How Does a Used Car Salesman Spend a Workday?

Office Duties and Paperwork

The largest part of a used car salesman's day is spent attending to various office duties and mounds of paperwork. The process of selling a used car is a long, tedious process. A used car salesman will attend to and help process all types of documents ranging from loans and financing documents to leasing options and extended warranty contracts. A used car salesman will also check documents for accuracy, contact various departments and banks concerning loans and financing, and interact with various departments within a used car dealership in order to facilitate the movement of a used car.

Vehicle Stock and Vehicle Specifics

A used car salesman has to keep up to date on the types and numbers of vehicles for sale on a used car lot. A used car dealership sells a variety of different vehicles, so a used car salesman has to be intimately familiar with each type of vehicle, including terms of mechanical/ functional specifications and designs to gas mileages and warranty specifications. A used car salesman is the representative face of each used car for sale--he has to be an expert on each car.

Active Selling

The actual practice of selling a used car is, of course, the essence of what a used car salesman is. A used car salesman learns to highlight and expound upon a used car's positive attributes and takes great care to explain how a particular car purchase will benefit a prospective buyer's life. Although the approaches and techniques for selling a used car vary greatly, the process is geared towards the same end: to sell a particular car. Whenever a prospective buyer ventures onto a used car lot, which is normally a daily occurrence, a used car salesman switches into his "sell" mode.

Vehicle Maintenance

Although a used car salesman does not engage in the actual repair and/or maintenance of a used car, he will ensure that each used car on a used car lot is adequately maintained and kept in presentable condition. This involves daily inspection of a used car lot fleet and the notification of the appropriate used car staff to handle various vehicle maintenance issues.