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Hello everyone, my name is Thomas Ehrlich and I am a recent college grad looking to enter the great automotive sales industry. I was wondering if someone could tell me what to expect during the interview process or what to expect while on the job?

I'm a highly motived, team oriented type of person who hates losing and I love to excel at the tasks I do.

Is this a job that people enjoy doing?
Does the sales end of the job get frustrating?

I'm excited to hear some of your answers and any help will be greatly appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Leonard on June 6, 2010 at 8:48am

Thomas, first I wanted you to know that the automotive business can be very rewarding and I wish more cllege grad's would consider it as a viable career, not just something to do until I land the real job!

Go into with that attitude. In the interview process be sure to dress professionally and think of why you can sell cars as thats where it all starts. Avoid the "I like people" answer. Also think of what career path you want as their are sveral paths to chose after you sell for 12-18 months.

Also interview the dealer and make sure their vision aligns with yours in so far as how they operate, quality of life for associates, average associate compensation, career path opportnities, client satisfaction. Check dealer rater.com prior to your interview. Ask about initial training and average associate tenure. Pick a brand that you feel strong about so you can truely feel strong about what you represent.

Good luck and let us know how you make out. What city are you in?

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Permalink Reply by Stuart Cutler on June 8, 2010 at 1:16pm

Hi Thomas, if you are looking for agency opportunities DotGuard can assist you with a range of dealer products that can get you started. I would be willing to point you in the right direction.

cheers

Stuart Cutler
CEO - DotGuard

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Permalink Reply by Steve Richards on June 20, 2010 at 1:46pm

Thomas, you have a ground floor opportunity in an industry well over 100 years-old; you don't find this often. My advice is simple, yet confusing. You've probably been working at a store for some time now, may your frame of reference will help you make more sense of this advice. The less you behave like the stereotypical car salesman, the more successful you'll be. The problem is most of the industry experts teach you how to be that stereotypical car salesman. I've met hundreds of thousands of sales people during the last 30 years; most were personable, smart, hard-working, and honest. Yet 290 million Americans have quite a different opinion of car sales people. Why? Americans don't dislike car sales people for who they are, they dislike them for what they are taught to say, by trainers and managers alike. You will have to learn to sell from sources outside the car business and the most critical factor to look for early in your career will be your direct supervisors. If they are "old-school", non-progressive, and have little know-how when it comes coaching, you will be miserable, but most good sales people succeed in-spite of the training they get, so it can be done. Welcome to the car business and all the best to you.