Starting out as a new car salesman or car saleswoman can be overwhelming so I put together these 10 tips for the rookie car salesman. Whether the dealership provides training or not these tips will help put you on the right track. You have so much to learn when you start your car sales career that it’s hard to keep it all straight. Not only do you have to learn about selling cars, but you also need to learn about the dealership where you will be working and their processes.
Every car dealership does things a little differently. So you will need to learn how your dealership operates. Most of those things will be shown to you by a sales manager or a salesperson. These tips for the rookie car salesman will provide you with a solid foundation. These universal pointers will help you transition you from rookie to successful car salesman.
Tips for the Rookie Car Salesman
- Dress for Success: Look the part and at minimum dress according to the dealerships dress code. But even more important for the novice car salesperson is to be clean, pressed, odorless and shoes shined. A little cologne or perfume is fine, but don’t get crazy. Look like a professional car salesman or woman and you will be accepted accordingly. Nobody wants to do business with a car salesperson that looks like they slept in their clothes and smells like an ashtray. Common sense dictates this rookie car salesman tip.
- Learn Your Inventory: Knowing your inventory is an ongoing process. You want to know what’s in stock and what was sold. Plus you want to keep an eye on your trade-ins. When you are working with a customer and need to switch cars you need to know what you have on hand. If you have to leave your customer sitting alone while you look for a switch car you are going lose the momentum. Of these tips for the rookie car salesman, knowing your inventory is one that makes a difference when it comes to being successful car salesperson.
- Product Knowledge: Besides everything else you need to learn, you also need to learn your product. That’s right you need to know what you are selling because your customers will ask questions just to see if you know what you are talking about. Unfortunately, this takes time and you want to start selling cars now. So when you get stuck on a product question let them know that you are new and still learning the product. But never guess or lie to a customer because most customers have been on the internet and know the car better than most salespeople. Tell them you will get them the answer for them and keep going. When you have to go to the desk, then you can get the answer. But don’t run to the desk with every little question they have. People are annoyed with salespeople that keep going back and forth to the manager. In fact, that is the number one pet peeve of car buyers and one of the best tips for the rookie car salesman.
- Make Friends: Be friendly and make friends with everyone at the dealership if possible. From your fellow salespeople to the service personnel, technicians, service writers, and the office staff. Everyone knows people that buy cars when they work at a dealership. They can be a great source for referrals when you are on good terms with your coworkers. Plus service people can let you know when they have a car in service that may need to be replaced soon. When you work with friends it makes working in the car business much easier.
- Observe Everything: Look around, watch and listen to everything that goes on throughout the day. This is a very good way to see how the dealership operates. Watch and listen without being rude or creepy. You can learn a lot by observing the day to day operations at a dealership. Plus you should keep your eye on the top salespeople and see how they operate. Watch the body language between salespeople and customers and it will help you be a better car salesman.
- Learn Your CRM: The CRM or Customer Relationship Management tool is a must when it comes to selling cars. This tool will help you follow up with customers, work with Internet customers and maintain a relationship for future business. Learn his tool inside and out and it will pay you back well. The better you know your CRM the better it will serve you. These tips for the rookie car salesman is essential to success.
- Don’t Talk Trash: When you are working with a customer and they mention another dealership never trash talk the other dealership. This is one of the quickest ways to lose a customer. You don’t know if they bought their last car there or have a friend that works there so don’t bad mouth the competition. People are typically turned off when car salespeople start talking trash and soon they will tell that they will be-back, but they won’t. DON’T DO IT EVER.
- Listen Closely: Listen to your customer closely. Most customers will tell you how to sell them a car if you listen closely. They might not come out and say it word for word, but they will tell you if you are listening. Ask questions and then shut up and listen. I have seen many salespeople talk themselves right out of a sale because they kept talking. Listen to what they say and use it to sell them a car and close the deal.
- Be-Backs: You will work with customers and they will tell you that they will be back. But they won’t be back, that is what they say so they can leave without buying a car. We call these customers Be-Backs. Don’t believe them because you will be disappointed. Customers do come back from time to time, but it’s rare. It may sound cynical but people will tell you that they will be-back just to leave. Use these experiences to learn because it’s very likely that you turned them into a Be-Back. Try to recall the time you spent with them and what you did or said that made them decide to leave before you sold them a car. This is an excellent learning experience and one of the best tips for the rookie car salesman.
- Give It TIme: This is probably one of the most important tips for the rookie car salesman. Don’t give up too soon. Obviously selling cars for a living is not for everyone, but you must give it sufficient time before you decide if being a car salesman is for you. I have always said that you must give it a minimum of 90 days before you make that decision. The car business is not like any other business and it takes time to learn and adjust. There is big money to be made, but you need to be committed, not just giving it a try. You won’t succeed with a “give it a try” attitude. You must commit to being a successful car salesperson and do what it takes to earn that six-figure income.
There is so much more to learn when you are a newbie car salesperson. However, these tips for the rookie car salesman will help you get started on your journey to becoming a successful car sales professional.
Later, Fresh Up on the Lot
KB
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