A car salesman needs to know a lot about both people and cars. To become a car salesman, you need to be persuasive when it comes to selling things, know how to deal with uncomfortable situations, and take a customer’s feelings and financial concerns into mind. For some people, the easiest part of being a car salesman is selling cars. It can be a bit more difficult to deal with questionable company policies and talking customers into upgrades they did not plan on. Lastly, the best car salesmen knows how to listen to a customer and take his or her suggestions, financial situation and concerns into account when choosing a car.
To become a car salesman, you need to know how to sell things, and not just anything, but expensive things people expect to keep for years. The best way to start is to figure out what the customer wants in a car. Learn to ask open-ended questions like, “What kind of car do you have in mind?” rather than, “Do you like sports cars?” An open-ended question cannot be answered with a yes or no, usually leading the customer into a longer conversation. The more you know about a person and his or her wants in a car, the more you can steer him or her in the right direction.
There are a lot of disreputable car dealerships with questionable tactics. Your place of work is up to you, but know that you might deal with uncomfortable situations no matter how honorable the dealership is. To become a car salesman, you need to put money first; no one but the customer will be happy if you repeatedly give customers great deals that do not benefit the dealership or yourself much, if at all. You will need the skills to persuade customers into upgrading, buying add-ons, and more. In addition, in some cases you may have to deal with customers who cannot afford even the best deal you have.
To become a car salesman, you must find a balance between taking the lead and letting the customer do the talking and decision-making. On one hand, potential customers can easily talk themselves out of a car they can afford and might never consider upgrades they would genuinely enjoy. If a car salesman becomes too pushy, however, customers usually shut down and get annoyed. They stop talking about their wants and concerns and instead start feeling bossed around and might even leave rather than buy a car. The best car salesman knows when to talk and when to listen.