[Book Sip] "If You Have Nothing, Change Your Attitude First"

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The author is the only female Mercedes-Benz dealer director in Korea with an annual salary in the billion-won range, having built assets worth 20 billion won from nothing. She holds an unparalleled record including the shortest-term team leader, 500-unit club, 1000-unit club, and executive achievements. She went through a tough journey before finding her true calling in sales. She was extremely poor, and her family environment was not a support. While working at a sewing factory, she graduated from night high school and earned a master's degree in business administration and a doctoral degree from a real estate graduate school. The author thinks both work and life are 'sales.' Through 30 years of insights gained by dedicating herself to 'producing results in relationships with people,' she advises, "If you have nothing, start by changing your attitude toward people."

We all carry the label called ‘reputation.’ While some reputations come from deeply understanding one's character or job skills, even small actions or appearances leave impressions that people remember and evaluate us by. These memories accumulate and become something like hashtags that follow my name. How will you create that? I hope you take a moment to think about what hashtags others might be attaching to your name. All sales start from here.

After working in sales for several years, I realized that the basics of sales are the same. Of course, when the product changes, you need to study that product, but dealing with people and the fact that everything is decided in relationships with people remain unchanged. That’s why I could change industries with ease and peace of mind.

With that momentum, I worked hard and quickly achieved the 500-unit club, 1000-unit club, and became an executive. I set many records. I hold the records for the shortest-term team leader, shortest-term entry into the 500-unit club, shortest-term entry into the 1000-unit club, and shortest-term executive at Mercedes-Benz Hansung Motors, and none have been broken yet.

In sales and all other fields, we experience ‘introductions’ and ‘repeat purchases.’ (...) We want to widely introduce delicious restaurants to those around us, and we never go back to unfriendly or tasteless restaurants. What kind of person am I? Am I someone people want to introduce and visit again? I recommend always using this question as a standard in your work. Doing so will help you see the path you need to improve and break through more clearly than complaints about your situation. The door to higher opportunities will naturally open before you.

Although our customers are getting younger, many still prefer our brand vehicles and are of an older generation. Many still like and are accustomed to analog sensibilities. So, even when I send letters, I send handwritten notes. I hope that a warmer heart is conveyed rather than cold screens or uniform printed materials, and I put my utmost sincerity into them. To me, those customers are not ‘canceled customers’ but already ‘my lifelong customers.’

Since I started sales in the IT industry, I think I learned how to break the ice in conversations with people. To eliminate awkwardness in front of people who were wary of me, I put all my effort into finding seeds for conversation. Appearance was basic, but I also used items on the other person's desk, the weather, and the scenery around as conversation topics. Then, I connected the collected stories to various situations and asked about them to draw out conversation. I also shared similar experiences of my own to build rapport. By creating a comfortable atmosphere for conversation, listening attentively, empathizing, and responding, a connection is made, and the other person naturally treats me comfortably.

Our company checks attendance with fingerprints. So, when leaving directly from outside, it is inconvenient to report by email and other things. Even now as an executive, when I occasionally leave work on-site, I report by email as per the rules. Customers sitting with me ask, “Do you really have to clock out even at your level, Director? Can't you just do it comfortably?” Of course, my position allows a bit more freedom, but I don’t want to make exceptions for myself. Now, I strictly manage attendance not to show off to the company or others, but to discipline myself properly. Attitude governs the mind.

The important thing is consistent practice. Few people do something without fail whether it snows or rains. That unwavering consistency is proof of sincerity and a super powerful force. Thankfully, my specialty is consistency and sincerity. I learned and borrowed what others did, but I practiced it longer and more consistently than those who first did it. That’s how I surpassed seniors and got promoted to executive. Especially in sales, consistency and sincerity are the ultimate keys.

I realized what it meant to have an IQ of 98 around upper elementary school. I also thought that if I was less smart than others, I had to work harder to make up for it. So, I started taking notes diligently. I habitually wrote down things to remember and kept a daily diary, which became the foundation of my current schedule management. I didn’t know then that deficiency could become an asset.

When you reach the top in your field, you have a premium when forming networks in other fields. You don’t have to go through multiple verification steps from the bottom. The trust card is already given just by being verified in your field. So, you should strive to rise high in any field. Then it becomes easier to get what you want.

Only Fierceness in Possession | Written by Yoon Mi-ae | Wisdom House | 272 pages | 18,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.