How to become a car salesman?
Car salesmen are an integral part of the automobile industry as these professionals are tasked with helping customers make suitable vehicle purchases.
While kickstarting your career as a car salesman can be relatively easy, sustaining it can be a little difficult if you don’t have the right skillset.
This is because most of the car salesmen working in the US don’t have a fixed salary. Instead, their paycheck depends on the number of cars they can sell.
Generally, car dealerships offer their salesmen a fixed rate of commission on each car sale.
So, the more cars you sell, the higher your income and vice versa.
To become a car salesman and excel in this role, you must have good persuasive and negotiation skills.
Read on to get clarity on how to become a car salesman and other related queries like the following:
- What does a car salesman do?
- How do you become a car salesman?
- What are car salesman requirements?
- What are some of the most essential car salesman skills?
- How to get a job at a car dealership with no experience?
Car Salesman Job Description
Before you take the steps to become a car salesman, it's important to understand the job description of this role to make a more informed decision about your career choice.
While the chief responsibility of a car salesman is to sell cars to the customers, their job description also includes the following responsibilities:
- Maintaining an in-depth knowledge of various features, specifications, and characteristics of different car models
- Building and maintaining good rapport with new & existing customers
- Suggesting trade-ins to existing customers while explaining new offers
- Paying attention to the customer’s needs and suggesting a suitable car model that suits their requirements and lifestyle
- Demonstrating car features and functionalities to the customers during test drives
- Closing sales by negotiating prices and cross-selling
- Settling sales and purchasing contracts of the buyers
- Compiling sales report and submitting it to the sales management team
Also read: How do you make money as a car salesman?
How to Become a Car Dealer?
The following are some steps that you can take to kickstart your career as a car salesman:
Meet the Educational Requirements
The minimum education required to become a car salesman is a high school diploma or GED.
However, if you want to get promoted to senior roles like sales manager, you must consider getting a bachelor’s degree in business or a related field.
Gain Work Experience
Although not a mandatory requirement, having prior work experience in a sales or retail position can give you an edge over other candidates.
Professional work experience shows your familiarity with the workspace and serves as a proven track record of your expertise in turning a customer into a buyer.
Meet Other Car Salesman Requirements
Apart from the work and educational requirements, some US states additionally require car salesmen to possess a license.
The prerequisites can furthermore vary with each state. For instance, in California, aspiring car salesmen have to submit an application and pay a certain fee to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Whereas, some states require candidates to take a written exam to qualify.
Hone Your Car Salesman Skills
As stated earlier, possessing the right skills is crucial to becoming a successful car salesman.
Skills like active listening, communication, interpersonal, and customer service are a must-have.
Apart from these skills, given below are some technical skills that you’ll need:
| Inventory knowledge | Product knowledge |
| Customer relationship management | Sales negotiation |
| Paperwork processing | Documentation and report management |
You can take up sales certificate courses to help you hone these skills and acquire new ones to increase your chances of becoming a successful car salesman.
Upgrade Your Resume
One of the most important things that you need to focus on while building your candidacy for car salesperson positions is upgrading your resume.
Rather than sending out a single copy of your car salesman resume to multiple job listings, you must tailor your resume to the job description of the listing you want to apply to.
Analyze the job description to identify the key requirements of the dealership and accordingly showcase those skills and experiences that prove your ability to meet them.
Also read: How to build a stellar car salesman resume?
Get Trained
Regardless of whether or not you have prior work experience, once you get hired as a car salesman, most dealerships will require you to complete a training program or a workshop.
The purpose of such training is to get new recruits to get accustomed to the:
- Company policies
- Business culture
- General operating procedures
- Features of various car models that the dealership carries
You will also receive training on sales, service, and negotiation techniques to help you close sales deals.
Also read: How much do sales managers make?
How to Become a Car Salesman with No Experience
Whether you’re a fresh graduate or are switching careers, the following pointers will help you bag car salesman jobs with no experience:
Consider Your Options
While most luxury car dealerships only hire candidates with prior experience, freshers who lack experience in the field can kickstart their career by joining normal car and second-hand car dealerships where experience is not mandatory.
If not a small car dealership store, you can also build experience by working in a sales or marketing position to gain valuable skills required for bagging car salesman jobs.
Network for Referrals
One of the ways you can get car salesman jobs with no experience is by getting a referral.
Do you know someone who works at a dealership store? Perhaps a drifted acquaintance?
If you do, consider getting in touch with them to see if they can get you a referral at their dealership.
When you get a referral, your chances of meeting the recruiters in person are higher than when you send a resume through a listing.
Even if you don’t have prior experience, you can use your communication and persuasive skills to charm the recruiters when you meet them.
Also read: How to network for a job in 2022?
Key Takeaways
- Car salesmen are an integral part of the automobile industry as these professionals help customers make suitable vehicle purchases.
- To become a car salesman and excel in this role, you must have good persuasive skills and negotiation skills.
- One of the responsibilities of a car salesman is to maintain an in-depth knowledge of various features, specifications, and characteristics of different car models.
- The minimum education required to become a car salesman is a high school diploma or GED.
- Apart from the work and educational requirements, some US states additionally require car salesmen to possess a license.
- Freshers who lack experience in the field can kickstart their career by joining normal car and second-hand car dealerships where experience is not mandatory.
- One of the ways you can get car salesman jobs with no experience is by getting a referral.
If you need expert assistance to kickstart your career as a car salesman, head on over to Hiration’s Career Activator Platform with 24x7 chat support. You can also write to us at support@hiration.com.
