This month, O’Daniel Automart/Mazda celebrates Sam Moun for reaching a milestone—his 15th year as a sales professional at the new Mazda dealership.
We caught up with Same to check in on how the past decade and a half have flown by. Moun told us that his favorite aspect about working in the automotive industry is being able to meet new people. His strongest asset at work is not only taking care of customers during the sale, but also after — building relationships that stand the test of time are key.
Moun’s secret to success is putting himself in the customer’s position. It is important for him to be both personal, as well as humble at work because while he sells cars every day, most customers only buy every five years.
It is this long-term mindset that earns him the appreciation of customers, and a perfect 5.0 employee rating on DealerRater.com out of 209 reviews.
However, Moun relayed that his favorite days at work are ones when customers write him letters about the positive impact he made on their lives.
“Memorable days are when I get personal, handwritten letters from customers telling me it’s the best experience they ever had,” Moun said. “So you know you did something right.”
Moun went on to say that he is most influenced by his parents and described their work ethics as “amazing.”
After 22 years working in the car industry, Moun still appreciates that every day brings a new experience.
The biggest difference from when he started working in the car industry to today is the presence of social media, which is everywhere these days, even in the car industry.
“Young millennials use Facebook and social media to influence their purchase more than ever,” Moun said.
Despite the constant changes in the automotive industry, Moun is certain that selling cars is basically all he knows, and plans to retire doing so.
In addition to selling cars, Moun’s interests include fishing, boating, and gardening. He also enjoys playing sports with his son and watching “The Walking Dead” and the HGTV channel.
After moving from Laos when he was 8 years old, Moun has made a home in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He lives with his wife of 19 years and their 13-year-old son named Sam.
