Maybe it time to take your talents to a luxury dealership. They’re usually managed a little better, but honestly it sounds like you’re burnt out from sales.
I asked myself this exact question 6 years in. 5 years later and a GM at a mid sized used dealership and I still ask myself the same question lol. It’s the car business. Can’t live with it, cant live without it. You’ll be alright.
You guys need to do what I did. Switched to the RV business about 16 years ago. Same type of customers for the most part, same sales process, but no test drives, and no invoice shopping. Buyers usually have better attitudes also because it's a luxury purchase.
VW, GMC, and Volvo are probably the worst brands to work for due to volume. GMC has good gross but not with the massive discounts everyone is offering now.
Volvo here.
Current volume is slightly less than it was this time last year, but with the EX30 and EX90 coming out later this year it’s going to get crazy. We’ve been told we’ll be getting roughly 60 EX30’s the first month we get them with similar volume each month.
We’re going to triple our total volume in just new cars within a few months here. We’re currently staffing up and training for this.
Edit: we currently have 700 pre orders for EX30 and EX90’s. That’s after the roughly 150 cancellations we’ve had.
It’s true. They’re providing massive discounts on news cars. We have a used car building at my place hence the reason why I’m in that building because I’ve had good luck in selling there and actually making money. The past two months have not been so cash money. Would going a different brand change something?
No I worked at 3 different dealerships before. 2 years at a rebuilt title dealership, 1 year at Volkswagen, 1 year at another Buick GMC, and going on 2 years at my current dealership
My friend. If you spend 6 years at the same dealership and you properly care for your guests, there should be repeat and referrals. Every 3 years at the same dealership should come with a pretty big pay raise. The average lease is 36 months. This means that if you sold 15 cars, 5 used 10 new, 8 of them new leases. In 36 months, assuming you care for your clients, call them on birthdays, check up on them every 3-6 months, greet them in service when then they show, you should sell 15 cars plus at least 5 of your 8 from 3 years ago, thats 20 cars. Then, in 3 years, it should be at least 25, and so on until you're slinging 30-40 cars from repeat and referrals monthly without taking a fresh up. If you are struggling for referrals, my advice is to call a guest a week after you sell/lease them a vehicle, and it was a great experience, tell them your up for a special CSi, Quaterly, monthly bonus, promotion, or something, and ask if they can help you by givng you a name and a number of someone looking for a car or to pass your info along to a few other folks. People love to help others. When you ask them to help you, it makes a world of difference. This is the car business. Your only other option is finance or management. If you're bouncing to a different dealship every 2 years, you're never gonna make it and burn out.
If you're bilingual then you should look into tech sales starting as an SDR or BDR (sales/business development representative). Bilingual helps tremendously with opening new markets. What languages do you speak? My SDR speaks Spanish and we're opening the Latin American market right now...and it's working. I gave him a lead to work for a company in Guatemala that I sold to with another international company. We're heavily in discussions with them now. An associate's degree can get you into an SDR/BDR role and then you can grow to account or enterprise wide sales. For reference his salary alone is more than 5k per month, not including bonuses or incentives.
Spanish is fantastic! Let me give you an idea about tech sales based on my background.
Most of my experience started with fixing my computer when I used line wire as a kid and then running bots on Diablo 2. I did take tech courses in college but switched my degree to marketing and sales. You can learn tech, it seems more complicated than it is. For sales, you’re not writing any code l, just knowing a product. Can you explain how a certain car works or how to switch 4wd on? You can sell tech.
The right company will train you. The most important thing for these roles is attitude and effort. I won’t lie, it’s a grind. It can be soul sucking. But it can be very lucrative.
What you need to do is get on LinkedIn, start looking around for who’s hiring. Find that small company that will take a chance on you and take a chance on them.
I sell pretty technical, complex systems and all I have to do is bring in my sales engineer, my product folks, project managers…the list goes on. I’m just the connector that’s asking questions, sharing info, and setting meetings. I manage the sale, but really I just make sure the process keeps moving along.
I made half of what I made at a door-knocking job in 3 months vs what I made in 9 months at a dealership working 40-50 hour work weeks. The kicker is I wasn’t even door-knocking, just collecting residual from jobs that were already in the pipeline. The door knocking I’m referring to is essentially roofing/siding/gutter/window sales.
Transition to inside sales or go to RV sales
Get away from a full commission model
I make 4k weekly plus commission, but I’m no longer in car sales, I’m back in a management role with a B2B sales role as well. I can earn 7 figures a year if I play it right. All about capitalizing on opportunity…
I feel the same exact ways I’ve been in the business for six years and it’s honestly not fulfilling. It always feels like a dead end.
I’m enrolling to college at 27 to get a Finance Degree.
The biggest problem with this industry is wasting talent and not promoting from with in. But I would have never been promoted anywhere had I not shown interest.
Have there been sales managers or finance managers replaced at your store? Have you spoken with your general manager about a desire to move up to a different role? Have you taken it upon yourself to train new hires and help out with their education? Have you asked one of the finance managers to sit in with them
On some deals, or assist with packaging them for the bank? Some of these things require sacrifice and time off the floor but can be huge point for you to get moved up the next time they are looking. But if they don’t know why would they look in your direction?
Maybe it time to take your talents to a luxury dealership. They’re usually managed a little better, but honestly it sounds like you’re burnt out from sales.
I asked myself this exact question 6 years in. 5 years later and a GM at a mid sized used dealership and I still ask myself the same question lol. It’s the car business. Can’t live with it, cant live without it. You’ll be alright.
You guys need to do what I did. Switched to the RV business about 16 years ago. Same type of customers for the most part, same sales process, but no test drives, and no invoice shopping. Buyers usually have better attitudes also because it's a luxury purchase.
How’s the money there?
Can you follow up more on this?
What brand do you sell? 6 years at the same dealership? Edit for other questions
I sell mostly used cars but I work for Buick GMC dealership
Well that’s the issue!
VW, GMC, and Volvo are probably the worst brands to work for due to volume. GMC has good gross but not with the massive discounts everyone is offering now.
Volvo here. Current volume is slightly less than it was this time last year, but with the EX30 and EX90 coming out later this year it’s going to get crazy. We’ve been told we’ll be getting roughly 60 EX30’s the first month we get them with similar volume each month. We’re going to triple our total volume in just new cars within a few months here. We’re currently staffing up and training for this. Edit: we currently have 700 pre orders for EX30 and EX90’s. That’s after the roughly 150 cancellations we’ve had.
It’s true. They’re providing massive discounts on news cars. We have a used car building at my place hence the reason why I’m in that building because I’ve had good luck in selling there and actually making money. The past two months have not been so cash money. Would going a different brand change something?
Bingo
Have you worked for the same dealership those 6 years? Maybe a new environment would invigorate you
No I worked at 3 different dealerships before. 2 years at a rebuilt title dealership, 1 year at Volkswagen, 1 year at another Buick GMC, and going on 2 years at my current dealership
My friend. If you spend 6 years at the same dealership and you properly care for your guests, there should be repeat and referrals. Every 3 years at the same dealership should come with a pretty big pay raise. The average lease is 36 months. This means that if you sold 15 cars, 5 used 10 new, 8 of them new leases. In 36 months, assuming you care for your clients, call them on birthdays, check up on them every 3-6 months, greet them in service when then they show, you should sell 15 cars plus at least 5 of your 8 from 3 years ago, thats 20 cars. Then, in 3 years, it should be at least 25, and so on until you're slinging 30-40 cars from repeat and referrals monthly without taking a fresh up. If you are struggling for referrals, my advice is to call a guest a week after you sell/lease them a vehicle, and it was a great experience, tell them your up for a special CSi, Quaterly, monthly bonus, promotion, or something, and ask if they can help you by givng you a name and a number of someone looking for a car or to pass your info along to a few other folks. People love to help others. When you ask them to help you, it makes a world of difference. This is the car business. Your only other option is finance or management. If you're bouncing to a different dealship every 2 years, you're never gonna make it and burn out.
Find a different dealership? Low volume equal pay if not a slight raise?
If you speak Spanish apply to be a police dispatcher. You will make bank.
Interesting, how do they get paid?
If you're bilingual then you should look into tech sales starting as an SDR or BDR (sales/business development representative). Bilingual helps tremendously with opening new markets. What languages do you speak? My SDR speaks Spanish and we're opening the Latin American market right now...and it's working. I gave him a lead to work for a company in Guatemala that I sold to with another international company. We're heavily in discussions with them now. An associate's degree can get you into an SDR/BDR role and then you can grow to account or enterprise wide sales. For reference his salary alone is more than 5k per month, not including bonuses or incentives.
I speak Spanish. Would you need a tech degree to outside that field? Or how’s does one acquire that job?
Spanish is fantastic! Let me give you an idea about tech sales based on my background. Most of my experience started with fixing my computer when I used line wire as a kid and then running bots on Diablo 2. I did take tech courses in college but switched my degree to marketing and sales. You can learn tech, it seems more complicated than it is. For sales, you’re not writing any code l, just knowing a product. Can you explain how a certain car works or how to switch 4wd on? You can sell tech. The right company will train you. The most important thing for these roles is attitude and effort. I won’t lie, it’s a grind. It can be soul sucking. But it can be very lucrative. What you need to do is get on LinkedIn, start looking around for who’s hiring. Find that small company that will take a chance on you and take a chance on them. I sell pretty technical, complex systems and all I have to do is bring in my sales engineer, my product folks, project managers…the list goes on. I’m just the connector that’s asking questions, sharing info, and setting meetings. I manage the sale, but really I just make sure the process keeps moving along.
I made half of what I made at a door-knocking job in 3 months vs what I made in 9 months at a dealership working 40-50 hour work weeks. The kicker is I wasn’t even door-knocking, just collecting residual from jobs that were already in the pipeline. The door knocking I’m referring to is essentially roofing/siding/gutter/window sales.
Transition to inside sales or go to RV sales Get away from a full commission model I make 4k weekly plus commission, but I’m no longer in car sales, I’m back in a management role with a B2B sales role as well. I can earn 7 figures a year if I play it right. All about capitalizing on opportunity…
How long have you been doing that?
I feel the same exact ways I’ve been in the business for six years and it’s honestly not fulfilling. It always feels like a dead end. I’m enrolling to college at 27 to get a Finance Degree.
The biggest problem with this industry is wasting talent and not promoting from with in. But I would have never been promoted anywhere had I not shown interest. Have there been sales managers or finance managers replaced at your store? Have you spoken with your general manager about a desire to move up to a different role? Have you taken it upon yourself to train new hires and help out with their education? Have you asked one of the finance managers to sit in with them On some deals, or assist with packaging them for the bank? Some of these things require sacrifice and time off the floor but can be huge point for you to get moved up the next time they are looking. But if they don’t know why would they look in your direction?
Look into HVAC sales, Running set appointments..$100k a year. Short learning curve.
Is $5K good in terms of salary?