The Average Day of a Car Salesman
An auto car salesperson always has a day full of surprises. Some days are busy, while some days are "dead" or lacking any business at all---some days she'll work fourteen-hours to make a sale to the last customer of the day. Highly stressful, never boring, and often unpredictable, the day of a salesperson can result in lucrative pay for the month or find her unable to pay her bills.
Other People Are Reading
-
Meetings and Training
-
Many dealers have morning meetings---some once a week. Depending on the day, the sales person may have to arrive early or come in on her day off to attend. Managers discuss what is expected from the sales staff, dealer goals and any concerns. Some dealers have monthly training professionals come in from the manufacturer's corporation. In this event, a salesperson will spend hours in training.
Follow-up
-
During "down time," or when the salesperson has nothing to do, "follow-up's," or the act of contacting all sold and unsold customers, is expected. Some salespeople write letters, while some dealerships have the letters printed for salespeople to sign in the morning for the day's mail. Salespeople go through customer's information daily to either try to make a sale or insure customer satisfaction for those who already purchased. Following up often involve phone negotiations or locating a vehicle that the customer desires. Salespeople constantly monitor emails.
-
Dealer Customers
-
Salespeople come to work to take customers and make money. A salesperson stops whatever she's doing if she's able to grab an "up," or a customer who has come on the dealer's lot. She greets the customer, brings him inside for an interview to determine what vehicle to show him, pulls up the vehicle, goes over the car in detail and goes on a test-drive. After test-driving the vehicle, she has to bring the customer inside to go over numbers or at least to speak to a manager before leaving. If she is unable to do this, she will most likely be reprimanded---this depends on the dealership.
Taking Phone Calls
-
As there are "lot-ups," there are also "phone-ups" from people with new or used car inquiries which sales people try to take. She will try to schedule an appointment to show the vehicle of interest. If a customer calls for the salesperson specifically while she is busy, she tries to take it any way to earn business.
Arranging Deliveries
-
Vehicle deliveries, also known as the final step in a car purchase process when the customer signs all paperwork and leaves in her new car, are scheduled at customer convenience. On days where deliveries are scheduled, she makes sure that the vehicle is ready by the time of customer arrival. She may have to bring the car to the service department, car wash or detailer, put gas in it and set up the insurance through the customer's insurance provider. She locates the extra keys, makes sure all aftermarket or ordered items are with the vehicle and that the car is in the delivery area by the time the customer arrives.
Other
-
Salespeople are often pulled in many different directions at once. If a salesperson sells a car shortly before another delivery, she has to multitask all she has to do for both customers. Sales managers often ask favors from sales people, such as going to the store or driving to a customer's house to pick up paperwork. There are times when extra keys will not be available and she will have to have a new set created through both the parts and service department. She may find that a customer's insurance policy has problems and she can't complete her task, or find out that a customer has cancelled her delivery even after all work is complete. Often, the managers like to have the lot moved or organized---sales people must stop what they're doing to help the managers.
-
References
- Photo Credit keys to the new car image by Jake Hellbach from Fotolia.com
