“Won’t you be my neighbor?” Steve Rogers probably hears that a lot. When he talks with customers on the phone, he tells them to “just ask for Mr. Rogers” when they get to the dealership.

While that helps people remember who to ask for when they come into the store, after working with Rogers, it’s unlikely they’ll forget him. Bernard Birger, general sales manager, called Rogers “charismatic” and said, “He does a great job with customers, bonding with them and relating to them.”

In fact, most people like Rogers so well, they refer their friends and family to him. Birger said, “He sets the standard for repeat customers.” An estimated 45 percent of Rogers’ sales are repeats or referrals, which add up, as evidenced by his average of 59 sales per month (based on his January to May sales figures).

Granted, that five-month average is slightly inflated because of the amazing tax month (February) Rogers had; he sold 106 vehicles in the shortest month of the year. However, if you take February out of the equation, his four-month average (Jan., March, April and May) is 47 vehicles per month, which is nothing short of remarkable.

Rogers, who’s been at InstaCredit Automart (a BHPH dealership) in Collinsville, Ill., for almost six years now, said, “We do a three-year loan, so now I’m starting to sell people for the second and third time.” That explains how he gets so much repeat business; as for referrals, he doesn’t pursue them as heavily as some salespeople but still receives several. His customers love him so much they usually send their friends and family to see Rogers of their own accord. The only way he asks his customers for referrals is by putting a couple of his business cards in the thank-you notes he sends. “Ever since I started I’ve sent out thank-you notes to anybody I’ve sold in the past with some [business] cards in it.”

He’d rather his customers refer people to him without his prodding, seeing it as a natural progression as a salesperson if he’s doing his job well. He said, “It just took a little time to establish myself with referrals, and I think that’s really where I excel. I make an impression on my customers where they want to go tell a friend about me.” And he recognizes a good first impression goes a long way towards getting referrals. “I always try to make a huge first impression.”

However, he was quick to compliment the “well-oiled machine” that is InstaCredit Automart, which has been in business at the same location for over 20 years. He added that the business has many longtime employees who help make his job easier. “I work for an awesome company.”

Many people who once ran their own business, as Rogers did before working at InstaCredit, find going back to work for someone else a challenge, but when he went to work there, he was a perfect fit at the dealership and at selling vehicles. For 23 years, he was in the wholesale produce business, during which time he owned his own business. “I took a produce business from selling just a few accounts to doing over $2 million a year in sales.”

When hard times hit and he had to look for other work, a friend of his who worked in the service department at the dealership suggested Rogers sell vehicles, and his experience selling produce turned out to be beneficial at the dealership. He said, “It was something very new to me but something that fit me very well. That might be an understatement, considering he sold more than 40 vehicles his first month working full-time at the dealership.

As an exception to another rule, he didn’t have any trouble adjusting to the long hours that typically come with selling vehicles like some people do. Rogers said, “The hard work always came easy for me because, owning my own business, I was used to putting in anywhere from 80 to 100 hours a week, so coming  here [and] putting in 60 or 70 hours a week was very simple for me.” The career change actually provided him with a bit more free time than he was used to, although he does go into the dealership some Sundays when it’s closed if he needs to catch up on his work.

Congratulations to Steve Rogers, sales professional of the month, and thank you to Bernard Birger for bringing him to our attention.

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Vol 7, Issue 8