tell me what you think about car sales

staceyv · 12-18-2003, 02:03 AM

okay, as most of you know, my husband got stuck out at sea on a fishing boat in the middle of a storm two weeks ago, and we have decided he needs a new career. soo, he just got hired at a car dealership, and it looks like they are going to pay him a salary of 200 bucks a week plus commission. this is for 11 hours a day, 6 days a week. this seems like some pretty cheap labor. does it really pay off? does anyone here sell cars or know someone who does? is it a waste of time or a good way to make a living?

xoxoxoBruce · 12-18-2003, 04:22 AM

Calling LumberJim, calling LumberJim.

FileNotFound · 12-18-2003, 08:32 AM

The answer that I heard was that it really depends on the dealership commissions, the popularity of the dealership, and your ability to sell the car.

The salespeople I knew in the past earned completely different ammounts so it's really hard to say.

LumberJim would definetly know more exact info.

lumberjim · 12-18-2003, 10:44 AM

once he gets used to the fluidity of the income, and as long as he has the discipline to save when he hits a big one, it's very hard to go back to hourly compensation.

i've made as much as $900 before lunch, and as little as $0 for 3 days in a row.

the average income is between 40K and 65k annually, but it IS performance based. It takes about 6 months to really know what you're doing, but once you do, it is really easy. The hours are long, but it's not as if you were strapped to your desk all day....

A lot of it depends on the brand you sell, and the store you work in.....6 days a week 11 hrs a day is too much...he shouldn;t have to work more than 50-55 hrs per week....

it is vital that the store he starts in has a REAL training program, and not just a mentoring policy....they don't work, as the salesman that would be training him has a natural conflict of interest.

my best salesman made $95k last year, the worst got fired.

all that said, if the store is busy, and the product is good.....support him, it will pay off.

all you have to do to sell a car is not fuck it up...the people come there to buy a car....let them!

edit:

and all YOU have to worry about is his taking test drives, ...no stranded at sea scenarios.

SteveDallas · 12-18-2003, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by lumberjim

and all YOU have to worry about is his taking test drives, ...no stranded at sea scenarios.

Yeah I always wondered about that... I see so many clueless morons driving around on the road, I'd think sending them out for a test drive in a new car would be kind of dicey. What's the rate of fender-benders during test drives?

Also, you said the salesman will make sales as long as they don't screw up--what's the most common mistake the new ones make?

FileNotFound · 12-18-2003, 11:31 AM

Lie...I think thats the worst mistake a salesman can make.

When I was shopping for a car this summer I had countless people try to lie to me over the phone and ended up walking out of 3 dealerships when I caugt them in a lie.

I personaly think that the most important thing in being able to convince a customer to buy the car is to earn their trust. The guy I ended up buying the car from gave the appearance of being totaly honest with me. Others lied about origins of the car, misfiring cylinders, flood damage, rust issues, serious collision damage. In the 3 months that I was shopping for a used car I think I've seen just about everything that can go wrong with a car. Oh and if you ever spill a carton of milk in your car...clean it up. You can't immagine the kind of mold that grows from it and how odd it smells.

lumberjim · 12-18-2003, 11:32 AM

I've never personally been involved in one, but it has happened here. i remember when I first started at a ford dealer, a little old lady drove a crown vic with me, and i was scared to death. she would drift in to the other lane, then quickly correct when an oncomng car appeared. brake for oncoming traffic......you've been behind her, I'm sure.

usually, dealerships have a couple of test drive routes that utilize less trafficked roads and involve all right hand turns.

best advice for mr stacyvV....sit in the back and buckle up.....and keep quiet. let them concentrate on the car.

lumberjim · 12-18-2003, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by FileNotFound
Lie...I think thats the worst mistake a salesman can make.

When I was shopping for a car this summer I had countless people try to lie to me over the phone and ended up walking out of 3 dealerships when I caugt them in a lie.

I personaly think that the most important thing in being able to convince a customer to buy the car is to earn their trust. The guy I ended up buying the car from gave the appearance of being totaly honest with me. Others lied about origins of the car, misfiring cylinders, flood damage, rust issues, serious collision damage. In the 3 months that I was shopping for a used car I think I've seen just about everything that can go wrong with a car. Oh and if you ever spill a carton of milk in your car...clean it up. You can't immagine the kind of mold that grows from it and how odd it smells.

absolutely crucial

you'll never remember all the lies you tell once you start, so it is inevitable that you will get caught, and then you're done....all your time wasted.

and it's just wrong. people spend a lot of their money on cars, and you owe it to them to give honest advice. when people trust you, you will not only sell them, but also their freinds and families. people expect you to lie, so you have to be extra careful to be honest.

on that note, there is a syaing in this business: " buyers are liars"

when someone expects YOU to lie, they are much more likely to lie themselves.....so being a good judge of character, and a little psychology are relevant skills to have in your arsenal. body language can tell you a lot also.

if someone rubs their nose or face with their left hand when they talk to you, they're usually lying.

more important to know people than cars...although good product knowledge build confidence.

staceyv · 12-18-2003, 03:14 PM

thank you for the info. i have one more question. okay, he is very sociable and people like him and he's intelligent, but he has a russian accent (even though his english is great) but the guy i work with said that people are mistrusting of foreigners...do you think this would have an impact on the number of cars he sells?

FileNotFound · 12-18-2003, 03:25 PM

Umm...I have a really odd accent...(Russian/Australian) but I don't think I ever had any trust issues.

Although I have heard people say that they do not trust "italian" salesmen...why I do not know.

lumberjim · 12-18-2003, 03:28 PM

i have an english mun, a jamaican, and a kenyan here at my dealership. as long as he is polite and listens more than he talks, he'll do fine. the kenyan i have can be very abrupt at itmes, and i think that hurts him, but the other two are well spoken, and polite. In fact, it may actually work to his advantage.

this is a common situation: " yeah, i was here a few weeks ago, but i don;t remember who i talked to. "

he'll get:" i was here talking to a guy with a russian accent" and everyone will know who's customer they are.

one more tidbit......tell him to plan on being there for 6 months, and when he's comfortable, move to a new store.

sounds strange, but he's going in as a rookie, and will not get respected. he'll be running for lunch a lot.
when he goes to a new store and is hired as an experienced salesman, he'll get more respect......but make sure it is a move to a better store, and then he should stay put. then he can start working on his book of business, and can reap the benefits of repeat and referral business.

lumberjim · 12-18-2003, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by FileNotFound
Umm...I have a really odd accent...(Russian/Australian) but I don't think I ever had any trust issues.

Although I have heard people say that they do not trust "italian" salesmen...why I do not know.

that's cuz more than half of all car salesmen are italian, and people don't trust salesmen. if you can't quote "the godfather" line by line where i work, you're outside the circle of trust!

i've never seen it. don't want to, either.

guess i'm a rebel.

FileNotFound · 12-18-2003, 04:04 PM

I dunno...during those 3 months I only met one Italian salesman and he proceeded to bullshit me:

1) Tried to tell me that a Lincoln Continental shaking in neutral was "nothing abnormal" when I suspected an ill-tuned engine.

2) Told me that they had NO idea that the car had a misfiring cylinder after I had a mechanic take a look at it.

3) Told me that they scheduled the car to get the "minor" cylinder thing fixed 2 weeks ago - I was only looking at the car for 1 week. Oops. Lies: a) Didn't know about it. b) Vibrations normal. c) Already discounted from the price.

It really pissed me off. When I buy a car I search all over for anything no matter how minor and anyone with half a brain would have figured that I'd not ignore the vibrations.

It's not so much that I expect everyone to be honest, just not take me for a total retard. It's just insulting.

Dumbest lie ever:
Did you buy this car at an auction?
No.
Then why is the CarFax report you gave me dated 1 month ago and the recent one that I have shows the car being at an auction this month?

Most Obvious lie:
Was this car ever in a flood?
No.
The why are the seat rails and the support wires on the seats rusted?

Most tricky sob....private seller, gave me a VIN over the phone for a car with almost the same millage, same year etc...just not one that was a fleet vehicle and auctioned off 3 times and invovled in a crash. Nice try though...

Yeah I'm a dealers nightmare...

claytoris · 12-18-2003, 07:39 PM

Life at sea on a fishing boat is an endless stream of dull repetitive labor. Do anything you can to get out while you can. Blow glass, drive a hack, whatever. I got out of lobstering off the coast of Maine and tried selling Kirby Vacuum cleaners. The man simply can't get lower than that.

Griff · 12-18-2003, 07:59 PM

Shut yer pie hole pussy!

12-18-2003, 02:03 AM	#1
staceyv Lecturer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ohio Posts: 927	tell me what you think about car sales okay, as most of you know, my husband got stuck out at sea on a fishing boat in the middle of a storm two weeks ago, and we have decided he needs a new career. soo, he just got hired at a car dealership, and it looks like they are going to pay him a salary of 200 bucks a week plus commission. this is for 11 hours a day, 6 days a week. this seems like some pretty cheap labor. does it really pay off? does anyone here sell cars or know someone who does? is it a waste of time or a good way to make a living?

12-18-2003, 08:32 AM	#3
FileNotFound Intouch with his inner sheep rider. Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 603	The answer that I heard was that it really depends on the dealership commissions, the popularity of the dealership, and your ability to sell the car. The salespeople I knew in the past earned completely different ammounts so it's really hard to say. LumberJim would definetly know more exact info. __________________ This is a rat. \|This is a hamster.\| This is a chipmunk.\| This is a Sheep Rider.

12-18-2003, 10:44 AM	#4
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	once he gets used to the fluidity of the income, and as long as he has the discipline to save when he hits a big one, it's very hard to go back to hourly compensation. i've made as much as $900 before lunch, and as little as $0 for 3 days in a row. the average income is between 40K and 65k annually, but it IS performance based. It takes about 6 months to really know what you're doing, but once you do, it is really easy. The hours are long, but it's not as if you were strapped to your desk all day.... A lot of it depends on the brand you sell, and the store you work in.....6 days a week 11 hrs a day is too much...he shouldn;t have to work more than 50-55 hrs per week.... it is vital that the store he starts in has a REAL training program, and not just a mentoring policy....they don't work, as the salesman that would be training him has a natural conflict of interest. my best salesman made $95k last year, the worst got fired. all that said, if the store is busy, and the product is good.....support him, it will pay off. all you have to do to sell a car is not fuck it up...the people come there to buy a car....let them! edit: and all YOU have to worry about is his taking test drives, ...no stranded at sea scenarios. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

12-18-2003, 11:31 AM	#6
FileNotFound Intouch with his inner sheep rider. Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 603	Lie...I think thats the worst mistake a salesman can make. When I was shopping for a car this summer I had countless people try to lie to me over the phone and ended up walking out of 3 dealerships when I caugt them in a lie. I personaly think that the most important thing in being able to convince a customer to buy the car is to earn their trust. The guy I ended up buying the car from gave the appearance of being totaly honest with me. Others lied about origins of the car, misfiring cylinders, flood damage, rust issues, serious collision damage. In the 3 months that I was shopping for a used car I think I've seen just about everything that can go wrong with a car. Oh and if you ever spill a carton of milk in your car...clean it up. You can't immagine the kind of mold that grows from it and how odd it smells. __________________ This is a rat. \|This is a hamster.\| This is a chipmunk.\| This is a Sheep Rider.

12-18-2003, 11:32 AM	#7
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	I've never personally been involved in one, but it has happened here. i remember when I first started at a ford dealer, a little old lady drove a crown vic with me, and i was scared to death. she would drift in to the other lane, then quickly correct when an oncomng car appeared. brake for oncoming traffic......you've been behind her, I'm sure. usually, dealerships have a couple of test drive routes that utilize less trafficked roads and involve all right hand turns. best advice for mr stacyvV....sit in the back and buckle up.....and keep quiet. let them concentrate on the car. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan Last edited by lumberjim; 12-18-2003 at 11:37 AM.

12-18-2003, 04:22 AM	#2
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Calling LumberJim, calling LumberJim.

12-18-2003, 03:14 PM	#9
staceyv Lecturer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ohio Posts: 927	thank you for the info. i have one more question. okay, he is very sociable and people like him and he's intelligent, but he has a russian accent (even though his english is great) but the guy i work with said that people are mistrusting of foreigners...do you think this would have an impact on the number of cars he sells?

12-18-2003, 03:25 PM	#10
FileNotFound Intouch with his inner sheep rider. Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 603	Umm...I have a really odd accent...(Russian/Australian) but I don't think I ever had any trust issues. Although I have heard people say that they do not trust "italian" salesmen...why I do not know. __________________ This is a rat. \|This is a hamster.\| This is a chipmunk.\| This is a Sheep Rider.

12-18-2003, 03:28 PM	#11
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	i have an english mun, a jamaican, and a kenyan here at my dealership. as long as he is polite and listens more than he talks, he'll do fine. the kenyan i have can be very abrupt at itmes, and i think that hurts him, but the other two are well spoken, and polite. In fact, it may actually work to his advantage. this is a common situation: " yeah, i was here a few weeks ago, but i don;t remember who i talked to. " he'll get:" i was here talking to a guy with a russian accent" and everyone will know who's customer they are. one more tidbit......tell him to plan on being there for 6 months, and when he's comfortable, move to a new store. sounds strange, but he's going in as a rookie, and will not get respected. he'll be running for lunch a lot. when he goes to a new store and is hired as an experienced salesman, he'll get more respect......but make sure it is a move to a better store, and then he should stay put. then he can start working on his book of business, and can reap the benefits of repeat and referral business. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

12-18-2003, 04:04 PM	#13
FileNotFound Intouch with his inner sheep rider. Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 603	I dunno...during those 3 months I only met one Italian salesman and he proceeded to bullshit me: 1) Tried to tell me that a Lincoln Continental shaking in neutral was "nothing abnormal" when I suspected an ill-tuned engine. 2) Told me that they had NO idea that the car had a misfiring cylinder after I had a mechanic take a look at it. 3) Told me that they scheduled the car to get the "minor" cylinder thing fixed 2 weeks ago - I was only looking at the car for 1 week. Oops. Lies: a) Didn't know about it. b) Vibrations normal. c) Already discounted from the price. It really pissed me off. When I buy a car I search all over for anything no matter how minor and anyone with half a brain would have figured that I'd not ignore the vibrations. It's not so much that I expect everyone to be honest, just not take me for a total retard. It's just insulting. Dumbest lie ever: Did you buy this car at an auction? No. Then why is the CarFax report you gave me dated 1 month ago and the recent one that I have shows the car being at an auction this month? Most Obvious lie: Was this car ever in a flood? No. The why are the seat rails and the support wires on the seats rusted? Most tricky sob....private seller, gave me a VIN over the phone for a car with almost the same millage, same year etc...just not one that was a fleet vehicle and auctioned off 3 times and invovled in a crash. Nice try though... Yeah I'm a dealers nightmare... __________________ This is a rat. \|This is a hamster.\| This is a chipmunk.\| This is a Sheep Rider.

12-18-2003, 07:39 PM	#14
claytoris Well I'll be dipped in donkey dung. Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 5	Life at sea on a fishing boat is an endless stream of dull repetitive labor. Do anything you can to get out while you can. Blow glass, drive a hack, whatever. I got out of lobstering off the coast of Maine and tried selling Kirby Vacuum cleaners. The man simply can't get lower than that.

12-18-2003, 07:59 PM	#15
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Shut yer pie hole pussy!

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