After an all-star month in February 2010, Ray Rodriguez was a shoo-in as the April 2010 Sales Professional of the Month. He finished the shortest month of the year with a total of 36 sales—a personal best. Victor Junco, sales manager at Chacon Autos, said, “He’s sitting on 24 cars [as of the fifteenth of February] … It’s amazing. It is our tax season, so it’s our busy time. Regardless of the fact, that is a lot of cars.”

Rodriguez said, “It’s just [about] having a positive attitude all the time. It’s a real adrenaline rush to see somebody come in, and in less than an hour, hour-and-a-half, they’re driving off with the car of their dreams. It’s a pretty good feeling.” He has been selling vehicles since 1996, and said he would have entered the business sooner if it weren’t for the risk involved. Prior to ‘96, he was working two jobs to put his wife through nursing school, and he didn’t want to start a new career (especially one that involves some uncertainty like vehicle sales) until she completed her degree.

It turned out that Rodriguez was a natural, and he was named the salesperson of the month after just three months in the business. He credits his early success to having a very good trainer in the beginning. Prior to working at Chacon Autos, where he’s been since 2003, he worked for a couple other dealerships, but he has no intentions of leaving the Chacon organization, saying it’s like no other dealership he’s worked at.

During orientation, he was shocked to find out he got major holidays off and only works 40 hours a week. Plus, he said the culture there is amazing—everyone is helpful and the general atmosphere is always positive. It’s “so amazing to work with people that help you—from porters to financing,” said Rodriguez. While there are several dealerships near his home, he drives the 26 miles to and from Chacon every day.

Junco commended Rodriguez for his tenacity and work ethic. Junco added, “He’s very organized, and month-in and month-out he’s always highly motivated to sell some vehicles.” Of the seven salespeople employed at the San Antonio-based Chacon Autos, Rodriguez is consistently the top salesperson. There are a total of six stores and 40 salespeople in the Chacon Autos group, and Rodriguez was the top salesperson in 2009 for the group. He averaged 16 sales per month through 2009.

Rodriguez said, “My work ethic comes from what my Dad told me when I was in my teens. He told me, ‘Find something you love to do, and try to be the best at it as you can be.’  To this day I still remember these words he told me so many years ago.”

Another strong point of his is closing the deal. Junco said Rodriguez has a knack for closing the customer while they’re on the lot, which is aided by a notion he shares with his customers: “The car you looked at today and want to think about until tomorrow may be the same car someone else looked at yesterday and will buy today.” Rodriguez has had the quote hanging in his office, on the wall, for over a decade.

Many of his customers are either referrals or past customers. “I have a lot of people that send me different deals from different dealerships, and I have a very good customer base … My cell phone is just off the hook right now. I’ve got over 30 people [from other dealerships] that send me deals … It’s pretty awesome. It makes my job so much easier,” said Rodriguez.

Many of the referrals he receives from other dealerships are customers who want a particular car the other dealership doesn’t have or customers the other dealers couldn’t secure financing for. Rodriguez’s referral sources are confident that he can take care of these customers because 1) Chacon Autos in San Antonio carries a wide variety of used vehicles, 2) roughly half of the dealership’s business is special finance and 3) he’s a pro at what he does. He said, “It’s very rare that I have to go outside and catch somebody as an up. I thought it would take a lot longer in my career to do that. It’s been pretty awesome here.”

Congratulations to Ray Rodriguez, sales professional of the month, and thank you to Stefani Musick, HR manager at Chacon Autos, for bringing him to our attention.

Nominate Your Sales Pro Now

Vol 7, Issue 4