Thomas Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM’s Robert Heady: Salesman, people-person, hard worker

Thomas Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM’s Robert Heady: Salesman, people-person, hard worker

Robert Heady walks a mile in customers’ shoes so they can drive home in the perfect vehicle. Even in a year full of low inventory and a global pandemic, his hard work and dedication landed him the honor of being named Salesperson of the Year 2021 at Thomas Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. The award is given to whichever salesman sells the most cars throughout the year.

“A lot of hard work goes into it, so it felt pretty good. I had 207 sales last year in a year where we didn't have a whole heck of a lot of cars on the ground,” Heady said.

Heady has been a salesman at Thomas for almost four years, but his experience in sales extends much further. Before making the move to the automotive industry, Heady worked in retail.

“I've always really enjoyed sales. I actually managed retail for about 12 years prior to being here. Customer service has always come pretty naturally to me. I thought it was a fun challenge. It was something different, something new, and I haven't looked back since,” Heady said.

Sales experience is crucial to becoming an effective salesman, but having a passion for helping people find the perfect car is arguably just as important. Heady works to see exactly where a customer is coming from to best meet their needs.

“In our position, you want to put yourself in their shoes. People don't come in here looking forward to buying a car, but you want to treat people the same way you want the car buying process to go. I try to crack a lot of jokes while also pointing out features and figuring out what people are actually looking for and streamlining the process so they're not here all day,” Heady said.

Heady credits his successful sales record to his humanistic approach to selling a car. He emphasizes the importance of listening to a customer’s needs and finding solutions to any issues they may find. He feels that buying a car shouldn’t be an all-day event, and that customers should always be able to find something that suits their lifestyle and budget.

“The most important part of selling a car is listening to the customer and being empathetic of what they're trying to accomplish. It’s finding what they're looking for and not trying to just push them into whatever we need to get off the lot,” Heady said.

For Heady, the best part of his job is the customer satisfaction that comes with finding the perfect car. He enjoys seeing a customer drive away in their new car and knowing that he was a part of something possibly life-changing for his customers.

“A lot of people come in after the sales process and bring stuff in. If it went really well they’ll hug you or they'll bring you food or things like that. Just seeing how happy they are and knowing what you've done for them throughout the last couple of hours. I know that I have made a difference in their life,” Heady said.

Heady also enjoys the community of salespeople at Thomas. Most of the people on the sales floor have worked with each other for many years, and the camaraderie built between the coworkers has made working at Thomas Auto Group extremely enjoyable.

“We just try to have fun around here,” Heady said. “Most of the salespeople here have been together since I've been here, so about three or four years. We don't have a lot of new people, so it's kind of like a family all of us together. We will take care of our customers and then we all spend time together. We are kind of just a big family, all 15 of us that work in the sales department.”

No matter your situation, you can be sure that Heady and the rest of the staff at Thomas Auto Group will be ready to take on the challenge and provide the best solution for your needs.

For more information about Thomas Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, visit https://www.thomascdj.com/