Introducing sales management systems to the markets outside Japan

We use a sales management system called "Project Plus" in the national market to manage and share a series of processes that includes market analyses, sales activities, negotiations and settlements. The system enables us to visualize sales activities and examine the progress made. On the other hand, for the markets outside Japan, although some group companies, such as Hitachi Construction Machinery (Australia) and Cable Price (a group company in New Zealand), have their own systems that are similar to Project Plus, many group companies outside Japan do not have any such system.

In the rapidly growing Chinese market, agencies of Hitachi Construction Machinery (Shanghai) (referred to as HCS below), such as Qingdao Chengri Construction Machinery (referred to as QCM below), need to visualize customer information and sales information in order to continuously and systematically support customers. Therefore, in collaboration with HCS, we developed a sales management system called "Hi-STEP" (the Hitachi Sales Technology Evolution Program) and had introduced the system at most agencies by July 2008. We made Hi-STEP by customizing existing package software for the Chinese market and incorporating the know-how of Project Plus, etc.

HCS introduced Hi-STEP in the sales ability strengthening project they started as part of the sales support of HCS in collaboration with their agencies, which we fully backed. Within three months of the commencement of the development, we completed the introduction of Hi-STEP at QCM, a directly operated agency, then we introduced the system at the other agencies in rapid succession. This enabled to visualize sales activities in the Chinese market.

Flow of major sales activities

Hi-STEP introduction training at QCM

Message from Mr. XU Hao, the Sales Support Section manager who managed the introduction of the system Since the introduction of Hi-STEP, the agencies have input customer information, sales activity information and other information, such as negotiations and owned machines, into Hi-STEP. As at the end of June, the information of more than 170,000 corporate customers and more than 86,000 owned machines has been input, and information of the sales activities of a monthly average of more than 50,000 pieces is now recorded, which enables HCS to effectively analyze and manage sales activities. Sales efficiency and the quality of the work done by the agencies has been improved. We will continue to make efforts so that Hitachi Construction Machinery can take the lead in the Chinese market by making the most of the system.

Mr. XU, Sales Support Section manager

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