From Tanzania to Australia: Building Trust Face to Face

From a long-standing relationship in Tanzania to a recent meeting with a customer from Australia, personal connections continue to shape how EVERY TRADING does business around the world.

Today, technology makes it easier than ever to connect with people across borders. Artificial intelligence can assist with translation and research, while email, messaging and online meetings help customers and suppliers communicate across time zones. For a Japanese used vehicle exporter like EVERY TRADING, these tools are an important part of serving customers worldwide.

But there is something technology cannot fully replace: the trust that grows when people sit together, listen to one another and understand the people behind the business.

Why Face-to-Face Meetings Have a Special Value

Over the years, I have visited customers in many countries, particularly in East Africa. Of course, meeting new business partners can create opportunities. Yet one of my main reasons for travelling has been to meet existing customers in person.

A message can communicate a price, a shipping update or a vehicle specification. A video call lets us see each other. But meeting in person often reveals much more: someone's priorities, concerns, values and long-term plans. Conversations over a meal or around a table give us time to listen without reducing every discussion to the next order.

These meetings matter because our goal is not to complete a single transaction and move on. We want to become a business partner that customers can turn to for years.

Tanzania: A Relationship That Began with a Problem

One of the relationships that shaped my understanding of trust is with Leonard in Tanzania.

When I first met Leonard in Tanzania around 2011, the circumstances were not ideal. Our face-to-face conversation began with a complaint related to a transaction. It was an opportunity to address a problem directly and listen to his concerns.

That meeting did not instantly create trust. But by continuing to communicate and work through our relationship, we gradually came to understand each other better.

In 2014, Leonard invited me to his wedding. Even today, we remain in touch and consult each other on various matters.

For me, this experience carries a lesson that applies far beyond vehicle trading: trust is not something a company can simply claim. It is earned through its actions, especially when a situation is difficult.

Every international business faces challenges. What matters is how we respond, how carefully we listen and whether we continue to respect the relationship after an issue has been discussed.

Australia: When a Customer Comes to Meet Us in Japan

More recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Peter, a business customer visiting Japan from Australia.

We had already begun doing business together, but Peter also wanted to understand EVERY TRADING more deeply: who we are, how we think and what kind of partnership we hope to develop. This led to a face-to-face meeting in Japan.

We shared a meal and discussed not only our current transactions but also our perspectives on future business. That personal conversation gave us another opportunity to develop mutual understanding.

For years, I have travelled from Japan to visit overseas customers. Having a customer travel to Japan and make time to meet with us is equally meaningful. It reminds me that the relationship is not only between an exporter and an importer. It can become a partnership in which both sides are interested in understanding and supporting each other's businesses.

The meetings with Leonard and Peter took place in very different circumstances and years apart. Yet both show why the human side of international trade matters.

Trust Matters When Buying Used Vehicles from Japan

When customers buy Japanese used vehicles, used trucks from Japan, buses or machinery, the supplier and buyer are often thousands of kilometres apart. Customers may not be able to inspect a vehicle personally before purchase. They need clear information, consistent communication and a company that takes their questions seriously.

For many buyers, a vehicle is more than a product. A truck may be essential to a transport business. A bus may support a passenger service. A tractor or machine may be needed for daily work. Choosing an overseas supplier therefore means placing confidence in the people handling the transaction, not just in the vehicle itself.

At EVERY TRADING, we want to understand what each customer is trying to achieve. That means listening to their intended use, priorities and concerns, and communicating clearly throughout the purchasing and export process.

A useful business relationship should not end when a shipment leaves Japan. We hope customers will feel comfortable contacting us again when they need another vehicle, have a question or want to discuss a new opportunity.

AI × Communication × Action: Technology in Service of Relationships

Our company direction, AI × Communication × Action, reflects how we want to develop that approach.

• AI: Use technology to make information easier to find, improve communication and create more opportunities to connect with customers around the world.
• Communication: Turn those connections into genuine understanding by listening carefully, exchanging ideas and, whenever possible, meeting face to face.
• Action: Make trust meaningful through practical support, responsible responses and consistent work on behalf of our customers.

Digital tools allow us to reach more people. Human relationships help us understand them. Consistent actions give them reasons to continue trusting us.

I have also shared my thoughts on why face-to-face meetings still matter in the AI era, including how visiting a customer's market helps us better understand their vehicle needs.

Looking Ahead: More Meetings, Stronger Partnerships

In 2027, I hope to arrange further visits to overseas business partners with a clear purpose: to meet face to face, listen and strengthen the relationships we have built over time.

And when our overseas customers visit Japan, I welcome opportunities to meet them here as well.

Since founding EVERY TRADING in 2006, we have worked with customers in more than 100 countries. What I value most is not simply the number of countries we have reached, but the relationships that have continued and deepened over the years.

We do not aim to be only a company that exports used vehicles from Japan. We aim to be a trusted long-term business partner for customers around the world.

If you are looking for vehicles or machinery from Japan, or would like to discuss your next business opportunity, please contact the EVERY TRADING team. We look forward to getting to know you.

Yuichiro Watabe
President & CEO
EVERY TRADING Co., Ltd.
Niigata, Japan