With all the talk of buying cars... would you become a car salesman?

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by vash

This was difficult for me to read. Sorry you went through this.

Agreed, unfortunately fulfilling the stereotype of car dealership personnel as scum.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Agreed, unfortunately fulfilling the stereotype of car dealership personnel as scum.

There's a good reason it's among the least trusted professions. Take a look at the chart and who ranks lower.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2019/01/11/americas-most-least-trusted-professions-infographic/#663acb137e94

[look 171]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Funny because Home Depot is on my list of jobs to check out.

Its all about closing the deal, not about the car. It never was.

I looked for sales jobs in my industry when I got out of college due to a very slow economy. Since I had a strong background in cabinet making and woodworking business, I thought I qualify for selling cabinet re-facing and make a living. The manager told me that you are good at what you do, this is business, its not about the product, just go close the deal and make it stick. I quit two weeks after that because I was selling customers siht. Real siht for a lot of money.

I was going to suggests Home Depot since you have plenty of knowledge in HVAC and just building stuff in general. The customers can really benefit from that and that you have great communication skills. A feel good job and get out of the house for a few hours. You can believer the stuff that come out of the mouth of some of those guys. Absolutely bad or wrong advice. I would do that just for kicks

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Retiring in May, I have a pension so don't need to make a bunch of money. Just looking for something to do with myself to keep me (and my wife) from going crazy.

What work are you retiring from? Lot's of retirees get hired back as 1099's doing essentially the same work at 20 hours a week, no benefits.

That an option?

True story:

We had a guy knock on the door of our small company in NC looking for part-time work.

He had owned a company in Florida that specialized in circuit boards and electronic "stuff". He sold the company and retired to NC. Six months in he was bored out of his mind (a common refrain).

He is amazing - the best guy ever and as knowledgeable and agreeable a person imaginable.

We pay him $35 an hour and he works as much as he wants. We work him around his vacations: He leaves on 30 March for two weeks on a European River Cruise.

We have plugged into the retired network in NC. Great talent pool.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by berettafan

A car salesman client was recently telling me the crazy discounts on new cars (he’s at a ford lot) are destroying the margins in the used market. He might make a few hundred on a sale.

That’s awful.

The money is in used cars.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Zeke

The money is in used cars.

When I was looking at selling CPO BMWs long ago, their deal was the sales person earns half of whatever profit the dealership gets from the sale. Obviously, dealers buy low and sell high. If there's a $4k spread between what they have into it and what they get for it, that'd be $2k to the sales person. No idea how much they really earn, but I would think with new cars it'd have to be some kind of flat commission per sale and then bonuses after certain numbers, since dealerships make their money on service of the new cars they sell, not selling those new cars.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

When I was looking at selling CPO BMWs long ago, their deal was the sales person earns half of whatever profit the dealership gets from the sale. Obviously, dealers buy low and sell high. If there's a $4k spread between what they have into it and what they get for it, that'd be $2k to the sales person. No idea how much they really earn, but I would think with new cars it'd have to be some kind of flat commission per sale and then bonuses after certain numbers, since dealerships make their money on service of the new cars they sell, not selling those new cars.

That's pretty much it.

[Scott Douglas]

Long time ago I applied at a dealer. Needed the work as I was a laid off aerospace guy.
When they held the 'newbie' class on selling and said 'Everyone that walks onto our lot has $800 of your money in their pocket.' I left in a hurry. Couldn't imagine working in that environment.
Did land a job at an Acura dealer. Got my license and everything. Spent a week there. What caused me to leave was the way they treated a customer that I'd been talking to for about an hour one night. He'd told me he would buy a car from me when he got back from a 2 week vacation to Europe. Didn't want a new car sitting in his garage for the duration of the trip.
So, the sales manager has his #1 sales guy come into the conversation. Real sleaze ball type of guy who sounded like a he just came out of Jersey. (Hey, no offense, I'm from NJ myself)
Anyways, they all sit down at a table and start haggling over the lease. The customer is pushing hard for no out of pocket money etc, really playing hard ball since he knows he's not buying that night no matter how good the deal is.
Next day I go in and quit. I tell the manager 'You know why you couldn't sell that guy a car last night?'
'Uh, no, why not?'
Because he's taking a two week vacation and doesn't want his new car sitting in the garage.
His jaw just dropped. 'How'd you find that out?'
I talked to him, like a human being.
What a bunch of db's.

Based on what I saw/heard, 99% of customer's haven't a clue as to how to deal with these guys.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

Anyways, they all sit down at a table and start haggling over the lease. The customer is pushing hard for no out of pocket money etc, really playing hard ball since he knows he's not buying that night no matter how good the deal is.
Next day I go in and quit. I tell the manager 'You know why you couldn't sell that guy a car last night?'
'Uh, no, why not?'
Because he's taking a two week vacation and doesn't want his new car sitting in the garage.
His jaw just dropped. 'How'd you find that out?'
I talked to him, like a human being.
What a bunch of db's.

Based on what I saw/heard, 99% of customer's haven't a clue as to how to deal with these guys.

Longtime sales guy here. The fact that that customer was even willing to sit down and try to hammer out a deal before the trip to Europe means he was ready and willing to buy, given the right deal - at the very least a reduction equal to two weeks of the lease cost. I'm not saying the gap could have been bridged that day, but until someone walks out, he's still ready to listen and deal.

I bought my current car, knowing I had three months left on the lease of my last car, telling myself and the dealer that I was just starting to look, couldn't make a move for a few more months. They paid off those three mos. of the lease as part of the deal and offered that before we even started pushing them.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

What work are you retiring from? Lot's of retirees get hired back as 1099's doing essentially the same work at 20 hours a week, no benefits.

That an option?

I'm a unicorn, a state employee working as a electronic technician at the downtown science museum.

A small chance they might subcontract me to work part time but I'm not holding my breath on that.

I have checked around at local museums but most of them are so small you have to wait for someone to die to get an opening. The USS Iowa is near me, it would be a great gig and I will check there but it is 80% volunteer workers.

I worked for ten years at the family HVAC business so I am handy with tools and hardware thus the Home Depot idea.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

When I was looking at selling CPO BMWs long ago, their deal was the sales person earns half of whatever profit the dealership gets from the sale. Obviously, dealers buy low and sell high. If there's a $4k spread between what they have into it and what they get for it, that'd be $2k to the sales person. No idea how much they really earn, but I would think with new cars it'd have to be some kind of flat commission per sale and then bonuses after certain numbers, since dealerships make their money on service of the new cars they sell, not selling those new cars.

I’ve never heard of anything remotely close to that commission structure in the car business and the commissions were a lot higher when I did it compared to now. 20% of dealer net profit was a great commission and of course the dealer massaged the numbers like crazy in their favor. I was probably making 15% if I was lucky.

The one thing that hasn’t changed is that if you are selling a “hot model” like Minis for the first few years or Priuses, you are presumably making good $$. Something that is in large supply in relation to demand, not so much.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I'm a unicorn, a state employee working as a electronic technician at the downtown science museum.

A small chance they might subcontract me to work part time but I'm not holding my breath on that.

Got it. Sounds like you are retiring from a neat job.

I just had my lower HVAC replaces yesterday - yikes!

Have you talked to any HVAC companies about a front desk/help desk job? I sure could have used someone with smarts at the front desk.

Good luck!

Retail is always an option - local auto parts store?

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I'm a unicorn, a state employee working as a electronic technician at the downtown science museum.

A small chance they might subcontract me to work part time but I'm not holding my breath on that.

I have checked around at local museums but most of them are so small you have to wait for someone to die to get an opening. The USS Iowa is near me, it would be a great gig and I will check there but it is 80% volunteer workers.

I worked for ten years at the family HVAC business so I am handy with tools and hardware thus the Home Depot idea.

Born in 57 you might qualify as a dinosaur for an exhibit!

Sorry, I had to do that.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by cabmando

Born in 57 you might qualify as a dinosaur for an exhibit!

Sorry, I had to do that.

Nothing draws a crowd like technicians repairing an exhibit, we joke that we should have a repairing an exhibit exhibit.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Nothing draws a crowd like technicians repairing an exhibit, we joke that we should have a repairing an exhibit exhibit.

"The fixer" exhibit!

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by speeder

I’ve never heard of anything remotely close to that commission structure in the car business and the commissions were a lot higher when I did it compared to now. 20% of dealer net profit was a great commission and of course the dealer massaged the numbers like crazy in their favor. I was probably making 15% if I was lucky.

The one thing that hasn’t changed is that if you are selling a “hot model” like Minis for the first few years or Priuses, you are presumably making good $$. Something that is in large supply in relation to demand, not so much.

It was 30% on used, not 50. But it did depend on the dealer and how they worked. Many if not most high volume dealers employ a "take over" technique where the "liners" or lot lizards would get an "up" to settle on a car after a test ride, etc. They would then take them into the sales office, get them something to drink and introduce them to the first of the take over sales crew. This happened in a small private office for the most part, but some dealers had a more open floor plan. Anyway, you were not crowed.

The TO guy would work you for a sale. To do this he/she would have to leave to "check with the sales manager" whenever any negotiation occurred. After maybe 3 rounds of this the so called sales manager took over. He is known as the closer. All of this means split commissions, the least amount going to the liner. Liners I worked with were pretty much minimum wage workers who needed a job desperately and get the hind tit when it comes to pay. And if it took a 3rd closer to make the deal, they would keep you even after the doors closed for the night. Many sales mangagers can be at work past midnight.

Other dealers sold straight up where the salesperson met the customer (the up) when they came on the lot, or managed to get into the showroom w/o someone "greeting" them outside. (This being in good weather.) Straight sales meant the salesperson wrote the deal from beginning to end with the SM's approval. If he/she got them to sign, it was off the the finance office. Commissions were less divided at a straight up store. High end dealers wouldn't think of running a TO shop.

[speeder]

The sales arrangement you describe has been around since cavemen roamed the earth. No salesman worth a half a schit would work in that kind of place. The places I worked, if you could not close a deal yourself, it was "hit the bricks."

Coffee is for closers.

[Scott Douglas]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Longtime sales guy here. The fact that that customer was even willing to sit down and try to hammer out a deal before the trip to Europe means he was ready and willing to buy, given the right deal - at the very least a reduction equal to two weeks of the lease cost. I'm not saying the gap could have been bridged that day, but until someone walks out, he's still ready to listen and deal.

I bought my current car, knowing I had three months left on the lease of my last car, telling myself and the dealer that I was just starting to look, couldn't make a move for a few more months. They paid off those three mos. of the lease as part of the deal and offered that before we even started pushing them.

Pretty sure that wasn't the case, Rick. He and his wife had been out to dinner, rainy night, decided to go shopping just to look. I'm sure they had fun just playing the sales guy & manager after I left the conversation.

[biosurfer1]

I worked as a detailer at dealerships through college. Mercedes, then Toyota/Honda. What a great job to learn the in's and out's of the dealer model, it was also fascinating to be in that environment but not have to deal with the negative reinforcement model they employ.

The average salesguy might average 5 cars/month and some new guy could sell 20 cars in a month and they would parade them around like gods and shower them with bonuses....until the first of the next month, then their quota was 20 cars and if you sold 19, it was "WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!? WHY DIDN'T YOU SELL 20??? YOU BETTER BE HERE FROM OPEN TO CLOSE UNTIL YOU GET BACK TO 20!!!!!!"

I basically got free lunch the entire time I worked there because I would go pick up food for the sales guy who didn't want to leave the lot, and they would buy me lunch to do it. I didn't mind, I was paid by the hour.

[jcommin]

It is not something I would do. I had family in the business, I work at the store for as year as I was between things: I have heard and seen many things - it's not for everyone.