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  #1  
Old 06-13-2005, 11:25 AM
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Who's in car sales?

I was thinking recently, "hmm, go sell Mercedes / BMW / Infinity, etc..." part time to fill in while business is slow .... I can sell, I know cars (Not like these sales people that you ask a question and they're like "I dunno") reasonably well, etc... I imagine selling high end cars are not as pressure driven as selling regular cars, "buy today, and I'll give you $500 off!"...

There's an opening at the Infinity dealer locally.... yeah not MB ... but that franchise also has a BMW dealership... close enough, lol...

Who's in cars sales?

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  #2  
Old 06-13-2005, 11:54 AM
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I've done it and still have a few friends in the buisness.

First, it's not likely that a dealership will let you work part time. The culture of the industry is geared towards long hours.

Second, it's not likely that you will be put on in a high end store with no prior car sales experience. It could happen, but a high end store doesn't get as many potential customers as a Chevy store and they don't want a newbie burning ups. High end stores typically don't train. They are great to work at once your in, real country clubs, but that's generally because they have experienced people that don't need to be micromanaged.

Of course it all depends on the dealership. I've worked at some great ones and some absolutly crappy ones. Infiniti generally has a good reputation, they have good product and you don't have to compete with 7 other infiniti stores as I beleive infiniti limits pretty strictly the number of stores in an area. But I've just never met anyone working part time.

Good money for pretty easy work though.
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Old 06-13-2005, 12:42 PM
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Ok..MB / BMW, etc... was the wish list , I agree, most of those guys in the MB stores look old and tenured... LOL....

I have to find out what the "avg sales / wk or month " is for newbies... I might be able to do it full time, depending how flexible their full time is... Just in the entertainment stage right now. Also have to find out $$ / pay... what % per sales or is it a flat $ per sales... etc.
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  #4  
Old 06-13-2005, 03:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yosshimura
Ok..MB / BMW, etc... was the wish list , I agree, most of those guys in the MB stores look old and tenured... LOL....

I have to find out what the "avg sales / wk or month " is for newbies... I might be able to do it full time, depending how flexible their full time is... Just in the entertainment stage right now. Also have to find out $$ / pay... what % per sales or is it a flat $ per sales... etc.
Hard to give you an average as it's all over the board. The traditional pay plan is a percentage of the profit. The percentage could be anywhere from 10-30% depending on the dealership. There is also what is known as Pack, which is dealer profit you are not paid on, generally 250-750 a car. There is a lot of other dealer profit you won't be paid on but don't worry about that. Most dealerships pay what is known as unit bonuses, which means the more cars you sell the more you make. Sell 10 cars get 500, sell 15 get 2000.

Some dealerships will pay a percentage of the financing. Usually 5-10%, some don't. The trend is not to pay a % but to pay a flat on additonal products. GAP insurance=$25, that kind of thing.

Volume will depend on the product and the store. A good average is to figure you should be selling 12-15 cars a month.

Personally, I wouldn't sell in a high volume store, it's too much work. A high volume store will pay you a small % or a flat on every car and a unit bonus based on the number of cars you sold. I prefer a higher % of the gross. I'd rather sell one car and make $1000 than two at $500 each. Half the paperwork. New cars are easier to sell than used but you make more money on used.

I'd say on average dealerships like to keep the avg salesman making about 2500-3500 a month. If you want to make more than that you have to get units or gross up, depending how the pay plan is set up.

Hours will typically be opening to about 3pm every other day and 1pm-close every other day. Florida sells on Sunday so you might get 1 weekend off a month and a weekday off every week. Again, dealerships vary so you might have a couple bell to bell days during the week. It depends.
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  #5  
Old 06-14-2005, 12:23 PM
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I knew a couple of guys who did it and they hated it. The complaints were centered around not getting paid, or getting paid short after a sale. Mgt always giving them excuses, long hours etc etc.
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  #6  
Old 06-15-2005, 09:02 AM
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Well I visited a local dealer's (big chain in this part of the state) open house last night. There was a room of about 30 applicants for all their stores. They didn't talk about pay, but based on the tidbits I picked up and what I've read, it starts, I guess at about 30% or so I think. They claim in your first year you should be selling mthly 10-12 units, they give you a stipend for up to 90 days, and second yr and on you should be at about 20 units per mth.

They had me choose sales floor or internet sales , of course I chose internet, based on their "claim" that 10% of their sales come from internet, and hrs are a bit more flexible, long hours..

We'll see... I haven't decided yet, traiinng starts in July.
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  #7  
Old 06-15-2005, 11:21 AM
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stay off the internet. All you will be doing is answering "what's your best price on a xxx" questions all day long. You can't make gross that way.
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  #8  
Old 06-16-2005, 12:14 AM
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Originally Posted by koop
stay off the internet. All you will be doing is answering "what's your best price on a xxx" questions all day long. You can't make gross that way.

You know you have a point ! Where does everyone go for the "best" price? internet.... less sales price = less commission,
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Old 06-16-2005, 05:40 AM
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A LOT depends on the "store" and the brand. I sold Dodge some years back, with access to Mazda, Ford, and Olds--(other franchises owned by the same owner). With so many dealers, and all the internet information out there, it is VERY hard to hold gross. Most of my sales were mini deals, where I made $50 per car sold. Lots of time and lots of paperwork--at least back then. The only way I survived was unit bonuses--I averaged 18 cars a month for the 6 months I stayed. Many salesmen were deep in debt to the company because of the draws against pay they took, and the life-style they chose. Most of the salesmen in my store went bar hopping after work
The industry attracts some of the dregs of humanity; also some (few) very nice & responsible people.
Cars sales is not about helping the prospect decide what is the best car for them, and making it affordable--its all about selling something to anyone you can, everyday.
What ate me up was the feeling that anytime I took off was a lost sale. If you are not of the emotional make up to deal with that, you will live at the dealership and give up all family life time.
I left when a former coworker in my previous line of work recruited me back in the old line of work with a new company and more $ for fewer hours.
The benefit was that many dealerships use the same sales technique as my former dealership. Its fun to go car shopping when you know everything the salesman will do and say. That knowledge allows you to mess with the saleman's mind, and cut out some of the BS.
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  #10  
Old 06-16-2005, 09:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MS Fowler
The benefit was that many dealerships use the same sales technique as my former dealership. Its fun to go car shopping when you know everything the salesman will do and say. That knowledge allows you to mess with the saleman's mind, and cut out some of the BS.
That seems to be what I keep hearing...long hours to not loose sales. What suks is that the more sales people they hire the smaller piece of the pie you get....

I was thinking the same... hmm, let me get some insight, even if I DON"T go thorugh with it, LOL.... and see the games. I even read on an edmunds article that some dealers turn on the phone intercom when the sales guy leaves the office so they can hear what you are talking with your significant other
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  #11  
Old 06-16-2005, 09:57 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yosshimura
...I even read on an edmunds article that some dealers turn on the phone intercom when the sales guy leaves the office so they can hear what you are talking with your significant other
I know that happens. I was at a Chrysler dealer and thought that was what was up. I told Mrs Botnst what I thought our lowest offer should be and I expected them to counter by $500, which I'd take. Salesman comes back, bingo. Then I told him about my (ragged-assed) LTD trade-in.

You can make it work for you.
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  #12  
Old 06-17-2005, 01:26 AM
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A friend of mine looked into selling cars, but chose not to because of the long hours. I will say that I have met a lot of car salesmen from the premium end of the market while bartending. A pleasure to wait on, good tippers and a fairly charismatic bunch. They're making a lot of money, I can say that. Golf a lot and drive Austin Martin's and new 6-series BMW's. They're also getting a bit old, so who knows what they've had to do to get where they're at. Selling cars is tempting, especially if you love cars. Let us know how it works out. Car sales, at least from my perspective, is one of those things that has some element of mystery. I don't know how the industry works at all.
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  #13  
Old 06-17-2005, 05:14 AM
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think you'll start slicking your hair back and wearing jewelry?
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  #14  
Old 06-17-2005, 08:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ara T.
think you'll start slicking your hair back and wearing jewelry?
Maybe a nice plaid sport coat?
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  #15  
Old 06-17-2005, 08:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yosshimura
Who's in cars sales?
Confessions of a Car Salesman - a long, but interesting read.

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