[Closed] Selling Cars for a living...?

Depends a lot on the type tbh. Main dealer, car supermarket or slummy used cars with bunting and “we specialise in finance for zero credit scores”
Or somewhere in between ?

Main Dealer nealglover

They're specifically recruiting people from outside the trade too, which I can understand...

Don't tar small dealers - we've had good service from two local companies, and it was the car in the end that won between them - absolutely no sales push, but they were really helpful at the point we'd looked and started asking questions. They then went the extra mile to ensure everything was so easy our side when we picked up my sons car last month. We paid the deposit on the day, then were happy to wait 7-10 days for the transfer (son had a baby bond due).

If you don't push people, but be available, and know a bit about cars, you should be OK. Depends upon what targets are being set by the company.

Is that 10hrs a day working, or 9hrs a day looking busy until a customer appears?

If you have nothing else on the go then why not try it anyway, if you don’t like it at least it might give you some direction going forward, I was self employed for a few years and went back to being employed, I still find it quite relaxing knowing I’m going to get paid on Friday tbh

Not a job I could do. It would be difficult not murdering the others after listening to their shit for 10hrs a day.

Is that 10hrs a day working, or 9hrs a day looking busy until a customer appears?

There speaks a guy who's never worked in Sales.

I'd say OP if you owned our own business then you'd know how to work this job.  When I started my Sales career I was given the advice to treat it as my own business, that my target was essentially keeping the lights on and staff employed, in excess of my target was growing my business yet any lower than target and my business is going bust - but you'd know that.

Its the usual risk and reward in Sales, with hard work, plenty of disappointment and a roller coaster ride, you need a thick skin for arsehole customers and arsehole managers, a skill for spotting time wasters yet at the same time providing an exemplary service with a smile on your face and a will/skill to sell.

I have heard that Car sales is one of the hardest parts of the sales industry though due to the number of tyre kickers attracted to shiny things.   My local BMW guy - happy in his job - told me he gets a £20k base, up to £60k OTE although that was uncapped, 2-3 trips to Munich and a new Beemer to drive every month.  If you have something like that and can work the role, why not try it for a bit.

The reason why they want to recruit from outside the industry is that most salespeople pick up bad habits, and the big companies like to take sales staff on that they can fully control and mold to their own sales processes.

If you are the kind of person that likes to make decisions and have opinions franchised dealers (especially the big groups) are probably not for you, but if you love dealing with the public, learning processes, administration and being directed then you probably find the job fulfilling.

If l was going for a sales role today l would ask detailed questions about the pay plan, because unlike years back when you would basically get paid for every car you sell, you now have pay plans that are heavily biased on achievement of key targets, volume of sales , vehicle profit per unit, finance per unit , insurance per unit, customer satisfaction, customer renewals (getting existing finance customers into new cars) and whatever else is the flavour of the month like old cars or specific units they want to get rid of for whatever reason.

To earn £40,000 P.A in a franchise dealer would mean hitting target, depending what you sell that could be anything from 130-180 cars per year. To earn more than that would mean you are overachieving on target which is (in motor trade speak) the golden nugget! That is hard and only 20% of the sales team achieve money like that. In my experience they are people that have either been working in the dealership for years or very good at selling (but can be a bit of a nightmare with admin and basically anything that comes after the sale!)

Some of the best car sales people l have worked with came from the armed forces, general retail, police, or the dealerships own departments such as service reception.

Its a people job first and foremost, if you are a car nut fine but you really don't need to be, just good with people, good with admin and take pride in your work.

good luck!

Well I couldn't work for a main agent, I think my key is to enjoy the work I do, maybe that's why you went on to own your own bike shop?
Maybe back stabbing your colleges, attending meetings where you are told to sell more & the targets move every time you get near them & then selling your sole for a few quid is for you, but I doubt you would get any satisfaction from it.

Cheers.

Plenty of tyre kickers about - saw one family getting a flash 'Jag' but were waiting for the 'finance' deal the family had arranged their own to come through - the guys at the garage were really good with them despite the lack of finance commission.

We were cash buyers but explained the money wasn't due in the bank for 7-10 days - the garage were great. My son had a good budget for his first car though - £7k.. The Jag was at least double that though.

Is that 10hrs a day working, or 9hrs a day looking busy until a customer appears?

There speaks a guy who’s never worked in Sales.

My thoughts entirely... Contrary to the public's beliefs, sales don't just "happen"... Well, OK, sometimes they do, but most of the time there's a long pipeline of prospects, and working on them over time, and understanding what makes those potential customers tick etc. and how and why and when they are likely to buy from you...

Its the usual risk and reward in Sales, with hard work, plenty of disappointment and a roller coaster ride, you need a thick skin for arsehole customers and arsehole managers, a skill for spotting time wasters yet at the same time providing an exemplary service with a smile on your face and a will/skill to sell.

Yeah that's the bit I'm already pretty comfortable with... At least face to face.

I have heard that Car sales is one of the hardest parts of the sales industry though due to the number of tyre kickers attracted to shiny things. My local BMW guy – happy in his job – told me he gets a £20k base, up to £60k OTE although that was uncapped, 2-3 trips to Munich and a new Beemer to drive every month. If you have something like that and can work the role, why not try it for a bit.

This basic is nothing like that even, but uncapped potential earnings. I couldn't care less about cars these days, would rather opt out of a company car unless the GF can actually use it day to day (I'd walk or cycle to work as it's only just over half a mile each way). But yeah, thinking I may try it given the opportunity.

The reason why they want to recruit from outside the industry is that most salespeople pick up bad habits, and the big companies like to take sales staff on that they can fully control and mold to their own sales processes.

Precisely the reason when I had my shop I wouldn't recruit people from inside the bike industry! I wanted fresh faces and people who were prepared to learn how to do things my (well the business') way, rather than who thought they already knew better. So I totally get it.

Its a people job first and foremost, if you are a car nut fine but you really don’t need to be, just good with people, good with admin and take pride in your work.

I'm (generally) a people person, or at least I like to think I am. I'll admit to having been tested a few times, but I maintain my calm in public at least even when tested. It's not classic Porsches/Ferraris/BMWs or anything interesting, so whilst I am a car nut, at the same time I'm not if that makes sense... The cars I'd be selling are white goods to me, no interest whatsoever, that said I don't see that as being important in the greater scheme of things. After all, 95% of the bikes I sold in my shop didn't really excite me per se, but putting smiles on customers faces did...

Well I couldn’t work for a main agent, I think my key is to enjoy the work I do, maybe that’s why you went on to own your own bike shop?

Yes mate, but you're in your job for the long haul... I was in my shop for the supposed long haul. 4 great years followed by 2 bad ones, and the realisation things weren't going to get better any time in the near future, I decided to close it rather than let it go bust in 12-18 months time. For now, I'm looking for something I can do easily enough that pays me well. I'm not looking for a long term career necessarily.

So sell motorbikes then, the key is to have an interest, or the customer will more than likely know it & treat you appropriately, no fun for either of you.

PS, I have only been in the job for 33 years, still love it some times 😉

So sell motorbikes then

Have certainly thought about that. Have applied to the new Ducati dealership that is now only 5 months late opening here in Worcester! They don't need anyone yet curiously enough... A LOT less money in selling motorbikes though...

I can feign enough of an interest in cars for the customer not to see through it, I promise. Knowing more about them and how they work than most of the guys working on them of course will help. Modern cars are just a white good to me, I don't get the "keeping up with the Jones'" mentality at all... But I'm happy to pander to those that want to buy into it. For a while at least!

You’re missing the point, money is one thing but job satisfaction is another, if you can combine both than you have half a chance, I know you said it’s not a long term thing but you need to be happy unless you have another option in the pipeline.

Have a fair few friends in the car trade, one owning his own shop that does very well, the other was previously in car sales, left the business for three years then returned.
At the start of friends return he hated it, took time to learn the sales role again, so his bring home for the first few months was poor. He now earns in excess of £55k per year, but does work most weekends, even when he has days off, if a customer has booked in a collection he will go in. He aims at 15 sales per month.

No direct experience of the motor trade, but it sounds like a good opportunity to try out both a new role and a new industry (and see if you might fancy doing something else in it).

You’re missing the point, money is one thing but job satisfaction is another

I'm not, I'm really not... Selling a motorbike that I'm not particularly interested in, is not very different to selling a car I'm not particularly interested in, to selling a bicycle I'm not particularly interested in! The different being that 1 in 10 bikes in my shop was a reasonably exciting bike maybe, and maybe 1 in 20 motorbikes I could be selling might be interesting enough too. The car role has less potential for interest for certain, but far greater earning potential. Most of the satisfaction in running the bike shop was from satisfying the customers, getting a sale, and being able to own/run nice bikes myself. This potential car sales role would still offer the customer satisfaction side of things, the thrill of selling something too. Only I could actually get paid some decent money for it! The products would just be a means to an end per se...

I know you said it’s not a long term thing but you need to be happy unless you have another option in the pipeline.

I do have other options in the pipeline... I just fancy the idea of being able to pay a chunk of my mortgage off in 18 months when it's up for renewal too... This car sales role has the potential to lead to that possibly.

I'm crap at typing, I'll give you a call tomorrow.

Take a look on "pistonheads" ask a car dealer anything thread. A long read but you will pick up a lot on how the industry works and how they make money from finance deals etc.

I’m crap at typing, I’ll give you a call tomorrow.

Cheers mate, was gonna give you a shout over the weekend anyway...

I'm out on my IAM check ride in the morning, will be free from about 12 onwards I think.

you will pick up a lot on how the industry works and how they make money from finance deals etc.

Cheers, but kinda already 1 step ahead of you. Know how it all works, the good thing is that you don't need to push finance these days anyway as according to mates that work in the car trade, 80%+ buy on PCP now anyway without even questioning it...

The big money these days is in the add-ons, not specifically just optional extras, but things like paint protection, service plans etc. Roll it all into the PCP deal and the customer won't notice the few quid extra per month and you double your commission kinda thing!

Mark, give me a shout mate and I’ll give you the honest low down.  I spent a number of years working my way from salesman through to business manager then sales manager within dealerships.  To move on to motor trade finance and obviously where I am now.   In fact I think I will have spent 20 years in the trade next year.  Albeit have been out of retail for 12 I still offer support and advice to OEM’s around dealerships, retail activity etc.

It’s a tough industry and one that can be somewhat of a career cul de sac, but can also be rewarding.  One thing I’ll say is ignore the OTE you have been quoted and think long and hard about the hours.  Not just at this dealership.  You tend to find you will move around dealerships quickly if you make a bit of a local name for yourself (it’s fast paced) so whilst this one maybe 5 days now, the next may be 6... I worked at a Ford dealerships for a while where the hours were 9-7 6 days a week.  During busier or tougher months myself and my colleagues would often work 7 days a week.  Think long and hard, happy to sit down over a beer/coffee and give you any honest answers you may need to questions you have.

A mate of mine did car sales for 10-15 years. I think he liked it to an extent. He always worked main dealer in small dealerships. He was always saying that the ‘boss’ was a d!ck. He always worked 6 days a week and long ish days.

He started at Jeep, eventually went to Ford as they tempted him with high bonus payments. He hated the intensity there. Ended up at BMW, always brought home a nice car but targets were hard, and he wasted much time on tyre kickers.

He then got offered a job in sales for robotic demolition equipment and loves it, it made him realise how awful the car sales industry had been

You haven't got a job, you need one- go for it. If its crap you can quit or jump ship to the Ducati dealership when that opens.

My varied ‘career’ experience to date has included sales, from yachts, to outboard engines to IT and consumer services and concepts, b2b and end user. What I found important to me and therefore the most influential factor as to my success was my belief and faith in the product or service I was promoting.

YMMV

Do it but...

The automotive industry is really changing. Not just moving over to electric vehicles (which is a legal requirement) but also to different business models.

Sales are under pressure and the prospects don’t look great long term as young people get their licenses later and later reducing the pool of drivers and the future pool of drivers. The only cohort driving more than previously are the over 60s. This is fantastic news for the environment but a headache for an industry that thought it was on a permanent growth curve. What does it do to change? There are loads of experiments with subscription motoring, car clubs and flexible hire plus the investment in driverless and also dabbling in e-bikes and other ‘mobility solutions’.

If I were you I would make the most of it (I know what a steady wage is like after self-employment!) but be looking for the next thing - or specialising in something that will grow in the medium term like EVs.

Mboy,

Go for it.

Agree that the long term prospects for the industry are grim, and worse still for franchised dealers.

But, for a couple of years, with your background, you'll ace it.

Have a friend who used to sell retail and B2B for a VW franchise. She quit to run her own business (which is now flying). She had no interest in cars, but was still one of the better sales people because she was a natural. It was that part of the work that she enjoyed, and kept her motivated and confident enough to run her own business.

All the disciplines you have from your business will give you a leg up here.

As above though, watch the hours. To get to decent earnings, expect to have to work more than the odd 6 (or 7) day week each month.

This can kill time for biking, especially in winter, so do consider how much you value your bike time.

PS might be worth Googling the franchise (assuming it's a franchise and not a direct manufacturer site) just to make sure they are not one of the ones on the chopping block

Inchcape closure rumours

The industry is changing, as is every industry seems from where is sit.  But In my experience not as others would expect you to believe. First off EV’s represent an incredibly small sector of the market, in fact not even the fastest growing fuel type.  Which is petrol!  Regardless of fuel type it’s still a car, so has all the challenges facing other vehicle sales.  The retail environment is changing but longer term prospects will still involve some form of dealer network.  There are countless OEM’s who’s top priorities are supporting their dealer networks, in fact I’m involved in a number of projects to aid this.  With advancements in data flow and technology things are getting easier for dealers.  What’s really challenging them is government policy, Slowing economies etc.

In terms of changing ownership models (to usership from ownership) again the industry is evolving, used cars will be sold the same as new.  With PCH offered on reconditioned vehicles.  Arguably this is more profitable for the whole supply chain as subscriptions over a vehicle life span generates more revenue than initial cash purchase.   Anyway, I find it interesting to hear people’s thoughts as this is my day to day job nowadays, so outside views of how things are progressing present differently to the industries.

like I say Mark, fancy a brew or a beer to chat it through and the long term prospects you know where I am mate.

Sounds perfect for you.
Just go for it.