Used Car Dealership: Visit a Car Salesman
Used Car Dealerships
A lot is written about how consumers can get a good deal at a car dealership but not so much attention is paid to those people who work at these places. Sometimes this can help you as a customer because if you know what the people who work there go through then you might find it more productive to work with them.
One of the main ones people sell cars that they like cars and enjoy the challenge of learning enough about the features of the models and the brands to be able to find the appropriate match for each customer. They know that people who walk into their business want to buy A car but they then have to make sure that people buy THEIR car, which is a different kettle of fish.
Car sales people have to understand the psychology of car buying. A successful car salesman needs to be a combination of a business man, an advisor and a friend. It is only through a combination of these that a salesman can find out which of the many reasons people have for buying cars actually applies to that particular person.
People who work at car dealerships also need patience. Most of them will average over one car sale per day, and between about 200 and 1000 car sales each year. They are under pressure to sell cars as they will most likely be on a basic salary but also be on commission on the sales that they achieved.
This pressure means that people who don't have sales ability do not get much chance to prove themselves. So they need to thrive on the excitement of making a deal and also have a strong amount of self-confidence. They have to be able to listen well, have a knowledge of the line of products and also an thorough understanding of the options for financing.
People who work at used-car dealerships are fighting against a stereotype of being oily, slick con-artists who are trying to make a quick buck, and so will try to make the sales out of you whether it is good for you or not.
Car salesmen will mostly have a high-school education, but it is more common to also find people with college credits in fields like sales, finance, marketing, public speaking and psychology. The larger employers will tend to put their recruits on training courses to learn about the manufacturing process and general negotiating strategies. Smaller dealerships will teach their salesmen by giving them experience working alongside more experienced sales people.
Ultimately, there is a partnership between the used car buyer and salesman. They help each other. Understand what they do and why and that partnership can be useful for both.