He entered the business at the urging of a friend who often told him he’d make a good salesman. The friend, who worked at Best Mazda Hyundai, finally convinced him to try  car sales and it turned out to be a great fit. “I fell in love with it and the rest is history,” said Tatum. He’s been at the dealership for over three-and-a-half years.

Tatum estimated that four or five sales every month come from repeat or referral business. The key, he explained, is to treat all customers alike. “I just treat them as if it was a family member coming in or … like they were a referral, even if they just walked in. I treat them like somebody that knows me sent them to me.”

Tatum, who described himself as a people person, has found that building and maintaining relationships with customers is important to being successful in sales. Sales Manager Bobby Simmons commented, “If there’s one thing that any other salesman could learn from Chad, it would be to understand the importance of building a true relationship with the customer.”

“A lot of people have a shield up when they walk into a car dealership … They don’t want to talk to a car salesman,” Tatum explained. “You’ve got to get to know your customers a little bit more than just selling them a car.” Tatum believes that many people don’t enjoy shopping for a car, so he sees it as part of his job to make the experience fun for his customers. He said he likes to make his customers laugh and joked that his age and self-described “baby-face” often help him break the ice and begin to get to know his customers. “That’s the number-one thing they ask me when they see me … how old I am,” he laughed. He pointed out that since most car shoppers have already talked to a lot of salespeople, “you’ve just got to be different from everybody else, set yourself apart … I just try to make them have fun and enjoy their experience.”

A big key to sales, Tatum stated, is following up with customers. “Once you sell them a car, if you don’t talk to them after that, it doesn’t look very good. I keep in touch with all my customers—send them birthday cards, Christmas cards, just the little things like that.” He also instructs his customers to contact him about any problems they have with their vehicles, including service and repair issues. The customer only has to deal with one person, which Tatum felt was important. “That way, they always have a person to go to and get stuff handled for them.” He added that it’s also a good way to stay up to date on his customers and keep everything on track for them. “Eventually they’ll want to trade that car in again, so you want to make sure to treat them the way you’d want to be treated.”

Tatum enjoys helping people find their cars and is excited to come to work everyday. “Everybody I work with is fun, and it’s a good atmosphere here,” he reported. When he’s not working at the dealership, he enjoys watching sports, especially football and basketball, and makes it a point to spend time with family (he sees both of his grandmothers every Sunday), his girlfriend and his pet bulldog.

He doesn’t seem to mind his long hours at the dealership and expressed hopes of eventually advancing in the business. “Right now, I love the car business … It’s where I want to be,” he said.

Our congratulations to Chad Tatum, Sales Professional of the Month, and thank you to Neil Thompson, e-commerce director, for bringing him to our attention.

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