Before Boris Miranda arrived in Ft. Worth, Texas, he had no experience in car sales. In fact, his first job there was working for his brother as a manager for his dental office. He later gained some sales experience when he took a job at an area used car dealership to make a little more money. When a position opened up at Mike Carlson Motor Company, a large family-owned independent dealership specializing in buy here pay here, he pursued it. That was almost 10 years ago.

“I love working for the company,” said Miranda, who spends six days a week at the dealership. “I’m guessing you would consider me a workaholic … I enjoy my job [and] working with the public,” he stated. “Sometimes the hours in the car business are a little long but that’s OK … It’s worth it.”

According to Mark Jones, general manager for Mike Carlson Motor Company, Miranda “has consistently been a superstar both in monthly sales as well as customer retention and satisfaction … Since joining Mike Carlson Motor Company in late 2000, Boris has delivered over 4,000 buy here pay here customers.” In 2009, Miranda sold 375 units.

He added, “Boris not only gets many repeat customers and referrals from his customer base, but he generates 50 percent or more of his monthly business from outside dealer referrals.” He explained that Miranda stays in touch daily with franchise and subprime dealerships in the area and asks for referrals on any customers they were unable to obtain financing for. He will then either contact the customer personally or have the sales associate from the franchise or subprime store introduce him. “This lead generation technique is the key to his success,” said Jones.

“We generate a lot of leads that way,” Miranda stated. “That’s something that I personally try to specialize in.” He has cultivated relationships with other salespeople and dealers outside of work and makes sure they all know “that I’m here each and every day without taking any days off.”

Miranda currently averages 30 to 31 cars per month. “I try to pace myself at a car a day,” he said. He estimated that between 30 and 40 percent of his business comes from repeat customers. “I not only look at them as customers, they’re also friends,” he said. “I talk to them every time they make a payment … I ask about their families; I pour them coffee in the mornings.” He added, “I’ll even go as far as taking some people out to lunch.”

He said the key to success and customer satisfaction on a sale is honesty. “Try to be as honest as you can,” he advised. “Give them your feedback. If you feel that a car’s not the right car for them, let them know … Don’t mislead them [and] don’t try to sell them on a car you feel is not perfect for them. Just treat the customer as you would want to be treated.”

He cautioned against making snap judgments. “There are a lot of car dealers that try to judge people on appearance and … feel that they’re not worth taking the time out of their schedule to try and help,” he said, “but that’s not always the case in the car business. You can’t really judge a book by its cover; you just have to take each and every situation differently.”

When he’s not at the dealership, Miranda’s top priority is spending time with his three children, ages 8, 9 and 12. “I spend every single second with them that I possibly can,” he stated. “I’ve been to Chuck E. Cheese every weekend since they were born … I should be a part-owner of that business,” he joked.

After nearly a decade with the dealership, he doesn’t appear to be slowing down. According to Jones, Miranda averaged over $2,000 down payment per deal in February and March. “I just try to do the best that I can each and every day, and I don’t go back and say I should’ve done something different” he said. “I always try to do it right the first time.”

Congratulations to Boris Miranda, sales professional of the month, and thank you to Mark Jones for bringing him to our attention.

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Vol 7, Issue 6