ROI Case File No.394 | 'AeroSpray's Vanishing Sales Force'

Chapter 1: The Aging Sales Force Time Bomb—Sales Structure Will Disappear in 3 Years

The day after solving the MedicoHealth AIDMA incident, a consultation arrived regarding EC site development for a manufacturing company. Episode 394 of Volume 32 "Reproducibility" is a story about rebuilding sales strategy with 4P.

"Detective, we have no time. The average age of our sales force is 63. The youngest is 58. In three years, five key members will all reach retirement age. At that moment, our sales structure disappears. BtoB sales accounting for 82% of revenue will stop."

AeroSpray Corporation's President, Shinichi Takahashi from Sumida Ward, visited 221B Baker Street with an urgent expression. In his hands, he clutched a bundle of yellowed sales reports alongside an emergency plan titled "EC Transformation 2026-2028."

"We are a specialized manufacturer of spray can products. Fifty-eight years established. Thirty-two employees. Annual revenue 480 million yen. Main products are industrial cleaning agents, rust preventives, and lubricant spray cans. Customers are town factories, auto repair shops, construction companies. Primarily BtoB. However, sales have declined for five consecutive years."

AeroSpray Corporation Current Status: - Established: 1968 (spray can product manufacturing) - Number of employees: 32 (Manufacturing 22, Sales 5, Administration 5) - Annual revenue: 480 million yen - Issues: Sales force aging (average 63 years), sales decline (5 years -28%), no BtoC channels

Takahashi's voice carried deep crisis.

"Look at the sales trend. 2020 was 670 million yen. 2025 is 480 million yen. A 28% decline in five years. The cause is clear. Customer company closures. Town factories decrease every year. We lost 83 customer companies in five years."

Sales Trend (Past 5 Years):

Customer Decrease Breakdown: - Business closure: 58 companies (70%) - Switched to competitors: 18 companies (22%) - Other: 7 companies (8%)

"And the sales force. All five members are over 60. They manage customers with paper ledgers. Can't use Excel. Don't have smartphones. They use flip phones. Retirement in three years. Nobody to succeed them."

Sales Force Reality:

Sales Work Style: - Customer management: Paper ledgers (handwritten) - Orders: Phone → Fax - Inventory check: Call office to confirm - Communication: Flip phones - Sales vehicles: Personal cars (company subsidized)

Takahashi sighed deeply.

"Inventory management is also problematic. Excel managed, but nobody updates it. Sales call asking 'Do we have ○○ spray in stock?' and office staff run to the warehouse to check. Twenty times daily. Five minutes per time. One hundred hours monthly wasted. If we launch an EC site, inventory becomes visible in real-time. However, where to start?"

Inventory Management Reality:

Current Process: 1. Sales receives order from customer by phone 2. Sales calls office "Do we have ○○ spray in stock?" 3. Office staff runs to warehouse (separate building) 4. Visual inventory check 5. Returns to office and replies to sales 6. Sales calls customer back

Time Required Per Case: - Customer call: 3 minutes - Office confirmation call: 2 minutes - Warehouse round trip + check: 5 minutes - Customer callback: 2 minutes - Total: 12 minutes

Monthly Occurrence: - Daily average: 20 times - Monthly: 400 times - Monthly required time: 400 × 12 minutes = 80 hours - Annual: 960 hours

"We're considering BtoC expansion. DIY enthusiasts, motorcycle maintenance, automobile maintenance. Individual customers. However, we have no BtoC experience. How do we sell? How do we gain recognition? We don't know."

Chapter 2: The Illusion That Creating an EC Site Automatically Sells—4P Is Not Designed

"Takahashi-san, do you believe creating an EC site automatically sells products?"

At my question, Takahashi showed a confused expression.

"Eh, isn't that the case? Look at Amazon. Many products sell. I thought if we create an EC site, it will sell similarly."

Current Understanding (EC Site Omnipotence Type): - Expectation: EC site construction → Automatic sales generation - Problem: Marketing strategy (4P) is not designed

I explained the importance of rebuilding sales strategy with 4P.

"The problem is the idea that 'creating an EC site sells.' 4P—Product, Price, Place, Promotion. By integrally designing these four elements of product, price, distribution, and promotion, reproducible sales strategy is achieved."

⬜️ ChatGPT | Concept Catalyst

"Don't rely on EC sites. Integrally design Product, Price, Place, Promotion with 4P"

🟧 Claude | Story Alchemist

"Sales always require 'four gears' to mesh and turn. If even one is missing, everything stops"

🟦 Gemini | Compass of Reason

"Apply 4P framework. Product → Price → Place → Promotion"

The three members began analysis. Gemini deployed the "4P Framework" on the whiteboard.

4P Framework: - Product: What to sell? - Price: At what price to sell? - Place: Where to sell? - Promotion: How to make it known?

"Takahashi-san, let's design 4P one by one."

Chapter 3: Phase 1—Integrally Design Sales Strategy with 4P

Step 1: Product—What to Sell? (Week 1-2)

Question: "Should BtoC products be the same as BtoB products?"

Current Product Lineup (BtoB): - Industrial cleaning spray (12 types) - Rust preventive spray (8 types) - Lubricant spray (15 types) - Total: 35 types

Problems: - All commercial use (large capacity 500ml) - Packaging is stark (product name only) - No usage instructions (for professionals) - Difficult for general consumers to understand

BtoC Product Redesign:

Product 1: "Motorcycle Craftsman's Rust Remover Spray" - Contents: Rust preventive (same as conventional) - Capacity: 200ml (optimal for personal use) - Packaging: Colorful design, usage scene photos - Description: "Remove rust from your beloved vehicle in 3 minutes! Professional grade" - Price: 1,480 yen

Product 2: "DIY Master's Universal Lubricant" - Contents: Lubricant (same as conventional) - Capacity: 150ml - Packaging: Specifies uses like "For squeaky doors" "For bicycle chains" - Description: "Solves all 'poor movement' problems throughout your home" - Price: 1,280 yen

Product 3: "Garage Master's Cleaning Set" - Contents: 3-piece cleaning set (engine, brake, general purpose) - Capacity: 200ml each - Packaging: Special box included - Description: "If you maintain yourself, this is the set" - Price: 3,980 yen

BtoC Product Line: - Personal products: 12 types (selected from existing 35 types) - All downsized (150ml~200ml) - Packaging renewal (colorful, usage specified) - Set products: 5 types

Step 2: Price—At What Price to Sell? (Week 2-3)

Question: "Should BtoC prices be the same as BtoB?"

BtoB Price (500ml): - Rust preventive: 2,800 yen (wholesale price) - Lubricant: 2,500 yen (wholesale price) - Cleaning agent: 3,200 yen (wholesale price)

BtoC Price Design Policy: - Increase per-ml unit price through downsizing (improve profit margin) - Survey competitive Amazon price range - Compete with "appropriate price" not "cheap"

Competitive Price Survey (Amazon):

AeroSpray BtoC Pricing:

Price Strategy: - Slightly cheaper than competitors (due to lack of recognition) - However, not "lowest price" (quality appeal) - Increase customer unit price with set products

Step 3: Place—Where to Sell? (Week 3-4)

Question: "Sell only on own EC site? Or multiple channels?"

Distribution Channel Options: 1. Own EC site 2. Amazon 3. Rakuten Ichiba 4. Yahoo! Shopping 5. MonotaRO (BtoB EC)

Channel Strategy (Omnichannel):

Phase 1 (Month 1-3): Own EC Site Construction - Purpose: Brand building, customer data collection - System: Shopify (monthly $79) - Features: - Inventory integration (real-time updates) - Credit card payment - Delivery tracking - Member registration (point system)

Phase 2 (Month 4-6): Amazon Store - Purpose: Awareness increase, new customer acquisition - Fee: 15% of sales - FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) utilization → Amazon handles delivery

Phase 3 (Month 7-9): Rakuten Ichiba Store - Purpose: Reach housewives and seniors - Fee: 3.5%~7% of sales - Rakuten Points integration

Phase 4 (Month 10-12): Yahoo! Shopping Store - Purpose: Capture PayPay economy zone - Fee: Free (but advertising costs separate)

Inventory Management System Integration: - Share inventory across all channels - When sold on own EC, Amazon inventory also decreases - System: Next Engine (monthly 30,000 yen)

Step 4: Promotion—How to Make It Known? (Week 4-6)

Question: "How does a company with zero BtoB sales get recognized by BtoC customers?"

Promotion Strategy (3 Axes):

Axis 1: Content Marketing (Month 1-12) - YouTube videos: "Professional DIY Maintenance Lessons" - Video count: 1 per week × 52 weeks = 52 videos - Content: Motorcycle maintenance, car maintenance, tool usage - Natural product introduction (no hard selling) - Target: 3,000 subscribers

Axis 2: SNS Advertising (Month 1-6) - Facebook/Instagram ads: - Target: Men 30-50s, hobbies "motorcycles" "DIY" "cars" - Budget: 200,000 yen monthly × 6 months = 1.2M yen - Creative: Before/After videos (rust removal etc.)

Axis 3: Influencer Marketing (Month 3-9) - Provide products to motorcycle YouTubers (50,000 subscriber scale) - Have them post review videos - Cost: 300,000 yen per video × 3 people = 900,000 yen

Axis 4: SEO Measures (Month 1-12) - Own site blog articles: - "Motorcycle rust removal methods" - "Causes and solutions for car squeaking" - "Tool selection for DIY beginners" - Article count: 2 per week × 52 weeks = 104 articles

Chapter 4: Phase 2—Verify Integrated 4P Effects Through Measurement

Month 6: Interim Evaluation

KPI1: Product Results

KPI2: Price Results

KPI3: Place Results

KPI4: Promotion Results

Year 1 Comprehensive Effects (12 months):

Sales Structure Change:

Sales Structure Change: - BtoB sales: 5 people → 3 people (2 retired) - EC operations: 0 people → 2 people (new hires, 30s) - BtoB customers: 337 → 315 (-22, natural attrition) - BtoC customers: 0 → 3,200 (new)

Inventory Management Efficiency: - Inventory confirmation calls: 400 monthly → 0 - Inventory management time: 80 hours monthly → 5 hours monthly (system updates only) - Reduced time: 900 hours annually - Labor cost reduction: 900 hours × 3,000 yen = 2.7M yen/year

Investment: - EC site construction (Shopify): Initial 500,000 + monthly 10,000 × 12 months = 620,000 yen - Inventory management system: Initial 300,000 + monthly 30,000 × 12 months = 660,000 yen - Package design renewal: 12 types × 150,000 = 1.8M yen - SNS advertising: 1.2M yen - Influencers: 900,000 yen - YouTube production: Monthly 100,000 × 12 months = 1.2M yen - SEO article production: Monthly 50,000 × 12 months = 600,000 yen - EC operations personnel: 2 people × 4M yen = 8M yen - Amazon/Rakuten fees: 12M yen × 15% = 1.8M yen - Total initial investment: 16.78M yen

ROI: - Revenue increase: 90M yen (BtoC 120M - BtoB decrease 30M) - Reduction: 2.7M yen (inventory management efficiency) - Total effect: 92.7M yen - (92.7M - 1.8M) / 16.78M × 100 = 542% - Investment recovery period: 16.78M ÷ 90.9M = 0.18 years (approximately 2 months)

Chapter 5: The Detective's Diagnosis—Four Gears Meshing Creates Sales

That night, I contemplated the essence of 4P.

AeroSpray held the illusion that "creating an EC site sells." However, sales don't establish from a single element. Only when the four gears of product, price, distribution, and promotion mesh does sales generate.

We integrally designed 4P. Product (downsize for BtoC + package renewal), Price (cheaper than competitors but not lowest price), Place (omnichannel with own EC + Amazon + Rakuten), Promotion (YouTube + SNS ads + SEO).

Year 1 BtoC sales 120M yen, total sales +19%, ROI 542%, investment recovery 2 months. And escape from dependence on aging sales force, transitioning to new 30s structure.

What's important is not "one element" but "integration of four." Good products alone don't sell. Low price alone doesn't sell. Increased distribution alone doesn't sell. Flashy promotion alone doesn't sell. By integrally designing 4P, reproducible sales strategy is achieved.

"Don't rely on EC sites. Integrally design Product, Price, Place, Promotion with 4P. Sales turn when four gears mesh. If even one is missing, everything stops."

The next incident will also depict the moment of meshing four gears.

"4P—Product, Price, Place, Promotion. Integrally design product, price, distribution, promotion. Sales are four gears. Only when all mesh does reproducible sales generate."—From the detective's notes

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