Working the Floor – A Car Salesman Education

Can you imagine living the life of a successful car salesman? You get to dress nice, you make 100K a year and you drive a brand new demonstrator car. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? It’s not a pipe dream it’s reality for many car sales professionals. There is only one thing standing in your way and that is a car salesman education. No I am not talking about a college course or a trade school, I am talking about an on the job education that involves selling cars.

Getting out on the sales floor is by far the best way to learn auto sales. The car salesman education you receive by getting in trenches is superior to any other method. Of course you need to start with the traditional car sales training, but typically all sales people start with that when they start to work for a car dealership. What I am talking about is fending for yourself. No sales equal no money (or maybe a draw check). When you get out on the sales floor and working with customers you will start to learn the lessons quickly.

The Hard Lessons of a Car Salesman Education

Some dealerships are better than others about helping, mentoring and fostering the car sales education of their new auto sales people, but for the most part you are on your own. Of course the sales manager wants their sales people to sell cars and be successful because they also get paid according the amount and profitability of sold cars. However the sales manager usually has their hands full performing their regular duties and therefore the new sales person shouldn’t expect too much help from them in the way of teaching them the finer points of selling cars.

So the next place for the automobile salesman to look for help with the lessons needed to sell cars is their co-workers. Sorry, but traditionally the successful auto salesmen are not very helpful. They may throw you a bone (tip) now and then, but for the most part they are usually tight lipped. For one thing they have seen many sales people come and go so they often feel like it is a waste of time. On the other hand they are worried that you might be very good at selling cars and then become their competitor. I hope you are catching on to the fact that a car salesman education does not come easy.

Now your co-workers that are average or below average auto sales people might help you out, but do you really want advice from a salesman that ranks at the bottom of the sales staff. Of course you don’t, you want to learn and know what it takes to be at the top of the heap.

The Bright Side of a Car Salesman Education

I hope I haven’t turned you off on selling cars for a living so far, it wasn’t my intention. However I did want to open your eyes to what you can expect when you first start out as new automobile salesman. You will learn the lesson you need to learn by working on the sales floor and paying attention to everything that goes on around you. The first 30 to 90 days of your car salesman education is probably the hardest part. This is what causes some Newbies to dropout, but they are making a big mistake.

After you graduate from your initial car sales education things start getting easier and better. You can move the process along quicker, but it’s a matter of how quick you can catch on to the business. Some sales people can pick it up in thirty days and others take months. I have seen some take months to catch on and become great car sales women or men and I have seen others catch on in a matter of weeks only to be gone in a month or two. Don’t make a mistake by dropping out, give it time, and learn the lessons so you can live the life of a successful car sales professional.