Yong Hwang had a phenomenal month with Exterior Medics in April 2020. One of our star sales consultants, Yong overcame shyness to become a genuine resource for our clients by connecting with them, solving their problems, and earning their trust and respect, which shows with their repeat business. Yong credits the team as a major part of his success, and he sees his evolution into a “people person” as a real asset to his role at Exterior Medics.
Finding Your Career
These days, Yong relishes his interactions with his clients and his team, but this wasn’t always the case. He started out as an introvert who was really uncomfortable with other people. Born in South Korea, Yong moved to Northern Virginia as a child, and he has been here for 37 years. He’s close to his family, but, even though he liked people, he was often afraid to interact with them. Deciding to tackle this fear head-on, he took a job at a car dealership, where he was forced to connect with other people. After 20 years of working in a variety of different industries, Yong joined the Exterior Medics team as a sales consultant in 2018. Lucky for him, the office is only two miles from his home, which is a townhome that shares a wall with his sister’s home, so he gets to be close to work and family at the same time.
From a career beginning that focused on overcoming discomfort around people, Yong has evolved into a gifted product specialist. By emphasizing customer relationships, he has become more and more skilled at interacting, listening, and finding solutions. This has proved to be hugely successful, and it was part of what drew him to join the Exterior Medics team. Here, he gets to work hard and have great conversations with customers, including finding out if Exterior Medics is the right fit for their issue. For Yong, it’s about putting the customer first, working with them to “make permanent, long term solutions so that they can live their lives.” To owner Mark Watson, “Even in the toughest times, Yong continuously displays a positive and supportive attitude towards his team and clients. These traits, combined with his strong work ethic and perseverance in mastering his craft, have allowed him to thrive in his career.”
Being A Sales Consultant
The Exterior Medics expectations of its sales consultants has been a great fit for Yong. After learning the business and understanding our approach to client relationships, Yong saw that there was a lot of room for each product specialist to exercise their discretion in the field and really take customer relationships to the next level. Instead of a set script, Yong has genuine conversations with his customers about their needs, which makes it much easier to find the right solution, build trust and do business. His philosophy, which he has written down, is: “First seek to understand, then seek to be understood.” He looks forward to making these connections, and he works hard to deliver on his customer’s needs.
Coming such a long way from the shy guy he used to be has really helped Yong deliver excellent service. The social skills he has developed and his dedication to his customers have been instrumental in his success at the company. In 2019, he had the opportunity to meet a customer, Helen, who called Exterior Medics about a gutter repair. His approach and the superior work by our team had a lasting impact on the client, so she came back to Yong with additional needs. This resulted in more projects, including a major project that closed in April 2020, which involved jacking up her house on stilts to work on the foundation. The customer had this to say about Yong:
"Over the past year, Yong has guided us through a long term and extremely complex engagement, involving major hidden structural defects and other systemic challenges with our Civil War era home and requiring coordination with engineers and historic preservation authorities. At every turn he has been a wonderful communicator, a diplomat, and a super advocate for our interests. As we finally embark on the project that will literally save our home, we are grateful for his tireless guidance, professionalism, and good humor."
A Bright Future Ahead
Yong credits the entire Exterior Medics team for supporting him with the long-term relationship he developed with this customer. In particular, James Oksanen did such a great job, that the customer asked for him by name. Also, when Yong suffered the tragic loss of his father that same month, his manager, Josh Bond, stepped in to seamlessly cover Yong’s projects while Yong was absent.
When he isn’t making lasting, excellent impressions on customers, Yong likes to listen to a lot of music. He recently picked up a Rubik’s Cube for the first time and figured out how to solve the puzzle in a short time. Yong likes reading about everything from space to dinosaurs. While driving to his appointments, Yong listens to music and lectures, especially the PBS shows Space Time and Eons. He says that sometimes he drives in silence, collecting his thoughts and being mindful.
Exterior Medics is so happy to have Yong on the team. Owner Joe LeVecchi believes that, “Yong is someone who has a genuine passion for building lifetime relationships. Yong is patient, observant, and listens. He wants to understand your concerns and offer educated recommendations to solve your problems." We see him continuing to grow as a team member, and we expect his long-term commitment to his customers will result in more amazing months.
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