Referrals key to success for Kia's top salesperson

By Lee Min-hyung

Kang Jin-su, a senior auto consultant at Kia, has shifted his sales focus to targeting customers with strong purchasing power, as this group is more likely to actively recommend the brand to their acquaintances.

Last month, Kang gained widespread recognition as Kia's grand sales master by achieving the impressive milestone of over 4,000 cumulative auto sales. Since joining the carmaker in 1996, he has consistently excelled, averaging annual sales of 138 vehicles over the past 29 years. This remarkable achievement earned him the distinction of being Kia’s 32nd grand sales master, solidifying his reputation as a top performer within the company.

His office is located in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, and he adopted a strategy of earning the trust of merchants at Garak Market, one of the nation's largest agricultural and fish markets.

“Thousands of merchants work at the market, and they possess strong purchasing power,” Kang said during a recent telephone interview. “One of their key characteristics is that they maintain mutual trust with me over the long term, once they find me trustworthy.”

Kang said he has a group of around 50 customers at the market, who consistently introduce their family members and friends, helping him maintain robust sales steadily for decades.

“They run their own businesses and have multiple clients,” he said. “Forming a reliable relationship with them was the key driving force for me to win the title of grand sales master.”

Kang also expressed his hope of earning the title of the carmaker’s top salesperson of the year.

“I need to sell more than 400 vehicles annually to win the title, but so far, I’ve sold around 240 vehicles this year,” he said.

Even though it seems challenging to reach the position for now, Kang expressed confidence in rising to the top spot in the near future.

"I always strive to make my customers feel comfortable and at ease during our conversations, no matter the time or place, which is why most of them sign a contract during our first meeting," Kang said.

“The portion of my auto sales to individual customers is around 70 percent, with the remaining 30 percent coming from corporate customers. To reach the top rank, I need to increase my corporate sales,” Kang said.