Any Car Sales Executives?...

[chappers96]

Hi folks...

Now, I might get some sh*t for this but...

I'm starting as a Sales Executive for Arnold Clark a couple of weeks from now. Say what you want about them, but I bought my Fiesta from them back in November last year without a single hiccup, received great service and got the car at a great price.

I'm coming as an Assistant Manager from an equally large electronics retailer, so I'm more than comfortable in a high-pressure sales environment.

I'd really like to know if anyone has any advice for me going into my new job/career? Whether you're an experienced car salesman/ woman or a customer of any dealership with some sound advice on how to be successful in the industry then I'd love to hear it!!

Cheers guys.

[iantt]

Good luck, priority as far as im concerned is product knowledge, know in detail what your selling. Too many sales persons in motortrade know the colour and engine size , then nothing else seems to matter.

[Arwen]

Good luck in the new job. From my experience as a customer of Arnold Clark, bullying in the work place is rife, so be careful. I've visited a number of their showrooms and seen it happen, which has put me off. (Although I am buying my new car from one of them...) 

As a customer, I like a sale rep to be attentive and actually hear what I am saying. During my 6 month look for a replacement to my Clio I visited loads of show rooms and garages and so experienced various levels of customer service. One of the main things that stuck out was being asked "What size of car are you looking for" and me saying "Something bigger than my current 5 door Clio". This then followed with being shown some corsa's, fiat 500 and minis. You don't need to be an expert to know they are smaller than a Clio...  Yes I am/look young, but I want people to listen to what I want, and not what they think I should have.
Another bug bare was being ushered in to sit at a desk, then waiting for 20+ min while they went to get the information I required. Example - There was a Mazda 3 that I was looking at, it was missing the info sheet on the windows and I wanted to know what spec it was,mileage, and if it had DAB radio. Not difficult info for a garage to find out I though. I waited 45min at the sales rep's desk before I went back out side, got its reg number and done an MOT history check on the DVLA website. This got me all the info I needed except the DAB radio info. It took me 5min.   

On the opposite side of the scale, one garage didn't have anything I was looking for in my price range, but did have a lovely Golf GTE that I was having a good look around (as I had never seen one). Manager came over and simply said, if you want to take it out for a drive you are welcome to. So we did. Manager came with us and we took it out for a spin, absolutely no pressure to buy, no talk about figures and finance. Just taking about the car and how it compares to others. If I had the money, I would have bought it from him due to the fantastic service. 

[JSMarsden]

I hated it, so my opinion may not count but hated the long hours, constant haggle to try and get you in on your days off, sales figures for the whole team to see (certain members got picked out for being low and had to explain it infront of their colleagues etc) - never seen anything as such before - wasn't a nice place to be.

 

Also its a case of not taking no for an answer, if your customers give you barriers for the sale/questions etc you have to get through them as quickly as possible and know what to say to get them to buy things. Its a case of being pushy, but putting it across in a manner that they don't realise. Thats just the place I was in, other places maybe different but would never venture again into any type of similar role - as cliche as it sounds you either hate it or you love it.

I know people who were there for 15+ years who have been through the garage changing names etc - people making 40k+ a year on used cars from repeat customers and saying its the easiest thing they have done in your life - but good luck!! 

[TomsFocus]

As a frequent car buying customer I want to be left alone to look round cars and allowed a test drive alone as well, IF I want help with something, I'll come in and ask, don't want to be bombarded by people asking if I need help...  Salesmen always annoy me, I'm the sort of customer you'll hate!  

[WAZ91]

No doubt youll be calling up Motability a fair bit, So i look forward to perhaps speaking with you  If you are going to be dealing with purchasing used cars too.

[JSMarsden]

22 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

As a frequent car buying customer I want to be left alone to look round cars and allowed a test drive alone as well, IF I want help with something, I'll come in and ask, don't want to be bombarded by people asking if I need help...  Salesmen always annoy me, I'm the sort of customer you'll hate!  

The issue we had is that it was company policy to 'welcome' the customer within 2 minutes of them being on the forecourt. If it was a mystery shopper and nobody approached them within 2 minutes to welcome them and find their needs then we would fail - horrible as I would see people literally getting out of their car and my manager saying 'go on go and speak with them' 

[chappers96]

1 hour ago, JSMarsden said:

The issue we had is that it was company policy to 'welcome' the customer within 2 minutes of them being on the forecourt. If it was a mystery shopper and nobody approached them within 2 minutes to welcome them and find their needs then we would fail - horrible as I would see people literally getting out of their car and my manager saying 'go on go and speak with them' 

See, I'm used to having to do this sort of thing. I've worked in retail/sales my whole life (I'm only 19 but been working since 15 as I wasn't the most academic of students!) so I'm used to gritting my teeth and jumping on customers pretty much as soon as they're through the door

Please could you give me a vague idea of what's expected of a salesman target wise? Eg. How many cars a week are you targeted? I've heard the commission is quite good- is this true?

Cheers!

[JSMarsden]

6 minutes ago, chappers96 said:

See, I'm used to having to do this sort of thing. I've worked in retail/sales my whole life (I'm only 19 but been working since 15 as I wasn't the most academic of students!) so I'm used to gritting my teeth and jumping on customers pretty much as soon as they're through the door

Please could you give me a vague idea of what's expected of a salesman target wise? Eg. How many cars a week are you targeted? I've heard the commission is quite good- is this true?

Cheers!

I was on a graduate scheme but what I heard from other salesmen is something along the lines of:

 

0-10 cars, £20 a car.

11-15: £25 a car

15-20: £30 a car

20-25+: £35 a car 

It was also something like £10 for every admin fee you sold, £20 for every gap policy.

If you sold a car with admin fee, GAP, Paint protection and a wheel protection you could be making about £70-100 a car - so an average of £1,500 extra ontop of your basic.

 

All depends on your garage, the incentives and the forecourt. We sold around 100 used cars a month, target was 15+ for each salesmen but they also noted down every extra you sold too.

 

If your going in with that attitude then, thats the attitude you want. If your good at it, you can make a LOT of money, and enjoy it. Unfortunately I couldn't do either haha!

 

Those figures are rough, I think its for your FIRST 0-10 cars, then every car after you get an extra £5 etc. IF you sold 11 cars etc, you wouldn't get the extra £5's from the first 10 sold (I believe). They're rough so some dealerships will do it differently, pay less pay more etc.

 

Hope you enjoy 

 

EDIT* The top salesman was on about 25-35 cars a month, taking home around £4,000-5000 after tax a month (he had a LOT of repeat customers as he had been there a few years). Don't know how far that puts my figures out but gives you an idea! 

[TomsFocus]

Yeah I know it's part of the job James, I used to work in retail myself briefly, not cars though tbf.

Kept getting told off for not being 'helpful' which I saw as intrusive lol.

[chappers96]

11 minutes ago, JSMarsden said:

I was on a graduate scheme but what I heard from other salesmen is something along the lines of:

 

0-10 cars, £20 a car.

11-15: £25 a car

15-20: £30 a car

20-25+: £35 a car 

It was also something like £10 for every admin fee you sold, £20 for every gap policy.

If you sold a car with admin fee, GAP, Paint protection and a wheel protection you could be making about £70-100 a car - so an average of £1,500 extra ontop of your basic.

 

All depends on your garage, the incentives and the forecourt. We sold around 100 used cars a month, target was 15+ for each salesmen but they also noted down every extra you sold too.

 

If your going in with that attitude then, thats the attitude you want. If your good at it, you can make a LOT of money, and enjoy it. Unfortunately I couldn't do either haha!

 

Those figures are rough, I think its for your FIRST 0-10 cars, then every car after you get an extra £5 etc. IF you sold 11 cars etc, you wouldn't get the extra £5's from the first 10 sold (I believe). They're rough so some dealerships will do it differently, pay less pay more etc.

 

Hope you enjoy 

 

EDIT* The top salesman was on about 25-35 cars a month, taking home around £4,000-5000 after tax a month (he had a LOT of repeat customers as he had been there a few years). Don't know how far that puts my figures out but gives you an idea! 

I appreciate these are only rough numbers but this is gold, thank you!

How long did you stick it out at AC?

[JSMarsden]

19 minutes ago, chappers96 said:

I appreciate these are only rough numbers but this is gold, thank you!

How long did you stick it out at AC?

AC? I was at Evans Halshaw if thats what you mean? I stuck it out for 6 months (best part of). Was on a graduate scheme aimed to get you to management, turned out it was a cheap way of attracting young sales executives, whilst paying them (albeit a much larger starting salary) a lower commission. For the grads who stuck it out and did well (15 cars + a month every month) they got paid less than a sales exec on a lower salary but higher commission who sold the same cars.

Just took the pressure off as if you didn't sell, your bills didn't rely on it etc. 

 

I jumped at the chance of a grad job as it's kinda what all grads do, especially when they throw 22k and a company car at you, I thought I may as well give it a whirl! In a much better (a preferred/more enjoyable) job now though! It was an experience but I like to help people etc, but helping people doesn't sell as many cars as you may think ;) (as you will know from being in a similar industry!)