homie Appears on NewsPicks: Defining 'Next-Generation Sales in the AI Era' with Former Microsoft Executive Madoka Sawa — What is the 'Intervention Value' Required for the Best Customer Experience?

In this program, our company's Executive Officer, Yu Kinoshita, and Madoka Sawa, Representative Director of Mado Co., Ltd., take the stage. Under the theme of "What is 'Next-Generation Sales' that creates the best customer experience?", they engage in a thorough discussion on the "essential value of sales" that is being forced to redefine itself due to the arrival of the AI era. In the field of housing and real estate, which supports the biggest decisions in life, they present a roadmap for transformation on how to maximize the "intervention value" that sales representatives should fundamentally focus on.

[Video Link: Click here for the video](https://newspicks.com/live-movie/6656/)

Background and Discussion Points of this Program With the evolution of technology, information provision and administrative tasks are being replaced by AI. Consequently, the role of sales that humans should undertake is changing dramatically from "product explainers" to "partners who support decision-making."

1. "Context Understanding" and "Trust Building" that AI Cannot Replace In the modern era where information asymmetry has been resolved, customers are not looking for "mere property information," but for an existence that understands the context they are in and stands by them in their anxieties. We delved into how "empathy for emotions" and "advice on individual, specific concerns," which are impossible for AI, are the core values of future sales.

2. A Division-of-Labor Model to Solve the "Structural Defects" of the Housing and Real Estate Industry In housing and real estate sales, there is a dilemma where sales representatives are overwhelmed by immediate responses (responding to inquiries) and vast amounts of administrative work, leaving them unable to devote enough time to improving the quality of the customer experience they should be facing. We explained how "division of labor," which separates these tasks to technology and specialized teams, can achieve both the best customer experience and job satisfaction for sales staff.

3. Redefining from "Guide" to "Life Partner" Next-generation sales should not be mere "guides" who show properties, but "life partners" who look ahead to the customer's future and protect their asset value and lifestyle. We discussed a vision for establishing social status as a professional based on high expertise and ethics.

Speaker Comments (from the video content) Madoka Sawa (Representative Director, Mado Co., Ltd.) "Rather than competing with AI in accuracy and speed, the question is whether you can become an existence that is trusted and consulted by customers. Future sales roles will require the 'uniquely human power' to deeply read the customer's context."

Yu Kinoshita (Executive Officer, homie Inc.) "Real estate sales is not a 'job of selling houses,' but a 'job of supporting customers' life decisions.' Through the division of labor between humans and technology, we will create a world where sales professionals can maximize their professionalism and work with pride."

Program Overview Program Title: What is "Next-Generation Sales" that creates the best customer experience? Distribution Media: NewsPicks (App/Web/Official YouTube Channel) Cast: Madoka Sawa, Yu Kinoshita, and others

How to Watch 1. NewsPicks (Now available) You can watch it from the official page below. https://newspicks.com/live-movie/6656/

2. YouTube (Available from 21:00 on April 1st) The YouTube version will be available on the official NewsPicks YouTube channel starting at 21:00 on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

[Features of "HOTLEAD"] - Integrates inquiry information from company websites and real estate portal sites into the system, handled by concierges (operators). - Initial response to inquiries is possible 24/7, 365 days a year (including SMS responses). - Achieves a high connection rate through initial calls within 90 seconds of an inquiry and data-driven operations using massive amounts of past follow-up data. - Through high-quality communication by concierges (operators), detailed customer information is gathered, and after securing an appointment, it is reported via the system.

[About homie] homie Inc. is a real estate tech company established in 2019 that aims to realize DX (Digital Transformation) in housing and real estate sales. By taking over the inquiry response operations for real estate companies, we aim to solve various issues faced by real estate companies, such as improving the work environment, increasing talent retention rates, strengthening sales capabilities, and improving productivity, thereby establishing a competitive advantage in customer touchpoints (Real Estate Sales DX). In June 2020, we launched "HOTLEAD," an inquiry response concierge service specializing in the housing and real estate industry, in the real estate sales sector. Currently, we support all four housing areas: rentals, custom-built homes, and sales. As of March 2026, it has been introduced in approximately 1,600 stores nationwide.

Corporate Website: https://homie.co.jp/ Service Website: https://homie.co.jp/hotlead/

[Inquiries regarding this matter] homie Inc. Public Relations Email: info@homie.co.jp Phone: 03-6822-6401