is car sales one of the most overrated jobs around ?

[HumbleJim]

POORCARDEALER said:

stuartmmcfc said:

POORCARDEALER said:

stuartmmcfc said:

Ari said:

POORCARDEALER said:

Ari said:

-Z- said:

Nope, dental school. Although they are comparable these days

Pffft. You can become a dentist inside 10 years. Takes double that to become a car salesman. Apparently.

What an odd career choice, looking in peoples mouths all day, with the added bonus of a bad back after a few years.....

They earn a fraction of the money too apparently...

This is true,
My Sister and her husband are both private Dentists with their own practice and they're always pleading poverty.
They're only going to Barbadod once this year as apparently it's full of car salesman nowadays.

Never heard of Babadod, is it near Bradford?

If you're going to make fun of my fat fingers with their inability to press the right keys, at least spell my mistake correctly

Funnily enough I have not heard of Barbadod either, so its doubtful its the salesmans number one holiday destination choice.

Not me, I went to Elevenerife.

[TVR1]

POORCARDEALER said:

Funnily enough I have not heard of Barbadod either, so its doubtful its the salesmans number one holiday destination choice.

Nor I.

MiR space station is next quarters weekender. Not quite sure how they pulled it off but I'm booked on it. A week in Russia doing the training and then ofski.

Only 2 of us going, mind. It was a hard target but I managed to get the GAP and Paint pens. )))

[Pothole]

markmullen said:

MRPULLHARD said:

well that's not me mr mullen! and I don't believe sales people work any harder than those who work in a busy w/ shop or parts dept.

Go into your local dealer at 2pm Sunday and ask for someone in parts or the workshops, then tell me that is true.

working different hours is not working harder.

[unrepentant]

swerni said:

I've got to suffer an all expenses week in Hawaii next week.

Sometimes I hate working in sales

Funnily enough I will be over in England for a week in September visiting Goodwood and generally having a jolly at the expense of JLR. Bummer. I'll remind myself what a horrible job this sales lark is as I fire up the F-Type to drive to the airport. Unless it's raining and I have to take the Range Rover.

[anonymous-user]

swerni said:

unrepentant said:

swerni said:

I've got to suffer an all expenses week in Hawaii next week.

Sometimes I hate working in sales

Funnily enough I will be over in England for a week in September visiting Goodwood and generally having a jolly at the expense of JLR. Bummer. I'll remind myself what a horrible job this sales lark is as I fire up the F-Type to drive to the airport. Unless it's raining and I have to take the Range Rover.

It's crap isn't it.
I've only just recovered from trips to San Francisco, Vegas, Budapest and Prague.
When I get back I've for to organize Johannesburg and Dubai, luckily someone else has arranged Oktoberfest for me.

I spend more time charging the Z06 than driving it, hardly even use the Merc.

Sometimes I'm not sure how I cope

Maybe we should start a self help group?


Ps love the jag!

Are you guys actually boasting about having two cars and going on some work related trips abroad? High rollers

[OldJohnnyYen]

I can't think of anything more soul destroying than making someone else rich.

If your good at selling and have the expertise, why wouldn't you sell for yourself?

[CarlT]

OldJohnnyYen said:

I can't think of anything more soul destroying than making someone else rich.

If your good at selling and have the expertise, why wouldn't you sell for yourself?

Because the majority of people have not got the capital to invest in the first place to start up. I would love to, but don't have the capital...

[POORCARDEALER]

OldJohnnyYen said:

I can't think of anything more soul destroying than making someone else rich.

If your good at selling and have the expertise, why wouldn't you sell for yourself?

Very difficult to get enough money together and do it...I started with 2K but 25 years ago you couldnt fail with half a brain

[unrepentant]

OldJohnnyYen said:

I can't think of anything more soul destroying than making someone else rich.

If your good at selling and have the expertise, why wouldn't you sell for yourself?

Done that. Spent 10 years on the board of a plc, 10 years running my own business. Happy doing this for now, it's decent money, effectively self employed, no responsibility except for myself and my deals. Suits me well.

[Sheepshanks]

unrepentant said:

... effectively self employed, no responsibility except for myself and my deals. Suits me well.

Very different world for a US based car salesman.

I did also laugh at the trips though. OK, if you're British then getting a free trip to the UK is quite handy and it does sound more interesting than most I go on. Hawaii - pah! 24hrs of flights. I wouldn't mind but even the Americans moaned about how far it was!

[Fast Bug]

Sheepshanks said:

Very different world for a US based car salesman.

Agreed. Although my first sales manager told be to think of myself as self employed. You couldn't live off your basic, so you don't sell you don't live. I've followed the ethos through to today even though my basic is very good.

[unrepentant]

Fast Bug said:

Agreed. Although my first sales manager told be to think of myself as self employed. You couldn't live off your basic, so you don't sell you don't live. I've followed the ethos through to today even though my basic is very good.

Basic! Pah! Basics are for wimps.

[daemon]

OldJohnnyYen said:

I can't think of anything more soul destroying than making someone else rich.

If your good at selling and have the expertise, why wouldn't you sell for yourself?

I dont think there are too many out there getting "rich" at carsales. All the big chains are owned by PLC's.

Of the bulk of privately owned ones, most are making a comfortable living at best these days, but then you can make a comfortable living working for someone else too.

[daemon]

Sheepshanks said:

Fair point, but car sales-people have been saying how tough the business is,

It is.

Sheepshanks said:

and terrifying us about awful life would be without them.

Any examples of that?

[Sheepshanks]

daemon said:

Sheepshanks said:

Fair point, but car sales-people have been saying how tough the business is,

It is.

It's apparently not tough for a certain car salesman who has posted in this thread. Although he's obviously only posting to wind up the UK based salesmen.

daemon said:

Sheepshanks said:

and terrifying us about awful life would be without them.

Any examples of that?

Do I really have to trawl back through the thread? It was stuff like no test drives, no p/x, no-one to hold nervous customer's hands etc.

[Fast Bug]

unrepentant said:

Fast Bug said:

Agreed. Although my first sales manager told be to think of myself as self employed. You couldn't live off your basic, so you don't sell you don't live. I've followed the ethos through to today even though my basic is very good.

Basic! Pah! Basics are for wimps.

I like having a decent basic, makes Feb and Aug much easier! A problem you guys don't have

I've already got leasing companies telling me I can't register vehicles after next weekend

[daemon]

Sheepshanks said:

It's apparently not tough for a certain car salesman who has posted in this thread. Although he's obviously only posting to wind up the UK based salesmen.

From an entirely different continent?

I dont think anyone begrudged him big dosh if hes making it.

And thats not to say there arent people making big dosh in the motor trade, just that its tough to do so.

As has been seen, i'd say most salesmen are probably on the £25K to £30K per year, and that a lot of hours / effort for that level of return.

Sheepshanks said:

Do I really have to trawl back through the thread? It was stuff like no test drives, no p/x, no-one to hold nervous customer's hands etc.

Yeah - exactly thats their role - thats what they do. I dont think that is anyone saying though that life would be "terrible" without them - merely describing their function.

If you dont want to buy from a car showroom - dont. Simples.

But if you do (not speaking to you specically) then dont complain when it turns out the sales guy is actually getting a wage out of it and the business behind him is making money.