Anyone?

 

why?

 

colin

 

 

yeah why???

 

I keep checking back to find the answer to this very question.

 

i said yes, just wanted to know why

 

No.... But I did stay in a Holiday Inn last night.

 

lol. sorry I was away for a while. I was curious because I was hired at an Acura dealership and was wondering what kind of money I could expect to make.

 

Which dealer?

 

 

Fountain Acura in Orlando, FL

 

Depends on how hard you want to work. I know that looks like a smart ass comment, but in car sales it's the absolute truth.

 

Well thats what I figured. Guess I will just have to work for a few months and report back.

 

It takes a few months to break into the car biz. You may have some early success (beginners luck) then some early failures. It's all about managing the averages.

You will be amazed at how much more respect you get from your customers if you know your shit when it comes to cars (and not just your cars, the competitons cars as well). It's much better to admit you've been stumped by a customers question and offer to dig the info up then to give them a BS answer.

I had a guy buy a RL from me back in the day even though he preferred the Lexus GS350. Apparently one of my friends mothers worked for him and I found out later that he bought the RL because he preferred dealing with me over the guy at Lexus.

Treat every customer the same way you want to be treated and never ever ever judge a book by it's cover. Just because a guy doesn't look like he's got 2 pennies to rub together doesn't mean he's not the CEO of a major company.

 

Thanks.

 

Just bought my TSX from there a few months ago. Pretty good experience overall. I was impressed by the fact that salesman didn't judge me by my appearance. I work for the power company, and make very good money doing so. But I looked pretty rough when I came into the dealership for the first time. It was hot out, and I had been in it all day. Just remember the advice black label posted and I think you'll be alright.

 

hmmm, offering any employee discounts?

 

Huge. Absolutely huge. A good friend of mine is a GM for a fairly large company and he dresses in the silliest attire I have ever seen. I can't count how many times he has been laughed at or saw as a tire kicker and nobody wanted to bother with him.

AND, he pays sticker for all of his cars.

 

i work at a dealer and know alot of good salesmen, but i also know alot of very poor salesmen.. it all depends on your attitude and how well you are with people. Good luck, and be nice to the detailers!!!!

 

If that's how he handles his company, he doesn't sound like a very efficient GM.

 

 

I was just about to say the same thing myself... a good businessman would NEVER pay sticker...

 

the poster mentioned he was a GM.... he didnt mention he was a good GM....

 

Attitude means a lot... Back in the day when my mom was looking for a car I played her personal shopper. She works a ton makes great money but really doesn't wanna spend time dealing with the vultures. Of all the dealerships I went to (MB, BMW, Infinity, Lexus and Acura). The Acura sales me were the nicest, most knowledgeable and most willing to talk to me. The Infinity and MB dealers were the worst, the infinity guy told me "sorry kid I dont have time..."

But I found out what they had in stock and what was coming in talked to my mom she test drove a similar car (RL) and then came in two days later and singed all the paper work and paid in full.

 

Everyone has some interesting stories on this topic... where I went to school there is a Ferrari dealership a mile down the road. I've walked in before, and was not treated like crap, they know that your parents could easily have the bucks to buy one, if you are walking around this neighborhood. I just made small talk with them, not like I took a test drive or anything, lol.

I have been a on test driving spree with a friend of mine when i was a junior in college, I learned a LOT just by tagging along(and had a lot of fun, we test drove over 30 cars, throughout the spring). Some salesmen let us just take the car for a spin without him(including the jaguar dealer!), some make me the friend sit in the back, others invite me to enjoy the ride in the front. One didn't think we were serious(Ford dealership of all!), and we walked out after bluntly telling them "I guess you do not want my $30k, I will take it to one of your competitors" Whatya know after that, he did find a car that was "charged" and a demo for test drives...

One BMW dealership made us come back because we didn't have an appointment, needless to say we didn't bother going back there ever again. Heck this friend actually did just buy a BMW 335, and he remembered how they treated him 5 years ago and didn't even contact them for a quote. The other BMW dealership was totally the opposite, it's amazing.

Then there are the stories when my mom and sister walked into a Honda dealership and were flat out insulted, ended up buying the CRV over the phone from a dealer 40 miles away, pain free(same place my sister bought a 01 Civic a few years back).

It definetly helps being a guy, especially if you walk in alone! Most can tell you are serious if you bring your folder w/ your information on invoice, approx trade in value, etc, even if you walk in wearing shorts and a tshirt.

Too bad I won't get to play the game again for a long time, just buying my 08 this Feb. But I learned some more lessons this go around as well.

OH and the morning show i listen to on the radio talked about this a couple weeks ago, one guy called in with a story. He said he was the CEO of a small company, and went into a Chevy dealership, they didn't think he was serious. Dressed in casual jeans and a tshirt. He was looking at Corvettes, and when he inquired about paying cash, the guy started laughing and said that he would sell him a Z06 for $40k cash right now. So he made a phone call to the bank, and get this, a truck came to the dealership within 30 minutes, and he got that Z06 for $40k cash. I bet that salesman got REAMED out, I think MSRP for a Z06 is what, mid $50s at least?

 

i call BS on this story. the finance manager or GM still have to approve the sale. never would have happened.

 

If it was a used high mileage late model Z06 I can believe it, but not a new one. New ones go for $72K MSRP.

 

Sure you have the details right? Maybe it was a Z24 that he got for $40. Those tricky cavaliers...

 

For that much money you should be able to get the Cadillac Cimaron!

 

Having years experience in a Chevrolet dealership, I can pretty much guarantee this never happened. You can expect to pay sticker if you are lucky, usually more for a Z06 (since the ZR1 was announced, Z06 demand has come down).
Unless it is in writing, it does not matter. The SM would have never let this happen. At the point where the guy said "Yes", I wuld have sat him down - began the paperwork, taken his offer to the SM, received a "No" from her and worked the deal from there. Offering a vehicle at a stupid low price is a technique used to get into the negotiation phase of the sale. I don't use it, because I am not good at weasling out of the original "shock" price. I have seen people use this technique with much success. I use a less obvious transition.

That being said. I sold Acura before selling Chevrolet product. I hustled. I worked hard, I was #1 in sales in the dealership for 6 months straight. I then moved to a Chevrolet dealership and have never been #1 any given month and my income has doubled, into 6 digits. I still hustle, I still work hard.
Do you want to sell a product you are passionate about (Acura)? or do you want to make a bunch of money (whatever sells in your area)? I'm sure if you lived in Columbus - you could do both.

note: I work in metro Detroit, that most likely adjusts the income at a GM dealership in an upward direction.

 

I sold Acuras for about 8 months but this was back in the early 90's (just the Legend and Integra). Some things I'd suggest:

- Know your cars, and do not fake answers. If you don't know, admit that, and find out. I got called out on a bluf once and the guy walked out. Another customer actually asked me the wheelbase difference between the Legend and Legend Coupe. I didn't know, he told me to know my cars better and left. It was 3" BTW.

- Be sincere. The best salesmen on the lot were not the, "if we get you a price would you drive it home today" crowd.

- Don't believe everything you're told, and don't repeat something to a customer just because a sales manager says to. In my very first Legend sale, I was still very green and was just repeating what the sales manager told me to say. The wife just about lept across the table several times at me when I was talking about financing and such. She was a loan officer at a bank. Miracle they left with a car. Oh, know who you are talking to.

- Don't take the advisarial stuff personally. People negotiating on a car are going to be jerks. It's not that they really are jerks, but car buying is often advisarial - or at least they go into it thinking it is, so that's what you get. You've got to figure out a way to let that roll off and not take it home.

- It can be a very dishonest industry. Rise above it.

- Make friends with the guys in the shop. They can do things that may save a sale one day.

- When at work, work hard. When not at work, don't think about it. Your income will be proportional to the quantity of people you talk to, not your clever salesmanship.

Best of luck!

 

^^ Well said. I never sold cars but what you said makes sense and it would be the approach I would hope the salesperson takes when its time for me to buy again.

 

Usually the highest paid non management personal in a dealership are Service Advisor, but it is also the hardest job that requires the most knowledge, patience and people skills. Hell i personally make more than the managers!

 

serviceadvisor ROCKS!

 

my good friend is a acura service manager that is very knowledgeable and is excellent with dealing with customers.

 

Is there an unusually high number of foreign-born Americans in the car sales business or is that just an impression I've gained from my limited experience in several visits to dealers? The guy I talked to recently at an Acura dealer was from England and I bought my Tundra from a man from somewhere else in Europe, but I forget where. I've also talked to sales people from the Netherlands, Italy, Canada and numerous people from our southern neighbor countries. The seasoned, middle-aged man from Italy became an instant life-long friend when I mentioned I had enjoyed traveling in his country but our friendship quickly vanished when he figured out he wasn't going to sell me a car that day.