Showing posts with label consultant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label consultant. Show all posts

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Are Car Salespersons Better or Worse?

If you want to see if you have the mettle to survive in sales try selling cars. Not only are you up against a more knowledgeable, sophisticated and intelligent car buyer you’re also matching wits with management.
                                                                                          

Turnover among car salespersons is over 50%. The work days are ten to twelve hours, work week is 6-7 days and filled with hours of idle time waiting for a customer to come in or call. Commissioned sales is the staple pay plan for car salespersons and the pay plan changes at management’s discretion. If you don’t sell you don’t get paid. Rarely will a buyer come back to purchase so making the deal today is the standard order of business.

Car salespersons are the butt of numerous jokes and the position is not one a person aspires to become. Jumping from one dealership to another is a common practice with car salespersons because of pay plan and management changes.

Even under all this adversity car salespersons are getting better at their jobs. The NADA ( National Automobile Dealers Association) has established an excellent sales training and certification program to better prepare the salesperson for the rapidly changing auto industry. Manufacturers provide satellite transmitted product training courses directly to the dealership. Online and computer program are also provided by the manufacturers to dealerships to assist in salespersons training.

On site and off site seminars are provided by special finance companies, leasing companies, and computer hardware & software providers to keep the salesperson abreast of these companies’ products and services. Consultants are brought in to enhance the salespersons people and interpersonal skills. iPads, tablets, laptops and smartphones are the the new tools of the salesperson.

Training today’s car salespersons is taken very seriously by dealership owners. Owners are acutely aware that the new type of car buyer is not going to tolerate the sales tactics of the past. Often middle management at the dealership forgets the owners’ desires because of the everyday pressures to produce. The car business is very competitive and there are millions of dollars at stake each year.

The car salesperson is a pawn in the sales process. Seldom will management give the salesperson the autonomy to sell cars the way they know is right. So, if you come across a salesperson that seems to be from the old school more than likely it’s a function of that dealers’ unchanging management style.

Today's customer is better prepared, more knowledgeable and less likely to except less than superb treatment from a salesperson. Customer satisfaction during and after the sale is #1 priority.

Questions to ask the salesperson:  What type sales training have you completed? How long have you been selling cars? How long have you been with this dealership?