Career in Automotive Sales

[Guest MissTypeS]

Hey everyone-

 

Just wanting some opinions and/or information on the profession. I'm looking for a slight career change and have been considering this as an option. The places that I have potential opportunities are at higher-end dealerships on the Northwest side. I'd appreciate current car salesperson's opinions, but all are welcome. Just wondering:

 

- What is the general work week like?

- Do most dealerships do base plus commission or straight commission?

- What is the general percent of commission garnered from a sale?

- What are the best and worst things about the job?

- Any other information to share?

 

Appreciate it!

[El Karacho1647545492]

- What are the best and worst things about the job?

Worst: you get the stereotype of being the scum of the earth

Best: you get to be a bitch to everyone because its the stereotype

 

<--no experience in the field whatsoever

[ttemper]

PM gilbert0406 on here, hes been doing it a while and im sure he can help you out.

[iwishiwascool]

There are so many better sales jobs out there. The commissions are low,the hours suck, and there is a ton of down time.

 

If you can get in at a higer end dealer it might be different, but this is what ive heard of most dealerships.

[Mojoe]

You work all the time and weekends are almost always screwed. A good friend of mine was with the Toy Barn forever and now is with another well known dealership. We have been trying to go snowboarding for weeks and had to cancel plans for him to go to Vermont. Yes he makes great $, but the hassles he puts up with are a pain.

[NOS50]

Hit me with an e-mail at work with your questions and I can forward it to our Sales Mgr.He can answer all your questions honestly.He is really an good guy. kcourtright@germainlexus.com .

[McGraw]

my step-dad used to be a sales manager at Toyota Direct and Germain Toyota a long while back ... he worked 60+ hours a week, made very good money, but if anything ever came up he stayed longer, so he wasn't home all that often. But he was a hell of salesman too from what I've heard from everyone is that he could close just about anyone. ... just my 2 cents.

[Alex1647545498]

You'd do good doing that. Any good looking female that knows their products would do good in sales.

[Guest MissTypeS]

haha.. well thank you, Mr. 2. I think being young and female would work both for and against me. Either I'll do well and/or create a great rapport (especially with other females), or I'll be asked when the "real" salesman will show up. I can just picture these 60 year old dudes shopping for pricey imports not even giving me the time of day.

 

I dont know though, I'm not sure what sales managers are looking for in reps, and while I'm sure I could hang with the big guys when it comes to both cars and sales, I'm not sure I could do both at the same time. Know what I mean?

 

Thanks for everyone's input so far though. I appreciate any info you can give!

[GRN96WS6]

No offense but if you have a degree why in he hell would you want to be a car salesman? What is your degree in? Can't you do something pertaining to that which you spent 4 years and possibly thousands obtaining?

[Guest MissTypeS]

Yeah, see, I'm not going for the Ricart-type sales job here (my apologies to anyone who works there). The places I'm looking at sell high end vehicles to high end clientele with high end salaries. Who knows if I'm even qualified to work at these places, but I'm interested in finding out more about the career, which is why I posted. I can see it being very lucrative and interesting.

 

I do have a college degree (B.S. in Consumer Affairs from OSU), and I currently have a career as a Sales Coordinator. I'm bored to death. I want something more challenging with a greater income potential, and I want nothing to do with cold calling on businesses so that really narrows down the options in sales. Selling luxury cars probably wouldn't be something I'd want to do forever, but its absolutely something I'm interested in for the time being. I'm also considering a few other options, so this isn't an end-all solution.. just an option.

[GilbWs6]

I'm a salesman at Dan Tobin Pontiac-Buick-GMC (and we are currently hiring experienced sales personnel). I'm 19 years old and have been doing this for over a year now, but I've been at a car dealership involved heavily in sales departments for about 3 years now. I'm just going to kinda go through your initial list of questions.

 

Q: What is the general work week like?

A: I work five 9 hour days (either 9-6 or 12-9 with a one hour lunch break). It's about half and half. Personally I like working the later shift as that is when most of our traffic happens.

Q: Do most dealerships do base plus commission or straight commission?

A: It's straight commision but we do get a draw of $1500 a month ($750 on the 15th and 30th) I average right around $3500-$4000 a month but I have made as much as $7400 in one month. There have only been two months I have only made $1500 and those were our two slowest months of the year.

Q: What is the general percent of commission garnered from a sale?

A: Our dealership has one of the higher payplans in the city and we get 25% of dealership profit on each deal.

Q: What are the best and worst things about the job?

A: Not to sound lazy but the best part of the job is you can basically put 100% or no effort what so ever when it's slow. You also meet a lot of different personalities but at the same time there are quite a few egos. But that's pretty much required in sales anyway.

- Any other information to share?

My dealership is one of the few that I've seen that has some kind of continuity in its sales department. Our general manager has run some of the more reputable dealerships in the past and we have an owner that is very dedicated to his dealership and making his customers and employees happy. He paid over $35,000 for our Christmas party and that didn't include a bar tab. Our sales managers have been working together for almost 15 years and one of them has 28 years in the business. Basically what I'm saying is that if you find a decent dealership, you will be happy. Avoid most of the major dealerships. Byers, Ricart, Germain, and Haydocy are all no-no's. PM me or email me at agilbert@dantobin.com and I'll let you know if the dealership you're looking at is well known for chaos or if you have any questions at all about the business.

 

 

Edit: Just so you know you don't have to sell pricey imports to make money. My highest commisions have been on trucks and several full-sticker deals on cheaper cars.

[GRN96WS6]

I would think to get into a high end sales you would need to have some sort of experience in sales beforehand at a lower dealer.

 

Second if you went to get a degree at college why did you get one that you don't seem to like? To me it sounds like you went because your parents wanted you to but you are unhappy with your choices. *shrug*

[Alex1647545498]

I know our highest earning rep in Columbus area for sales in my company is female... and the best looking female in our sales office at that. Not to sound sexist or anything but it might be to your advantage. Some might be put off at first but they might be more even impressed that a "girl" would know stuff about cars. But that probably wouldn't matter any way. When you go into something like high end deals. Your customer usually would know what they want. They would have researched and compared then decided. You are not going to be dealing with people who 2nd guess themselves. You will have to put up with some snob types but might work out better then average retards.

[Guest MissTypeS]

I would think to get into a high end sales you would need to have some sort of experience in sales beforehand at a lower dealer.

 

Second if you went to get a degree at college why did you get one that you don't seem to like? To me it sounds like you went because your parents wanted you to but you are unhappy with your choices. *shrug*

 

 

haha.. wow, you're so quick to turn this into a dramatic after school special. I'm not sure where you got the notion that I went to college to appease my parents, but you're way off base. Plus, I'm bored at my current job, not with my education - there's a huge difference. My degree is perfect for sales, I'm in the sales industry, and I'd like to stay involved in sales, which is why I'm considering all kinds of avenues.

 

Anyway, enough about that- this thread was intended to get information about the career, not pass judgements on my decision making or parental approval.

 

I agree though, I probably would need experience somewhere in the car sales industry to make it at an upper-end dealership. Thanks for the input.

[GRN96WS6]

I am turning it into nothing I know nothing about you I am only speaking of experiences I have seen or heard of firsthand. Never once did I say this was the case with you.

 

I meant no ill will and I apologize if it came across as such.

 

 

[Mitch]

Here's a pretty good (but really long) article on what its like in the car sales business

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html?tid=edmunds.a.landing.feature..3.*

 

I worked at a jeep dealership in sales for three months. I wouldn't do it again.

 

The thing I hated the most was the customers. They treated you like dirt because of the negative stigma associated with being "dirty car salesman" They would lie to you more often than tell the truth. No matter what you would say they would think it was a lie.

 

You will spend most of your day waiting for your "up", your turn to help a customer, and they're not serious about buying, just kicking tires and telling you stories about the car they used to have, or that their friend has or whatnot. You finally get someone serious and get them inside and run numbers to find out they planned on having a $100 payment on a vehicle thats $30 grand and of course no money down and they are upside down on their trade. This comes after they hold you over from your lunch time and waste 3 hours of your afternoon.

 

Being at a luxury dealership does not mean you are any better off pay wise. You often make more profit on used sales anyway, but there are a lot of spiffs on the new sales.

 

Bottom line, you work hard long hours, get treated like shit, under pressure to make sales from the sales managers. Some months you make good money other months you make what amounts to minimum wage. It wasn't my idea of fun, but you might like it.

[Guest MissTypeS]

Wow, well thanks for the input Gilbert & Mitch, I really appreciate it!

[Dr. Pomade]

I've said a few times that, after I retire from doing what I do now, I'm going to work part-time as a car salesman. Selling cars would be fun, I think, if you weren't pressured to make a sale.

[coltboostin]

Only if your in a High end dealership, otherwise do not bother.

 

Jag has been nice to me.

[carl1647545492]

I would consider F + I ,selling the money

I have met 2 in the last year buying from 2 dealers and they were both extremely sharp.

Have you ever thought about selling Pharmaceuticals?degreed reps make 100k.

[Guest MissTypeS]

Yeah, I'd love to go into pharm sales, but you generally have to have 2+ years B2B sales experience, a teaching background, or a science degree.

[Dr. Pomade]

And you have to be hot. R U HOT? XOXOXOXO. kekekekekekeke!

[Guest MissTypeS]

lol... Uhhh.... well.... probably not. Not enough at least.

[iwishiwascool]

Making six figures in many sales positions is not very far outside a standard reality. But it is hard work and, as Mitch said, the stigma associated with salespeople would crush most people's will to live.

 

Before you even consider this you should really take DiSC personality test and find out what kind of personality you have and what kind you perceive yourself to have. If it turns out you have a high S and a low I, you are pretty sure to go home crying at the end of the night.