Car sales is a normal sales job with a difference. In car sales the salesperson is expected to be an absolute expert on all stock, all car technology and all vehicle issues. This can be an extremely rewarding career for born salespeople. Career path Contrary to popular opinion, car sales is not on unskilled sales job. Most car salespeople receive intensive training before being allowed to approach customers. Some of this training is on the job, but car salespeople are usually those with formal sales training, experience and qualifications. |
One of the main issues in car sales is working with brands and having an extremely strong knowledge base. Both car dealers and customers expect salespeople have a good working knowledge of vehicles. This knowledge is absolutely essential, because many customers only buy preferred brands and many car yards stock multiple brands. This type of knowledge is also required for on-board systems, everything from on-board computers to the air-conditioning.
Note: Good working knowledge of consumer law, sales contracts, warranties and related business administration issues are also essential.
Career progression
Successful car sales careers are entirely performance-driven. This is an extremely competitive industry, and the sales environment is also competitive. Good salespeople get promoted, less successful salespeople get fired.
A typical car sells career progression is:
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Each phase of the career progression requires success in each role. It's not as easy as it might sound, because these sales environment becomes progressively more competitive with each step up the ladder.
Car salespeople must also know how to manage their business environment. The actual sales work is only one facet of the car salesperson's job. Car sales relates directly to profitability, and that's one of the reasons business expertise is so absolutely critical to career success.
Many car salespeople are so successful that they start up small businesses and turn them into franchised dealerships. These dealerships are worth tens of millions of dollars in some cases, and they were quite literally built from a single car yard with a handful of cars.
That's success in anybody's language, and it's no coincidence that the most successful car dealerships are usually started by people who were originally car salespeople. If you're looking for a real challenge for your entrepreneurial and business skills, and have real talent as a salesperson, a car sales career may be just what you need.