I'm afraid it's true. I've been floundering around for months trying to get some kind of profitable work going down here and recently had what was a unique experience for me. I saw an ad in the Sunday paper looking for salespeople with no experience who were interested in making between 70-90k their first year. Who wouldn't? I had nothing to loose by applying except not being hired, so I got all dressed up (tie included) and drove down to the dealership the Tuesday after Labor Day. My visit began inauspiciously as the receptionist handed me a lengthy application and I proceeded to fill in the spaces and think about what I would say regarding gaps in my history. I have a lot of gaps. lol. Once completed, I took the application up to the service desk and was politely told that the guy doing the interviews was at another building but would be over in 10-15 minutes. I was directed to a little waiting room with TV and coffee. I began browsing a real estate magazine. Not too long after , a very affable , Captain Kangaroo-like guy came by and directed me over to one of the open desks. He glanced at my resume and asked me why I wanted to work in car sales. I was very blunt. I said I believed I was worth more money than I ever made and believed I could achieve it in car sales. He said he like my energy and the way I presented myself and hired me on the spot. He said he had a training class that had just begun that morning. I asked if I could get in. He acted as if he would have to work it out, but I now believe that was just a game. No matter. I literally went from applying for a job and right over to my first day of training in my trainer's car.
I've since spent the last three days, about 8-9 hours each day, learning to sell cars. I've been surprised to learn that, at least at this dealership, car salespeople are not out to swindle buyers. While the retail markup on general goods is around 300%, the markup on a vehicle is about 15%. Profits on a single vehicle are actually much less than one might think. Also, every dealership who sells a particular type of vehicle pays the same amount for that car. It's a standard fee charged by the manufacturer. The deal is created between the seller and the buyer. I've also learned that the value of a trade-in is always much less than you think and it's based predominantly on market values with the condition playing a role. But, just because you have a car in excellent shape with low miles, it doesn't mean the dealership can give you anything close to its original value unless it's a vehicle with a strong market value (i.e., highly desirable). So I got another week of training yet and then we'll see if I can pull this off. Wish me luck and if you're interested in a new Toyota/Scion ... give me a call.
