When the economy began to take a nosedive and leasing all but stopped, Cadillac sales took a beating, but Ginger Diaz, sales professional at Crestview Cadillac, has persevered and continues to be the sales leader at the West Covina, Calif.-based dealership.

She’s able to continue her success by approaching her job in today’s tough market with optimism. “You just have to keep a positive attitude,” stated Diaz very matter-of-factly. She also works very hard to keep in contact with her customers to make sure they’re happy with their purchase and service. As for a normal daily routine, she said, “There’s no such thing as normal. I never know from the minute I step on the lot what’s going to go on [that day].” She might start one day in the service department speaking with one of her past customers, or she may work on Internet leads  or sold customer follow-up.

She handles Internet sales at the dealership and sets her own appointments, and she stays in contact with her past customers about every few months. She even hand-writes birthday cards, Thanksgiving cards and Christmas cards to all of her customers. She wrote over 500 Christmas cards during the 2008 holiday season. She  joked that if she didn’t sign her own cards  her customers would immediately know because they have been  receiving her cards for so long.

Unlike some sales professionals today, e-mail isn’t Diaz’s first choice when communicating with customers. She said, “I still like the personal phone call.” She’ll gladly send her customers e-mails, but always tries the phone first. She’s also been tasked with obtaining e-mail addresses from some of her longtime customers; when she started selling Cadillacs at Crestview 14 years ago, e-mail had not yet gained the popularity it has today.

Her first round of customer follow-up usually centers around the personalized calendars the dealership mails  to all sold customers. She calls to let them know their calendar has arrived and will be mailed to them. This also gives her an opportunity to make sure everything is going well with their new purchase.

While Diaz said she likes everything about being a sales professional, her favorite part of selling Cadillacs is matching a person to a vehicle. After a few minutes of talking with a customer on the lot, she can match them with their perfect car. “I don’t know why, but I always feel like I’m [picking a car] for myself when I pick a car for somebody. It’s like I live vicariously through them.”

Her matching approach apparently works because, according to Used Car Manager Steven Carvalho, Diaz accounts for over half of the dealership’s sales. "She has always been at the very top of the board, even during the most challenging markets."  Carvalho said, “over the years. she's consistently averaged 14 or 15 units a month, many of which were leases.” Of course, given the current state of the economy and the fact that leasing isn’t as viable as it once was for her customers, Diaz has had to work even harder to put sales together.

Lease turn-ins used to account for a large segment of her business. She still , follows up with her lease portfolio, notifying each customer of their end of term options. She can still get them in a new Cadillac on lease, but since she’s working with another finance company, the rates are substantially higher. Like everyone in the industry, she’s looking forward to brighter days ahead, and for the leasing market to open back up so she can offer her customers rates that will keep them driving Cadillacs. 

Until then, there’s no doubt that Diaz will continue to work hard and persevere. She sets a good example for the other sales professionals at Crestview Cadillac.

Congratulations to Ginger Diaz, our sales professional of the month, and thank you to Steven Carvalho for bringing Diaz to our attention.