Anybody in here in the car sales biz?? I've been considering all kinds of career change opportunities lately and since I'm so passionate about cars I've been thinking "why not sell em?". I'm looking for some pros and cons about getting into this business (besides the stereotype ). I want to be a salesman that actually knows a lot about the product, which is why I'd like to start out at a Nissan dealership. Maybe I can make a small diff in people's perception of Nissan service, not mechanically of course, but the whole buying experience. Anyway, I have a friend in the biz and he says the downfalls are potentially long hours, lots of weekends because that's when most cars are sold, and that it's commission based so there's no guarantee of making any $$$. He also pointed out that it's not that hard to make around 60K/yr (we're in St. Paul MN) if you put your time in and learn the ropes. What are your guy's input?

Oh, I have a 2000 SE Auto loaded/pearl/tint/fstb/K&N which is why I'm in here throwing this out to you guys.

 

If you really want to try it, have enough $$$ put aside to cover lulls in income (I mean a few months worth at least), can deal with people (idiots who can be customers AND backstabbing weasles who can be coworkers, etc., etc., etc.), AND can find a decent dealership with a high inventory turnover (meaning they sell a bunch)...you might want to give it a shot.

If any of the above are SLIGHTLY unattractive now, they can quickly become unbearable in the future.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

 

I intend to do to keep semi-busy and not go bonkers at home...

Seriously..I know more about cars than EVERY salesperson I have talked to in the last 20 years, I'm fluent in two languages and passable in a third (Italian) so....why not?

 

an org member from the DC area was a salesman at a dealership here in Northern VA for a few weeks but he quit because he said his superiors kept encouraging him to lie to customers abotu everything and he just couldnt work like that.

 

I can believe that, but that's exactly what I'd like to offer in order to beat the competition in the field. Meaning good honest reliable service with knowledge about the product. I guess you just don't know until you try. I have a dealership in mind so maybe what I'll try to do is take a test drive and start firing questions at one of the sales guys to get a feel for the current work environment.

Did I mention the discount for the .org members?

 

Oh, if only that were your decision to make!!

 

Probably wouldn't be my decision but it's the type of thing I'd push for. Always good to cater to the enthusiasts because they're probably the best repeat customers (especially for mechanical service).

 

If you DO go this route, let us know where you end up.

 

Probably wouldn't be until spring because winter in MN is the worst for selling cars. I'd want to start when things start to heat up, both weather and car sales. Couldn't afford to blank the first couple months. Plan is to research until then and also save $$.

~peace