is car sales one of the most overrated jobs around ?

[DoubleSix]

NomduJour said:

Car salesmen as selling tools exist only to convince the ill-informed of what they think they want.

New car buying process is surely: a) decide on car and spec; b) get a price from as many dealers as you can without losing the will to live; and c) trade them off each other until you can't get a better deal. Then just ignore the finance hard-sell, lifetime paint guff, GAP insurance, tyre insurance etc.

Another looking at it from the PH perspective... honestly you think most people are like us lot on here when it comes to buying a car??

[tbc]

I used to work with a guy who was without doubt the most introverted unapproachable blokes you ever met.

He's now working in car sales and not doing very well by all accounts.

Then you get the big balls characters who think that being a loudmouth helps sells cars.

[okgo]

tbc said:

I used to work with a guy who was without doubt the most introverted unapproachable blokes you ever met.

He's now working in car sales and not doing very well by all accounts.

Then you get the big balls characters who think that being a loudmouth helps sells cars.

You should start a podcast...

[Limpet]

n_const said:

I would not do this job for £25,000 a year. I believe that some bigger PLC's will cap the salesmans salary/earnings, so they may struggle to top that figure.

It would make no sense on any level to do that.

Salesmen are paid, and therefore incentivised on profits. By capping earnings, any incentive to make profit above the level of the cap is removed. There really isn't much difference between capping a salesman's earnings, and capping the profit that salesman will make your company.

The most successful salesman I know (not a car salesman, I should add), earns about £250k a year, and makes his employer over £2 million in profit. He wouldn't make his employer £2 million a year if he couldn't earn more than £25k - what would be the point?

[scjgreen]

I currently sell Mobile Phones for a living... thinking of making the move to Car Sales because at the moment I don't really like the direction my employer is taking.

Does anyone have any contacts in the South Devon area that might help me get my foot in the door?

Thanks
Steve

[Butter Face]

scjgreen said:

I currently sell Mobile Phones for a living... thinking of making the move to Car Sales because at the moment I don't really like the direction my employer is taking.

Does anyone have any contacts in the South Devon area that might help me get my foot in the door?

Thanks
Steve

Steve, I did the same jump (is it the 4U team you're part of? ) and not regretted it (actually I was a manager and hated the way the company was)

I don't know anyone in that area, but the Carrs group are massive and have dealerships in your area. They are always looking for staff and although my experience with them wasn't exactly positive, they are very good to work for by a lot of accounts.

[valiant]

NomduJour said:

Car salesmen as selling tools exist only to convince the ill-informed of what they think they want.

New car buying process is surely: a) decide on car and spec; b) get a price from as many dealers as you can without losing the will to live; and c) trade them off each other until you can't get a better deal. Then just ignore the finance hard-sell, lifetime paint guff, GAP insurance, tyre insurance etc.

For you, yes. You know about cars and are clued up on what you want. For you a salesman is there to process the sale and nothing more.

For the other 95% of the population, a salesman is there to convince them that their supermini is the one they want and not the competitions. He has to explain why it's better. In other words he has to sell it to them to clinch the sale. Then he has to explain and sell all the add-ons (finance, GAP, etc). If he does well and sells it to many customers then it's party time. If he fails too often then it's Tesco value beans for supper and your boss thinking that maybe that shiny suit is not for you.

You've made the classic mistake of thinking that normal people are like PHers. They're not.

[berlintaxi]

okgo said:

Often there were cash buyers who were clear they would not consider finance that came out with a PCP full of profit for us...

So a good salesman will screw over his customer?

[okgo]

berlintaxi said:

So a good salesman will screw over his customer?

As long as the customer is happy, they don't need to know that they're making the dealership a lot of money, or little money.

[scjgreen]

Butter Face said:

Steve, I did the same jump (is it the 4U team you're part of? ) and not regretted it (actually I was a manager and hated the way the company was)

I don't know anyone in that area, but the Carrs group are massive and have dealerships in your area. They are always looking for staff and although my experience with them wasn't exactly positive, they are very good to work for by a lot of accounts.

No mate i'm part of the other lot

I'm just concerned that I'm gonna jump into it and hate it... do you find it much different in terms of actual selling or its it just the same with a different product?

[Butter Face]

scjgreen said:

Butter Face said:

Steve, I did the same jump (is it the 4U team you're part of? ) and not regretted it (actually I was a manager and hated the way the company was)

I don't know anyone in that area, but the Carrs group are massive and have dealerships in your area. They are always looking for staff and although my experience with them wasn't exactly positive, they are very good to work for by a lot of accounts.

No mate i'm part of the other lot

I'm just concerned that I'm gonna jump into it and hate it... do you find it much different in terms of actual selling or its it just the same with a different product?

I'll PM you later chap

[scjgreen]

Butter Face said:

I'll PM you later chap

Cheers Bud!

[phPaddy]

Steve, have you tried this lot?

http://matchmaker.jgauk.com/e4/job_spec_holder.asp...

[Butter Face]

scjgreen said:

Butter Face said:

I'll PM you later chap

Cheers Bud!

No worries, wouldn't want to take this thread away from the car salesman bashing that's just getting started

Carry on chaps, as you were

[scjgreen]

phPaddy said:

Steve, have you tried this lot?

http://matchmaker.jgauk.com/e4/job_spec_holder.asp...

Thanks mate I'll fire my CV across to them tonight?

[Qubit]

If the product is good you dont really need a salesman.

If on the otherhand your product is a bit ropey, then you will need an army of silver-tongued individuals to do whatever is necessary to shift the stuff.

[phPaddy]

No probs and good luck, I flogged PC's many years ago, hated it and moved into car sales for a high volume Ford dealership then moved to Toyota, I love cars and thought I'd love the job and I did to certain extent, just the hours and weekends and other departments letting you down, ie servicing not done/problems not fixed/ car hasnt been taxed/ mechanic scratched it/ admin have lost the service history etc.

I still dabble for myself and the only one to blame is me if it goes tits up, which it doesnt..Im not the type to be running back and forth to a sales manager and trying to flog paint protection/finance/mats/GAP etc, I just like selling decent used cars to happy punters who buy because Im a nice chap and not trying to screw them down with add ons.

I dont condone add ons, its a business there to make money, that type of sales is just not me.

[okgo]

Qubit said:

If the product is good you dont really need a salesman.

If on the otherhand your product is a bit ropey, then you will need an army of silver-tongued individuals to do whatever is necessary to shift the stuff.

Who's going to help persuade a person to buy their good product instead of a competitors good product?

[markmullen]

Qubit said:

If the product is good you dont really need a salesman.

Assuming you have no other competition, whether it be for the same product (other dealers of the same franchise) or for alternative product (cars in the same sector).

Otherwise you're wrong.

[MRPULLHARD]

think the reason I started this thread is that I work close to MB and BMW dealerships , see the sales people - some fairly young - driving around in their co. vehicles ( are they actually co. vehicles ? do they pay tax on them ? think not !) if they are company vehicles they must be earning big money to cover company car tax if they are not paying BIK then its not fair on the likes of technicians who are unlikely to be able to afford to drive such vehicles.

getting people to buy things they don't really want is not a skill - unless you would also call being a pick pocket skill full !

mr mullen you really don't do yourself or scom any favours on this site ! taking an enquiry in the early hours of the morning isn't exactly in the same league as rebuilding on engine on a GT2 is it ?

like most sales people your sense of importance of yourself in the grand scheme of things is deluded !