No one would ever guess that playing blues guitar would lead to a career in car sales, but it did for Greg Kneller of Mountain Motors in Frederick, Maryland. He’s been at Mountain Motors since it first opened in 1997 and previously worked for Mountain’s president, Bruce Jett, for about a year at another dealership.

Kneller’s and Jett’s association began through a longtime friend of Kneller’s who played music with him and worked with Jett at a franchise dealership. Kneller had been playing in a band and his friend, thinking it would be a good idea for Kneller to get into a more stable profession, suggested he talk to Jett. Kneller had decided to move somewhere near Memphis in order to pursue his music career and was actually on his way out of town when his friend convinced him to stop by and talk to Jett. As it turned out, Kneller never made it out of town because Jett hired him that same day. When Jett later opened Mountain Motors, Kneller stuck with him.

You just don’t find people like this,” said Jett. “In our business, salespeople transfer; they move. They do this and that … but he’s actually very dedicated to our business becoming a success.” He added that Kneller takes pride not only in the dealership, but in his profession and the industry as a whole.

Kneller admitted that he does take a certain amount of pride in the dealership and wants it to be successful, in part because he’s been with the business since its inception and also due to his respect and admiration for his employer. “I can tell you honestly, the best part about the job is the owner,” he said of Jett. “He’s the best guy in the business … I’m very fortunate to have met him and worked for him as long as I have.” He also credited Jett with teaching him the importance of customer service both before and after the sale.

Customer service is where Kneller excels. “He always goes out of his way to make sure all the customers are taken care of, above and beyond,” said Jett. “He treats them almost as if he’s not selling them a car; he just wants to make sure they’re taken care of the right way if they come into our store.”

Kneller follows up on every customer who visits the dealership and emphasized the importance of addressing a customer’s issues as soon as possible. He also stated that it was important to make sure the customer knows “there’s somebody out there that actually cares about what they’re doing,” and that they aren’t going to be forgotten as soon as the sale is final.

Kneller is indeed proud of his profession and said he tries to change people’s typically negative perceptions of used car salesmen. “That’s the last thing I want to portray as a car salesman,” he said. “It’s not always about the sale … it’s talking to people and having them trust you.” Earning people’s trust, he said, is something he would consider important in any profession. And while he does enjoy the satisfaction of closing a deal, one of his favorite aspects of his job is getting to know the customers. “That’s one of the best parts about [the job], meeting different people and helping them out.”

His excellent customer service has translated into solid monthly sales. According to Jett, Kneller sells 25 to 30 of the dealership’s 50-plus vehicles every month. Kneller said that while the dealership’s related finance company has helped keep numbers up, many of his sales were due to repeat customers and referrals. “Most of our customers are repeat customers that we’ve had over the last 11 years, and now we have their children coming in and buying cars from us, which is great,” he said. He added that he makes a point to talk to everyone who visits the dealership, even if it’s simply to say hello.

So has working in car sales turned out better than potential rock stardom? Kneller seemed to have no regrets about his career choice. “It’s a great job,” he said. “There’s never a dull moment.” However, just because he no longer plays with a band, that doesn’t mean he’s given up music entirely. He keeps his guitar at the dealership and sometimes stays late to get in a little practice without worrying about waking up his three young children. “It’s great therapy,” he said, “the best in the world.”

Our congratulations to Greg Kneller, Sales Professional of the Month, and our thanks to Jett for bringing him to our attention.