How Does a Car Salesman Spend a Workday?

A car salesman spends the bulk of his day dealing with customers, but he does have some administrative work to complete during the day. Many dealerships have their inventory online---they can sell cars through the Internet. One of the first things a car salesman will do is check his messages. He will check phone, email and fax messages for any leads that may have come in after the dealership closed. He will then return any phone calls or emails to set up an appointment for the customer to come in and test drive the car she is looking for.

Throughout the day, the car salesman waits for customers to come in. Usually, car salesmen are on a rotation schedule---this is called "ups." Each car salesman takes his turn when a customer walks in. Sometimes he will make a sale, other times he won't make a sale. If there are five salesmen, an individual salesman will get an up every fifth customer.

When a car salesman first meets a customer, he must qualify the customer. He finds out what the customer's budget is and directs the customer toward the cars in the customer's price range. He will then show the customer those cars and try to get the customer to test drive a couple cars. During their conversation, the car salesman will explain the features and benefits of the particular car the customer is looking at.

If the customer decides not to buy at that time, the car salesman's job is done until his next "up." If the customer decides to buy the car, the car salesman will get all of the paperwork for the title and financing started. He will ask the customer if she wants any extras. Extras may include upgrades to the vehicle or extra warranties. If the customer wants an extended warranty, the car salesman will also fill out that paperwork. It is also up to the car salesman to haggle pricing with the customer. If the customer wants the car for a lower price, she will tell the salesman, and the salesman will counter the offer. If he can only make the sale on a price that is lower than he is authorized to give, he brings the offer to the manager, who then gives her permission (or not) on the offer.

Once a price is decided upon, the car salesman turns the paperwork into the car sales manager, who then makes sure the paperwork is in order and helps the car salesman check on the financing. If everything is a go with financing, the car salesman and the car sales manager close out the deal, prepare a temporary tag and deliver the keys to the customer. The car salesman waits for his next "up" and repeats the process.