Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 44
Title: The Perfect Partner
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Team Leader Kim Minseong thought Taeseok was the perfect partner.
Why? Because Taeseok knew what he needed without being told and took care of it in advance.
“Senior, you must be tired. Please have this.”
A digestive aid for his fatigue.
Gulp, gulp.
The Team Leader spoke to Taeseok.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. If you do well, I will do well.”
Taeseok handed him a restorative herbal drink. Another energetic day was beginning.
The two of them traveled all over the country.
Many days were fruitless, but they didn't mind.
They believed someone would eventually listen, or call if they needed them. Even when a deal fell through, the two would smile and promise to see them next time.
And in those cases, 2 out of 10 people would call back.
A 20% success rate.
It wasn't a high number, but there was a reason they could smile.
Their insurance contract retention rate was a whopping 99%.
This was because clients had thought it over and made the choice themselves, so they rarely canceled midway.
Taeseok learned a lot at Senior Kim Minseong’s side. From the details of the insurance products to his presentation style, his attitude toward clients, and even the preparation of materials.
Day by day, he absorbed his senior's know-how as his own.
And finally, the fateful day arrived.
Unlike other days, Senior Kim Minseong was breaking out in a cold sweat from the moment he woke up.
“Senior, are you not feeling well?”
“I told you. Today's client is a tough one.”
“Are there any easy clients? They're all tough.”
“But today is really tough. Because he's a CEO.”
CEO (chief executive officer).
It meant the highest-ranking executive.
These people were owners of companies with at least 1.5 billion won in annual revenue and had a wealth of social experience. Naturally, they were analytical and had deep insight in many areas, so Kim Minseong couldn't help but be nervous when meeting them.
Taeseok nodded at his explanation.
Still, he wasn't too worried.
Kim Minseong had contacted every judicial scrivener and tax accountant he knew, planned a tailored proposal for them, and reviewed it all night.
Of course, Taeseok had also stayed up with him, helping analyze the data.
And so, they went to their destination.
A company in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.
Samjin General Construction.
Capital: 700 million won.
An annual construction value of 3.9 billion won, a general construction company specializing in civil engineering and construction.
The second floor of a temporary container building next to the construction site.
Taeseok and Minseong entered the office there.
The president, a man in his mid-50s, and his wife were waiting for them.
Minseong and Taeseok bowed their heads in greeting.
“Good morning, sir.”
“Hello!”
The president and his wife guided them to a sofa.
A small table sat between the sofas, and the president and his wife sat on one side, with Taeseok and Minseong on the other.
“Could we have some coffee here, please?”
A female employee brought coffee on the president's instruction, and Kim Minseong began the main discussion.
“Sir, I heard you had many questions regarding your finances.”
“Ah, that's right.”
“So I wanted to meet you today and ask first. If you could tell me what kind of plan you have in mind, and which provisions apply to you, I believe I can design a suitable product for you.”
But despite Senior Kim Minseong's words, the president and his wife remained stoic.
The two of them rarely showed their emotions.
Their assets and long-term goals.
Who would easily speak of such things in front of strangers?
From Minseong's perspective, he needed them to say how long they planned to run the business or if they had other plans in order to tailor a proposal to their needs, but they wouldn't open up.
The atmosphere was still awkward.
Was that why? Beads of sweat began to form on Senior Kim Minseong's forehead as he explained earnestly.
As the other party didn't respond as he'd hoped, he grew more and more anxious.
‘This is bad. Something’s wrong. It can’t go on like this.’
Taeseok knew.
In cases like this, it was hard to close a deal.
This was a CEO plan they had spent three all-nighters preparing, but at this rate, it seemed difficult to get results.
Normally, he might just move on to the next one, but this contract was a pretty big one if they could land it.
Was that why?
As time went on, Team Leader Kim Minseong's throat must have been getting dry, as he started to drink his coffee one cup after another.
His senior was becoming less talkative.
His behavior only deepened the suspicion of the president and his wife.
Normally, Kim Minseong could overcome a situation like this, but today he was powerless.
Taeseok knew.
His senior was genuinely nervous, just as he'd said that morning.
At this rate, closing the deal would be impossible.
Perhaps because the client was sharp and discerning, Kim Minseong grew even more agitated.
So, unable to watch any longer, Taeseok stepped in.
“Sir.”
At his call, the president and his wife turned their gaze from Minseong to Taeseok.
Taeseok met their gazes head-on and began to talk about his life experience.
“I worked in the same industry as you for several years, sir. I've worked as a carpenter and a painter. Until recently, I was working at the new El Sung Engineering plant in Cheonan. My colleagues are now working at the second plant's construction site.”
“Oh, you've had that kind of experience at such a young age?”
“That's why I believe I can understand, to some extent, the difficulties of your work. And that's why I need to know more. What kind of plan do you have in mind right now, sir?”
A smile spread across the president's face at Taeseok's words.
The wife still looked unconvinced.
But Taeseok was relieved just to have swayed the president's heart.
Unlike before, the president's gaze was now fixed on him without wavering.
Kim Minseong watched Taeseok intently.
‘When… did he become capable… of this?’
But then, the young man suddenly took a tablet PC out of his bag, displayed the analysis data he had created overnight in front of the president, and continued his explanation.
“Sir! It's been two months since we launched our CEO plan, and other business owners love it! The response has been incredible. You also get anxious every November about meeting the 700 million won capital requirement, don't you? With our plan, early withdrawals are possible for individual products, so you don't have to resort to private loans. And for corporations, just enrolling in this plan is recognized as capital. That's why other presidents seem to love our CEO plan.”
A slight smile played on the president's lips at Taeseok's explanation.
‘He even knows about the capital requirement?’
General construction companies.
Every year from November to February, they had to maintain a capital of 700 million won for over two months. Taeseok's approach targeted this very pain point.
Kim Minseong started to be amazed by Taeseok.
‘This kid, when did he study up to this point?’
But it was still too early to be surprised. Taeseok began to act more proactively to win over the wife. He got off the sofa, crouched down by the small table in front of them, and closed the distance with the clients.
He lowered his gaze below the wife's, looking up at the client while starting the conversation with a witty flair.
“Ma'am! Eventually, you have to take money out of the corporation, right? Even if the corporation has money, it's not yours and the president's money, is it?”
“That's right, isn't it?”
“So, in the end, you have to withdraw it all as personal funds. But, if you use this CEO plan, you can receive a low tax rate on your severance pay, allowing you to move more money from the corporation to your personal account at a much lower tax rate than you'd pay when closing the business. You just need to amend the articles of incorporation to include a clause stating that the representative and executives will be paid three times the severance of a regular employee. Then, starting three years before retirement, raise your annual salary to 100 or even 200 million won. If you do that, instead of withdrawing 200 million in severance, you can withdraw 600 million. That's what I mean.”
The explanation was complex, but the principle was simple.
Change the articles of incorporation to increase the original 200 million won severance to 600 million.
Severance pay is originally subject to a low tax rate.
This was all learned while designing the CEO plan in consultation with a tax accountant.
“If you use our CEO plan and enroll this severance pay into an IRP product, you can save about 50 million won in taxes. And if both you and the president do it, it's a plan that saves about 100 million won in taxes alone. This is all completely legal, so there are no problems. 100 million won! It would be a waste to miss out on that, wouldn't it? They say paying taxes is patriotic, but it's not like anyone recognizes you for it! Are you just going to throw away 100 million won in taxes?”
“Of course not.”
“That's why we want to help you and the president save on taxes.”
The conversation, with him in a lowered posture, began to work.
Taeseok's logic in aggressively explaining the product worked on the wife as well.
Taeseok calmly answered the wife's increasingly curious questions.
As he explained not only the CEO plan but also the retirement security plan and the retirement pension plan, a blueprint for the president and his wife's life up to age 80 began to be drawn right there in that room.
Was that why?
A smile finally began to appear on Taeseok's and Minseong's tense faces.
On the way out after the conversation ended.
Kim Minseong thought.
Taeseok was a sales genius.
His beginnings were humble and his schooling was nothing special, but he had something special.
When it came to insurance sales, he was a god.
A guy with extraordinary effort and professionalism.
A guy who not only analyzed his own strengths but also embodied them as his own.
If this is how he starts, what will he be like in the future?
The king of insurance? A building owner? No. Couldn't he even become a chairman?
On their way out.
Taeseok was putting on a charming act for the president and his wife.
“Haha, you remind me of my own parents, so I'm a little nervous. Still, you're my seniors in life, and I truly respect you for working so hard in a difficult industry. So this is what I'd like to say. Sir, ma'am, you just focus on your work, and we'll manage your money and keep growing it for you. We'll make it so you don't have to worry about retirement and can be prepared for any emergencies. I promise. We will definitely help you. Please call us anytime you think of us.”
“…The contract… we're not doing it now?”
“We've shown you what we plan to do, so after you've discussed it thoroughly with your wife, just let us know the result, and we'll come running anytime. So please, take some more time to think, and if you decide you like our proposal, give us a call. We'll get going now.”
“……”
On their way down from the second floor.
The look in the eyes of the owner and his wife had completely changed from when they first met.
They even came outside to wave as Kim Minseong and Kim Taeseok drove away.
“Go on inside.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once in the car, Kim Minseong, seemingly relaxed, broke into a grin.
“You're really something else, you know?”
“Was I?”
“I think you're even better at the CEO Plan than I am. Weren't you nervous?”
“No, sir. Rather than being nervous, he just felt like a business owner from the same industry, so I think I was a bit more comfortable.”
“Really?”
* * *
Before he knew it, two months had flown by.
Now, Taeseok was facing a moment of decision.
Kim Minseong asked him with a regretful look.
“Are you going to go?”
“Yes, sir. I really want to go to the Strategic Planning Office.”
“You can come back anytime. I feel like I could work with you for a lifetime.”
“Hey, don't say that. It's a lot of pressure.”
“Haha, I've taught many people, but I've never met anyone as smart, analytical, and personable as you. Trust me. I'm a good judge of character, you know?”
“Yes, sir. I think so too.”
A smile graced Taeseok's face. To think that work could be this enjoyable.
Running toward the same goal with a good person was more fun than he could have imagined.
The two of them went from one success to another.
It was only natural.
Unlike others, they had expertise in the product of insurance.
They knew how to be humble when dealing with people.
And they weren't greedy.
It didn't matter if a client didn't sign a contract.
They treated people like human beings, not as sources of money.
Perhaps that was why.
Once a person signed a contract with them, they trusted them.
And, before long, Taeseok had closed six contracts.
It was time for the meeting again.
The branch manager called everyone together.
Today was the monthly awards ceremony.
“Team Leader Kim Minseong!”
“Yes.”
“This month's best Insurance King! Congratulations!”
“Am I the best?”
“You are. This month, you're the best of all the branches nationwide. You've gone beyond just getting the hang of it. You're doing incredibly well.”
“Thank you.”
Taeseok's face as he watched Kim Minseong.
He was genuinely cheering for his senior's achievement.
But then, just like last time, the branch manager called Taeseok's name.
“Kim Taeseok!”
“Yes?”
“You need to come up too. Number one among the new employees. Rookie King! Congratulations.”
“Me?”
“That's right. With 19.31 million won, of course you're number one. Congratulations.”
The branch manager hung a medal around Taeseok's neck and handed him a plaque and a certificate.
Taeseok replied.
“Thank you, Branch Manager.”
Then, the branch manager grinned and said to Taeseok.
“You'll keep working at our branch, right?”
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