She is a pioneering woman in the business career, in Japan. This is Fumiko Hayashi. Upon graduating from high school, she worked at Toray Industries, Panasonic, and Omron. After her marriage, she began working for Honda as a salesperson. There was a TV series where she was the model of a heroin dealer. According to the TV drama, she was the first woman in the sales department of Honda Car Dealer. She didn’t even have a driver’s license. Although Japanese women worked after school, it was unusual in her time, a woman worked as a sales staff at a car dealership.
In addition to the usual hardship and effort in selling cars, she must have been through thick and thin because she was a woman. When she puts a client in her office, a client thought she was an assistant. The client asked her when she could meet a person who is in charge of sales. When she told the customer that she was the salesperson in charge, the customer was upset. Sometimes the client would leave. She didn’t lose against the pressure she was receiving and her own depression. She still took years to get recognized as a good salesperson. It’s interesting that the person who had the hardest time tends to be successful. She was that kind of person.
His performance was outstanding. He sold so many cars that his colleagues, mostly men, wanted him to advise them on his sales skills. His division grew. He could rebuild the car dealership that he was in sales trouble when he joined them. The TV drama said. He moved to BMW Japan in 1987. According to an information source, BMW Japan did not plan to hire anyone at that time. Fumiko called BMW Japan and told them that they should hire her because she could sell more cars. If this story were true, she would be the only woman who was hired that way. She sold more than 400 cars in one year. Fumiko made BMW a significant brand in the Japanese car market. She was promoted to branch manager at the Shinjuku branch by BMW Japan in 1993.
Volkswagen invited her to be the president and CEO of Volkswagen Japan in 1999. She accepted the invitation and led Volkswagen Japan to become more popular in the Japanese market. In the Japanese market dominated by the Japanese car, her achievements are noteworthy in leading foreign automakers to success.
She returned to BMW Japan in 2003 as President and CEO. In her interview on the Japanese business site, Fumiko stated that only team spirit can lead to business success. Fumiko is now the mayor of the city of Yokohama.