Baba

Duskin is organized into a Corporate Sales Division, Regional Headquarters, and franchisees. Because the vast amount of corporate data held by each was managed in silos, data was scattered throughout the group. Consequently, when sales representatives attempted to approach a company, it was difficult to confirm whether that company had any existing transactions with the Duskin Group as a whole. Furthermore, because basic data such as corporate affiliation information—which serves as the foundation for marketing and sales strategies—was lacking, sales activities were inefficient.

Baba

We have been working with uSonar for about 14 years now! We had similar challenges back then and recognized the need for data maintenance, so the proposal from uSonar was truly a "dream come true" for what we wanted to achieve. However, at that time, the importance of "data utilization" was not as highly regarded, and the term "DX" had not even been coined yet. Consequently, we were unable to convince senior management regarding the cost-effectiveness, and we had to abandon the project.

Baba

To break free from that situation, we wanted to unify data across the entire group to perform analysis and identify markets among new and existing customers that we could approach. To achieve this, we needed to build a data infrastructure that would allow us to consolidate data managed by each group company in their respective systems, assign master codes without omissions or duplicates, and lead to the formulation of precise business-to-business account plans.

Baba

While many corporate databases contain head office data, what our company requires is data on specific locations, such as sales offices and branches, linked to those head offices. The fact that uSonar covers such granular data was one of the deciding factors for our implementation.

Baba

I feel that the comprehensiveness of the data and the freshness of the information are a perfect match for our sales operations. The corporate data covers a wide range, from revenue and business card information to organizational charts and key personnel in specific sections. This allows us to visualize exactly who our representatives are in contact with and serves as a benchmark to understand how many companies we are engaging with. Furthermore, it serves as a guide for setting goals to increase our transaction share and developing strategies to upsell our products, businesses, goods, and services. I decided to implement it because I felt it could truly realize the ideal state we had envisioned for a long time.

Baba

Even after we abandoned the uSonar implementation back then, I always believed that data maintenance and the selection of a corporate database suited to our company were necessary. When I was assigned to the Corporate Sales Division, and with the launch of a Salesforce implementation project coinciding with our 60th anniversary, I restarted the consideration of uSonar with the goal of making more effective use of Salesforce.
Upon receiving a new proposal, I found that the data accuracy and functionality had been further updated compared to 14 years ago, and I became convinced that we could achieve what we were looking for. Beyond the points we valued 14 years ago—such as the comprehensiveness down to the branch level and the high freshness of the information—the ability to utilize data and features perfectly suited to our needs, such as contact information, information on high-risk companies and credit ratings, and the Live Access feature, were crucial elements in persuading our internal stakeholders.
Additionally, we matched our approximately 5 million records with the uSonar corporate database, and the verification showed that over 80% matched. Seeing this result led to the decision that we could begin using it immediately. I feel that being able to visualize the current state of our own data as a numerical value was significant.
Furthermore, before implementing uSonar, we purchased corporate data and business card management tools separately. Consolidating these into an all-in-one solution allowed us to reduce expenses, and the ability to integrate these tools for more effective use was also a major factor in proving the return on investment.

Baba

Corporate information that was previously siloed across our Corporate Sales Division, Regional Headquarters, and member stores has been centralized and can now be managed at the office level. I feel this has increased our sales hit rate.
By visualizing market share at the branch level across the entire Duskin Group, we can now identify, for example, that only three out of twelve stores in a specific region are utilizing our services. As a result, we can clearly see where our sales team should focus their efforts and what kind of proposals to make, which has improved the accuracy of our sales pitches.
Furthermore, by starting to use mSonar, the business card management application from uSonar, we have been able to visualize who the key decision-makers are at each company and whether we are successfully engaging with them.

Baba

Yes, I believe that is valuable information, and we would like to expand its use in the future. While we have a process in place to check for anti-social forces and credit information when starting a new business relationship, it is currently difficult to perform these checks on existing clients.
On the other hand, with the uSonar corporate database, you can easily check flags for companies that require caution and numerical values for transaction safety simply by searching for the company name.
Therefore, we would like to build a system that allows us to regularly verify whether we can safely continue doing business with our existing partners.

Baba

Moving forward, we intend to leverage corporate data to enhance the precision of our sales activities. In the past, sales success relied on high volumes of visits and proposals, but today, that approach is no longer effective. We need to ensure that every arrow we fire hits the center of the target.
Our company provides cleaning equipment rentals and janitorial services across various industries, and we believe corporate data is essential for making more accurate proposals.
For example, since there is a correlation between revenue and customer foot traffic, being able to present specific data regarding mat replacement frequency and sizes would allow us to offer solutions that provide clear benefits to our customers, thereby increasing the probability of closing deals. Furthermore, while proposal quality currently varies by sales representative, we aim to standardize our approach based on data, enabling anyone to provide proposals from a consistent perspective.