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Car salesman salary and worklife


ferguson_tom
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Hi

 

Just wondering if anyone on here are car salesmen specifically for main dealer rather than independents and would mind giving me an insight on what its like. The local ford dealership are offering a position of trainee sales exec and i am tempted to apply as its closer to home, potential to earn more (i hope) and getting bored at my current job.

 

I currently work in Business 2 business sales so have sales experience and am quite sociable and not worried about talking to new people. I am happy to put hours in and work hard i am money motivated as want to give my family the best possible life.

 

The main thing is salary, I have a baby on the way and need to be earning minimum 25k a year which is similar to what i am on now. Is this quite achievable?

What are the normal sort of basic and commission pay set ups?

What are the realistic potential earnings?

What is the possible career progression?

What are the working hours like, weekend work, overtime?

 

Sorry if the questions seems blunt.... I would really appreciate any comments you all have obviously I know salaries are quite a sensitive subject but guideline sort of numbers would be great.

 

Many thanks in advance.

Edited by ferguson_tom
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good friend worked for ford in Leeds for 5 years.

Her Basic was 17k then commission on top when they hit their sales targets. It was hard work and long hours towards the end of the month when a car HAS to be delivered for the 31st to count. She did earn very good money most months but some months just had basic

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If you can't earn £25k selling cars you'll be no good to the dealership. The trouble with sales positions in dealerships is that they need no formal qualifications beyond having the sense not to call clients mates :yes: , so it attracts a great number of journey men. It all depend how seriously you approach things, if you can understand the simple concept that you make your own luck then go for it.

 

High commission rates don't come through selling just the cars, you need to learn to sell as full a package as possible meaning finance (dealer finance is just as good as banks), extended warranties (these are worth the paper they're written on), things like paint protectors (these are not), Gap insurance ( a near must on finance) etc etc.

 

Be cautious with Ford/Vauxhall main dealerships, some have high staff turnovers for a good reason. Manufacturers place tremendous pressure and unrealistic targets as a matter of routine and many a useless Dealer Principal has been known to chop decent staff merely to be seen to be doing something. Also the pace itself is so rapid you will almost certainly need to be flexible and be prepared to move positions within the organisation. This is something you can use to your advantage and aim for management jobs in good time. Those skills are easily transferable to other less cut throat industries.

 

It's a fun environment usually and many just like the idea of a constant supply of brand new cars as a perk. Make your own luck as I said and they'll never come looking for you when someone has to go.

 

ps. Saturdays are a must, you may even find they're open on Sundays. :blink:

Edited by Hamster
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Thanks for the advice so far everyone. I am currently working in the garage equipment industry for car and comerical vehicle workshops we import lubrication equipment from a high quality manufacturer and sell it the the installation companies who deal with the end users. I am supposidly the office manager but i only manage myself as its only me and one part time retired person in the office but we have a good turnover. Saying that i am in control of stock, purchasing, logistics, sales everything really you would expect from an importer and stockists.

 

I quite enjoy my job but I ideally want something closer to home for when the baby comes as an hour commute is gonna seem like a lifetime away. Also no matter how much i do or increase turnover I (and everyone else) gets fobbed off when it comes to payrises, so you start thinking whats the point in doing everything you can and starting to loose a lot of enthusiasm for it especially when you know the money the company is making.

 

 

I am applying for a lot of things B2B sales, purchasing managers, logistics, sales this just come up and thought would be a new challenging experience and make some good money at the same time.

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Do you like your job (putting aside the lack of money)?

Are you good at your job?

Would you stay for more money?

 

If the answer to all is yes then have you sold yourself to your boss? Have you had that discussion along the lines of "this is how good I am and this is why I deserve more money"? If not then try it. If you have and it didn't work then perhaps you aren't a very good salesman!

 

An hour commute each way isn't bad. A lot of us put up with a lot more.

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I know a guy that left the freight industry and went to work as a salesman for a car dealership and now he is back in freight sales. He said that it was an interesting experience and that their sales training courses taught him a lot about sales psychology and people, but that the car industry wasn't for him.

 

It is a very cut throat industry and you are under constant pressure. I wouldn't trade a job I enjoyed for that kind of pressure. I would also think that the extra hour a day travelling is better than working weekends.

 

Take AVBs advice, build a case and call a meeting with your boss. If it is just the travelling why not suggest changing your hours to an earlier or later start and finish to miss the rush hour traffic?

 

I changed job once, went to work for a terrible company and it took me three years to get back to where I was financially. The grass really isn't greener on the other side.

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Do you like your job (putting aside the lack of money)?

Are you good at your job?

Would you stay for more money?

 

If the answer to all is yes then have you sold yourself to your boss? Have you had that discussion along the lines of "this is how good I am and this is why I deserve more money"? If not then try it. If you have and it didn't work then perhaps you aren't a very good salesman!

 

An hour commute each way isn't bad. A lot of us put up with a lot more.

 

Yes, yes, and yes. The problem is the boss is tight as in walking around tescos at night for the 10p bargains sort of person. Its not just me but the whole team including the reps, our turnover has actually increase over the downturn so we cant be doing too bad. The only time you do get to talk about pay rise is about the same time you put a resignation letter on his desk. :/

 

I just want to add I know people who do not have jobs and are struggling and i do sympathise, if my company was in a position where it was struggling to keep a float I would do my up most to help it out and work extra hours etc, the hours commute is not too bad either but the thing that annoys me is the greed of the boss who is only building up his bank balance and not showing any appreciation for the hard work we put in. And then totally fobs us all of when it comes to asking for a small slice of the pie.

 

By sound of it the car sales would not be a good move then as you say job security is the most important.

Edited by ferguson_tom
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Yes, yes, and yes. The problem is the boss is tight as in walking around tescos at night for the 10p bargains sort of person. Its not just me but the whole team including the reps, our turnover has actually increase over the downturn so we cant be doing too bad. The only time you do get to talk about pay rise is about the same time you put a resignation letter on his desk. :/

 

I just want to add I know people who do not have jobs and are struggling and i do sympathise, if my company was in a position where it was struggling to keep a float I would do my up most to help it out and work extra hours etc, the hours commute is not too bad either but the thing that annoys me is the greed of the boss who is only building up his bank balance and not showing any appreciation for the hard work we put in. And then totally fobs us all of when it comes to asking for a small slice of the pie.

 

By sound of it the car sales would not be a good move then as you say job security is the most important.

The problem is that you have it in your head that you won't get a rise and you go cap in hand to your boss saying "please sir can I have some more sir". The reason where your boss has got where he is is because he doesn't pay out unless he has to. Nothing about fairness just that he has a hard edge about him. So work out your strategy, then go in and front up to him. Tell him this is why you want a rise and leave him with the impression that if he doesn't give one you will take up one of the many (virtual) offers you have on your plate. Bluff him out. what have you got to lose

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I know a guy that left the freight industry and went to work as a salesman for a car dealership and now he is back in freight sales. He said that it was an interesting experience and that their sales training courses taught him a lot about sales psychology and people, but that the car industry wasn't for him.

 

It is a very cut throat industry and you are under constant pressure. I wouldn't trade a job I enjoyed for that kind of pressure. I would also think that the extra hour a day travelling is better than working weekends.

 

Take AVBs advice, build a case and call a meeting with your boss. If it is just the travelling why not suggest changing your hours to an earlier or later start and finish to miss the rush hour traffic?

 

I changed job once, went to work for a terrible company and it took me three years to get back to where I was financially. The grass really isn't greener on the other side.

 

 

Thats the best reason, take it from someone that used to do saturdays and sundays on a rota (more on than off)

 

:shaun:

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The problem is that you have it in your head that you won't get a rise and you go cap in hand to your boss saying "please sir can I have some more sir". The reason where your boss has got where he is is because he doesn't pay out unless he has to. Nothing about fairness just that he has a hard edge about him. So work out your strategy, then go in and front up to him. Tell him this is why you want a rise and leave him with the impression that if he doesn't give one you will take up one of the many (virtual) offers you have on your plate. Bluff him out. what have you got to lose

but then you back yourself into a corner with the threat of give me a rise or i leave

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People have tried the give me a payrise or a i will leave thing before with him and he has called there bluff and they have had to walk out, he is not worried about telling someone to walk if they back him into a corner as he does not tolerate it evem if they are the best person in the world at a job.

 

The last time i got a raise I did have another offer on the table and to be honest i only used that as leverage for him to actually open his ears and take notice not use it to threaten him of me leaving, i got my rise through explaining what I have done for the company and improved things etc and more responsibility i have taken on and it worked. Just shouldnt have to go through all the finding another job thing to get him to listen.

 

Anyway thanks everyone for all the advice on the car salesman i think it is a career i will stay away from especially as working weekends, i struggle to get enough shooting in as it is :good:

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The problem is that you have it in your head that you won't get a rise and you go cap in hand to your boss saying "please sir can I have some more sir". The reason where your boss has got where he is is because he doesn't pay out unless he has to. Nothing about fairness just that he has a hard edge about him. So work out your strategy, then go in and front up to him. Tell him this is why you want a rise and leave him with the impression that if he doesn't give one you will take up one of the many (virtual) offers you have on your plate. Bluff him out. what have you got to lose

 

No one is indispensable. When I was in my twenties I tried to blag a pay rise, it doesn't wash.

 

Another tack would be to explain your family situation, explain that you need more money but agree a promotion by taking on more responsibility. This would have to be measurable to avoid any misunderstanding over effort put in against reward. From a bosses point of view it would be a tricky one to knock back if this meant that the company made even more money. I would happily pay a sales person an open ended commission if it encouraged him to make more money for the company.

 

Whilst I was employed, I took every opportunity I could to get promotion and made it my business to know every job in the company. I suggest that if you don't already do that, then you are missing a page in your corporate bottom kissing manual. I went into work once on Christmas day, just to check up on some shipments coming in from the USA.(obviously I took the opportunity to c.c my boss on the email so he knew that I was in :) ) I treated his business like it was my business. (a cliche, I know)

 

When I started my own company I found the transition from employee to self employed "boss" easy because I already took it that seriously.

 

Good luck with it all :good:

Edited by ME
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Hi,

I used to sell car for 8 years for Nissan then Renault. It can be a good job with good pay, but hours are murder. Try and get a good franchise like ford or Vauxhall that sell plenty of cars and make sure you get into used cars (more money and faster invoicing). Also try and work for a smaller firm as less target based, going into the likes of the big firms is so obsessed with numbers and brain washing and not the person. If you find you can talk to people easily and can show enthusiasm then try it.

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Is it the Bedford Ford dealer on Ampthill road? We brought a new S Max from them last year, seemed ok but higher pressure salesmen than the Seat dealer in Letchworth, in saying that found these guys tend to move around from dealer to dealer, if you do decide to go for it, good luck, then you can do us a good deal when we change the car next year !!

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The big thing with selling cars is the make of cars they are selling. The dealerships with vacancies usually have a less popular make thats hard to shift. Cryslers etc The people already in the trade won't go there. You won't find many Hyundai dealers trying to recruit salesmen.

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