Kia salesman turns hobbies into secret for sales milestone

For Kim Hyong-su, a veteran salesman at Kia, some of the most important connections in his career were not made inside a showroom.

Sometimes, customers find him on a soccer field. Other times, they meet him through one of his hobbies.

Kim, a sales director at the carmaker, has achieved cumulative vehicle sales of 4,000 to become the firm’s 40th Grand Master — a title awarded to salesmen who achieve the sales figure.

Kim said his long-running hobbies — including soccer and triathlon — have played an unexpected role in helping him build relationships with customers and sustain a career that has spanned more than three decades.

“I get inquiries from people I have met through my hobbies when they find out that I work for Kia,” Kim said in a recent telephone interview.

About 60 percent of his sales currently come from individual customers, while corporate buyers account for the remaining 40 percent.

Kim has been playing soccer in an amateur club for more than 20 years. He initially took up swimming and later expanded into triathlon, a sport he continues to enjoy.

For him, exercise serves two purposes: It helps him meet new people while also providing an outlet for the pressures of sales.

“I think it has helped me a lot in terms of both finding customers and relieving stress,” he said.

Kim believes that knowing how to manage work-related stress is essential for anyone hoping to stay in the sales business for the long haul.

“Staying in this job for a long time means knowing how to let go of the stress that comes with work,” he said.

His competitive side is also an asset.

Kim describes himself as a highly competitive person, something he attributes partly to spending so much time playing sports. That drive has helped him maintain his focus throughout a career in which he has sold an average of about 121 vehicles a year.

However, he does not rely on personality alone when meeting customers.

Although Kia allows employees to wear casual clothing companywide, Kim said sales consultants who deal directly with customers still need to pay close attention to their appearance.

He typically wears a suit, dress shoes and a tie when meeting customers.

“Clothing that is neat and well put together gives customers a sense of trust,” he said. “I think it is important to make a reliable first impression.”

He said the milestone was built on something less glamorous than a sales technique: showing up every day and meeting customers.

“Since my first day at the company, I have run around every day meeting customers,” Kim said. “I think that consistency and sincerity led to good results.”

With about three to four years left before retirement, Kim is already looking beyond his latest milestone.

His next goal is to sell 5,000 vehicles and become a “Great Master,” the highest sales title in Kia’s long-service sales award system.

For Kim, however, the formula for another 1,000 sales appears much the same as it was for his first 4,000: keep meeting people, keep moving and keep showing up.

“I want to continue approaching each customer with sincerity, without losing the mindset I had when I first started,” he said.