Dealership Careers?

Since car sales seem to be booming these days I'm wondering what its like for 1) salespeople and 2) service advisors. I've heard there's big money to be had on the sales side especially with trucks so popular and so expensive. There's always job openings too. Good time to get in or is it still a crappy job? Also, what background does a service advisor need. Some of the ones I've met don't seem to know much about the mechanical side of the cars.

I've had an interest in cars for years. Not modding, but keeping up with current trends and technology. I think I have more product knowledge than some of the sales people out there - not exaggerating, that's from personal experience as a buyer/customer.

Well..salespeople aren't there to tell you about the technical aspects of the car, they're there to tell you how great you would look in it in your fantasy scenario, and how it works with your lifestyle etc. Not many salespeople stick to product knowledge as their main competency, it's mostly knowing how to appeal to peoples' emotions.

-- essentially BS'ing their way to a commission.

Kevin08 said:

Well..salespeople aren't there to tell you about the technical aspects of the car, they're there to tell you how great you would look in it in your fantasy scenario, and how it works with your lifestyle etc. Not many salespeople stick to product knowledge as their main competency, it's mostly knowing how to appeal to peoples' emotions.

-- essentially BS'ing their way to a commission.

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I'm not sure if you've ever been in car sales or commission sales but from your post it seems like you've only seen or experienced terrible sales people. I know exactly the type of people you talk about and they are a few out there and unfortunately those are the people that get talked about all the time and not the others who are actually there to help people. Those "sales people" that BS their way to a commission don't last very long at a dealership. They never quit sales but they jump from dealership to dealership pissing off customers or get fired. People that succeed in sales know how to figure out what the customer needs and find the right vehicle for them. Building a customer base and getting referrals through good service is the best way to make a living in sales.

Product knowledge is essential to selling anything. Thanks to the internet you won't be able to sell without knowing your product. I work for a Ford dealership and anyone starting out needs to go through a pretty long certification before being able to sell cars. Customers nowadays are smart and a lot more informed that they wouldn't buy a car from someone that doesn't know a think about the car. Sure there are a couple out there that will fall for those old sales tricks but if you only cater to those types of customers you'd only sell a few cars a month and with the profit margin in cars these days that's not enough to make a living.

[MENTION=11524]Kevin08[/MENTION]
Yes car sales are booming but for a reason. People are more confident in buying because dealerships are now turning into volume stores. Their prices are more competitive to earn your business thanks to third parties that tell you what a good deal on a car is. There's so much resource for customers online that it wouldn't make sense for a dealership to mark up their cars when the invoice is online. It's great because you get to sell more cars but there's not a lot of room to make profit. You also need to be knowledgeable about all the cars in any particular dealership you work for. For example if you work for Ford you'd need to be able to tell the difference between a Fusion S SE and Titanium, Gas, Hybrid, Energi as well as the different size engines and the different packages within those trim levels.

If you're really considering sales another thing to consider is the amount of time you'd be spending in the dealership. It requires long hours and also sometimes needing to come in during your days off. Depending on the dealership you might lose your weekends as well. You're also responsible for every customer you've sold a car to as well as your prospects. That means calling people daily to either check up on the car they purchased or just following up. Most importantly is the CSI which is a survey or basically your report card. Some dealerships have this tied to their pay plan. If you keep getting terrible surveys from your customer you pretty much need to start looking for a new job soon.

If you can look past all of that being in sales is a very rewarding job. Of course there are good times and bad times. You'll learn a lot of things and meet some pretty cool people along the way.

My salesman did not follow up with me by phone after the sale. I got the standard email but it didn't look like a personalized one. Then some months later when I was in for service I told them who my guy was and they said he wasn't there anymore. The turnover is tremendous. I could never understand someone not following up, that's a no brainer.

Prior to the purchase, I went to another local dealer to shop there when the '15s first began arriving. An older gentleman (salesman) approached me...they didn't have any '15s available but he took my phone number to call me when they came in - and I never heard from him again.

Also I've noticed that in many cases the salespeople don't actually close the sale anymore - they have someone else enter the discussion.

15Pony said:

My salesman did not follow up with me by phone after the sale. I got the standard email but it didn't look like a personalized one. Then some months later when I was in for service I told them who my guy was and they said he wasn't there anymore. The turnover is tremendous. I could never understand someone not following up, that's a no brainer.

Prior to the purchase, I went to another local dealer to shop there when the '15s first began arriving. An older gentleman (salesman) approached me...they didn't have any '15s available but he took my phone number to call me when they came in - and I never heard from him again.

Also I've noticed that in many cases the salespeople don't actually close the sale anymore - they have someone else enter the discussion.

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It is a big turnover rate. It's not for everyone and it has a steep learning curve. But once you're no longer overwhelmed with all the information you have to learn it becomes much easier. A few dealerships who hire new sales staff with no experience in car sales have managers go in for negotiation mainly because the sales person might not be knowledgeable in the rates and incentives they're offering. Also new sales people are too afraid to ask for business or at least aren't comfortable in doing so. If you really want to get into sales choose a brand that you're already familiar with and it would be even better if you already own one from that brand. It's a lot easier to sell something when you believe in the product. And since you've already experienced what not to do in sales you should be alright.