There is no question that there are positives and negatives about every career, but most people have no idea how good the life of a car salesman can be unless they have experienced it firsthand. People come and go in the car business because they are lured by the opportunities to make big money and they think that selling cars is easy. I am not going to tell you that selling cars is easy, because its not. In fact it’s a hard job, but there are many other jobs out there that require you to work much harder and earn much less money.
Loads of Fun in the Life of a Car Salesman
I have said it many times throughout this car salesman website and I will say it again “selling cars is fun”. It’s not so much fun when you’re not selling cars, but that’s one of the negatives about the life of a car salesman. However that’s rare if you are serious about the car business. Closing the sale is fun all by itself not to mention the feeling of accomplishment as I wrote in the car salesman drug. A car salesman’s life is full of joking, kidding, laughing at customers and harassing each other. There is more than enough friendly competition to go around which can be very motivating at times.
The life of a car salesman is also about building relationships. Relationships that can last a lifetime even if you don’t work at the same dealership in the future. There is something about being a car salesman that creates a bond with those in the business because of the negative associations about the car sales profession. Some outsiders might call it “honor among thieves” which is OK for us to say, but not the general public to say. When you are a car guy or car girl you have thick skin and know how valuable and marketable you are as a car salesman. In fact a good car salesman can find work anywhere there are cars to be sold in the world.
Money and the Rewarding Life of a Car Salesman
How many jobs are there where you can increase your monthly income with a few words and a pen. One the great things about the life of a car salesman is the ability to control your earnings. Since the car salesman earns his or her keep on a commission basis you can sell as many cars as you want and earn as much as you want. I couldn’t imagine having your earning potential locked in every month without any chance of making more money unless you get paid overtime.
For many people it takes several months or even a year to get comfortable enough with the car business to the point where they can earn a six-figure car salesman income. However I have known many people that have achieved that level of income in a few months including myself. There is nothing like getting compensated for your skills, abilities and desire to succeed like the life of a car salesman.
Want to make even more? Being a successful car salesman can lead to more opportunities if you are so inclined. You can set your sights on Finance Manager, Sales Manager, Used Car Manager and even General Sales Manager if you are interested in making more money and climbing the ladder. There are also opportunities with many of the different vendors that service the auto industry for a top car salesman. The auto industry is what I consider to be one of the best industries for making big money, but it all starts with living the life of a car salesman.
Warnings About the Life of a Car Salesman
OK, enough about all that good stuff and the routine stuff that comes with the life of a car salesman. It’s time to caution you and warn you about some of the things that sour people on the car sales life. Regardless of how great I think being car salesman can be there are some things that you should know before you embark on the life of a car salesman.
Customer Warnings for the Car Salesman: Most of the potential car buyers that you will meet while performing your duties as a car salesman will be very nice and respectful, but they will lie to you. They will look you in the eye and tell a lie about why they are not buying today. They will do their best to sell you on why they are not buying even though you may be the reason they are not buying. Which brings me to one of my favorite sayings about the life of a car salesman “Two people meet and one gets sold” which addresses the previous sentence. Customers will also ask for your business card and tell you that they are coming back when they know they are not. They can be very convincing, but they wont be-back. Buyers are liars.
The customers you happen to sell that allow you to make a big juicy commission will think you are the best car salesman that ever walked the earth and the customer that you negotiated with for hours and sold them a car behind net will think you made thousands off them and give you a CSI bad survey. I’m sure it won’t happen too often, but customers will lie to you, abuse you, cuss you out and call you a crook. It’s not pretty, but you wanted to know about the life of a car salesman.
Management Warnings for the Car Salesman: Listen closely not all car dealerships are created equal. In fact they can be as different as night and day and the life of a car salesman can be miserable if you are selling cars at the wrong dealership. Most car dealerships are well-managed businesses, but there are a few bad apples out there. If you are serious being a car salesman and you find yourself at one of those dealerships just change dealerships until you find a home. Don’t call it quits and give car sales a bad name just because of a bad dealership.
Even after you find a good dealership to start your life as a car salesman you are bound to experience moments that make you think twice about your choice of professions, but they will pass and be less frequent once you understand the business. Occasionally you may suffer from brain damage by a sales manager, but if you become a top car salesman you will earn their respect and learn what not to do avoid those moments. Also did I mention that you can lose half a deal for any number of reasons depending the rules by which your dealership operates.
Competition and Selling Cars: Most car dealerships have an open floor which means that Fresh Ups are fair game and whoever gets the customer first gets the customer unless they ask for a salesman by name and even then you can get skated. The life of a car salesman can include some brutal competition when the dealership has a full staff and especially for the Green Peas (newbies). However once you get your feet wet and earn the respect of your coworkers it will become less of a problem to sell as many cars as you desire.
Another thing to watch out for when selling cars is being skated by other salespeople. The term “skating” means one salesman deceptively taking another car salesman’s customer. This can happen on your day off or while you are with another customer. Obviously car salesmen frown on the practice of skating, but if management turns a deaf ear on such issues it can be a problem in a car salesman’s life. However most dealerships will not tolerate this unethical behavior, but you will need to prove that you have been skated.
Do You Want the Life of a Car Salesman?
This article wasn’t meant to cover everything about being a car salesman, but rather an overview. Selling cars is not for everyone and I’m glad its not. If everyone could do it car dealerships wouldn’t be willing to pay us car sales professionals the big bucks. If you were thinking about a career as a car salesman don’t do it half-assed. Give it your all and you are welcome to join our ranks, but if you can’t give 110% don’t bother. If you are thinking about trying to sell cars and you have a wait and see attitude about the life of a car salesman go find another profession because you probably won’t make it 90 days. Beside we don’t need another Green Pea or Newbie coming on to the floor and wasting our Ups.
You can find plenty of car salesmen tips and articles that will help you have the interesting, fun and lucrative life of a car salesman right here on this website. As we say at the dealership “This is the place, today is the day and you are the one so lets have some fun and sell some cars”.
Back to Part 1 – The Life of a Car Salesman
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