dacbiet

Could still be in the back, washing some cars.

konigstiger

Barry45RPM

My friend manages a Porsche dealership here for an "automotive group". He explains it to me this way... He feels that the salesmen are self employed, in business for themselves. They are supplied with free inventory, free office space, free secretarial services and free advertising. They have the opportunity to work as hard, and be as thorough as they want to calling back customers, offering test drives, etc. My friend, as the manager sees that all that is done for the salesman. The dealership has all kinds of people employed to handle all the "after-sale" responsibilities.

His SALES MANAGER is there to be a backup for the salesman, if the salesman is having trouble closing a sale. In his showroom, the salesman is times from the time a customer is introduced to the salesman. All incompleted pitches are reviewed, and suggestions for handling the shoppers objections for not closing the deal right then and there are made to sharpen the salesman's skills.

Thats his position. I sort of understand it. Where else can someone go "into busines" with no expenses? If you love your product, and can determine how much a person is willing to spend on the car, it shows through & you should be successful. The trick is to sell the right brand to suit your dress/mannerisms & level of sales expertise.

allenjdmb

pay sticker. I mean that I understand if you'd like to flame me. I have paid sticker. If I don't want the product that badly or that soon, then I won't. But I'm also not going to make 10 phone calls to 10 dealers 300 miles around me. I'm going to provide my local merchant with the business if it's at all possible. If he's missing the boat by a mile, or has a lousy service commitment, then he's not going to get the business.

HELL ONA HARLEY

Me???? Flame???? Naaaa, I'm way above that....

RohithT

This isn't quite on topic, but is at least tangentially related.

Edmunds ran a series of articles about how one of their writers went 'undercover' and went to work at 2 car dealerships– first a high-volme store, the second a 'no haggle' shop. It's a good look at the life of a car salesperson and how rough it can be.

Link

lorinserbenz

Have two friends that are GM's one at a Chevy dealer and one at a BMW dealer in miami. The GM of the Chevy dealer makes $145K a year plus a demo. My friend that manages the BMW dealer makes $450K a year. Most salesman average about 50k a year, of course 39K of that goes to blow and hookers :v

rusnakmb

LOL

I kind of like that "angry" character instead of ... :v like you

Back to topic.


How much does a lawyer make? That is a big rage of different. It really depend of how "smart" does he or she works.... agree? Salesmen don't have fixed income like other professions. I have see people getting pay on min. wages and people getting $40k per month. There are always good and bad examples.

TPAbnz

nasdaqsam

I have heard of this being done in the industry I am in also (Not automobiles) but with the added twist that after the first year if you have not earned 75K or more at the end of the year you will not be welcome back the next year. The thought is they make it possible to make the money if you can not acheive the goal you are either not doing your job or not good at what you do.

johna1

Great article, thanks for the link.

lorinserbenz

I think there are more BAD salespeople than good ones. Seems like whenever I visit the various dealers in my area there are always new ones . I know they like to bounce from dealer to dealer, especially when the GM changes.

plocjim

Great article - thanks - I hadn't seen this.

ruykava

very unrelated, but what about maybach salespersons? they probably sell only one or two cars a year. what do they do in the meantime? or do they get a fat salary just sitting there? i know that Nokia sells their ultra high-end Vertu line in stores that don't even open most of the time -- you need to call to get an appointment. but i've absolutely no idea what they do in the meantime. get another job? sell amway? :P

konigstiger

I think we can finally put this thread to rest by saying that if any given MB salesperson “follows through” they are making a comfortable living.

The sale begins when the customer says yes every salesperson knows that following through after the order is written earns customer loyalty. Checking in to see how the product is working, fixing problems, listening to ideas for improvement, calling to see if it’s time for another order – it’s just BUSINESS 101.

bsavic

I can't believe how much .... is going arround, and how some are "concerned" how much sales person make.
One of the first responses to this threat said everything that there is to be said about salesperson compensation, as low as $50k and as high as $???? ...it is commission sales business, so there is bad month, year, and a good month/year.
Please... take it from the Mercedes-Benz sales person.

Flash Gordon

Years ago I read the top car salesman was making in the low 6 figures and was selling a popular model, not luxury cars. I think those top salesmen selling Honda, Toyota, etc make a lot more than German luxury car salesmen. At the end of the day, it's always volumn that counts.

msdemunbrun

Hello, currently I'm interviewing for a Mercedes dealer in St Louis
& was wondering if anyone that sells Mercedes could give me some
of the top (common) objections sales people get...(other than they do
not know their product, I'm the type of sales person that studies till midnight to learn my product & I plan on going for top Mercedes certification if I said that right) THANK YOU IN ADVANCE...Mike D.

starbrite

Not directly related to MB, but here are 3 basics to selling successfully :

1. Sell yourself (if the customer doesn't like/relate you won't get the sale)
2. Sell the company/dealership
3. Sell the product

bsavic

with MB it is pretty easy...most of your job is to be nice with the clients,and of course know about cars. That goes without saying. You just must be a people person, and your job will be easy.
Funny thing is that you don't have to spend much time "selling" MB becuase product sells itself, you you have to sell yourself & dealership. By saying this I mean that you have to convince someone that you will do/deliver on everything that you promise them. Sales of the car should not stop there, you should focus on following up with the client, so later on they feel comfortable by sending you their friends, relatives, co workers...etc.
You want to ask your dealer how long is average employment of their current staff. That will tell you a lot about the place.

allenjdmb

I don't know what dream you've been dreaming, or what tv show you've been watching, but NOTHING sells itself, especially these days. Folks attitudes are so awful about car dealerships, you need to be at your very best, every day. Remember that this will usually be at Least 5 days a week, often 6, and usually 10 hours each--sometimes 12. The competition from the other manufacturers, dealers, and even your own colleagues is intense. Good car salespeople make good money, and work hard to earn it.
It is not for the faint of heart at any level.

pinebaron

+1

goodmaj

Well, I'd start by putting yourself in the shoes of a buyer. What are the things that YOU feel are important when dealing with a car salesman. What would make you buy a car (or anything of significant value for that matter) from one person vs. another? What might your objections be?

I've bought and sold a lot of cars over the years. For me, it's about professionalism, knowing when to ask questions and when to shut up, know your product, be available, seek win-win situations, don't nickel and dime, and if nothing else follow up and be responsive to further inquiries.

Seeing that you're in STL, the best car buying experience I ever had was back in 2002 when I bought a new BMW 530 from Autohaus. The dealer was responsive, wasn't pushy, let the car sell itself, followed up appropriately, and answered all my questions. The best part was the price negotiation, which took all of one minute. He said "you know how much the car is, I know how much the car is, let's just split it down the middle." Done and done.

Tri-Star or Plaza? I take my car to Plaza for service, never bought from them, but their service department is top notch in my book. Don't forget about service, because an unhappy service experience will translate into someone who will never buy from you again.

bsavic

Well, I like your position. Everything must be $old. As an MB Salesperson I could not agree with you more........otherwise......what am I doing in a dealership ?
My term "selling" has negative connotation (as product that needs a push in order to get sold, because otherwise it would not be sold). I guess I wanted to say; You need to educate perspective buyer about brand and specific model.....those who don't know and comparing them.
They need education..........I think....not "selling" :-)

allenjdmb

But I think we may be dealing with semantics. If the word "selling" has a negative connotation for you, then you may not have met a really first class salesperson (no offense intended). Model Ts (why would anyone need this? I have a horse?), McDonalds hamburgers (who wants one of those little hamburgers?), and TV's (this will never last. People already have radios), all had to be sold/educated/encouraged, right?. Think Mr. Ortero/Obama and his colleagues aren't selling? Of course they are, just like their predecessors.
I agree--A quality salesperson is an educator, helper, encourager. People really do want to have and own nice, quality things. But fear often prevents them from doing so. It's a good salesperson's job to help them overcome that.
And a good salesperson always considers what's right for the customer. If he's trying to force something on them for his own reasons ($$$), then he won't stick, and the customer won't be happy.
You sound lilke a quality guy doing a good job for people, and that benefits you as well. Just don't let the "sales" word be a negative for you. Without you, there is no need for service, parts, or anything else.
Sorry, too much info I know. I'll step out now.