Like Father...Like Son.

I am proud of my successful 27 year run as a sales professional in the auto business. To me I always saw car sales as an opportunity to own  my own business without any overhead or responsibilities. The Dealership pays for the inventory, advertising, your business cards, and of course most importantly pays for the customer to walk through the door. When my son Roman graduated from high school a few years ago he was not sure what direction to go in terms of a career path. Like many kids today there are not a lot of opportunities given to them. Most opt to get University  Degrees only to be let down by the job market here in B.C and across North America.  After working a few jobs here and there he became frustrated and one day at the dinner table he asked me to train him for the auto business.  I felt that at 19 he was not mature enough.  So I recommended he try door to door sales to get used to talking to a lot of people and to essentially learn how to overcome rejection. Anyone that has done door to door sales...I tip my hat to them for that is one of  hardest sales occupations on this planet.

   After 6 months of selling Lawn aeration treatments I saw a lot of good things. He was maturing and he realized that life isn't going to be easy street.  He became more balanced and after many dinner table discussions I saw a street smart vs. book smart embracing his selling culture.  He was learning  to not to give up at the point of a customers rejection and he formulated a game plan to keep persuading them why they should purchase his product.  He was learning certain techniques that worked and he stuck with that process to make sales easier and quicker. At this point I  knew he was ready for the next step.  Still I felt pressure for him to try to live up to the standards of the "old man" . Could he really do it at such at young age??  I was 31 when I started and had the advantage of so many more working and life experiences.

Car sales is tough because there are so many things to learn. It is the second biggest purchase people make and they have to trust and like someone before they commit to a buying decision. Roman had the likability factor but could he transition what he learned into a more sophisticated selling technique?   He struggled with that at first but after finding out that his customers had bought somewhere else he dug deep and learned the true art of "persuasive selling".  The first 3 months were challenging to say the least and we worked on patience, understanding and a go to work to work philosophy.  The sales were coming but it was a slow process and often I could see frustration setting in. I encouraged him to keep striving, and to stay away from anyone negative and to always stay  focused.   With his perseverance in following up with his customers,and willingness to learn under the guidance of his managers at work and his coach at home, things started to move in the right direction.  We had ongoing discussions about making adjustments and "tweaking" his process to get it right. He was listening and had an urge to learn and that was the key.  A positive attitude indeed was his driving force.

 For the month of May, in only his 4th month, my son Roman Iacobazzi sold 14 cars and delivered 13 to become the top salesperson  at Destination Mazda.  Needless to say I am proud of his success .  I have noticed he has grown in confidence and is maturing before my very eyes in becoming a young sales professional.   Roman has learned a lot at his "on the job" schooling".   What we have tried to instill at home is essentially what he has come to know very quickly.   There is no easy ride out there. 

Hard work is the price we must pay for success.