Automobile salesperson

The automobile salesperson (or salesman) is one of many sales professions. The automobile salesman is a retail salesperson, who sells new and/or used cars. Unlike traditional retail sales, car sales are usually negotiable. Salesmen are employed by new car dealerships or used car dealerships.

Types of salespeople

A salesman negotiates deals with private buyers and corporate buyers. An internet salesman or manager may handle advertising and leads that come through the internet, or distribute leads to floor salesmen. The fleet manager markets to corporate or institutional customers who buy several vehicles at a time at a discounted, set price, and does not deal with the general public. A closer is often a senior salesman who assists in negotiation. The floor manager sits in an office which usually has a sales board listing appointments and recent sales activity by salesman. The salesman brings offers to the manager who can accept or make counter offers. The manager makes decisions as to what final negotiated prices will make business sense under current market conditions.

Car Negotiation

Main article: Car Negotiation

The price of a car, unlike many retail sales, is often negotiable. New cars will often have a factory window sticker listing equipment and options, and the suggested retail price. With the prevalence of the internet, and third party information sites, the profit of dealers has dropped dramatically. The salesman is paid a commission, rarely a fixed salary but usually based on a percentage of profit, so a deeply discounted price results in a very low commission for the salesman.

Popular culture

The automobile salesman, particularly the used car salesman, has often been a source of characters, often negative, in movies and television shows and cartoons. History and fairy tales often characterize peddlers(people selling goods) as negative influences, or outsiders out to take advantage of people.

• In the Muppet Movie, Milton Berle plays Mad Man Mooney.
• In Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Leonard Stone plays Mr. Beauregarde, Violet Beauregarde's father.
• In Fargo, William H. Macy plays Jerry Lundegaard, a salesman at an Oldsmobile dealership in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• In Suckers, a movie humorising automotive dealerships and salesmen.
• In True Lies, Bill Paxton portrays a used car salesman who pretends to be a spy to seduce bored housewives.
• In Matilda, Danny DeVito portrays an unscrupulous used car salesman named Harry Wormwood.
• In Cadillac Man, Robin Williams portrays a used car salesman.
• In Three's Company (TV series), Larry Dallas is a used car salesman.
• In EastEnders, Roy and Barry Evans, Kevin and David Wicks, Bradley and Max Branning, Frank and Janine Butcher, and also Darren Miller, Have all portrayed car salespeople.

External links

• [1] - Sales training for car salesman and selling tips for the automobile sales professional.
• Bucketcheck.com - Resources and humor for automobile sales professionals.
• [2] Car Dealer Dictionary
• Australian confession of a Car Salesman
• Tips for Car Sales & not Only That