Diana’s Gentleman – Mr. “Eddie” Jung
Sales Manager of Diana Enterprise
Sales Manager of Diana Enterprise
“Ma’am! Mr. Diana is here!” Eddie Jung, a sales team manager at Diana Enterprise in Georgia (CEO: Jason Lee), says that this kind of greeting makes him feel happier than anything. Usually, people want to go by their names and expect others to remember them for who they are, but he says he wants to be remembered by the name of his company. Indeed, he always try to leave a good and strong impression about his company. Let’s find out how he works as a sales team manager at Diana, a company known for great products, and what are his sales know-hows.
A Flood Warning on a Business Trip
He is on a business trip driving a country road around sunset, and all of a sudden the sky turns dark. It must be a heavy shower. A music program on the radio is repeatedly interrupted by flood warning announcements, and his cell phone is out of service. The instrument panel is lighted with a low fuel warning. There is no sign of gas station, and the gas gauge nears its rock bottom as he drives anxiously. The world around him is getting darker and darker, causing him to think he might end up drowning in a flooded river at some point. “Is this how I will die?”, he momentarily feels like fainting. There are no cars around, he cannot see a foot ahead due to the heavy rain. There is still no bar on his cell phone. It seems unlikely that a rescue would come if his car stops. About the time he feels hopeless, he finds a sign for gas station. How happy it is to be in a gas station. There is no sign of human activity though. It has a strange name that he has never heard of, and its appearance makes him think it might have been out of business for a while. He checks the door, and it is locked. The inside of the building is dark as well. “Ah…” He feels like hitting a rock, and then a car that was exiting the gas station slowly turns around and approaches him. “What is this? I pray it is not a robbery,” he speaks to himself. “Do I need to put up a fight? I have not fought in a while.” His thought goes wild for the brief moment as he clenches his fists. A big guy appears from the car.
“Are you in need of fuel in the midst of this heavy rain? You are a lucky man. I usually get off earlier, but I stayed a bit longer today.” “I only saw you on the room mirror by accident and turned around,” continued the gas station owner. Mr. Jung felt like meeting a savior, and he, for the first time and also likely be his last, hugged an American man with an outburst of gratitude. It took no time for him to express his gratitude.
From Retail Owner to Salesperson
He tells a vivid story about the business trip where he said to learn that there were some good people and there was always hope. After he left his job at a large company in South Korea after seven years of working there, he moved to the United States and ever since was involved in the beauty industry for about 15 years. Working in the retail side of the business, he had been selling hair products including wigs with which he started from scratch. Working closely with beauticians, he studied extensively about what African Americans were like and what products they liked. After all, when he decided to run his own business for he felt to ready to have his own thing going. He was pretty confident that he garnered adequate amount of sales experience and know-hows to run his own beauty retail store successfully. But in hindsight, he was completely lacking an important set of skills. He was good at selling stuff, but he had no idea how to run a business. He was ignorant about many things related to business ownership.
“There was no book I could learn from about what I could never been exposed to while selling stuff to customers in a store. The competition was getting fierce, and it was a hostile environment for a newly minted small business owner like me. I gave it a legitimate shot and then closed the door after four years.” Mr. Jung started his second career as a salesperson with a hair company in 2011. People say that a life is full of irony. There were times when he struggled to get by day after day. But thanks to those days, his experience and know-hows that extend to all grounds in the beauty industry made him a successful salesperson at a hair company.
His Firsthand Experience As a Retail Owner Helps
He emphasizes, “wholesales must be in symbiosis with retail businesses, but when it comes to the reality there is always conflict. I understand both sides, so sometimes I feel trapped. When retail owners propose something that my company would never accept, or vice versa, I stay awake all night thinking about what would persuade them. Then, I feel like I am in a deep trouble thanks to my previous experiences in both sides. I feel shorthanded (laugh).” Mr. Jung emphasizes that a good salesperson must produce a result that satisfy both sides in the end noting, “salespeople are what keep retail stores close to our company in an important way. You cannot side with one party, but there is inherent hardship balancing between ties with these two parties. Sometimes you need to advocate your company’s interest while other times you need to speak up for your clients in company meetings. After all, customers are the highest priority. And I more than anything knows the pain of retail store owners. If there is anything that makes me better qualified as a salesperson, this has to be it.” Mr. Jung understands the struggle of retail business owners, so he always makes his best effort to satisfy his customers and make their business profitable. He builds trust based on honest and diligent dealings with his clients, and the trust is his foundation of life
There Is No Cheap and Good Product
All products have pros and cons, but best sellers are often the products retail store owners feel confident selling. That is why Mr. Jung says, “the first and the most important role of a salesperson is to explain why and how products he is selling stand out. My depiction of a product often becomes a priamry sales pitch used at retails. Diana’s effort to bring the best product to the market shines in sales pitches. An important role indeed. Even if you do not make a sale right now, you need to make sure that they understand Diana is a supplier of good quality wig products. Only then, they come and ask for things they need later, and that is how a big portion of sales at Diana is created.” He is very confident when he speaks about his company and products.
When a client says a new product is a bit pricey, I must fully explain why it has to be expensive. If I do not believe in my products, there is no way to make retail stores owners believe, most of whom are business veterans. Nevertheless, Mr. Jung is confident when he says, “our company’s top priority is Quality and the next is also Quality in product development. If there is any risk of inferior quality, we always forgo means that could save money in production. We do not choose a path where we can make more money in a short term by costing quality. That is a never.”
Human Wigs Are Selling
The business motto of Diana is “Not All Synthetics Are the Same.” “We combine quality raw materials that best fit the style and manufacture with top-notch technology.” Diana has been focused on synthetic and human hair blends, and only recently it launched diverse array of 100% human hair wigs. Thanks to their know-hows and insistence on high quality, customers are receiving their products very well. Comfortable fit and a unique luxurious feel must be what makes them special. He is proud to be a salesperson at a company that makes high quality products, and his every word he speaks is filled with his confidence in the products
To Address His Constant Fatigue
He intakes about 15 pills of health supplements a day. Multi-vitamins, supplements for low cholesterol, red ginger extracts, and so on. “I really do not know what all of them are. I just carry them around as my wife packed them and just take them diligently (laugh). At the end of a day, I think it really works. I am always grateful for my wife for taking care of my health. I usually drive more than 5,000 miles a month and skip many meals while consistently deprived of sleep. I feel the need of making it up with a healthy dose of nutrient that goes beyond ordinary food consumption. Most hair company salespeople suffer from overworking. It is a job that comes with mandate of driving long distances and talking a lot, so I feel my work requires a boost from supplements.”
Career Vision
“A vision is a big word. If I have one of those, that must be to fully execute my duties assigned by the company and making my work beneficial to retail store business. Of course, I also would like to provide a helpful guidance in business decisions for the CEO and contribute to the company’s success.”
At a time our daily lives are changing like the open sea, Mr. Jung firmly grasps a difficult balance between the work and life and continues his stride to success. He wants to be remembered by his company and products, and that is an inspiring attitude that exemplifies his love and passion for his work. Dealing with his customers with utmost honesty and trust is his daily wishes according to Mr. Jung, and we wish him the best for his continued success.
A Salesman’s Vision Sunny Kim
BNB Magazine September 2019 ©bnbmag.com
ABOUT US / SUBSCRIBE / ADVERTISE WITH US / PARTICIPATION / CONTACT /