Varied background fuels sales success
Frank Smith, used-car sales manager at Perfection Honda, has a varied background, all of which plays a role in his success. Smith, a Manzano High School graduate and Monarchs basketball player, spent 10 years in the U.S. Marines, reaching the rank of gunnery sergeant. Then he went to school at University of New Mexico, earning an undergraduate degree in economics, before going on to California’s Santa Clara University to get a law degree.
After a short stint as a clerk with a federal magistrate, he returned to Albuquerque, opening the Rio Bravo Brewing Co. in Downtown. And five years of that, Smith turned to the auto business.
“Leadership training in the Marine Corps is directly applicable to all areas of business, sales in particular,” he said. “And I played sports … and there’s a lot of correlation between sports and business, as well. The nice thing about sales is if you’re curious how you’re doing, look at the scoreboard. It will tell you right there. You are what your score is. So the competitive nature of sports works really well with business.”
Taking it further, he said, “with the Marines, the No. 1 objective when you’re given an order is completion of the task, regardless, no excuses. When you take that approach with sales, it can have good results. It can be uncomfortable sometimes for subordinates. And having owned my own business for a while, I developed a broader perspective of the needs of the entire business rather than just the individual departments. You have a more holistic view of things.”
And, of course, the need to keep learning was ingrained through his educational experiences.
“With education, it creates a certain intellectual curiosity that keeps you from stagnating and thinking you know everything about your particular job,” Smith said. “It gives you that curiosity to keep learning, keep growing because this is a dynamic business.”
Last month was a record for used car sales in the dealership in its 35th year.