Series: The All-Rounder Employee Becomes a Legend
Chapter: 50
Title: The Rise of Kim Taeseok (1)
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They played a game of pool at the pool hall, with the loser paying the bill for Chinese food.
Taeseok's group lost a round to the senior technicians, so they paused the game and started eating their jjajangmyeon and tangsuyuk.
His colleagues, curious about Taeseok, started asking him questions.
“Taeseok, where did you go to school?”
“Cheonan Ilbuk High.”
“Ilbuk High? No, I mean university.”
“I didn't go to university. I have a bachelor's degree, but I didn't attend a traditional university. I'm a high school graduate.”
At that, the technicians who were also high school graduates looked at Taeseok with puzzled expressions.
“That’s unexpected. We were all surprised by you, Taeseok. You dress neatly, you’re polite, and your work ethic is exceptional. We thought you were highly educated.”
“You’re too kind. It’s because I’m lacking that I try so hard to catch up to my seniors who have more experience in the working world.”
“I see. Ah! Jong-hyeok~ Didn’t you go to Ilbuk High too?”
“Yes. I went to Cheonan Ilbuk High, too. Taeseok, what was your graduating class number?”
“I was in the 66th.”
“Ah, I was in the 64th. I’m your senior by two years. Nice to meet you.”
“Yes. It’s nice to meet you too, senior!”
Kim Jong-hyeok’s face brightened. He, too, had never met a junior from his high school at the same workplace since coming up to Seoul.
And he liked that this junior of his was smart and affable.
Taeseok felt the same way. It was the first time he’d met a senior from his high school at the company.
And that senior was approaching him in a friendly manner.
Another technician watching them smiled warmly.
“This is awesome. Taeseok. This guy Jong-hyeok, he was famous for baseball back in school, do you remember? I heard he was a pitcher.”
But he had no memory of it. None at all. The high school baseball team. To be honest, the student-athletes didn't often attend class, and this guy wasn't even in his year, but two years his senior.
His only memories of the baseball team were from when the Bonghwanggi or President's Cup tournaments were held.
Just because he went to Ilbuk High didn't mean he knew much about baseball.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I wasn’t very interested in baseball back then. I’ll try to be more interested now.”
Kim Jong-hyeok grinned and replied.
“Hey, what’s there to be sorry about? It’s only natural you don’t know. Only two of my friends are playing in the pros now. And I don’t envy them. Honestly, I make more money than them now.”
Hearing Kim Jong-hyeok, a senior technician said.
“Haha, this guy can afford to say that. He’s worked here for six years and even bought an apartment in Seoul. He’s a real penny-pincher. A total cheapskate.”
“Hey, it’s all on a loan. And my wife and I are a dual-income household.”
“Hey! Still, who owns a house in their own name at 28? You’re something else, man!”
“It’s in our joint names. Hehe. If you’re jealous, you should get married soon too, sir.”
They were all living similar lives.
People earning a real income of 2 to 3 million won a month, saving up, and struggling to get by.
Still, he was surrounded by people who worked hard every day.
Back home, Taeseok recalled the day’s events with a happy expression. The atmosphere was different from when he first arrived. He thought it wouldn't be so bad to spend his remaining two months here.
So, he bought the [El Sung Electronics Product Repair Manual] from the <Secret Shop>, which had been updated seven days ago.
‘This should be helpful, right?’
[El Sung Electronics Product Repair Manual / 2018]
[You have used 30 Points.]
*Poof!* An unknown book appeared with a sound.
As he opened the booklet, a bright light shone, and the repair methods for every product sold by El Sung Electronics were transmitted into his mind.
But his luck was bad.
A call came from the company.
“Hello?”
- Taeseok! It’s the Center Director.
“Yes, Center Director! What’s the matter this evening? Did I perhaps make a mistake…?”
- No, Taeseok. It’s not that. Starting tomorrow, don’t come to the repair center. Go to the 2nd floor. I’ve already spoken to the branch manager.
“What?”
- Didn’t you say you wanted to go? You don’t want to anymore?
“Ah… No, that’s not it.”
- Good. This is the best I can do for you, so go and do well. I have a good feeling about you, so you’ll succeed.
“Thank you.”
Taeseok let out a sigh.
The repair knowledge he’d just spent 30 Points on had suddenly become useless.
‘If only he’d told me a little sooner.’
He now had 37 points left.
A sigh escaped him automatically.
But… it seemed his luck wasn’t all bad.
[Your Honor Grade has risen to 4.]
[A special Sale item has been stocked.]
[Highly Recommended: Arabic Beginner Package (60% Discount): 20 Points]
Taeseok grinned.
‘Ah~ I have to buy this.’
* * *
The next day, he reported to work on the 2nd floor.
The Team Leader there greeted Taeseok with a broad smile.
“Kim Taeseok! I’ve heard a lot about you. The Center Director was singing your praises.”
“The Center Director? He doesn’t seem like the type to do that…”
“Yes, that’s right. You’ve got him pegged. The Center Director is a man of few words. But he’s different in meetings. He’s been dealing with customers for decades, so he has a better eye for people than we do. Maybe your actions impressed him enough to change his mind.”
“I see.”
“For now, I’ll take his word for it. Start by observing and assisting the senior managers.”
“Understood.”
The Team Leader called one of his subordinates.
“Manager Ahn Hyo-seong!”
“Yes!”
“Manager Kim Taeseok will be working here for a while starting today, so please guide him.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
Before any customers arrived, Taeseok began his training from Manager Ahn Hyo-seong in the home appliances section.
“Taeseok! We managers always have to be prepared. Understanding the product features, the price, and catching on to what the customer wants on the spot and responding accordingly. It won’t be easy from the start.”
“Yes, I imagine so.”
“Do you know this? That there are three types of customers.”
“I’m not sure. What would the three types be?”
“Customers who are just window shopping, customers who genuinely need a product, and what do you think the last one is?”
“I don’t know.”
“Customers who window shop here and then buy it online or from an overseas seller.”
“Ah…”
“This is where it gets important. Look at this chart.”
Manager Ahn Hyo-seong showed him the chart he was holding.
The sales incentives for selling home appliances.
But the incentives varied depending on the item.
Some products had no incentive at all, while others had a huge one.
For the latest model internet phone, there was no personal sales incentive whatsoever.
The same went for the vacuum cleaner section, with the exception of robot vacuums.
But a kimchi refrigerator came with a 150,000 won incentive, and an air conditioner, depending on the model, could go up to 370,000 won.
“See? Within this incentive margin, we can adjust the price, right?”
“Then we could sell it for even cheaper than the lowest price online? And some customers would come knowing that.”
“You’re half right and half wrong.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
“I mean it could be right, or it could be wrong.”
He turned to the next page of the incentive booklet.
It showed the team incentives.
If the total monthly sales for the entire 2nd floor exceeded 150 million won, each person would get a special incentive of 200,000 won. If it exceeded 200 million, 500,000 won; 250 million, 1 million won; 300 million, 2 million won.
If it exceeded 500 million won, each person would receive an incentive of 4 million won. With four people including the Team Leader, that was a total of 16 million won.
“No matter how much you lower your own margin, it’s still more expensive than the lowest online price. The people who sell at the lowest prices are from franchise stores, not directly-managed stores like us. They also get incentives the more they sell, but since they don’t have a base salary like we do, their incentive scale is much larger. So sometimes they’ll even take a loss to hit their sales targets for the incentive. That’s the only way they can make up for the loss even when selling below cost.”
Franchise stores, in other words, businesses run by private owners, could sell things for incredibly cheap, at a reasonable price, or even for a high price. It was a complete toss-up.
But this was a directly-managed store.
The managers working here were both competitors and colleagues.
“Taeseok. You get the gist of how things work around here, right? We’re colleagues. So don’t feel like you’re being discriminated against, just focus on your work.”
“Yes.”
“Go and wait over there in front of the vacuum cleaner section. That’s your spot, Kim Taeseok.”
“……”
As he worked, Taeseok came to learn the harsh reality of being a salesperson.
While they smiled on the outside, the employees were constantly sizing each other up, trying to earn even a single penny more.
The 2nd-floor showroom was divided into three main sections.
The prime spot, where the air conditioners, fans, and heaters were located.
The semi-prime spot, which sold computers, monitors, printers, and tablets.
And the undesirable spot, with vacuum cleaners, ovens, washing machines, dryers, and air purifiers.
Of these, Manager Ahn Hyo-seong took the prime spot.
The Team Leader took the semi-prime spot for the day, filling in for an underperforming manager who was away for training.
And Taeseok was assigned the undesirable spot.
10:30 a.m.
The store opened, but customers rarely came up to the second floor.
Most of them flocked to the 1st floor, to the mobile phone store and the section selling TVs, DVDs, and wearable devices.
Was it because it was now 11 o’clock? A customer came up. A young woman in her twenties. Taeseok greeted her with a bright smile and said.
『Hello. What can I help you find today?』
But she ignored Taeseok and headed straight for the floor above.
A customer you run into from time to time.
But those customers were almost all heading to the 4th-floor repair center via the escalator.
Manager Ahn Hyo-seong said to Taeseok.
“There’s no need to greet everyone. Just do it when a customer calls for you. 90% of them won’t buy anything anyway. Don’t waste your energy.”
“But in the training, they said to always greet them with a smile.”
“Training, that’s all nonsense. I can tell just by looking at them whether they’re going to buy something or not.”
He was right. Taeseok greeted them enthusiastically, but all he got in return were cold stares.
Even customers who seemed interested would nod at Taeseok's explanation, then turn away and search for the lowest price online on their smartphones.
“It's more expensive here. Thanks for your time.”
Experiencing it firsthand was infuriating, but Taeseok recalled the Sales Queen's training.
‘No. I have to be able to smile for 12 hours a day. They're all potential customers.’
He jotted down everything that happened that day in a memo. Then, he compiled it and asked her about it via messenger. And she actually replied.
She advised him as if it were her own problem and even sent a reply like this.
[Is it okay if I use your case, Mr. Kim Taeseok, in a future lecture?]
[Yes. Of course.]
That evening.
The Team Leader was away at a closing meeting, and Manager Ahn Hyo-seong had stepped out to the restroom.
But just then, of all times, a couple arrived.
Left alone, Taeseok had no choice but to approach them and greet the customers.
‘Don't be nervous. I did this all the time when I was selling insurance.’
Steeling himself, Taeseok offered a greeting with a bright smile.
“Hello~ You two must be getting married soon. You look great together.”
“Do we? Thank you. We're getting married in three months.”
“Ah~ Congratulations! Is there a particular product you have in mind?”
“We'll look around on our own and call you if we need anything.”
“Of course. Please, take your time.”
The two were an engaged couple. They looked around, arm in arm.
“Oppa! What about this air conditioner?”
“Yeah. It's nice.”
“It's 1,763,000 won? Ah, that store we were at earlier was cheaper. Electronics World.”
“Jihye. Let's just pick one already. How much of a difference can it be?”
“No. If we're going to choose, we have to choose right. This one has an AI function. It has automatic temperature control based on usage patterns and a smart function that checks the day's weather. But this is a bit expensive too. We should have picked one at the big-box store… Should we get this one? This one is cheaper at the discount mart.”
“You decide. Let's just get what you want, Jihye. I'm washing my hands of it.”
“Oppa, this is for our new home! Why are you being so half-hearted about it!”
At that, the husband-to-be of the engaged couple protested.
“Jihye! This is the fifth store already. Let's just pick one.”
“No, the prices are all different! You should be thinking about saving money on our wedding furnishings. Are you acting like this because it's my money? I'm just saying we should compare, consider, and then buy.”
“Jihye. We've been walking around since 1 p.m. It's past 7 now, you know? We're only going to use the basic functions anyway, so why are you scrutinizing it so much?”
“Oppa! This isn't just for me. I'm saying we should check every little thing and buy it rationally at the lowest price.”
The difference between a woman who meticulously checks every single detail and a man.
Honestly, any typical man would understand this kind of stress.
If this went on any longer, the two of them would have a huge fight. The signs were there. And then he wouldn't be able to make a sale.
So, Taeseok stepped in.
“It looks like you've visited other stores as well.”
The female customer answered bluntly.
“Yes. And it seems a bit more expensive here.”
“Ah~ I can see why you'd think that, but we're a direct-management store. We're El Sung. When you think of service, you think of El Sung. For customer care and after-sales service, it has to be El Sung, ma'am.”
“Hmm… I suppose so. Still, I don't understand why some places are cheaper and some are more expensive.”
Taeseok began to respond to the woman's words with the knowledge he possessed.
“Ma'am, they're not all the same product. If you look closely at the serial numbers, you'll see they're slightly different. The exterior might look the same, but the model numbers for products that go to discount marts, big-box stores, and our direct-management stores are all different.”
“What? Really?”
“The M415F31 model you're looking at has a higher output than the model sold at discount marts, and it uses a more efficient and eco-friendly refrigerant. Of course, it's manufactured to match those specs. That's why it also has a Grade 1 energy efficiency rating.”
“Ah… so there was a difference like that.”
“And for newlyweds, if you purchase over 5 million won at once, we have a special promotion for you. The promotion is an event where we give you one of two new washing machine models that came out this year. On top of that, if you sign up for our El Sung Card today and make the purchase within this month, we can give you an additional 7% discount. Shall I walk you through it right now?”
There was a man silently watching Taeseok. It was the Team Leader, who had just returned from his meeting. He had been watching ever since Taeseok first greeted the customers.
Manager Kim Taeseok's attitude, his way with words, and his understanding of the products.
Watching Taeseok close a 6.5 million won sale in just 15 minutes, he grinned.
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