The Work of a Car Salesman

A lot of people connect the word "sales" with the automotive industry. Car salesmen are some of the most easily recognized members of the marketing world, and they are known for their abilities to convince people to buy cars they may not necessarily need. If you have been thinking about working in sales and you have a passion for cars, you may do well in this line of work. Before you can determine that though, you need to know what you are getting yourself into. Here is a look at the work of a car salesman to see if you are cut out for the job. There is a lot more to it than you may think.

Note: I use the term "salesman" as opposed to "salesperson" because the majority of these workers are men. Don't get the wrong impression ladies. Shove a "wo" in the middle of the words below if you are in fact offended by my lack of political correctness.

Car Salesman Job Duties

The main goal of any car salesman is obviously going to be selling cars. That is not the only job duty that comes with this profession though. You have to be prepared to take on a variety of other tasks if you decide to make this your source of income. Possible job duties for car salesmen include:

• Answering phone calls that come into a dealership
• Helping customers fill out financing applications
• Scheduling shipments for cars going out of the area
• Watching the parking lot for people who need your help
• Learning about all the new cars that come into a dealership
• Managing multiple customers at the same time
• Helping people find the perfect cars for them

Car salesmen have to be willing to adapt to the ever-changing inventories on a car lot, and they have to quickly learn all the facts they need to sell a car. If you think you can pick up on that sort of information and relay it to the customers, you should do well in this line of work.

Car Salesman Pay Rates

Car salesmen don't get paid unless they sell cars. Some of them will make hourly wages, but the vast majority of them work on commission alone. The dealership will basically set up a certain percentage of the price of a car that a salesperson can earn, and then he or she will get paid that amount if he or she successfully sells the car. Here is a look at what the statistics suggest:

Salary by Experience

• Less than 1 year: $31,177 a year
• 1-4 years: $34,847 a year
• 5-9 years: $40,901 a year
• 10-19 years: $49,586 a year
• 20 years or more: $52,579 a year

Salary by Company Size

• 1-9: $32,007 a year
• 10-49: $39,562 a year
• 50-199: $45,276 a year
• 200-599: $48,628 a year
• 600-1999: $49,962 a year
• 2000-4999: $59,937 a year
• 5000-19999: $53,513 a year
• 20000-49999: $44,500 a year
• 50000+: $46,979 a year

Salary by State

• California: $53,419 a year
• Florida: $47,833 a year
• Illinois: $43,508 a year
• New York: $41,183 a year
• Ohio: $37,366 a year
• Pennsylvania: $36,986 a year
• Texas: $43,114 a year

This may not be one of the best paying careers in the world, but it could be a profitable one for you in the end. You just have to take the time to get through it correctly so you can succeed.

How to Become a Car Salesman

You don't need any formal education to work in car sales. It may be nice to have a marketing degree or some sort of automotive education, but that is not a requirement. You just have to find a dealership in your area looking for sales workers, and then you can fill out an application for a job. If you make a good impression, you will be able to get all the training you need right from the dealership.