Sony Pierre, salesperson at Fair Oaks Chrysler Jeep Dodge, is so dedicated to his job that he regularly dreams about selling vehicles. He said, “It’s crazy … Sometimes I’ll have a dream about it every other day.”

Five years ago, Pierre proved his dedication to Tony Nardelli, general sales manager, by enrolling in a training course at the dealership Nardelli worked for at the time. The dealership was two hours away from Pierre. “He commuted everyday from Richmond to take this AutoMax class and to get hired … That just showed me that he was dedicated to being a top-notch salesperson,” said Nardelli.

Today, Pierre’s still dedicated to training. In addition to the weekly sessions he attends with the sales team at Fair Oaks, he takes time out each week to review the basics. Pierre said, “I always take a step back because sometimes you can get ahead of yourself.” He reviews his notes on the steps to the sale, how to talk with customers and certain phrases to use.

Nardelli said, “The best thing about Sony is he listens in training and he implements … He rehearses, he listens well and he uses everything that he hears with customers … He’s brilliant on the basics.” Pierre will also listen in when Nardelli is working a TO, and he will use the tactics and phrases he hears Nardelli using with his customers. Pierre does this to be able to close more deals himself, instead of having to turn them over.

Pierre also uses his listening skills with customers, often landing them on different vehicles than what they came in to look at. He said, “I had a customer come in this past weekend looking for a used truck … and we didn’t have any. I said, ‘Why are you looking for a truck?’” The customer told him he needed it to tow a 4,000-pound boat. The customer assumed he needed a truck, but Pierre told him a V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee can tow over 6,000 pounds. In the end, the customer who came in for a used truck left with a new V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee. He said, “I listened to what they needed … They thought a truck was ideal, but it wasn’t.”

Pierre also listens to customers to gain product knowledge. When he first started at Fair Oaks in February 2009, after making a sale in his first hour there, he went to the service department to talk to service customers about their vehicles. He sold Fords before and was new to Chrysler products. He said, “The best way to learn is through customers, so I talked to a lot of service customers … I wanted to know what kind of car they drive, how they like it, how it drives, would [they] consider buying another one, things like that.”

He continued, “And I learned that a lot of customers that own a [Chrysler] Town and Country would come back and buy another Town and Country. Customers that own [Jeep] Wranglers would come back and buy Wranglers … There is a high percentage of loyal customers here.”

Pierre has a demeanor that customers like. Nardelli said, “He’s just got a dynamic smile. He grins from ear to ear when he sees people, and people feel really comfortable with him.” He added that Pierre is “just nice, friendly and so low-key” and commended his dedication to follow-up.

Pierre enters all of his customers’ information into the dealership’s CRM system and then takes his own notes in a notebook. He said, “You can’t remember every single little thing.” He jots down names and contact information, along with what they were looking at, what they’re driving (even if they’re not planning to trade it in) and what he talked about with them. He notates each follow-up attempt and what was said if he makes contact. He uses his notebook to plan each day in advance. He said a typical daily goal is to set four appointments and sell at least one of them.

Pierre’s favorite part of his job is “helping customers out.” He added, “When I solve their wants and needs with a vehicle, I’m happy.” In July 2009, during the height of Cash for Clunkers, he sold 31 vehicles, and during a normal month, he averages around 24 sales.

When he’s not selling vehicles (or dreaming about selling them), he’s spending time with his wife and three children. He has a 13-month-old and 5-year-old twins. He likes to take his twin daughters, who just started kindergarten, shopping. He said with a chuckle, “I’m going to spoil them. I don’t know why, but I think that’s going to happen.”

Our congratulations to Sony Pierre, our sales professional of the month, and our thanks to Craig Lockerd, owner of AutoMax Sales Training, for bringing him to our attention.

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Vol 6, Issue 11