A Big Journey Starts With Small Steps

While going through the RICOH orientation and learning more about founder Kiyoshi Ichimura, I was struck by one anecdote:

Upon noticing a guest's shoes one day, soaking wet from snow, Ichimura's assistant fetches a pair of her own slippers for the shivering person. It turns out that as a result of this kindness, we would later build the San-Ai Building (Three Loves Building) on land owned by this now illustrious guest.

This story is illustrative of the "Love Your Neighbor" ethos of RICOH's Three Loves philosophy. But for me it really resonates on a personal level and means something more. The story of how RICOH literally "put itself in the customer's shoes" (and vice versa) is an entry point to understand how my own past work experiences have developed my strong sense of empathy, and how I can apply a customer-centric perspective to be successful in sales for RICOH in the future. In 1995, I was a fresh graduate from UC Berkeley heading to the countryside of Japan to teach English to junior high school students. I was planning to minor in Japanese studies at Cal, but my Japanese history professor recommended that I join the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program instead and live in the country to experience their culture firsthand. For two years I worked in a rural community surrounded by rice paddies. I didn't know Japanese when I arrived, but every day I learned more and immersed myself in the culture where I could immediately apply my new language knowledge. The custom of removing ones shoes upon entering a home, and receiving a pair of slippers, demonstrates respect to both the homeowner and the guest. Years later, I still follow this ritual myself. In the course of my career, I've continuously shifted my perspective from outsider to insider, further developing customer-centric empathy. Consider my ping pong-like journey during which I have taken on roles of both the customer and the seller. I went from English Lit major to English teacher. From English teacher I became a journalist and editor at Tokyo Journal Magazine where I could apply my learning to the realm of publishing. From reporting on technology at the magazine and being pitched on the latest gadgets by publicists, I became an agency PR practitioner working for Olympus Imaging America for 12 years promoting tech to journalists. From developing social media marketing strategies on the agency side, I progressed to working for social network Tumblr selling strategies to brands. From selling to brands and agencies at an Internet publisher, I went on to sell to brands at three Boston area agencies. And from selling tech solutions at agencies, I've begun to sell tech solutions for global powerhouse RICOH. In some respect my career, which started in Japan, has come full circle. As you can see, I've been both the customer shivering in the snow outside, and the empathetic seller insider who knows exactly how that customer feels and can give them the support they need. Learning about and meeting customer needs starts with a natural curiosity about them, the ability to understand their feelings, and taking the best actions to address those feelings. Great communication skills are also fundamental to taking the best action, of course. By employing the questioning and storytelling techniques gained from my time in journalism, PR and sales I can portray a prospect in the role of hero with our solutions helping them along their journey to success. This skill is directly applicable to the Third Box thinking of RICOH's RISE framework, which directs us to think not only of the customer but also of the customer's customer, and to work backward from their perspective to our own, tracing the value threads along their journey. Incidentally, there are several sayings about footwear that are associated with empathy: "Walk a mile in another man's shoes" … "The shoe is on the other foot" … "If the shoe fits, wear it." I believe that there should be one more, based on what Ichimura-san and I both came to understand from a country we love: "Give your neighbors the shoes off your own feet, and they'll return the favor along life's journey." Call it Karma.