Brendon1215
Footballguy
Ask me anything related to car sales. 
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Ask a car salesman... (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Brendon1215
- Start date
johnnycakes
Footballguy
How much time do you spend every month learning about the products you sell?
Brendon1215
Footballguy
Depends on the season. We have manufacturer representatives come to our dealership to give us training (typically product based) every 2-3 months. We have "off site" training once per quarter that is either a ride & drive training event for a new product that has been released, or some customer relations training. We have online classes that we take once a month usually that take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour with a post-test afterwards.
Send me the link.
Brendon1215
Footballguy
We aren't. I sell new cars so I can't speak for sketchy mom & pop used car dealers. Our company owns 16 dealerships and mine in particular has a tremendous reputation. Salesman were very sleazy in the 80's & 90's (because it was not regulated) so that affects how people view us today. Everything is available to the consumer online and automotive sales is very regulated these days.
Brendon1215
Footballguy
In most cases, selling it yourself could warrant more money, but you do save money in taxes with a trade in. We have to take the cars through service, detail them, then price them so we can make money afterwards. Depends if you want to deal with the hassle or not.
Get your car appraised by the dealer first. You can always use that to your advantage in negotiating.
Ex: "I'll take it today if you can give me $500 for my trade."
Brendon1215
Footballguy
It's usually a marketing thing. Doesn't really help the parts department.
To your second question: Can't speak for all, lol.
Donkey Derp
Footballguy
Is the last day of the quarter/year really the best day to purchase a new car because of the manufacturer bonuses available to dealerships?
Brendon1215
Footballguy
It can be. If the dealer needs your sale to hit their manufacturer number to get a bonus, they'll lose money on the deal to get it. Our bonuses are usually monthly, so the last week of the month everyone is trying to close up as many deals as possible.
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Brendon1215
Footballguy
Depends on the salesperson, the area your dealership is in, etc. I'd like to sell 100% but my goal is to make a sale for every four people I talk to.
Brendon1215
Footballguy
We don't really have a F&I director, but we do have two finance managers. GM though without a doubt -- at least at my store.
Quint
Footballguy
Brendon1215
Footballguy
We don't have an Assistant GM either. Sales Manager's would be the closest to an AGM at my store. Sales Manager's are a little above F&I I would say, but they don't control one another. Two separate entities with two different sets of rules, regs, etc.
fantasycurse42
Footballguy Jr.
My car had an MSRP of $50k and on the lease they recognized $42k as the value of the car. They explained that sometimes they sell cars at a loss to keep numbers up - that sounds like bull####... Do dealers ever sell cars at losses?
fantasycurse42
Footballguy Jr.
What kind of cars do you sell?
johnnycakes
Footballguy
That's easy. Even a moron like me knows the secret lies in your ability to walk. You can't love the car. You can't need the car. If you need the car for any reason, you're at an instant disadvantage. But if you can say "no, thank you" and walk out intact, you can keep the upper hand.
Brendon1215
Footballguy
I like to do $6-7k/month. Can earn up to $10-15k at my store. Depends entirely on the dealer, what you sell, location, the sales person, etc.
Find a reputable dealer and a reliable sales person. Read reviews, read reviews, read reviews!
Absolutely. If we don't gross over $2000 on a particular car, we earn what is called a "mini", which is just $150 at my store. Even if it's a $1 profit, or a -$500 loss, the sales person is guaranteed that $150. To hit numbers, we will take a loss if we have to, but that often is made up on manufacturer bonuses. Also, I'm sure some of that $8,000 difference between MSRP and the sale price is factory rebates. Rebates don't hurt the profit of the deal, because they're funded by the manufacturer in most cases. A lot of people think we're BS'ing in situations where we are really not.
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Johnny Bing
Footballguy
There are tons of scumbags in a lot of career fields. I don't see any more or less in car sales.
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
johnnycakes
Footballguy
First thing I thought was whenever I shake hands with a lawyer, I take time to count my fingers afterwards.
Johnny Bing
Footballguy
I think you misunderstood the comment. The comment was not offensive to him. It was meant to explain the clique that car salesman are scumbags but rather all professions have bad people. There are plenty of good car salesman.
Carry on.
johnnycakes
Footballguy
No ####... I once traded a vehicle they had to come and TOW!. Yup.. back in the early '90s, and I hit them at just the right time of year, near year-end.
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
I understood your comment. I was disagreeing with your statement that the car selling business didn't have a higher percentage of sleazy bad guys than other businesses.
Bull####.
If you're not sleazy, how do explain the points in this video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMWmYJOa-BM
ghostguy123
Footballguy
Absolutely. Car salesman and realtors (and of course lawyers) easily right at the top in terms of highest percentage of D-bags in the field.
Johnny Bing
Footballguy
Thank you for making my point. There are plenty of other professions that have dirt balls. Collection agents I would add to that superb group also.
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
fantasycurse42
Footballguy Jr.
You ever witness a woman offering sexual favors for discounts? If so, just how ugly was she?
johnnycakes
Footballguy
Meh. I asked a legitimate question, as did several others. As for the rest... that's entertainment.
Binky The Doormat
Footballguy
ghostguy123
Footballguy
Cliff Clavin
Footballguy
Do you actually get sales by calling people a year or two after a purchase? I can't imagine people just decide on a whim to buy a new vehicle just because you call them with the latest sale.
gmbacm
Footballguy
Jobber
Footballguy
And it's the usual suspects, yet again.
OP, you said the last week of the month is a good time to buy. Is the last week or two of the year even better?
avoiding injuries
Footballguy
Thanks for doing this. Very informative and it seems completely genuine.
A few dooshy comments from the gallery, but I suppose that's expected.
A few dooshy comments from the gallery, but I suppose that's expected.
cstu
Footballguy
Why do we need car dealerships? Do you feel Tesla's direct sales model is a threat?
cstu
Footballguy
JoeSteeler
Footballguy
Are these "bring in any car for $6000 trade in" a ripoff?
