Howdy, Driver? Yes, you can be a car salesman with no experience and then learn to become skilled eventually if you intend to make a career out of auto salesmanship.
Most salesmen earn slightly more than minimum wage while a few salesmen at dealerships make the real money and they may encourage you to work harder if you must earn more.
To work as a car salesman is a moderately difficult job and you must be fairly knowledgeable of the cars you would sell especially classic cars. Of course, if you can convince the manager of your ability to speak convincingly, you may get yourself the job. Moreover, you may work for longer hours or employ additional strategies to attract buyers and earn commissions and the most challenging aspect is that everyone sees you as a liar.
At most dealerships, you would not be placed on the payroll; they believe they are doing you a favor by allowing you the opportunity to experience the job.
How to Be a Car Salesman with No Experience
Becoming a salesman without experience is possible, but you may not be paid by the dealership
Below are the steps to be a car salesman with no experience:
1. Apply with No-Experience Dealerships
It is not so difficult to get a car salesman job in some dealerships so far you can communicate convincingly and be ready for the demanding hours of work.
If you reside in a location with many dealerships, you are on the verge of securing a salesman job.
Identify the smaller dealerships near you. Typically, a smaller dealership will accept you as a salesman with no experience, especially a family-owned dealership. You may be fortunate to secure a position as a salesman in a bigger dealership, but the chance is quite slim.
2. Sell Used Cars with Sub Prime Loans
If you are determined to work in a luxury brand dealership, it is doubtful because they would not want to hire anyone with no experience in automotive sales.
Read also: becoming a mechanic with no experience at all
Reportedly, most top dealerships fire at least one salesman after every 3 months, most of the time for lacking the experience and expertise to handle the job. Of course, it is one of the reasons why jobs are always available at dealerships.
If you cannot secure the salesman job at a luxury dealership, consider a job to sell used cars with subprime loans. Of course, you will make good money off it rather than become frustrated looking to work in a bigger establishment.
3. Work as a Lot Technician
The job of a lot technician is to clean vehicles and other equipment using the cleaning agents available to them and track inventory. A lot technician is also called a lot attendant and they help the sales team to provide customers with an excellent experience.
An automobile salesman can earn $15 per hour as a lot technician, at least to the best of my knowledge and depending on the dealership.
Eventually, you can move into the sales department of the dealership and still get paid. Working as a lot technician also helps you to understand the customers, the dealership, and the inventory better. Of course, you will get to know the specification of vehicles, which is expected of a typical car salesman.
4. Build Confidence from Your Past Job
I discovered that you can become a salesman with no experience regardless of your previous job. What you need is the experience from the last job, the work ethic, and the attitude that made you a top performer in the job.
If you have no job record, think of an occasion you worked for something individually or as a team. If you are not in a haste to work as a vehicle salesman, you can take up any job for a few months just to have a record.
When you arrive at the dealership, explain that you are willing to prove yourself by undergoing sales training, becoming knowledgeable of the cars, and job shadowing. This description informs the dealership that you intend to learn to be a salesman and develop in respective areas with time.
Since you have no experience, the dealership will admit you, especially if they are recruiting presently, but not as a paid employee.
5. Be Polite with the Manager
First, you want to gather information about being a salesman at a dealership, prepare your resume with a list of references, and dress smartly.
When you arrive at the dealership, ask to speak to the general manager, and exercise patience if they are busy.
When you secure an appointment with the manager finally, tell them about yourself and disclose your interest to work in their sales department but with no experience.
The manager may want to know whether you researched about the job and its demands, which you will say, “yes.” I assume that you researched the requirements which include knowing about cars; the functionality of each component, etc.
6. Request to Work in a Different Position
Since you have no experience, the dealership may not want to take you in, however, you can secure a slot by asking if there are other positions available. Like I mentioned earlier, you can apply to work as a lot technician and move into the sales department later.
If you are allowed to work in a different department, ask to work at the wash bay prepping cars or as a lot attendant. It exposes you to the inventory and you would gather information on vehicles faster.
If there is no vacancy at the moment, request the manager’s card and dealership email to check back in the future.
Tips to Earn Yourself a Car Salesman Job without Experience
In this section, I disclose the things you should know to enhance your chance of securing a car salesman job at a dealership with no experience.
Know the Various Dealerships
Before you walk into a dealership, know what kind of dealership it is. We have an independent, auction, franchise, wholesale, service facility, and salvage dealerships. I recommend applying with an independent dealership or any dealership licensed to buy and sell used cars.
Differentiate between a Serious Buyer and
Not all buyers arrive to buy the car. For instance, a buyer may arrive at a dealership to test drive without buying the car and the dealership need to know how you would deal with such a situation.
Know Vehicle Features and Functions
The most important thing is to know the features of a car and its functions. It will be enough to prove that you develop at a faster pace.
Be Aware of Vehicle-Related Crimes
If you apply at a used car dealership, it is helpful to know about crimes such as title fraud that includes title washing, selling a used car with open title, and getting a totaled car back on the road without indicating in the title that it is rebranded.
Learn How to Detect Odometer Fraud
Odometer fraud is common in the automotive market and buyers are always scared not to buy cars with the falsified odometer reading. You should know how to detect odometer rollback and be able to convince a buyer that the car you are selling to them has a true odometer reading.
Understand the Importance of VIN
You must know how to run a vehicle history report as a used car salesman. Your potential manager would be pleased with this knowledge.
Know how to Convince a Buyer
A typical car salesman is seen as a liar. Most of the time, buyers mistake or regard a used car salesman as a curbstoner while they attempt to convince them to buy s particular car. You should give the general manager or the recruiter the impression that you can convince a buyer to buy from the dealership even with no salesman experience.
Final Thoughts
Although the dealership requires expertise, you can still be hired with no experience as a salesman, especially if you have an alluring personality and oratorical skills that could convince buyers.
If you know stuff about cars, endeavor to express yourself to the dealership so that they know it will not be difficult for you to develop.
Finally, you may have to sell up to 5 cars before you get a license. In some states, however, you must be a licensed salesman to sell a car; check with your state or ask the dealership whether you need a license to sell.
Bernard is the lead driver and force behind his Big Dog Garage Race Team. He is the General Manager and Chief Mechanic of Jay Leno’s Garage. Bernard and his crew of seven are responsible for all repairs, restoration and fabrication of Jay’s incredible automobile and motorcycle collection.
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Good idea on that👍👍. congrats
Thank you for checking in, Venorah.