Interesting. My guess is that this seasoned sales professional would have a better chance of succeeding at a more upmarket brand than someone with no experience. I also don't think it matters as much as people think about the salespersons detained knowledge of a car, little detail most people will never know or care. Fitting you into the brand and finding you a solution to your want or your need/want or might not want is strategic. I can instantly tell the difference between a seasoned car salesperson than that of someone with little experience. In the luxury dealer, they need to be even better. Just my opinion.

 

I’m sure they are more polished but that may be a negative for me as I don’t have much patience with their “experience” and BS. I bought two or three of my Lexus’ from a guy that never had prior experience selling cars and he was awesome. He knew that I was an enthusiast (as was he) and that I would get all the information from the internet so he didn’t bother with any tricks, he would just take a screen shot of all the current incentives Lexus had and send it to me.

He he is now at BMW in FL and he still helped me negotiate with an “experienced” salesperson up here by providing me a screenshot of the BMW incentives and how to get the best deal. I wish I could’ve bought from him, it would’ve saved me so much time.

 

Interesting comments. I think everyone is different. I have a certain type of salesperson I would prefer. Some perhaps like pressure because they need the extra push to say yes to something whereas some might want to have a more laid back approach. We are the older type, so naturally I would rather have someone closer to my age to deal with. A good car salesperson should be able to recognize different buyers, perhaps it comes with experience or perhaps it does not and some people are good at something specific.

 

Honestly the wisest move--at least here--would to go work at a Chevy or GMC dealer. I swear all this city is, is Tahoes and Yukons and Suburbans and Escalades. It probably wouldn't be that hard to be successful if you're selling the vehicles people want that you know are going to buy.

However, in a place like Miami Beach or LA I would go to a BMW dealer for work if I were looking to sell cars.

 

I would actually sell pre-owned cars.

 

Good call. Lots of trucks and big SUVs where you are.

 

Steve, what do you sell? Real estate?

I somehow have a hard time imagining you as a used-car salesman

 

One thing that will likely change if you do sell Lexi.... you will probably no longer get excited over the car or brand as time goes on. When you are around something all day and week long, the specialness of it looses it's luster. The objects become product that make you money and pay the bills, rather than objects of interest and/or lust. In other words, working for a hobby more often ruins the hobby. So consider that you too may lose your hobby when deciding whether it's all worth it or not.

 

Some folks in this thread need a

 

As a tenured successful medical sales rep, I hope the OP reads this from Steve and takes it to heart as this is good advice and 100% true. If you are making near $100k and have offers around the same amount, I'm not sure why you'd consider car sales when it seems you'd have to be in the extreme top echelon nationally to make $100k. Personally I think it would be a very hard move to explain on your resume if you went from your current career into car sales and then tried to transition back into a more traditional outside B2B or B2C sales role. You really need to think about how doing car sales sets you up for future success and a strategic next move.

My recommendation to OP is to assess your situation on a few additional levels other than just potentially "selling something you're passionate about" because you're done with telecommunications and like Lexus cars (my words, not the OP). Do you want flexibility in your schedule? If yes, don't do car sales which require you to go to the dealership (office) 5-6 days/week. Do you want to work weekends? If no, don't do car sales. Do you want more control over your financial destiny than just luck of who walks into the dealership and who gets to them first? If yes, don't do car sales.

Seems like a couple of folks have responded with some general ideas of the income potential - I would assume you aren't going to get much of a base salary (if any at all) and it's likely a draw against commission. But I don't know that for sure. I have to ask, if the job is basically yours as you indicate in one of your posts, why do you have to post here asking input on salary? Shouldn't you know the exact salary you're being offered and where that falls on the spectrum of what they could offer you based on your experience? That's all part of the interview process and what a candidate needs to determine. If they aren't being transparent with you about that, I would take that as a major red flag and respectfully move on.

 

I sell real estate

Haha, you and me both!



Thank you-

I have salespeople who are successful who come to me all the time because they're tired of what they're doing and they want something different. Sometimes those people are very highly compensated in the field that they're in (well more than $100k) and I always talk them into staying where they are because of the dramatic cut in pay and long ramp up process they're going to have to go through to get started in my field vs what they're already doing, and thats with the much higher earning potential in my business than exists in car sales.

All the advice you've given is spot on. You have to understand that when you leave something you're doing thats working, you can't always go home again. The business you're working moves on and you have to start from scratch, thats if the company will take you back and it does impact your resume and your respect within that field because you left it and have to explain why. "Oh I really hated this and wanted to try something else but couldn't make enough money doing that and have to come back to what I hate" is not a selling proposition that makes people want to hire you and do business with you. If you're going to leave a field where you are successful and well respected, that move has to have way more upside potential than where you are...and if you're in telecom sales making $100k...a move to any sort of car sales is not that at all, in fact I would say there is LESS upside potential there than offshoots of the field you're already in.

 

In bold is spot on and 100% relevant to selling cars (and areas like real estate, insurance, etc). I bet the folks in car sales making $100K consistently are ones who have stuck with a brand and dealership for quite some time and have a book of business that leads to repeat sales from their same client base (folks who buy every 2-3 years) and tons of referrals from that client base. It would be that "base" of business plus the random folks shopping that helps you make that kind of money. In that type of model, that takes time to build. I think the most likely scenario for the OP is it may take 2-3 years to hit $100K in car sales if you're lucky and if you last that long. I think the odds are way higher that you'd make $40k to $60k. The only reason to take that kind of hit is if you are 100% certain that you'll make up for it in the long haul, and/or if you know you will be exponentially happier by being in a different position/industry.

I'd recommend the OP consider talking to some Lexus sales folks at dealerships - tell them what he/she does and that they're considering making a move to sell Lexus vehicles. Then listen to their responses. My personal (and admittedly very narrow) experience is folks in car sales have been envious of those in a more B2B selling environment for a multitude of reasons.

 

Car sales can be lucrative, but its nothing like it used to be before the internet. I would check what their pay plan is, because most plans I've come across are not worth the time IMO

 

I would head over to the back of the shop and work as a service advisor which is basically sales, but with a proper fixed income + commission... not too mention way better hours compared to the sales reps slaving away at the front of the house for measly commissions.

 

I work for my local Lexus dealership as a Delivery Specialist. All of our salesmen on the new car side make $100,000 a year or higher. Our top guy makes $200,000+ from what I hear. Preowned salesmen do pretty well but it really depends on our inventory. There is big money in the luxury sales business.

The benefits of working for luxury dealerships in my area is that they don’t stay open quite as late as the normal car brands. The biggest downside is the clients we deal with. The customers are probably my biggest complaint because they think they should receive special treatment for buying a $50,000 RX. It’s pretty silly but it drives the salesmen and I nuts.

If you can get a decent client base started it’s a good business. We had a few guys that relied strictly on walk ins and did really well. You want to make sure you go to a store with decent management and one that gets a lot of traffic. Dealers don’t always compensate their salesmen like they should so I’ve people jump around to different dealerships a lot.

if you go the Lexus sales route, the biggest tip I can give is to know the car that you’re selling and have a good attitude. Most of our salesmen can barely operate anything in the car and end up telling customers about features the cars don’t have. You don’t have to know as much as a Technology or Delivery Specialist, but you want learn as much as you can about the cars. It can give you an edge over other salesmen.