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And it is VERY cut-throat. You basically have salespeople fighting it out over the chance to talk to you so you can buy a car. My brother worked at one and it was an experience that I will not duplicate. They are also feast or famine like many commission based jobs. If you a great at it you do well but if not, it isn't worth it.
Auto Sales is sink or swim and many simply do not last.
It is also very competitive and sometimes the strongest competition is in house.
Just about everybody knows somebody in the business.
Another thing is there are often nights and weekends which might be great if you're single... not so great if you have family.
One of my childhood neighbors was a very successful auto salesman... had a company furnished car to the day he died.
Being African American he faced a lot of discrimination for decades starting in the business in the 50s'
One thing he said that always stuck with me is to develop your own clientele... those that are loyal to you and not the Dealership. He started selling Chevrolets and was selling Cadillac when he passed.
Since he was denied floor time and a desk... he started to sell Chevrolets strictly to the African American Community and would write the deals in peoples home and bring them into the Dealership... the other salespeople were OK with that.
Later, when management changed or there were shakeups in the Sales Department he had his sales volume to back him up and the owners knew it... he could just as easily sell from anywhere and his customers were extremely loyal.
For many... auto sales is a revolving door... for those that are good, they can earn a good living at it with lots of time put in.
My neighbor always had his home address and phone number on his card... customers could call him anytime and he had one of the those terrific, sincere and jovial personalities...
I was raised around the auto business and Dad and Grandfather were almost always working... they also had loyal customers and sold to generations of the same family... they also had their home phone and address on their business cards because it instilled a level of trust with the customer.
Still remember my neighbor driving home brandnew cars with big bows on the roof for an anniversary or graduation gifts that he would personally deliver to the lucky recipient. Loved the Corvettes and Convertibles!
Auto Sales is sink or swim and many simply do not last.
It is also very competitive and sometimes the strongest competition is in house.
Just about everybody knows somebody in the business.
Another thing is there are often nights and weekends which might be great if you're single... not so great if you have family.
One of my childhood neighbors was a very successful auto salesman... had a company furnished car to the day he died.
Being African American he faced a lot of discrimination for decades starting in the business in the 50s'
One thing he said that always stuck with me is to develop your own clientele... those that are loyal to you and not the Dealership. He started selling Chevrolets and was selling Cadillac when he passed.
Since he was denied floor time and a desk... he started to sell Chevrolets strictly to the African American Community and would write the deals in peoples home and bring them into the Dealership... the other salespeople were OK with that.
Later, when management changed or there were shakeups in the Sales Department he had his sales volume to back him up and the owners knew it... he could just as easily sell from anywhere and his customers were extremely loyal.
For many... auto sales is a revolving door... for those that are good, they can earn a good living at it with lots of time put in.
My neighbor always had his home address and phone number on his card... customers could call him anytime and he had one of the those terrific, sincere and jovial personalities...
I was raised around the auto business and Dad and Grandfather were almost always working... they also had loyal customers and sold to generations of the same family... they also had their home phone and address on their business cards because it instilled a level of trust with the customer.
Still remember my neighbor driving home brandnew cars with big bows on the roof for an anniversary or graduation gifts that he would personally deliver to the lucky recipient. Loved the Corvettes and Convertibles!
That is key to being successful in sales. The ability to find your own clients and not depend on the walk ins from your employer means you don't live or die based on their ability but on your own ability. Any customers that your employer is able to bring in is just icing on the cake. If you can do this, you will be successful.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,570 posts, read 81,167,557 times
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In 2011 the average car sales person in the US made $42,000, or $3,500/month, so you are right in the ballpark if you turn out to be average. Most dealers offer a discount to employees, such as the Ford "x plan". I was a supplier to them for a while and was given that benefit, but used it to my advantage to get a similar discount on a competitor's vehicle.
If car salesman works on avg over 52 hours a week that just too much time so it's not gonna work out for me. I prefer a 40 hour work week with occasional PAID OT if needed, up to 48 hrs a week.
If car salesman works on avg over 52 hours a week that just too much time so it's not gonna work out for me. I prefer a 40 hour work week with occasional PAID OT if needed, up to 48 hrs a week.
Let me save you time. Don't apply for any sales jobs then because they all require more than 40 hours, more like 50 hours a week.
I used to be a very extroverted person doing bmx freestyle in my H.S. years and hanging out with the dudes. But my crossdressing habit inhibits my social life and sometimes hurts my technical jobs, especially when factory workers put me down as gay...
I can talk the talk about what good cars are and reliability and what to look for in a used car.
Maybe if you didn't post pictures of yourself online in a dress than former coworkers wouldn't have known.
So, let me see now. A cross dressing mechanical engineer on SSDI who hasn't worked in 5 years and refuses to work more than 40 hours a week . . . and he wonders why he doesn't get work.
Last edited by NewJerseyMemories; 06-29-2013 at 10:53 AM..
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