When Bart Astrauskas began selling car back in 1994, his parents thought it was a very bad idea. “My parents were totally, totally not in favor of it at all,” he said. His start in the business came about on a whim. When he was almost 20, he interviewed with a bank for a position in their mailroom. While on his way home from that interview, he recalled seeing in the newspaper that a local dealership was hiring. Since he was already dressed up for a job interview, he decided to stop by. He soon had a job, just not the one he had originally set out to get.

For two or three years, his mother continually advised him to go back to school, fearing that a bad month in car sales could come along at any moment. Today, it’s a very different story. With Astrauskas consistently averaging over 20 vehicles every month, his mother now says she doesn’t know why he would ever want to leave his job.

Astrauskas seemed to agree. “We have the right inventory; we have the right product, really,” he said of Weber Granite City Chevrolet in Granite City, Ill. “I like the product. That’s obviously the biggest thing.” Astrauskas, who worked at a Pontiac Buick GMC store for over 10 years before coming to Weber almost three years ago, has been around the GM brand his whole life. “That’s what my dad’s always driven; that’s what I grew up with.”

He has built a solid customer base over the last 14 years, thanks in part to his product knowledge and in part to his method of dealing with customers. “He’s very personable … Customers love him,” said Weber Finance Manager Nate Morris who is a longtime colleague of Astrauskas. “After he sells people, they like him so much and he’s so knowledgeable about the product he’s selling that they refer people to him.”

In fact, the bulk of Astrauskas’ sales are repeat and referral customers. “His follow-up is phenomenal,” said Morris. “He does such a good job with his follow-up that he doesn’t really have to take a whole lot of ups.”

Astrauskas said good follow-up is part of what it takes to excel in sales. He tries to keep in contact with his customers every few months to ask for referrals and find out if they have any concerns or problems with their vehicles. When there is a service issue, he stays involved at all times. “I like to keep them tied to me, rather than dealing with service, just because I know what their issues are; I know how many miles they have on their vehicle,” he said, adding that since he is also aware of what the customer’s vehicle is worth and what incentives are available to that particular customer, he can advise them if it’s a good time to make a trade. “Obviously, given the chance … more people are going to want to drive the new vehicle if the payment is close to the same.”

Astrauskas’ sales are split pretty evenly between new and used vehicles. He said another important part of his job is being a good listener and paying attention to what the customer says they want, then trying to work the best deal possible from that. He said he won’t try to sell someone a used car if they only want to buy new, regardless of whether it might be more profitable for him to flip them to a used vehicle.

While the biggest thrill for him is of course the sale, one of his favorite parts of the business is the challenge it presents. “I truly like overcoming obstacles with customers,” he said. “The perfect customer for me is somebody that is teetering on buying a vehicle and just needs a little shove.”

According to Morris, much of Astrauskas’ success comes from his commitment to following through on his promises to customers. “If he promises something, he absolutely makes sure that he does what he says … A lot of times, guys will just forget about [customers] once the sale is done. He’s not like that at all.”

Astrauskas confirmed that. “I do not tell people I can do something that I can’t … That’s a problem with a lot of people in this business; they over-promise and under-deliver,” he said. “That’s one thing that I was taught all my life: if you say you’re going to do something, you need to do it.”

Our congratulations to Bart Astrauskas, Sales Professional of the Month, and our thanks to Finance Manager Nate Morris for bringing him to our attention.