrees. Kimura's most recommended product is the "Vitamix series" born in the United States. At first glance, it looks like a common blender, but "You can cut apples and lemons in half and make smoothies without removing the seeds, so you can get a lot of dietary fiber." "Vitamix PRO750" also has a function that allows you to make hot soup with the frictional heat generated when mixing ingredients. The challenge of store managers who aim to create stores that delight customers in the region. That is what makes Nojima different from its rivals.

A coup d'état by a mother and brother-unheard of! The truth about the family disturbance

When he was young, Nojima was a typical one-man manager who did not listen to other people's opinions. Moreover, although his mother was the president, he was just a section manager. Yuichi Irie of the sales development department, who has been working there since then, recalls, "Almost everything was done by Mr. Nojima, from product purchases to store development and accounting." With such a ferocious work, he made a company on the verge of bankruptcy grow rapidly to over 10 billion yen in annual sales. However, in 1991, something unexpected happened to Nojima. It was a place for a management policy presentation gathering business partners. The president's mother and younger brother collude and suddenly announce a reorganization. His younger brother took control of all divisions of the company and took control of management from Nojima. "I was really surprised. After all, the power was concentrated too much on me, and I wondered if my mother and brother weren't comfortable at all." Even the veteran employees, who had believed that they were doing this, rebelled and sided with their mother and brother. "Everyone felt that it would be fine without (me), and I felt very lonely." So, the company has grown through a top-down approach, but I realized that there was a big difference in the way of thinking with the employees. Although he reflected on what he had done, Nojima, who had been deprived of his authority, did not go to work and stayed at home for several months. As a result, the business performance of the company without Nojima began to deteriorate. At the manager's meeting, it was said that he wanted to do it again, and he was picked up at Nojima's home.

JAL and ANA employees play an active role-Nojima's secret plan to protect employment

Last year, during the corona crisis, Nojima launched "employee share". Nojima has announced that it will temporarily accept up to 300 employees of Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways who have suffered from poor performance due to prolonged flight cancellations. While "employee share" has been seen from time to time in the manufacturing industry, it is almost unheard of in the service industry and on such a large scale. “Until now, we have hired people whose job offers were canceled, and accepted them in order to contribute to society as much as possible,” said Nojima. Miyuki Iwasaki, seconded from JAL, serves customers at the Chofu Parco store in Chofu City. He studied hard and acquired knowledge of home appliances, and now he even receives letters from customers saying, "I was deeply moved by the wonderful customer service." Mr. Iwasaki is positive about the changes that have come in unexpected ways. “If we can turn this change into an opportunity, when we return someday, I would like to make use of this experience in the workplace of the ground staff.” ~Editor's postscript by Ryu Murakami~ A small electronics store symbolizes Nojima. It is an audio department that was born inside. I thought through what I wanted to buy. The answer was a high-end single component component that I was a fan of myself. One of the big three of the audio boom at the time came to the store and bowed his head, saying, "I'm going to sell it with all my heart." I want more customers to come.” Electricity ran through my body. It became the origin of Nojima, which sells good products to customers who are convinced to buy without chasing quantity. No other electronics store has such a story. Hiroshi Nojima Born in 1951 in Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from Chuo University in 1973, joined Nojima Denki Shokai (now Nojima). In 1994, he assumed the post of president. If you missed it, go to Business On Demand!