Asia Pacific Focus: Bridging the Cultural Gaps in Photonics with Yoshitaka Yokoyama, Asia Pacific Sales Manager at G&H
Recent years have seen a surge in interest in optics and photonics components coming from the Asia Pacific market. Showcasing an increased value through our high-performance solutions portfolio, G&H has turned itself into a household name for quality and reliability in the region. An important contribution to closing the cultural and market gaps comes from the dedication and effectiveness of our G&H APAC sales team, which has recently been awarded for its outstanding business development performance in 2023.
This is the second part of a dual interview series with the winners of the G&H 2023 APAC Sales Award, to get to know the people who are opening the doors to optics and photonics innovation in the region.
Follow the conversation with G&H Asia Pacific Sales Manager Yoshitaka Yokoyama below:
Please tell us about your professional beginnings at G&H.
I joined Gooch & Housego back in January 2017. That happened after Masashi Wada, our Asia Pacific Senior Sales Director, informed me of a role that was about to be opened in the sales department, and he encouraged me to apply. We were already close friends through previous jobs in the same industry, although I was not involved in the crystals branch. Rather, my specialisation was in semi-conductors and laser devices.
My new role at G&H was the first time in my career when I focused only on sales-related activities. This was an important shift from my professional background as a “jack-of-all trades”. For example, some of my previous positions included responsibilities in product management and marketing, both of which require a certain level of creative output.
In terms of company size, I went from working for a huge Japanese company to QD Laser, which was a startup when I joined. So, the transfer to G&H felt very natural in this regard. Even now, I sometimes find myself diving into technical matters due to the highly scientific and niched nature of our products. The sales team and I receive so many technical questions throughout our meetings that, sometimes, there is no space to go back to our engineers and ask them those particular details. So, in a sense, you can say that I have developed myself into a semi-engineer throughout my G&H journey.
How were your first years in the company?
Honestly, so many things were happening when I started this role. The beginning was rough because of the amount of information I needed to go through regarding products and processes. From a technical viewpoint, it was a challenge to absorb all the required data as fast as I wanted to. I also had to come up to speed with my English skills and develop a certain fluency in translating the available English know-how into Japanese for our clients.
The beginning of my G&H career meant I had to learn many lessons in a compact amount of time. For example, one such lessen was about delivering realistic news to clients, which was not a comfortable position for me to be in. With some projects, it was not easy to tell our customer that their vision cannot be supported in the exact manner they wanted. We would always provide feasible design alternatives, as the entire G&H team was focused on developing workable solutions. But some clients were less flexible in their approach, so such moments felt personally uncomfortable. This is something that can happen especially when dealing with highly innovative, niched products and components. But that is how I have now perfected a certain art of diplomacy in connecting the two sides of the sales exchange – asking clients to be more flexible when needed and encouraging our teams at G&H to perform better.
How do you manage your expectations regarding the output of your sales performance in such scenarios?
Simply put, I focus on doing my best, as much as possible, in every situation that is given to me. Being honest plays an important role in the process of connecting with clients – something that many ignore when working in sales because of the pressure to come out of meetings with signed deals and tick great financial results off the list.
But my approach is different. I employ a solution-oriented mindset. Like I said earlier, dealing with customers who are less flexible is hard, from a sales perspective and even personally. But after some time, I have built solid connections with our APAC clients in a way that feels more mutually understanding. Because of my approach in facilitating these client communications and because of the proven quality of G&H deliverables, I have had external business partners come to me to thank me, at the end of the day, for my role in mediating tough situations, which is a truly humbling experience.
Has your working experience at G&H changed in recent years?
I feel genuine excitement when I come to work every day. When I look at the scope of what we do, this feeling makes sense. We are dealing with cutting-edge innovations. We are serving huge clients that, realistically, only a company like G&H can support. I wish more people in the APAC region and beyond knew about our products, like acousto-optic modulators, deflectors and RF drivers for new applications. Our teams create unique, very special products for very niche applications. Talking about such solutions with people truly makes me excited for my job. And, even more, seeing technological breakthroughs happen in the world because I managed to facilitate a connection point between G&H and that specific client is all the more gratifying.
How do you feel about receiving the 2023 APAC Sales Award?
That was a surprise. It was a first for me at G&H. I want to thank everyone who has seen something in me and appreciated my work. And I was grateful to celebrate with Masashi by getting together in Yokohama, Japan and having a few drinks with the team.
What do you see for the future of G&H?
Regarding my area of expertise, I would say we have to improve our activity a good deal in Japan and in the APAC region in general. There are so many ultra-precise laser processing companies that we could collaborate with. The present opportunities in the market are endless. To be able to make the best out of such partnerships, we must prepare in terms of delivery strategy and always look for ways to improve ourselves – like in our innovative approach to design, our product quality and our lead times. Anywhere where we can do something better, we should be on top of it. As I like to say, we cannot stay and do the same thing over time and expect different results. Let’s improve, let’s upscale! A fresh working style and creative mentality will always win in today’s fast-paced, demanding market.
What have you learnt about yourself from your sales experience at G&H?
I have learned a lot from interacting with the different sites and clients. One specific thing I have developed is how to bridge potential communication gaps. And I don’t mean language barrier gaps. I’m talking about cultural differences, especially between Japanese customers and US / UK manufacturers.We are talking about entirely different ways of thinking. My experience at G&H has taught me how to understand both sides and their respective positions.
I have also learned to use different cross-cultural communication techniques to fill in these gaps. I feel grateful to be in the middle of the “storm” sometimes during meetings because these situations have prompted me to develop sides of myself that otherwise would have remained dormant. And that is what I would encourage everyone, at G&H and outside of our company, to always do: reflect on your own working experience and see what you can improve upon.