Delon Orquin has a lot in common with his colleagues. He loves to sell Toyota cars and trucks. He enjoys connecting with customers. But there’s one major difference that sets Orquin apart from his Toyota Sunnyvale colleagues: he’s 86 years old.
“I’m 86 years young,” Orquin said, laughing. “I’m not that old!”
And if you spend any time talking to Orquin yourself, you’ll probably agree.
Orquin has been working as a Toyota Sunnyvale sales consultant for nearly 30 years. Orquin originally worked in pharmaceutical sales, but a friend in the automotive business called him in 1992 with a simple question: would he consider selling cars?
“And I thought, ‘why not?’” he said.
Three decades later, he’s still there. Five days a week, from 10:00am to 6:00pm, you’ll find Orquin on the showroom floor, talking to customers and selling vehicles.
He Knows His Stuff
Orquin says he loves Toyota vehicles for their reliability, but Camrys are his hands-down favorite. “I’ve sold a lot of Camrys over the years,” he said.
After all these years of closing deals, why not retire? Orquin flinches at that word.
“Talking to people and making them happy, that’s my passion,” he said. “If I didn’t do this, I’d just be sitting at home all day. Here, I can meet people and help them, and that brings me a lot of joy.”
The job has also been a source of healing for Orquin, who lost his beloved wife, Lourdes, to cancer last March. She was 62 years old.
“I never wanted to just sit at home,” Orquin said. “But especially now that she’s gone, I like to be out of the house. Here, I can see all of my coworkers and friends. It still feels normal, and I’m not alone.”
If Orquin enjoys selling cars, it seems customers also love buying from him – he has had many repeat clients over the years, and Orquin says no one has been taken aback by his age.
“Many times, when I’m selling to an older customer, they’ll say ‘Delon, this is probably going to be the last car I ever buy.’ And I tell them, ‘don’t say that! I’m older than you!’”
Orquin says his 30 years of sales success boils down to a few simple rules: be honest, be respectful, and be a good listener – principles that echo throughout his interactions with people at Toyota Sunnyvale every day.
“Delon is a very passionate employee who loves the Toyota product and is super knowledgeable about the brand,” said Kyle Krebs, general sales manager at Toyota Sunnyvale. “But he’s also just so good with people. He’s a great guy to work with. He understands how people think. He asks the right questions. I think we can all learn something from Delon. If you’re passionate about what sells, and truly have your client’s best interests at heart, you’ll be successful.”
And what’s next for Orquin? Is that r-word, retirement, on the horizon?
“What? No!” he said. “I’m just getting started.”
