Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

Job Interview Nirvana

3K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  jp'rs_peep'rs 
#1 ·
Currently I am an unemployed computer geek. I haven't been happy with the field lately due to all the lay offs and crap that I've had to go through in the past 10 years. So today I see an ad in the paper for the local Jeep dealership, they are looking for sales people. I figure this would be a great job for me. I'm good with people and I obviously love Jeeps.

So I call the dealership and speak with the General Manager and I tell him my story and that I would be very interested in the position, as long as they weren't married to the idea of hiring an experienced salesperson. I also tell him about my Jeep and how I'm involved in some clubs and such. The guy was totally cool about everything and we seemed to really click. So needless to say I have an interview tomorrow with them. I am very excited about it. I think it would be a great gig for me. Not to mention the fact that I would get another Jeep to drive around in, allowing me to pull mine off the road and make some major changes. ;) Not to mention the fact that the JKs have been selling so well that I would almost be guaranteed to pull in some decent money. Either way, it would be more than I'm making now. :flipoff: :D

I know there are a couple of guys on this forum that work for dealerships, do you have any advice for me for the interview? Anything I should bring up, anything I should NOT bring up? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as I don't want to fudge this up.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
When you meet the guy, shake his hand for an extended period of time, then look at him and say: "Let's go inside and see what kind of deal we can work out on this job. I've got a feeling that you are going to really like what I can do for you." Let him talk and over answer all of his questions, Nod your head a lot, and end each sentence with: "I'd be a really great employee for you." When you think he is about done with the interview, look him in the eyes and say: "So, what will it take to get me into this job today?" Then stand up and say: "I'll leave you to think about it for a minute" and walk away. Come back a while later and bring your wife, have her say: "So, what will it take to get him into this job today?" He'll see that you have all the skills to be a great car salesman and hire you on the spot!

In all seriousness, Good Luck with the interview. The best advice I can offer is to just be yourself. Speak about Jeeps with the passion for them that you obviously have. You'll do great!
 
#5 ·
I had a great time selling jeeps and you can make a good living off of it. I sold a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep for a few months in between selling at a Hyundai store. Yeah what you said about the demo program is true, most dealers supply you with a used car in their inventory they want to write down, my old dealer even paid the gas. Most of the salespeople are kinda loners cause you will be in competition with them unless they have a 'take turns' policy. At your interview they will probably be looking for personable you are, do you carry on coversation, also your apperance, are you neat and presentable. Thats about it, the other stuff to learn is the numbers part of it, and the different packages that are available, all the Chrysler products follow the same formula for that. Everything else is learned.
Don't expect to make a killing right away, it will take awhile while you build up a customer base, if you plan on staying there for a career, 2 years or so is what it takes to get that customer base that will come back to you if they had a good experience. Until then talk to as many people as you can and never judge a customer on how they look, they may have 20 grand in cash in their pocket you never know. Most good salespeople will do between 15 and 25 cars a month depending on the time of year, summertime is big and winter gets a little slow. The hours can be long sometimes, I used to do a 10 to 7:30 shift with one day off durring the week and off on sundays. It kinda shoots your day working until that late but you get used to it. Plus with a year or so of car sales means you can go pretty much anywhere and get a job.
Good luck on your interview.
 
#8 ·
Thank you, this is pretty much what I expected. I appreciate the advice. I am a pretty personable guy and don't have a problem holding a conversation about pretty much anything. I've been told that I am likable, but that could have been just to shut me up. ;)

I used to work in tech support, so those hours are not foreign to me. I kind of like having a day off during the week to get things done. Errands and such, so I could definitely live with it. I would have to see how it goes before I figure out if this is something I would like to do for the rest of my life, but I can pretty much bet it would be enjoyable for me. I would get to put nice people like you, into their first Jeep. That would be cool.
 
#12 ·
Well guys, I had my interview today. It got pushed back a day, no big deal. It went very well. The sales manager spent over an hour with me talking about the business. I don't think he would have spent the time if he wasn't interested. He did however let me know that since I have no car sales experience, that I may have to come back and interview with the general manager before he can offer me a position. This is fine by me, as I have already spoken with the general manager on the phone and he was fine with the idea of me not being experienced, plus he seemed to be a good guy. He was actually the first person I talked to when I initially called them.

They seemed to be very up front about everything. I really liked what I heard. Especially the part about if a sales person lies to a customer, that person's employment is terminated. I like that. I wouldn't want to work in an environment where the only goal is a number. They seem to be very genuine about the fact that they take customer service very seriously and that 70% of their business is repeat customers and referrals.

He also said that in their dealership, the sales people are very friendly with one another, and that they do not "compete" for sales. They do take turns, they also will help your customers if they should stop in on your off day. The dealership only has 5 sales people. Since it is a smaller dealership I think this would be a great place to start.

I am excited about the possibilities.

It is strictly commission based, however they do have paid health benefits and 401k, which is a huge plus for me as I haven't had health insurance in about 5 years. What types of commissions do you other sales folk get? You can PM me if you don't want to respond to this post. I'm just curious. He mentioned a number to me, but it seemed kind of high so I was just wondering what everyone else was getting. I may have missed something in the translation.

Thanks again!
 
#16 ·
Good luck boss, I hope it works out for you.

Only advice I can give you would be to know the vehicles inside and out. Study the JK like it's next week's final. Know the differences between the TJ and the JK. Know all of the difference in the Cherokee's and their new cousins. A sales person that can genuinely talk about the product that he sells has much more of a chance to gain a customers trust in the deal.
 
#19 ·
Thanks! Actually in the interview we didn't really discuss the inventory at all. More so on the lines of what the job requires. He did most of the talking. ;) But I made sure to hold my own.

They have computer training to help learn the different vehicles and the options. The first two weeks would be spent doing that. However, I can pretty much break it down already. Would just need to memorize the option packages.
 
#20 ·
I used to work for Circuit City, 12 volt. (car stereo) I know it;s not cars but it is retail. We worked off commision for a while and I loved it. I am really good with people and listened to what they wanted and needed. Thats the most important part. If you know the product you are selling and can tell the customer about it with out refering to the manual it will show you know what you are talking about. People like this and will be more likely to buy from you. I agree with the other posts, don't judge people. I have had some really grubby looking people come it and but Thousands of dollars worth of car accesorys. I always hate going to the dealership and the salesman not know the options of a car, or if I ask "Do you have a TJ with a 6cyl and 5spd?" And they look at me like "what in the world is a TJ?" I think you will do fine Good luck with Job!
 
#27 ·
Congrats. Now, could you slip down to Parts and pick me up a couple oxygen sensors? :D

If I was going to sell cars, it would have to be jeeps. The wife would kill me if I took a commission only job. Have fun. Owning one should make it pretty easy to sell them. Just point yours out to them and show all the goodies you can attach to it. :)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top