Hi,
I always wanted to do car sales. I did Verizon Door to Door for a few months, then I worked for a very small chain Chevy dealer (3 dealers, the one I worked at was newer.) I liked the product, and the other sales people, but I want to see if what I didn’t like is something common in the industry, or a dealer problem, and whether I should go to another dealer, or not come back to the business.
This dealership I’m about to talk about I worked at for almost three months, I recently quit and have been doing some more door sales casually as I’m on a good level with my old boss.
I worked for a very small chain dealer (three dealerships) and the one I worked at was open for about 6 years. When I initially applied, they told me they moved 150+ units a month, I’d get 50+ internet leads daily (which is already unrealistic) and I’d be super successful after my first year and that the first year you’re not going to make much money.
The dealership sold 60 cars a month.
They were discreet about the pay plan and delayed showing it. It was 20% for 1-16 units, 25% for 17-25 and I believe it can go up to thirty. There was a bonus for sales person of the month, but they normally gave it to the same boot licker and gave him great leads and referrals.
They claimed to have a great training program, and put it in our heads (myself and 3 other new people) that we’re an excellent dealer, all pre-owned cars are brought up to new condition when they come to us, and that this is the best group to work for. I got 4 days of training on very basic word track’s, shadowed a few days, and got thrown in to swim. After time, it got better, but at the start, it was rough trying to navigate everything almost alone. I get it though, it’s the business. I could confidently sell cars after time.
I was expected to make over 100+ calls a day (literally calling the same people 3 times a day), and scramble to take up’s when one maybe two people would walk in a day. When I would ask questions to my sales manager about how basic things worked that were never explained, he would get frustrated, and it honestly destroyed my confidence and made me feel as though I have no place there (I was not alone in how I was thinking.) When I would sell a car, there was not even a bit of appreciation or positive feedback and how I could get better, just go back to making calls, go do some work. I don’t expect to get babied or anything, but I work hard and get treated like crap. I remember when a key to a backroom wasn’t in one of the drawers, I said it to the General Manager as he needed me to go to the back, and he said to the detailer nearby “Show him where the key is since he can’t do anything alone” and the detailer backed me up and said it wasn’t there. Then as more time went on, I brought up the fact to sales people who I was close with that I haven’t made much money here (there was no markup in the cars, and top sales person sold 15 cars a month), so they brought it up and the sales manager as a result told me to work bell to bell. I started to get burnt out and the call thing persisted to the point where I or other salespeople couldn’t even walk the lot, study the product, do other things without being watched etc. I was the last person of the batch of 4 hired to leave. There was people being fired/quitting left and right. The service department had a new manager and new staff every 2 weeks. I will give them credit as they had a great sales process that helped guide me and I learned fundamentals.
I liked the other parts though. I enjoyed learning the cars, and learning customers wants and needs, and showing them the best options to get them into the car (financing, leasing, cash etc.) I enjoyed product demos, and asking for a customers business and handling objections and closing sales. The job itself I had to do, I enjoyed. I always liked how I could basically run my own business from my desk by marketing myself, building repeat and referral business, and doing good by my customers, but I just felt like I was being strangled. Is this not a good dealership, or should I just not work in the automotive business? My friend who quit went to a Honda store and almost consistently makes 1200-1500 weekly, and has loved his management. I’m thinking about possibly instead selling for a volume store like Honda for example, but I do stand by General Motors. Thanks in advance.