Q&A for How to Be a Good Car Salesman

Let the customer talk more than you do. Have a series of questions, so you're not talking and they are. Use the questions to develop a relationship with the person, so you can find out what their priorities are. At the same time, let them know you respect their time.

It will take some time to completely know your car brand because there is always something new coming out on each vehicle. Every time a new feature comes out, you will need to learn as much as possible about it so you can answer any question your customer has.

People want to know the mileage, if it's been in any major accidents, and if it's had any recent tune ups or replacements. They want to know that all the door locks and window work, as well as the AC and CD player/AUX inputs. Make sure that you have all the information on all these things. Be honest.

This is purely based on the dealer. Some have flat-rate commissions of $50 - $150, and others pay on a percentage sold over invoice. Used cars are where you can make more money, but that is slowly changing.

Soft selling an indecisive customer is almost sure to fail. Going over again the highlights from the test drive is a good place to start. The best place to be with this sort of customer is the negotiation desk or your equivalent. The line that sells the most cars on my lot is "aren't you interested in what it would actually cost?" Don't fear the harder sell to noncommittal customers, its chances aren't the best but it's a lot better than letting them walk off the lot and never return.

The median of all salespeople is something like 18k supposedly. For a car dealership, the percentage CG plus F&I can mean an average around 54k+. If you sell at a well run BMW or Audi dealership, the numbers can be in the 70-80k range for very talented and hard working salespeople. On the same note, if you work at a jimmybob's junkyard type place that has 10 to 12 cars on lot at a time, you'll likely not clear very much at all. Beware poorly run lots, look for one with employees that have been there 10+ years and know their stuff.

Not knowing exactly what you're doing now to accomplish that makes this a bit tricky to answer. Let's assume you're doing nothing about this issue and just relying on floor traffic and the leads that are being generated by the dealership. Join some business networking groups in your area where business owners and sales reps get together to exchange ideas, refer clients to one another, and things of that nature. Car dealers usually do well in these groups because everyone needs a set of wheels sooner or later. If there aren't any networking groups like this around you, even better. Start one!

Go over the features of that vehicle. Always assume that the vehicle they are looking at is the vehicle that they want to buy. The customer is almost always going to tell you exactly how to sell them a car. You just have to listen to what they are telling you.