Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 43
Title: Someone You Want to Keep By Your Side
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Senior Kim Minseong took care of Taeseok .
And he cherished him.
“It must have been tough, right?”
“No, sir. I’m fine.”
“You got first place, I hear?”
“Yes.”
As they got into the car, he handed him a box. Inside was a book.
“Huh?”
“Study this. It’s a collection of past exam questions for the Fund Investment Advisor test. The exam is in November, so start preparing.”
“…Senior. I…”
“You can tell me what you’ve decided in two months, so that’s enough for now.”
“Yes, sir.”
From the very beginning, Kim Minseong had trusted Taeseok.
He believed this was a guy he could work with.
Normally, insurance agents don’t share their know-how with each other.
But Team Leader Kim Minseong was different.
He showed all the trust he could and made that person his own.
And Taeseok responded in kind.
Even after the training program ended, Taeseok studied the book his senior had given him day after day.
And in Team 3, with only two members, he began to sync up with his senior.
Saturday.
Taeseok went to the office even though his senior hadn't called him in.
A sales job.
A world without weekends.
Seeing that Taeseok had come in, Assistant Manager Kim Minseong asked in a gruff tone.
“It’s the weekend, what are you doing here?”
“You’re my boss. How can you say something like that?”
“So you’re willing to learn?”
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
“Alright. Then let me ask you one thing. Can you drive?”
“Yes. I can even drive a truck.”
“Then drive my car for a bit. Let’s go on a business trip to Jeonju.”
“Yes, sir.”
Taeseok took his senior’s car keys.
His senior’s car was the latest model of the Grandeur.
Compared to the other team leaders who drove foreign cars, his senior’s vehicle seemed a bit modest.
His senior got into the passenger seat and looked at the printouts he had just gotten from the office.
“Are you going to work?”
“Of course. I’m checking yesterday’s KOSPI index.”
“The KOSPI index?”
“Yeah. The stock market is really volatile right now, so I have to call clients who have a lot of money invested to update them on their returns.”
“I see.”
“Just a moment.”
For the next hour, his senior called his major clients.
“You must have been very worried, ma’am. I think you’ll need to set your own stop-loss point for this. The market is quite bad these days. So, temporarily switching to bonds might be one option.”
- I trust you completely, Team Leader Kim. What do you think I should do?
“Ah… that’s a tough one. For now, let’s monitor the situation with a stop-loss at 90% of the principal. It’s a bit difficult to predict anything right now.”
- Thank you for calling.
“Not at all. I have to protect my clients’ assets to make a living myself. I’ll be in touch again later.”
- Okay.
Watching his phone call, Taeseok nodded.
He was using data to analyze what his clients were curious about, informing them of the situation over the phone, and providing them with choices to increase their trust.
His sales know-how wasn't about one-time deals, but continuous customer management.
Taeseok was curious.
Why would someone who works this hard…?
Be treated like that by the branch manager?
Jeonju, Jeolla Province.
The reason they came here was because of a referral from a client.
After getting out of the car, he went straight into a private clinic.
Numerous people were waiting to be seen.
The appointment was for 1:30 PM, but because of the rush of patients, it was 2:30 PM before they could meet the client.
Assistant Manager Kim Minseong, who entered with a deep 90-degree bow.
The image of a friendly older brother was gone, replaced by that of a prim and proper man.
“Hello, Doctor.”
“I’m sorry. We had more patients than usual today, so I finished late. You waited a long time, didn’t you?”
“Not at all. The interior design is wonderful. It has a great atmosphere.”
“You think so?”
Kim Minseong smiled as he spoke to the doctor.
But perhaps because it was their first meeting, an awkwardness hung in the air.
Seeing this, Taeseok took out the drinks he had bought earlier and offered them to the two men.
“Please have a drink while you talk.”
The specialist responded to Taeseok words.
“Ah… thank you. And this is….”
“He’s my assistant. Doctor! It must have been a difficult decision, but thank you so much for reaching out to me.”
“Not at all.”
Here, Taeseok got to witness his senior’s way with words.
His senior directly addressed the doctor’s awkwardness.
“A lot of people who sell insurance like me must come to see you, right?”
At that, the doctor nodded and began to share his story.
“Yes, quite a few. But I’m never sure if they’re trustworthy.”
“That’s right. It’s only natural not to trust someone at first. I’m the same way.”
His senior humbled himself once more.
And before saying anything else, he handed his own client data to this new client.
“I currently manage a total of fourteen clients in the same professional field as you, Doctor. And these are the products those clients are currently invested in. Would it be alright if I explained while you take a look?”
His approach was truly remarkable.
It was only natural for a doctor to be curious about what other doctors, his peers, were investing in.
“This client, a 45-year-old director of a private clinic in Seoul, was lacking in savings insurance, so we focused on filling that gap. Starting in 2017, the non-taxable limit for lump-sum payments was reduced to 100 million won, so this client managed to get in just under the wire.”
“Ah…”
“A client in his late 30s, the same age group as you, was primarily thinking about investment purposes. So he invested heavily in variable insurance, but since the market is in a downturn right now, we’ve reduced the proportion of stocks and shifted more towards bonds.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Is your clinic a corporate entity, by any chance?”
“Yes. For now, it is.”
“Hmm… in the case of a corporation, if you amend the articles of incorporation, the corporation can take out an insurance policy in the CEO’s name. I don’t know your details yet, but if you have policies in your name or the names of your executives, how about amending the articles and taking out insurance under the corporate name instead of as a personal policy? That way, you can save a lot on taxes and other areas until the day you retire from the clinic. It might be helpful to consider this as well.”
“…I see.”
Taeseok was astonished by Assistant Manager Kim Minseong's knowledge.
It was different from his own shallow understanding.
This wasn’t simple financial planning.
His explanation, which meticulously analyzed and approached the differences between corporate and individual entities, was more than enough to showcase his expertise.
Was that why? The client asked.
“I’ve never had anyone explain things in such detail…”
“Haha, is that so? I’ve finished explaining everything I needed to. I’ll be on my way now. Please think it over, and once you’ve made a decision, feel free to contact me again.”
Taeseok was shocked. They came all the way to Jeonju, and he was leaving without signing a contract? But he really stood up.
And he handed over his business card.
On the card were the certifications he had earned.
AFPK, Fund Investment Advisor, Asset Manager.
Seeing it, the doctor smiled.
“You’ve studied hard.”
“To meet with clients, I have to be an expert too.”
“Could you email me a recommendation for an insurance product? I’ll think about it over this weekend.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, sir. Have a wonderful day.”
“Yes. Take care.”
After the consultation, Taeseok and Kim Minseong got back in the car.
Kim Minseong immediately started calling the next client.
“Yes, sir! I think I can be there within two hours. Is that alright with you?”
- Sure. Come to my shop.
“Yes, sir. I’ll be there by 5:30 PM.”
The call ended, and Kim Minseong spoke to Taeseok.
“Let’s go to Dunsan in Daejeon.”
“Daejeon?”
“Yeah.”
Having watched him for a few days, Taeseok realized that his senior, Kim Minseong, worked incredibly hard.
And he realized that the person he needed was someone who could help manage his condition—someone to drive and act sharp by his side.
But Taeseok didn’t want to be just a secretary.
So he took the data his senior reported and used PowerPoint to turn it into training materials.
Taeseok was now very good at making PowerPoints.
He had no choice but to be.
He knew every single detailed function of PowerPoint.
He also knew how to utilize them well.
Why?
Because he was a PowerPoint Master.
The following Monday.
Assistant Manager Kim Minseong was surprised to see the printed file on his desk.
“Taeseok. What’s this?”
“Ah, I took the analysis data you made on Saturday and recreated it as a PPT. I made graphs and a comparative analysis table. If you just input a client’s financial status, it’s visualized so you can immediately compare it with other client groups in the same industry.”
“Really?”
“Ah! And I did one more thing that was out of line. Please forgive me.”
“Hm?”
“I thought the PPT file I made might be helpful to the two clients we met on Saturday, so I just sent it to them from your email account.”
“Ah…”
Just then, Kim Minseong’s phone rang, even though it was early in the morning.
“Yes, hello. Good morning.”
- I received the file. It can’t be easy to do this kind of analysis, but the data was so relevant to me that I was very pleased. Are you available to come by tomorrow? I’d like to sign a contract.
“Ah… Thank you! I’ll be there. What time would be good for you tomorrow?”
- Come whenever it’s convenient for you, Team Leader. I’ll make time.
“No, no. I should accommodate your schedule.”
And then, another call came in.
“Yes, sir!”
- That was excellent. Team Leader Kim, seeing you improve like this builds my trust.
“Pardon?”
- Why are you so modest? I was amazed when I got the PowerPoint analysis. Come by sometime. I’ll introduce you to some more people.
“Yes. I should. I’ll be heading down to Daejeon again. I’ll be there. When would be a good time?”
- Heh heh, join the golf outing. I’ll take my time and fill it with good people for you.
“Yes, sir.”
Kim Minseong hung up the phone and smiled as he looked at the PowerPoint Taeseok had made.
‘That’s right. He’s great at presenting, and he’s amazing at making PowerPoints, isn’t he?’
Perhaps that was why. To him, everything Taeseok did was just so endearing.
‘Forgive him? Forgive what, you punk! The best thing I ever did was get to know a guy like you.’
And three days later.
It was the day of the branch manager meeting.
Kim Minseong and Taeseok let out a cheer.
“Team Leader! You’re the best.”
“What are you talking about, punk? Thanks to you, we pulled in 400 more than last week.”
“You’re too kind.”
“No, I’m not.”
Just then, the sound of Team Leader Park from Team 2 throwing things could be heard from the next room.
“You sons of bitches, what have you been doing all week? How could you not land a single one! Are you kidding me? What did I say? I told you to call every single contact, didn't I?”
At that, Oh Jin-woo, one of his subordinates, spoke with a tearful voice.
“Team Leader, I can’t do this anymore. All my friends have cut me off.”
“Hey! You can wring water from a dried squid, punk! You have to be relentless with the calls and fill the quota somehow! Didn’t you say you wanted to earn 5 million a month! That you wanted to earn 100 million a year! You think that kind of money comes easy?”
“…I didn’t know it was this kind of work. I want to quit.”
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going? You’re bailing after taking 800? If you quit now, you have to pay all of that back. You know that.”
“Team Leader. Can’t you please cut me some slack? I really can’t do this.”
“Then you have to spit back the money you took! Pay it back and leave, or find someone to replace you! Got it? And don’t you dare say anything stupid in front of the branch manager!”
And at 8:30 AM, the branch manager meeting continued.
“Let’s see how much each team has done this past week.”
The branch manager called on each Team Leader.
Team Leader 1? He was scolded, of course.
“Hey! Are you going to be able to put food on the table like that?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“You should be making another call to a client in the time you’re wasting being sorry! What the hell are you even doing?”
Then, the branch manager looked at the Team Leader of Team 2, shaking his head and worrying about his well-being.
“Your numbers have dropped to a quarter of what they were. Team Leader Park, are you tired these days?”
“No, sir.”
“Hoo-ooh, just try harder. You can do anything if you try.”
“Yes. The kids just aren’t listening these days, sir. I’ll try a bit harder.”
“Alright.”
And then, Team Leader 3’s performance.
“…Kim Minseong?”
“Yes, Branch Manager.”
“Looks like you’ve got your groove back.”
“Hahaha, it’s less about getting my groove back and more about slowly recovering from that large contract that didn’t hold up before.”
Then, the branch manager called for Kim Taeseok.
“Taeseok.”
“Yes?”
“You closed a deal too. What’s this? You’re taking home 4.3 million won in commission alone.”
Taeseok, who had no idea about this, looked up at the branch manager.
“I did?”
Just then, Kim Minseong patted Taeseok's head and spoke to the branch manager.
“I put one of the contracts under Taeseok name. This friend’s help was the deciding factor.”
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