Hey everyone,

As some of you may know I work at a Hyundai, Ford, Kia, and Suzuki dealer detailing cars. I am thinking of becoming a salesman as it interests me and I am ready to move on. I would be selling Hyundai and Suzuki as the stores are together as well as used cars and the occassional Ford and Kia. My question is, has anyone here done it and what did they think?. Anyone else feel free to chime in as well. I know times can be frustrating and I don't care to hear about how some of you here hate salesman. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I am 19 by the way.

Dear HyundLvr,

Sales can be hard. I have never been in auto sales, but some common aspects of sales:

a) You will invest lots of time in many customers but only a few will buy from you.
B) Sales is based on a personal trust bond relationship...esatablish trust from your customer and you will close
c) Be prepared to eliminate barriers to the sale...every customer has them and you will not close if you can't eliminate these barriers (can't afford the car payment, etc)
d) Your manager actually will help you to identify the customer's soft spot...i.e. holding fast on a monthly payment amount but flexible on the number of months.
e) Nobody is just looking, even on a Sunday.
f) Keep it professional...no flirting with the cute buxom blondes.
g) Surprise...women make the buying decisions in a marriage so you will not close if she is not there 95% of the time. The husband is just spinning your wheels and time.
h) Know your product, know your product, know your product. Subscribe to Motor Trend. Test drive all the different models on the lot, and the competitor's models as well. Your prospective customers sure are. You better be able to talk specifics on why your product is the right one for the customer.

True story....I had to explain to a Hyundai salesman that the 2003-2007 Hyundai Tiburon is electronically speed limited...he reallydid not know his product.

i) Get to know your customer's needs. Classic example is seen everyday on the Corvette side of the Chevrolet dealership....unless the guy is recently divorced or going through a mid-life crisis he is just dreaming. If the customer wants a Tiburon but has 4 kids, just have him look at the Entourage or Santa Fe. for his own sake.
j) Don't let the customer get out a calculator or they will eat up your profit margin.


Byron

Thanks alot! Those tips really are very helpful.

I am very knowledgeable about cars, especially Hyundai's. I would have to learn the packages, etc of the Suzuki's. I know the packages, models etc. of Hyundai's like I know the back of my hand, and I have heard knowing your product is a something that the customer looks for when selling. I understand i won't get every customer. It seems most of the things you do now is:
A. sit with the customer and help them decide on a car/model/color etc.
B. take them out on a test drive.
C. you are the middleman between the customer and the manager
D. give them a walkaround of the car if they purchase.

This post has been edited by HyundaiLvr87: Aug 21 2007, 07:02 PM

Hey HyundaiLvr87

I've certainly never been a car salesman (or in sales of any description) but I certainly have been a car buyer.

I just recently purchased an 07 Sonata, and there were a couple of things about the salesman and dealership in general that I found just so much better than the competition.
(Much of this is as byronguidry3732 expertly laid out - just from another angle I guess).
1. I was a returning customer, so you would expect the salesman to have some clue as to who I was, however the salesman at my local Hyundai dealer new my full name, the exact model of car I was driving now and even the car I had before that (! I'd only mentioned it to him once, about 18months ago).
2. I wasn't pestered the instant I stepped onto the lot. After I had wandered around a little (maybe 5-10mins) the salesman came up to me, asked me the usual "can I help you" questions, then when I replied with the usual "just looking" (and byronguidry3732 is right, no one is ever 'just looking'), he actually let me 'just look'. There's nothing more I hate than salespeople who simply won't leave you alone.
3. On inquiring about the new Sonata, I was given quite a good rundown of all its features (all correct btw), and offered a test drive right then and there (something no other dealer had been prepared to do). Oh, and it wasn't just a quick spin round the block either - we drove around for about 30minutes.
4. Not only did the salesman know pretty much everything about the car I was buying, but also about the competition. He knew how much power it had compared to this car, how the brakes compared to that car, etc etc. (And for what it's worth, he was right on every count - obviously I'd done quite a bit of research on the competition myself).
5. After the usual haggling, and the deal was sealed, I was actually introduced to the manager of the dealership, the lady at admin, the finance guy, the head mechanic, and a couple of people in service (admittedly I already knew most of them, but I thought this was nice).
6. I was given a pretty good run down of the features of the car post-sale (though the salesman didn't bother with things like the stereo, cause he knew that I was just going to replace it anyway).
7. Most importantly, he was passionate about what he was selling. I've been to dealerships were the salespeople really couldn't give a stuff whether they sell you a Toyota or a Nissan, even when it's quite clear you want a Ford (I'm sure some people do).

Good luck :thumbsup:

Oh, and it didn't hurt that they threw in floormats, keyring, hat, mug etc etc for good measure :grin:

This post has been edited by TRANCEport: Sep 16 2007, 04:41 AM

im not sure if this would be a bit different in canada or in the US but i work in sales in Canada so feel free to pm me any questions and i will help you in any way that i can