interview HELP!!

**firmhonda** · 07-26-2006, 03:09 PM

Okay, so this is for all the car salesman here.. I will be going in for an interview in the next couple of days for my first sales job at a honda dealership. My questions are these..
What kind of information should I be ready to prove that I know?
How does commission work at the dealerships that you work at? As in, over invoice, msrp, off of options, etc..
Any other advice for an interview.

I honestly have no idea what I'm getting into I just know that I enjoy helping people and I love hondas. I would like to be a helpful salesman instead of ripping people off and putting them in cars they have no use for (unless that's what they want). The salesman that sold me my 7th gen was a great guy and I was really surprised at how helpful he was and that's when I started to contemplate getting into sales.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. :)

Cheungman · 07-26-2006, 03:25 PM

this was posted in another site and if u read this its pretty helpful
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying...2/page006.html

CivicWithNav · 07-26-2006, 05:42 PM

you have to rip people off to make a living. NO other ways about it.

well..not rip people off but tell em the price you are presenting is what the car is worth PRESENT the car in a way that appeals to the person. Talk to em see what they are into, whether it be fishing or baseball, when you get that information out, act like you like fishing or baseball...be interested in their interest.

It requires some major patience...people do not know waht the hell is going on. asks same questions 3 to 5 times over and over again. and some people will just assume you are an asshole even though you are tryign to help them out. its hard

Just be honest, tell em you are new to the business. I'm sure they have some sort of training you can go to and learn how to sell cars. If you act like you know, they're gonna expect you to do more.

I try to help people out but ultimately sales manager makes the decision so you have no say what so ever in the deal. All you are doing is being a messenger. Managers will also give you a lot of shit...be prepared. ALSO be prepared to do nothing for hours. Full time I'm guessing you'd work about 50~60 hours. out of that probably more than half of it is downtime. in which case the managers will yell at you to get on the phones and make appointments.

**firmhonda** · 07-27-2006, 12:07 AM

Thanks for all the help.. Kind of making me reconsider this. I know that I need to make better money and that seems to be (at the moment) a good way to do it. I have no real problem dealing with bs, at my last job I had to deal with it. I ended up relocating to various places around the city just to help and supervise but never got supervisory pay. It worked out like this - I did the job of 3 people and barely got paid for one.

Basically I would just like to find a job with better hours (I worked night shift at my previous job) so that I can go back to college. I'm really worried about my position at the moment and I love learning.. which is why I chose to get into the car business. Basically, all this is to set a future for myself later on down the line..

Let me ask this, what is the pay that you take home on a bad month? In your opinion would this be a good job so that I can pay for college and make bills with a little left over to spend?

Again, thanks to you 2 for replying and thank you for everyone else that does after this.. it really helps.

CivicWithNav · 07-27-2006, 12:11 AM

it all depends on the dealership really...

but usually you have a draw check of say $250. you must make up the the $1000 per month or 1250 in 5 week month with the profit from the sales. USUALLY you will make minimum...anywhere from $50 to 150 per deal plus any kick back from the manufacturer(if there are any)

so you may take home nothing... or you may take a lot.

it all depends on how the pay works at that particular dealership.

cornerstrike · 07-27-2006, 12:55 AM

I will be honest and say that being a car salesman is not for everybody. Everything that has been posted before is correct. I did the car sales thing for a few months. Just like they said, long hours and a lot of down time. You basically dont have a social life because they work you so much. By the time you get home you dont want to go out and deal with anyone else's $#i!. It's not for someone who tends to be the honest type. If your trying to help people out you will not last long. The decisions are out of your control. The dealer is there to make money. You are the Gopher. If the dealer makes money, then you will make money for the most part. It all depends on what type of dealer it is as well.
Some of the larger dealers try to sell as many cars they can in a month, so at the end if they reach a certain amount they get bonuses from the manufacturers. If the goal is 300 cars a month, at the beginning of the month they try to make as much money as they can. When the end of the month comes they usually will sell a car for less so they can sell more units to hit that quota. This will result in you getting paid less since you dont benefit from that dealer bonus. Used cars is really where you and the dealer makes the most money. Used cars are marked up a lot higher then a new car.
If you really are looking for a job which will give you time and money to go to school you should try some type of retail store. Usually they work around your school schedule if it's reasonable and some places even pay for books or part of your tuition. Wireless sales, like Cingular or Verizon, is an excellent choice. Work 40 hours a week and get decent pay that you could live on and it's consistent for the most part. Selling cars one week you can make 1 or 2k, and then the next few weeks nothing.
If school is your priority Im telling you, car sales will make it more difficult. If you have any questions PM me when you get a chance, later.

hurricane · 07-27-2006, 01:19 AM

I will agree with the others. I have actually met VERY few car salesman (and I have shopped a lot in the last 15 years) that actually are car guys/gals. Most are the slick sales type who know very little about cars and a lot about how to get you to want the car, even if you don't. At one time I thought it would be fun to sell cars because I like cars but the more I have learned about the business the less it seems like fun. There are exceptions of course. The kid who sold me my S4 was a lot of fun and an honest car nut with a smokin Eclipse. During your interview you may want to ask about their policies. Mostly I think they will be looking to see how much you know about financing and if you can communicate well.

**jrMartinez24** · 01-01-2008, 05:50 PM

did u get it?

**firmhonda** · 01-01-2008, 05:58 PM

Yeah, but I ended up going back to school and they refused to work with me on hours so no bueno.. I've been jobless every since.

Instead of sad wavey we need a broke ass wavey.

**jrMartinez24** · 01-01-2008, 06:00 PM

damn 2 years homie?

**firmhonda** · 01-01-2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrMartinez24

damn 2 years homie?

Yeah man, it really sucks.

On the other hand I have a 4.0 so did I make the right decision? Idk.

mattSi · 01-01-2008, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firmhonda

Yeah, but I ended up going back to school and they refused to work with me on hours so no bueno.. I've been jobless every since.

Instead of sad wavey we need a broke ass wavey.

Wait tables or bartend. I did that my last year in college (and the yr after I graduated as well). The money is great and the hours were really flexible.

**firmhonda** · 01-01-2008, 06:07 PM

I'm not really the kind of guy that you want to see waiting your table. lol.

Picture a white denzel with a beard

**jrMartinez24** · 01-01-2008, 06:09 PM

Denzel eh?

**firmhonda** · 01-01-2008, 06:09 PM

No, but seriously.. I got a job at gamestop corporate location but they tried to tell me to work graveyard getting off @ 7 AM.. And I had class on the other side of town (where all the worst traffic is) @ 7:30

Another place said that they would hire me on at $11.50 an hour and when I was signing paperwork it said $8/hr.. When I asked about it they said "Noooo, you have the potential to make $11.50 within a couple of years."

Other than that it's been hell finding a job out of the heat. I vowed to never work in hot weather again..

**firmhonda** · 01-01-2008, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrMartinez24

Denzel eh?

It's how I roll.

mattSi · 01-01-2008, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firmhonda

I'm not really the kind of guy that you want to see waiting your table. lol.

Picture a white denzel with a beard

Huh!? I need to see a pic now

**jrMartinez24** · 01-01-2008, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattSi

Huh!? I need to see a pic now

**firmhonda** · 01-01-2008, 11:31 PM

You can't take pictures of masterpieces.

**jrMartinez24** · 01-02-2008, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firmhonda

You can't take pictures of masterpieces.

we need proof of life

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07-26-2006, 03:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
Cheungman Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mississauga Age: 20 Posts: 340 Chris iTrader: 0 / 0%	this was posted in another site and if u read this its pretty helpful http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying...2/page006.html

07-26-2006, 05:42 PM	#3 (permalink)
CivicWithNav Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Woodstock MD Posts: 2,566 iTrader: 13 / 100%	you have to rip people off to make a living. NO other ways about it. well..not rip people off but tell em the price you are presenting is what the car is worth PRESENT the car in a way that appeals to the person. Talk to em see what they are into, whether it be fishing or baseball, when you get that information out, act like you like fishing or baseball...be interested in their interest. It requires some major patience...people do not know waht the hell is going on. asks same questions 3 to 5 times over and over again. and some people will just assume you are an asshole even though you are tryign to help them out. its hard Just be honest, tell em you are new to the business. I'm sure they have some sort of training you can go to and learn how to sell cars. If you act like you know, they're gonna expect you to do more. I try to help people out but ultimately sales manager makes the decision so you have no say what so ever in the deal. All you are doing is being a messenger. Managers will also give you a lot of shit...be prepared. ALSO be prepared to do nothing for hours. Full time I'm guessing you'd work about 50~60 hours. out of that probably more than half of it is downtime. in which case the managers will yell at you to get on the phones and make appointments.

07-27-2006, 12:11 AM	#5 (permalink)
CivicWithNav Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Woodstock MD Posts: 2,566 iTrader: 13 / 100%	it all depends on the dealership really... but usually you have a draw check of say $250. you must make up the the $1000 per month or 1250 in 5 week month with the profit from the sales. USUALLY you will make minimum...anywhere from $50 to 150 per deal plus any kick back from the manufacturer(if there are any) so you may take home nothing... or you may take a lot. it all depends on how the pay works at that particular dealership.

07-27-2006, 12:55 AM	#6 (permalink)
cornerstrike Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 645 iTrader: 4 / 100%	I will be honest and say that being a car salesman is not for everybody. Everything that has been posted before is correct. I did the car sales thing for a few months. Just like they said, long hours and a lot of down time. You basically dont have a social life because they work you so much. By the time you get home you dont want to go out and deal with anyone else's $#i!. It's not for someone who tends to be the honest type. If your trying to help people out you will not last long. The decisions are out of your control. The dealer is there to make money. You are the Gopher. If the dealer makes money, then you will make money for the most part. It all depends on what type of dealer it is as well. Some of the larger dealers try to sell as many cars they can in a month, so at the end if they reach a certain amount they get bonuses from the manufacturers. If the goal is 300 cars a month, at the beginning of the month they try to make as much money as they can. When the end of the month comes they usually will sell a car for less so they can sell more units to hit that quota. This will result in you getting paid less since you dont benefit from that dealer bonus. Used cars is really where you and the dealer makes the most money. Used cars are marked up a lot higher then a new car. If you really are looking for a job which will give you time and money to go to school you should try some type of retail store. Usually they work around your school schedule if it's reasonable and some places even pay for books or part of your tuition. Wireless sales, like Cingular or Verizon, is an excellent choice. Work 40 hours a week and get decent pay that you could live on and it's consistent for the most part. Selling cars one week you can make 1 or 2k, and then the next few weeks nothing. If school is your priority Im telling you, car sales will make it more difficult. If you have any questions PM me when you get a chance, later.

07-27-2006, 01:19 AM	#7 (permalink)
hurricane Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Nebraska Posts: 167 iTrader: 0 / 0%	I will agree with the others. I have actually met VERY few car salesman (and I have shopped a lot in the last 15 years) that actually are car guys/gals. Most are the slick sales type who know very little about cars and a lot about how to get you to want the car, even if you don't. At one time I thought it would be fun to sell cars because I like cars but the more I have learned about the business the less it seems like fun. There are exceptions of course. The kid who sold me my S4 was a lot of fun and an honest car nut with a smokin Eclipse. During your interview you may want to ask about their policies. Mostly I think they will be looking to see how much you know about financing and if you can communicate well.