In the midst of the nationwide self-restraint movements preventing nonessential visits or meetings to avoid any further coronavirus infection, obstructions are taking place also in the activities of the industrial gas industry to promote new customer developments.

An experienced salesperson of industrial gas replied to our question saying, “In our work to develop new customers we often dare not inform any purpose of visit in advance as a means or know-how of sales activity. It is particularly difficult now for us to create a chance for just meeting.”

There is a way to use a remote interview by website, but it does not seem to work well for solution except for contact with regular customers. It can hardly be used so easily to get in touch with a new customer.

As a means of activity to develop new customers, many industrial gas companies usually use such seminars that include useful information on revisions of law as well as the introduction of new technologies. However, they are in a difficult position to gather lots of people in order to refrain from holding any event causing a crowd of unspecified number of participants.

Seminars might well be designed to adopt a remote system. They point out that it is effective to get lots of browsing as time and place are not limited but that once the visitors no longer find interest they most probably suspend listening soon.

They also point out the problem as to how they follow up in good timing the customers who browsed ultimately. They are groping in the dark to find a way to implement their promotion activities to obtain new customers in this “With Corona” age. It is difficult to differentiate industrial gas products themselves. So, there remain no other ways than differentiating in the function and supply method to be obtained by use of gas.

It is also necessary to propose not only gasses but also gas supplying equipment. Changes in the supplying conditions are accompanied by the construction work of piping and equipment. That is why they need important daily visits to users to get information to check any plan of change or trouble. Frequent visits and activities for interviewing have long been included in the business routine of salespersons. The new coronavirus is going to change greatly the sales style of the gas industry.