[Why Lecto?] Vol. 19 Everything is Connected. Peering into the Abyss of "Debt Collection Tech" - Sales: Naotaka Tokuda

[Why Lecto?] is an interview series featuring members who work at Lecto.
Vol. 19 features Naotaka Tokuda, who is active as a sales representative at Lecto.

Tokuda-san has traversed diverse industries—from human resources to ad-tech to SaaS—and has been involved with SaaS for over eight years. He has now stepped into the deep, profound, and seemingly understated and niche field of "Debt Collection Tech."

Incidentally, a quality that consistently appears at the top of Tokuda-san's StrengthsFinder, given his long career in the IT industry, is "Connectedness," reflecting his sense of oneness.

Why did Tokuda-san, with his "IT x Connectedness" background, choose Lecto, and what motto does he use when facing customers?
We asked him about his career transition and his perspective on "life as a way to kill time"!

Peering into the Abyss of "Debt Collection Tech" with Connectedness

———— Please tell us about your career so far.

My career began at Intelligence (now Persol Career), where I joined as a new graduate. There, I gained experience in job advertisement sales, and while stationed in Nagoya, I was responsible for a wide range of clients, from local small and medium-sized enterprises to large corporations.

Next, I moved to an electrical trading company.
Here, I gained diverse experience in a completely different field, including sales planning for special materials for industrial air conditioning and working on mega-solar construction projects worth hundreds of millions of yen.

After that, I moved to Recruit Career (now Recruit), where I worked in direct sales for a new business involving a mid-career recruitment media platform.
When I returned to the HR industry, I began to develop a strong interest in the systematic aspects of how people move behind the scenes of the job advertisement mechanism.

That curiosity led me to join MicroAd.
Here, I participated in the launch of an HR-specialized ad-tech business and was responsible for the planning and sales of DSP advertising and recruitment management systems.

During this period, I also experienced a secondment to SoftBank, where I had the valuable experience of winning an internal venture competition through sales of a co-development platform.

After this, inspired by the enthusiasm of the tech industry, especially the SaaS industry, I fully committed to the path of SaaS and joined SmartHR. I gradually began handling enterprise sales, successfully implemented solutions for national clients, and also gained experience in organizational management and government agency sales as a department manager.

After that, I went through AI SaaS and supply chain SaaS before joining Lecto in 2025.

Looking back, I think I was well-suited for projects involving complex stakeholders at every company.

———— What led you to encounter Lecto!

It started when I received a scout message via Bizreach when I began my job search.

Actually, while I received scout messages from many companies, I felt that Lecto had read my resume seriously and communicated with me very carefully.

In my interviews with Lecto, I spoke with various people multiple times, regardless of whether they were in sales or engineering. It was almost intimidating how everyone I interviewed with (including those I met for the first time) was fully aware of all the miscellaneous content and context discussed in previous interviews as the communication progressed (laughs).

I was impressed not only by the product domain but also by the quality of the initial communication.
I was convinced that "a company like this must surely be sincere in its dealings with customers."

In addition to the interesting business model of "SaaS x Debt Collection Tech," they are challenging a field that seems understated and niche at first glance. For me, who feels that business opportunities lie in areas that others do not tackle, Lecto's business story appeared very interesting and intriguing.

I also deeply resonated with the vision painted by CEO Koyama-san and COO Serizawa-san, and I strongly felt that I wanted to work with them!

A place where sincerity and flatness coexist, and where we can rely on each other

———— How was it when you actually joined the company?

There was no gap in a good way (laughs). As I expected before joining, it is a culture where flatness and active feedback are the norm.

What surprised me again after joining was how naturally the "family-first" culture has permeated the company.

For example, if you look at the calendar, it is clear who is away for childcare or family events at what time, and everyone respects that.

When I had to take time off due to an urgent matter, the members supported me immediately. Because of this sense of security that we can rely on each other, I feel motivated to go all out to support my members as well. Including considerations like not sending Slack messages on holidays, an atmosphere of being autonomous as adults while valuing each other is deeply rooted.

And every day stimulates my intellectual curiosity. I can learn about laws and operational knowledge in the field of collection, which is an area that people generally don't have many opportunities to encounter. The joy of learning things I didn't know and being able to explain them to customers in my own words is interesting no matter how old I get.

———— Please tell us about your current work and what you find rewarding.

I am currently mainly in charge of enterprise sales for large companies such as financial institutions and major corporations.

The rewarding part is when I deeply understand the operational characteristics of each customer and the proposal "clicks."

In the field of major transformations, such as a customer's three-year plan, I shape projects while absorbing the thoughts of complex stakeholders. It's not just about introducing a system to improve operational efficiency, but supporting the transformation of the business model itself.

I feel a great sense of interest in the process of moving things forward while involving many people on that scale.

And my sales motto is to sell "outcomes" rather than "things." Perhaps it is also influenced by the "Connectedness" strength that always appears at the top of my StrengthsFinder results (laughs).

Because I believe that "everything is connected," I see the projects in front of me as lines rather than dots.

Even for projects that take one to two years to close, there is a sense that everything connects at unexpected moments within a long-term relationship. That is why I place importance on connecting with the deep needs at the core of the customer's business, rather than just superficial numbers.

———— What do you like about Lecto?

It's the culture of "giving feedback flatly to the 'thing' rather than the person."

It might sound cold at first glance, but that is not the case at all. It is a very professional and healthy place where we can discuss what is optimal for the purpose without blaming anyone or anything.

We don't talk behind people's backs; we convey things frankly on the spot. Transparent communication is thoroughly practiced.

And at the root of that flatness is a warmth that cares for each other. There is an atmosphere that respects people who value their families and those who enrich their hobbies and lives.

Even if I don't have children, if I say, "I'm taking my wife on a trip, so I'll be taking some time off," the response is always, "Please go and make your wife happy!"

That kind of natural and tolerant relationship might be the greatest appeal of this company.

Changing the way the world works in a gritty yet lighthearted way

———— What do you feel are Lecto's current challenges?

If I had to name one, it would be a company-wide "lack of exercise."

Since we work fully remotely, opportunities to move our bodies inevitably decrease.

They say a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, so it might be interesting to have more initiatives where we all actively manage our health together.

Also, in terms of business, I would say the visualization of knowledge.
While Lecto is gaining recognition as "the go-to for collection and recovery," the business models of our clients are complex, which tends to make knowledge siloed within individuals.

For example, companies that have already established a certain system for credit management and collection have different resources, concerns, and needs compared to those that haven't.

I want to move forward with documenting and articulating our case studies so that we can deliver the right knowledge while keeping in mind the customers right in front of us, and their customers beyond them.

———— What would you like to do in the future?

First, I want to deliver Lecto to more companies and change the way the world works, little by little.

I believe it was a quote from a philosopher I heard somewhere,
"Life is like killing time,"is a passage that exists.

So, if I'm going to be killing time anyway, I want to spend as much of it as possible doing things I find interesting.

Gaining new knowledge, finding connections between things, and being in this place where I can work hard and improve alongside sincere colleagues like those at Lecto—I feel this is the best place to kill time in a truly enjoyable way.

And as a salesperson, I don't want to just sell a specific "something," but continue to be a partner that transforms the client's business itself.

I hope to continue using my strength in "connectedness" to link the dots and create new value.

There are still challenges ahead, but in this "place where interesting things can happen," I want to see how much more interesting I can make the world.
I intend to continue taking on challenges in a gritty, yet lighthearted way.

Thank you for reading this far.
If you are interested in Lecto after reading this article, please take a look at these as well.

We have compiled interviews with Lecto members!

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