Kia salesman turns hobbies into secret for sales milestone

For Kim Hyong-su, a veteran salesman at Kia, some of the most important connections in his career were not made inside a showroom. Sometimes, customers find him on a soccer field. Other times, they meet him through one of his hobbies. Kim, a sales director at the carmaker, has achieved cumulative vehicle sales of 4,000 to become the firm’s 40th Grand Master — a title awarded to salesmen who achieve the sales figure. Kim said his long-running hobbies — including soccer and triathlon — have played an unexpected role in helping him build relationships with customers and sustain a career that has spanned more than three decades. “I get inquiries from people I have met through my hobbies when they find out that I work for Kia,” Kim said in a recent telephone interview. About 60 percent of his sales currently come from individual customers, while corporate buyers account for the remaining 40 percent. Kim has been playing soccer in an amateur club for more than 20 years. He initially took up swimming and later expanded into triathlon, a sport he continues to enjoy. For him, exercise se