Competitive—that’s probably the best word to describe the 2008 Auto Dealer Monthly Sales Professional of the Year. When Roger Neff goes after something, he wants to come out number one, and he certainly doesn’t mind a good fight. Neff, who wrestled in both high school and college, finished in the final four in the Olympic team trials in Greco and Freestyle wrestling in 1988, 1992 and 1996, and is a three-time National Sambo Champion. Neff’s most recent claim to fame—that is, unrelated to car sales—is winning his weight class at the 2007 World Deadlift Championship, where he lifted 744 pounds. Neff proudly added that his wife, Christine (also an employee at Dave Smith Motors), holds the women’s World Record in her weight class, deadlifting 507 pounds.

Neff moved to Idaho from his native Pennsylvania in the early 90s to train for the Olympics. After the Olympic trials in 1996, Neff took a job coaching wrestling at North Idaho College, where he stayed for about three years before deciding to get back into the ring himself. He got involved in mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting, a career that took him as far away as the UK and the United Arab Emirates. However, an arm injury and subsequent surgery put the brakes on his fighting career. Ray Routh, a friend of his whom he had met while coaching at North Idaho, worked for Dave Smith Motors and had been trying for years to get Neff to consider car sales. Neff’s fighting career kept him quite busy and called for a lot of travel, so he put off the idea for years, thinking it really wouldn’t be a good fit for him. After the injury, however, he decided it might be worth a try.  

“I heard about Dave Smith. It’s a great place to work … but I didn’t think it was something for me until I got here and I realized it was a little different,” Neff explained. “I brought in my wrestling trophies and sat them on my desk and said, you know what, I’m just going to go at it and try to become number one eventually, and I did.” He did, indeed. Neff has won awards at the dealership for being tops in sales, including a couple of trips to Hawaii. In 2007, he sold 373 vehicles – making him the top salesperson for Chrysler that year – and still took five weeks of vacation. For a few months that year, he averaged 40 units per month.  

Despite being off for two months in 2008 due to surgery for a knee injury (sustained in his second match of the Olympic wrestling trials in April), Neff still averaged over 30 vehicles a month and was on track for a strong finish to 2008. His competitive spirit serves him well in his sales career; it certainly isn’t easy to stand out in a dealership that has 90 to 100 sales professionals at any give time.  

Sales manager Karl Lakey noted that Neff has been among the top 20 salespeople from the very beginning. He described Neff as very direct and honest—qualities his customers appreciate and respect. Lakey also cited Neff’s desire to be the best at what he does. “He’s very competitive, and I think that really drives him,” Lakey said. “In his mind, he has to be number one, and he’ll work until he is—literally … He’s self-motivated. I let him do whatever he wants.” Lakey, along with General Manager Sean Kendrick, were credited by Neff as contributing a great deal to his success.

It’s more than just Neff’s competitive nature that helps him come out on top. He has always been willing to put in some long days and late nights to achieve his goals. Neff attributed his solid work ethic to his parents. His mother worked as a seamstress for over 30 years, and his father was a Union Steel Workers for 35 years. Neff stated that his parents worked plenty of 16-hour days to make sure he and his three brothers could wrestle, play football and have a car to get around.  

Another factor in Neff’s success is his love of people. “I’ve met some of my best friends through multiple sales,” he said. In fact, he and his wife sometimes take road trips or go camping during their time off and often touch base with some of his old customers. “I look up my old customers and stay at their place or go fishing,” he said. “It’s kind of neat.” In addition to maintaining a strong customer base, Neff believes in the importance of referrals, something he tries to impart to new salespeople. “I try to tell the newer guys and girls, you’ve got to stick it out for three to six months and start seeing your referrals come back to you.” 

About 80 percent of his business is comprised of repeat and referral customers. The solid customer base he has established over the last few years helped him keep his numbers consistent during a tough year for car sales. “This year has been slightly different than last,” he said. “The economy, the election, gas prices. It has slowed things down, but I have a pretty good referral base and great customers that send their friends and family to me. That helps so much in the slower times.”  

So what’s next for Neff? Outside the dealership, he is looking forward to trying to break the men’s record for the deadlift in his weight class. He was set to try for the record in November of 2008, but had to put it off due to his knee injury and surgery. He will be competing in the spring of 2009, attempting to break the record by lifting 813 pounds. Despite two injuries and surgeries in five years, he still plans to give wrestling another shot and would even like to step into the MMA ring again. “At least one more fight before I am using a cane to get around,” he laughed.  

He has no plans, however, to leave his sales career behind. “I’m really happy here. It’s a great place to work,” he said. “The Smiths are a good family … just a great family to work for and a great team to be part of.” He added that owner Ken Smith was very supportive of his athletic activities and was great about giving him time off for those pursuits. As far as his future at Dave Smith Motors, Neff has been approached a couple of times about taking on a management position, a move that he had previously postponed while he went after a few more of his personal and professional goals. However, as 2008 was winding down, he seemed ready to take on the role. “As far as the future, I would love to manage my own team,” he said. “I am looking forward to that.”  

Everyone at Auto Dealer Monthly extends their congratulations to Roger Neff, our 2008 Sales Professional of the Year, for his tireless pursuit of excellence in sales and his desire to continue challenging himself, both inside and outside the dealership. Our thanks go out to sales manager Karl Lakey for bringing Neff to our attention.