Been working in tree removal and for dad's landscaping company for just over 3 months since my previous employer got bought out.

don't tell them about the second pencil

Training Video

go back into the arboriculture industry.  Learn about tree health care and make some decent money.  I have been an arborist for 20 years and there is a new wave of services being offered that are less taxing/more profitable than tree removal.  Plus––-everyone loves the man that saves their trees

I sold cars for one year.



My best advice is to run away as fast as you can from that business.



I hated every second that I did it, every second.

Coffee is for closers.

A, B, C.

A- Always

B- Be

C- Closing

Always Be Closing.

Even with shitty leads?



 

12-18 hour days. Six days a week. Very few holidays. Constantly looking over your shoulder for your own co-workers that would steal your sale in a heartbeat.


Good luck!

I love seeing this sort of BS about sales.

Ensures I'll not only always have a job in sales, but also that I'll always be way above quota.


PS to Arfcom - I know that's a quote from Glengary Glen Ross

watch Glengarry Glen Ross, multiple times....

Most important things... take every up you can, never take a deal personally, if you aren't getting anywhere with someone, turn them to another salesperson and get a fresh up.

If you are sitting around drinking coffee and smoking, you arent making a deal.

Listen to the customer, find out what they want and sell them what they want... but when they tell you they are just looking ignore that crap, everyone was looking when they bought their last car.

The guys that religiously practice the above were successful, the rest just scratched by.

Good luck, man. I did it for a year and a half (Nissan/VW/Audi).

Get ready for 50-60 hour weeks, no weekends, fucked up hours, insane customers, insane coworkers, and stress.

Wear comfortable shoes. If you're in a shirt-and-tie dealership, make sure you wear an undershirt. Hell, if you're in a golf-shirt dealership, wear an undershirt. Sweat stains don't sell cars. Make sure you look professional. Shower/shave EVERY day before work. Trim your nails every couple days. Make sure your shoes are polished. Pants clean and pressed (do you own an iron? Get one!), shirts clean and pressed (even golf shirts), wear a nice but not TOO nice watch. Timex, Casio, Bulova: good. Rolex: bad. Look like you're making honest money but not flashy about it. NO other jewelry unless it's a wedding ring. Lose any visible piercings. Subtle necklaces are ok, but they should be under your shirt at all times.

Customers are "ups". Don't EVER steal an up from another salesman. This is called skating and has often resulted in shouting matches and occasionally fistfights. It is literally money out of pocket.

Card an up during the first conversation. ALWAYS have business cards in your pocket, no matter if you're working or not. You can find ups at the bar, golf course, shooting range, whatever. Tell them to come in and see you, give them a card, and make sure you tell them to ASK FOR YOU. Someone WILL skate an up who doesn't ask for you.

Have a few kids toys, books, coloring books, whatever, stuck in a desk drawer for the kids. Small candy is good too (dum-dum pops, tootsie rolls, etc) but always check with mom and dad.

If there's a soda machine for customers, make sure you have change for it. Offer folks a piece of candy, a mint, a soda/water/tea/coffee, whatever. Make them comfortable.

Know your product inside-out. Displacement, horses, sticker pricing of every option and package... Most people don't care about the tech numbers but there is always a gearhead that will try to bust your chops.

DON'T EVER LIE. If you don't know the answer, simply leave it at, "You know, I've never been asked that before, so let me find out."

Don't be the pushy asshole. You may not move quite as many cars as number one, but you'll end up with repeat customers and referrals - and those are PURE GOLD.

If someone walks without buying, call them back the next day and thank them for their time, ask if they have any questions, and make sure they feel welcome coming back to see you for further help.

You can have a lot of fun selling cars. It can also eat your soul.

Good luck.

(Are you on salary or draw?)

My brother was a car salesman and was damn good at it. But the dumbass allowed his wife to talk him out of his 70k a year job at a Nissan dealership where he was the used car manager and open up his own lot in Tennessee to be closer to her family. It went belly up a couple of years ago during the beginning of the recession as more and more people simply defaulted on their loans to him.

Dumbass. That dealership job provided him a damn good life and he lost it all.

I'm not sure selling cars is such a great idea right this minute.

Any other options?

You get a job at a Honda dealership, especially in the used car department, be happy.

Selling cars and dealing with people is not so much the problem, it's the sleazoid people you have to work with....more than half of them will stab you in the back and buttfuck you ....in that order.

This...

I was not nearly pushy enough, and I was too honest, so I was a flop

 

I've never sold cars but I sold insurance for a couple of years.    You gotta be up front and honest, that's key.   Beyond that you have to make the person want what they are looking at.  You know, stroke their ego a little bit.    Make them FEEL, customers want that.   "When you drive around in this car...", "When you pull up to the club in this...", etc.    It's kinda cheesy, but I've seen it work.

Being a used car salesman has got to suck, no offense.   You gotta do what you gotta do though.   Might as well do it to the best of your ability, then you can feel good about it.   Check out the book "How to win friends and influence people."   It's a very good place to start.

This is true.

A New York close:       you throw your customers car keys on the roof of the dealership.  

Alot of this is what i've been making notes of for the "kind of seller" i want to be.  My thoughts are, "People on the lot because they're looking to buy soon or maybe now, no need to be pushy, just to offer direction and assistance."





 

Thats the kind of salesman I would want to deal with..

Would you rather I had posted about building rapport, opening, using open and closed probes to uncover needs and the need behind the need, supporting using relevant features and benefits, overcoming skepticism, indifference, misunderstandings and drawbacks, setting an action plan, moving forward together with a clear, complete, mutual understanding...........................?

 

haha i finally got this embed thing now.  video cracks me up every time!

I hope they don't make you watch the Joe Verde sales tapes. Ugh

I sold cars for a while about 10 years ago. I was doing internet sales before it REALLY got popular. It wasn't my cup of tea.

Know your products. This is the #1 gripe I have with car salesman. It pisses me off, makes me have to feel like a dickhead explaining what the 'EL' at the end of 'Expedition EL' means to someone who should fucking know, and looks incredibly unprofessional.

Please, more info on the Joe Verde tapes! I have seen his ads and heard of his tapes but have never seen one. He seems to have all the answers (so he says). I'm curious what he preaches in those tapes and classes.

khakis and polo's are no-no at this dealership.  You will be in slacks, you will wear a tie, your shirt will nothing below "Kenneth Cole" quality of shirts, scruff might look good on TV but it'll get your ass sent home here.  What i wore into my interview cost more than 2 months payment on my current vehicle and it's what you are expected to wear daily.

 

Ive been selling cars for ten years. started at a ford dealership and have my own used car lot now.  get a copy of 'how to sell anything to anybody' by joe girard and never miss an opportunity to sell just one more car this month. good luck dude.

Is it true you guys don't make money until a sale is made?

It has been over 10 years since I watched them, but the basic ideal was to always have something positive to say about everything. Always try to ask people questions that they can only answer yes too (nice weather right? YES, This car sure is sporty right? YES, etc) Just to get them into saying yes over and over. Stuff like that. I also remember the ABC's of closing. Always be closing. Try to get people comitted to come sit down and try to work out a deal.  I remember watching them for what seemed like an eternity. I could have prob been better at selling cars, but I was young and didn't really care.

Our dealership paid a very small salary and you got the commission on top of that. I think if you didn't sell any cars they might have been able to take away from it. I can't remember for sure. Mine deal was a little different since they had me doing internet sales. They said since I was the only one doing internet sales, they only way it would be fair is if I were paid $50/car I sold instead of the full commission. However, it was not fair since most of my deals never made it through finance and I never sold anything.(I sold like 4 or 5 cars total) Most people who filled out credit apps online were credit bandits at the time. They obviously didn't want to come in and be told "NO" to their face.

Sounds like Dobbs in Memphis

where I was at it was your commission or min wage whichever was more



I never clocked in and just sold as if you made min wage you were a fucking failure and ya need another job



It was kinda a fun job but the stupid rah rah sales meetings some places have are retarded



the smart places just say first thing in the morning top guy this weeks gets a extra $100 or this particular POS has been on the lot too long ya sell the fucker today ya get a extra 100 before the end of the week ya get 50

now motivates people not rah rah pep rallies



 

I sold used cars for awhile, and I was a sales manager for a credit card processing firm for awhile as well, heres some tips that should help you, but you're probably going to ignore them.


1) No, they don't need to think about it, they aren't fucking sold, and they aren't coming back.  Find out why they aren't sold or you're going to starve to death and live under a bridge.

2) No, he doesn't need to talk to his wife, if he cared about her opinion he would have brought her.  He isn't fucking sold, and he's not coming back.  Find out why he's not sold.

3) I know that you believe that this one is different, and that he really is sold, he just needs to consult his dog's psychologist first.  You're never going to see him again, find out why he isn't sold.

4) If someone is telling you anything other than "Where do I sign?" it means that you haven't sold them.  Maybe it's price, maybe it's features, maybe they just don't like you, but they are never going to get more sold than they are with you right in front of them.

Let me reiterate that point again.

NO ONE WILL EVER BE MORE SOLD ON YOUR PRODUCT THAN THEY ARE RIGHT NOW WHILE YOU ARE TALKING TO THEM.  THEY AREN'T GOING TO WAKE UP TOMORROW AND GO 'HEY, THAT REALLY IS A GREAT DEAL!'

You can accomplish all of the above without being a pushy asshole.  Make sure you bring up specials and a build a sense of urgency right from the start.  If the first time you say "well this is only good for today" is when they are telling you that they need to think about it, you've already lost that sale.

Nobody walks on to a car lot because they want to buy an umbrella, they are there because they want a car.  Objections are normal, if I made it through a sale without objections it worried the shit out of me, because it meant something would spring up during paperwork.  Use "I understand" a lot - "I need to think about this"  "I understand, this is a big decision, remind me again what you liked about this car?......Right, and does your car do that now?....Gotcha, and was this the color you were looking for?...Outstanding, so you needed to think about XXX then?....Well I'll tell you what, I'll need to see if I can get approval, but IF I CAN take care of XXX for you, can we do business today?

'If" closes are a powerful tool, and it will let you know if you're just spinning your wheels.  If someone says no to an if close, start extrapolating out to the ridiculous - "So if I was able to get you this car for $50/mo and have that hot brunette come blow you, could we do business today?...No? Well then what would allow us to do business today?"

If someone tells you that they're just getting quotes, I would tell them flat out that I was not in the business of giving quotes, I was in the business of selling.  I'm not going to waste their time or mine, when they are done shopping and actually ready to buy something, come see me, and I will beat anyone elses deal.  Until then, bye.

 

I threw my sales guy for a loop with this one..

I was driving home from work one day, past the local BMW dealership.  They had exactly what I was looking for in a CPO 3 series.  Turned around and looked at the car, the sticker and the sales guy came up and introduced himself.  Polite and professional and I explained I was just looking and was pressed for time and if he had any other CPO 3 series like the one I was looking at.  No was the answer and we decided to take the car for a spin.  I loved it and being pressed for time and couldn't do any paperwork.  Left with a handshake, his card and asked his work days.  I told him that I would be in the next day he was working which was two days later.

Two days later, I roll in with a deposit to a surprised face.  He actually told me he was surprised to see me and we worked out a deal.  No financing, bank check from my local branch and told him I would take delivery in two weeks due to my travel schedule.

Done deal and a surprised sales guy thinking I wasn't sold.

...i don't know what cops get paid where you live, but i don't think any down here can walk onto a parking lot and buy a 3series outright... most of them could barely do it if they were written a check for a years pay after taxes.

I serially cannot believe this has not been posted yet.

I did the same exact thing with a mattress at the local furniture store not too long ago. Wife and I were going to see a movie and stopped by to look. We knew what we wanted. Got the guys card and said we would be back a few days later. He was so excited that we came back and asked for him, he said he felt like dancing.

As did I.  Except I didn't make it quite a year.





Some people can do it, a few like to do it, but most don't make very much money doing it.  About 80% of the commissions are won by 20% of the salesman.





OP, if you aren't doing well after 3 months or so, get out and do something else.

The thing to take away from this story is how shocked the salesman was.  This *never* happens.  If you hang your hat on be-backs, you'll be broke and looking for another job before you know it.

that and CPO stands for certified pre owned.  not full retail and possibly not thte newest model year

There are lots of different way salesmen are paid.  When I was selling new Fords, we worked on what is called a Pritchard Board.  It puts you in competition with all the other salesmen, the top guy was making roughly $700 per sale, the bottom guy barely made $100 for a sale.  Its a scam.  If you're ever paid on that system, quit immediately and slap someone on the way out.  Preferably the Sales Manager.
Other places do straight commission, 20% of profit is pretty standard.
Sometimes you'll find a place that does a salary and a commission.  I sold motorcycles for awhile on $1000/mo salary and 15% commission.  
By law they have to pay you minimum wage, so if your commissions add up to less than minimum, they have to pay the minimum, and a lot of places will fire you they day they write that minimum wage check because you're clearly not making them any money.  Other than that, you usually don't make a penny unless you sell a car.
The hardest thing about selling cars is keeping a positive attitude.  Its easy to get down on the job, on the customers, on the dealership and on yourself.  This is especially true when you run into the six hundredth person who wants to play the same old games and thinks they're pulling one over on you.  Keep something in the back of your mind that makes you smile when you think about it, and think about it as you approach every customer.  
The next hardest thing is not prequalifying people.  Which is to say, deciding weather or not they can buy based on what they're driving now or what they look like.  The easiest way to be left alone on a car lot is to borrow an old POS, sag your pants, put a hat on backwards, carry a huge soda and stick a cell phone to your head.  You can walk around all day an never run into a salesman.  Try not to do that let them go because of how they look.  I once sold a $50,000 F350 to a guy who looked like he didn't have a penny.  He walked onto the lot, was barefoot and wearing nothing but overalls.  But he had a blank check in his pocket.
 

 

Good advice about not prequalifying people.



When I was 18, I helped two of my friends (brother and sister) pick out new trucks. They had just received a huge amount of money from a family trust. No, they did not look or act like typical trust fund kids. Couple of shaggy metalheads.

First dealership was a total bust, salesman utterly ignored us. One of the guys even went so far as to straight up tell us that he wasn't interested in wasting his time.



Went to another dealer and found a young sales guy who was more then willing to help. Let us test drive, went over options, colors and checked inventory for what we were looking for. He knew the product inside and out, even downsold one of the trucks to a less optioned model because my friend intended to modify it.



In the end, two cashiers checks were handed over and two brand new trucks (~$45,000 worth)were driven home. Friends made it a point to drive by the other dealership to show them to the sales guy who blew them off.
 

this is true

during the 3 months that I sold cars at a Mitsubishi dealer an older guy pulled up in a beat to shit old station wagon, it had wood paneling and everything. He was there to look at an Evo, the other salesmen quickly walked away when they saw what he pulled up in, being the newb I took the up. I sold him the car, he paid full sticker with a certified check and when I called the insurance company to get the car added to his policy I found in addition to the POS station wagon he had a new AMG Mercedes S class.

That was one of the few good experiences i had selling cars, it is a soul sucking job and the hours blow.

One other one ill give ya if a guy/gal comes walking in in a military uniform jump on that

most of the time they are back from deployment and are flush with cash wanting a new car



amazed me how many salesmen didn't know this and would ignore them as the perception is service people don't make squat





 

No flame bro, but you are starting at the WORST time of the year (October, November, December), unless they have draws, get ready to starve.