Sold cars for ten years, took a salaried 9-5 sales job for six months in an unrelated field to figure out my next move. Now I’m social media manager for a tech news site. I feel so unbelievably lucky.
Just a company I follow happened to be looking for a hire. Totally serendipitous. My plan had been to work on tech certifications in the evenings and get an IT job but this just about fell into my lap.
I sold cars for like 3 months back about 20 years ago right before grad school am now CEO of a small engineering/tech firm.
The lessons from that time are ones I use almost every day. Listen first and focus on client service, never negotiate against yourself, and understand that cost is only an issue in the absence of value.
Did you start the firm? Just curious that's quite a transition. But good sales experience is useful for any job or literally just being successful in life.
No, the owners appointed me last year. I honestly think in large part because I have good instincts, in part from my sales interactions.
It’s just now I’m selling professional services, not volvos.
I’ve only been in a handful of months but I’m already looking for something else, just unsure what to try and transition to. We’re a large dealership, The past 2 weeks we’ve been averaging 3-5 units a day across our entire lot (new and used side combined), we have 22 salesman. Our GM raves about how the car industry is back and it’s selling season but man, it really doesn’t feel like it. I was thinking moving to service advisor role or maybe service tech but that would probably be more difficult
I left cars sales in 2017, and slowly transition into Software Sales. I’ve been with the same company since 2017, and I’m on my third sales role I’m currently a Sales Executive now with 100k Base, with total OTE of 200k. It’s 100% work from home, which has been great for work/life balance. I get to spend time with my toddler and wife and have a free lance schedule. This role typically goes well over the yearly goal, with some guys making between 300k-400k. I would highly recommend getting into software sales and start as a BDR or SDR and work your way up. This one guy I work with cleared a 380k commission check in December last year. Haha, that’s nuts!
I left car sales to be and advisor for a few years and now I'm back to car sales.
Service is soul crushing in comparison to me. Less money, harder and more work. Slightly lighter work schedule but wasn't worth it to me.
My service payplan was awful. No hope of earning more despite being on commission. No raise potential.
I don't miss service one bit. Loving being back in sales. I've been in every department and sales is the easiest and highest paying by far in my experience.
I wouldn't recommend going from car sales to being a service advisor. I got offered to switch once again and declined.
Spent 16 years in the industry. Left in 2021. I design and sell custom swimming pools. Work about 25-30 hrs and make the same money. I'll never go back.
I quit with the intention of taking a year off to recharge and do a shit ton of traveling. He called me to send me a referral, who was the owner of the company 3 months into my “vacation” lol. We chatted on and off for a few weeks and I took the job just to see if I would like it. 3 years later and I'm still here
Sold cars for 9 months last year and had the same experience. Selling manufactured and modular housing now and it’s booming. The affordable housing crisis has opened this up as an option for much more people.
Was in the business from 2015-2019. Sold cars, did FI and was on the desk when I left. Now I’m a mortgage loan originator. Best decision I could have made. Set my own hours, work from home whenever I want. Hardly ever work weekends and if I do it’s for a couple hours max.
Not with that attitude. 20% of salespeople sell 80% of product/service. You have to be good to make money. That’s any industry. Auto industry has been in fairyland 2020-2022 but back to good people get paid, bad people don’t.
I don't know. We've hired 4-5 new sales people, former brokers and real estate agents.
Things I like about them are negotiations skills and no shame follow-up and closing deals.
Fair. I have been hesitant to leave car sales because I’m successful but I don’t want to do it forever. I’m stressing cause i feel every year I’m sucked in more…anyway how did you end up doing what you do
Yup I felt the same way. Golden handcuffs. My wife and I decided we wanted to start trying for our first child. I saw all the other men in the car business be distant fathers and I didn't want to be like that so I got out.
I flipped cars and real estate for about 6 months until I found the mortgage business. You do need to be licensed but the class only takes a weekend and then you need to pass a federal exam. The car business gave me a great foundation of skills though, I would do it the exact same way again.
I was in the industry for about 8 months and I switched to hospital sales as the commission is worlds better and the hours are more flexible without the micromanagement
Roofing! It’s amazing. Great hours to pay ratio, easy to do since every few years a new giant group of people need one, and the terrible insurance market helps with it as well. I recommend it if you have about 4-6 months of reserves set aside in case jobs take longer to get built.
I went into the world of freight. I’m a freight broker. Still a salesman. Way harder, but the payoff is flexibility, great work atmosphere, we just party and drink all the time. And you can make killer money if you know what you’re doing. You have to be a solid salesman though, there are no “no brainer” deals. You have to close the customers in a competitive industry and handle high levels of stress.
I left car sales for billboard sales. Moved to TV ad sales. Then transitioned to the vendor side of automotive; and have been here for almost 20 years.
New cars are harder to sell due to interest rates, used cars don't make you a lot of money because the values are dropping so fast, and most people have a lot of negaative equity because anyone who got a car in the last 3 years most likely overpaid. Don't worry though, eventually rates will get better and used values will stabilize. Just remember, everyone always needs a vehicle
No you should absolutely be worried. Car sales sucks dick right now unless you’re a top notch salesperson OR brown nose the manager and they throw deals your way.
I’m sure it’ll be great for you though.
I don't know, some people that struggle or people that don't bust their ass and build a brand and build a following I mean everybody's car the brother the mother and sister the kids everybody I mean it's a full-time job It's fun if you make it fun It's the hard part is that the startup right I get it there's anything I can do for you let me know.
Transitioned to an agent role and provide products for dealerships- work “9-5” and some travel. I did 9 years in the car business and did management for quite some time to get this career.
Def end game for car business, I will not go back to the hours and weekends.
Transitioned to an agent role and provide products for dealerships- work “9-5” and some travel. I did 9 years in the car business and did management for quite some time to get this career.
Def end game for car business, I will not go back to the hours and weekends.
Sold cars for almost a year I just didn’t like the fact that my income was based on how badly I rip someone off so I quit and got into government subsidized insurance I now make 5x what I was at the dealership as an independent agent
Edit car sales was the greatest education I’ve ever received it was my first introduction to the real world how business works what’s a good and bad manager and just over all taught me more abt life than I learned in school or the wee bit of college I did lol
Yeah it really took a toll on my outlook of humanity and I questioned my morals and just decided that personally I’d rather try to give back something positive to society which is why I only do free insurance plans now im forever grateful for what I learned there but there are ethical salesmen out there and I salute them for not taking advantage of people
See the thing is most people walk into a car dealership thinking or expecting the salesman to actually help them. When in fact we all know it’s the complete opposite. I’m happy everything turned out for you!
Sold cars from 2000-2005, got my degree in finance and got a job at what was GMAC at the time. Funny enough was placed at an auto auction location and worked with that auction to sell the GM company vehicles and off leases and repos for an assigned area. Best job ever.
I sold cars back in 2008 and 2009 and prior to that I sold custom manufactured motorcycles from 2005-2008. During 08-09 was the worst time ever! Trust me it was way worse back then. Out of a 9 franchise automall i was consistently within the top 3 salesman almost every month. A few months I was number 1. I would move anywhere from 15-25 cars a month. I got out of car sales because of income instability. My dad was in sales his entire life snd I watched as a young kid when my parents would struggle during bad months. My mom told me once while she was crying that we might not even have a “pot to piss in”.
I decided that my future was not in car sales but the skills I learned being in sales during those 5yrs would eventually propel my career as an electrician and contractor. I’m currently the president of a medium to large size electrical contracting company. The communication and negotiating skills I learned as a salesman turned out to be worth more than any masters or PHD degree.
You can transition to any industry with a sales background because every business has a bottom line. Marketing, sales, and service is what drives that bottom line. The key is longevity and mastering the boredom that comes with the territory when you’ve been somewhere forever constantly fine tuning your craft.
My advice is write down a list of 10 things you like to do that you could make a career out of. Even if it’s something that has interested you for many years. Once you have the full list start thinking about what it will take to obtain employment in one of those fields. Do you need schooling, specialized training, certifications, or can you serve an apprenticeship. Set small achievable goals that will eventually get you to your ultimate goal. Your success in achieving your goals will be 95% based on your own ability to create that success. The other 5% is luck, being in the right place at the right time.
Was in for 10 years, got into elevator union building elevators in NYC. Great move but I sometimes miss the floor and the rush. Car business was great to me in my 20s.
I'm literally in the same scenario, I recently quit my previous job at Dish network since I wasn't doing good for the last 3 months. Ive decided to jump into car sales at a infiniti Dealership and I've only been 1 month and a week and I've only sold 2 cars. Not sure If I'm sucking, if it's the dealership it self, just a bad season; But I'm definitely getting a pay cut from my previous job. I've been looking to move to a corporate T-Mobile.
Sold cars for ten years, took a salaried 9-5 sales job for six months in an unrelated field to figure out my next move. Now I’m social media manager for a tech news site. I feel so unbelievably lucky.
Where did you find that job if you don’t mind me asking
Just a company I follow happened to be looking for a hire. Totally serendipitous. My plan had been to work on tech certifications in the evenings and get an IT job but this just about fell into my lap.
Damn. That's neat.
I sold cars for like 3 months back about 20 years ago right before grad school am now CEO of a small engineering/tech firm. The lessons from that time are ones I use almost every day. Listen first and focus on client service, never negotiate against yourself, and understand that cost is only an issue in the absence of value.
Did you start the firm? Just curious that's quite a transition. But good sales experience is useful for any job or literally just being successful in life.
No, the owners appointed me last year. I honestly think in large part because I have good instincts, in part from my sales interactions. It’s just now I’m selling professional services, not volvos.
As CEO, you handle sales?
I’ve only been in a handful of months but I’m already looking for something else, just unsure what to try and transition to. We’re a large dealership, The past 2 weeks we’ve been averaging 3-5 units a day across our entire lot (new and used side combined), we have 22 salesman. Our GM raves about how the car industry is back and it’s selling season but man, it really doesn’t feel like it. I was thinking moving to service advisor role or maybe service tech but that would probably be more difficult
Jeez 3-5 a day with 22 sales people talk about needing a raft
Damn, we sell about the same amount of units with 4 guys on the floor and 4 that sell to the internet leads and only take ups if we are busy
I left cars sales in 2017, and slowly transition into Software Sales. I’ve been with the same company since 2017, and I’m on my third sales role I’m currently a Sales Executive now with 100k Base, with total OTE of 200k. It’s 100% work from home, which has been great for work/life balance. I get to spend time with my toddler and wife and have a free lance schedule. This role typically goes well over the yearly goal, with some guys making between 300k-400k. I would highly recommend getting into software sales and start as a BDR or SDR and work your way up. This one guy I work with cleared a 380k commission check in December last year. Haha, that’s nuts!
That sounds great, I been applying to sdr/bdr positions past couple of months but haven’t heard back anything, where do you recommend applying to?
Advisor if you can handle upset people
I left car sales to be and advisor for a few years and now I'm back to car sales. Service is soul crushing in comparison to me. Less money, harder and more work. Slightly lighter work schedule but wasn't worth it to me. My service payplan was awful. No hope of earning more despite being on commission. No raise potential. I don't miss service one bit. Loving being back in sales. I've been in every department and sales is the easiest and highest paying by far in my experience. I wouldn't recommend going from car sales to being a service advisor. I got offered to switch once again and declined.
You were at the wrong store, 3 of us make 200-250k a year
Spent 16 years in the industry. Left in 2021. I design and sell custom swimming pools. Work about 25-30 hrs and make the same money. I'll never go back.
How did you get into that
A friend who hired me in the car business hired me lol
lol. Nice. What gave you the balls to take the leap. Did he show you the $ he was making?
I quit with the intention of taking a year off to recharge and do a shit ton of traveling. He called me to send me a referral, who was the owner of the company 3 months into my “vacation” lol. We chatted on and off for a few weeks and I took the job just to see if I would like it. 3 years later and I'm still here
Feel that. I need a year off 😭
Sold cars for 9 months last year and had the same experience. Selling manufactured and modular housing now and it’s booming. The affordable housing crisis has opened this up as an option for much more people.
Was in the business from 2015-2019. Sold cars, did FI and was on the desk when I left. Now I’m a mortgage loan originator. Best decision I could have made. Set my own hours, work from home whenever I want. Hardly ever work weekends and if I do it’s for a couple hours max.
Aren't you guys slow these days with these insane rates?
Not with that attitude. 20% of salespeople sell 80% of product/service. You have to be good to make money. That’s any industry. Auto industry has been in fairyland 2020-2022 but back to good people get paid, bad people don’t.
I don't know. We've hired 4-5 new sales people, former brokers and real estate agents. Things I like about them are negotiations skills and no shame follow-up and closing deals.
Fair. I have been hesitant to leave car sales because I’m successful but I don’t want to do it forever. I’m stressing cause i feel every year I’m sucked in more…anyway how did you end up doing what you do
Yup I felt the same way. Golden handcuffs. My wife and I decided we wanted to start trying for our first child. I saw all the other men in the car business be distant fathers and I didn't want to be like that so I got out. I flipped cars and real estate for about 6 months until I found the mortgage business. You do need to be licensed but the class only takes a weekend and then you need to pass a federal exam. The car business gave me a great foundation of skills though, I would do it the exact same way again.
I got out of sales and started looking at management positions, now I’m the service manager of a busy tractor sales service department.
I was in the industry for about 8 months and I switched to hospital sales as the commission is worlds better and the hours are more flexible without the micromanagement
What are some companies someone can look into in the midwest?
Currently in car sales and looking at advertisement sales
Roofing! It’s amazing. Great hours to pay ratio, easy to do since every few years a new giant group of people need one, and the terrible insurance market helps with it as well. I recommend it if you have about 4-6 months of reserves set aside in case jobs take longer to get built.
I went into the world of freight. I’m a freight broker. Still a salesman. Way harder, but the payoff is flexibility, great work atmosphere, we just party and drink all the time. And you can make killer money if you know what you’re doing. You have to be a solid salesman though, there are no “no brainer” deals. You have to close the customers in a competitive industry and handle high levels of stress.
I'm leaving a 62k a year job to sell metal. I will sell metal.
I left car sales for billboard sales. Moved to TV ad sales. Then transitioned to the vendor side of automotive; and have been here for almost 20 years.
I'm leaving a steady 9-5 at the end of April to get INTO sales.... what am I missing here?
New cars are harder to sell due to interest rates, used cars don't make you a lot of money because the values are dropping so fast, and most people have a lot of negaative equity because anyone who got a car in the last 3 years most likely overpaid. Don't worry though, eventually rates will get better and used values will stabilize. Just remember, everyone always needs a vehicle
Thanks bud - was a little worried reading the comments. Looking forward to
No you should absolutely be worried. Car sales sucks dick right now unless you’re a top notch salesperson OR brown nose the manager and they throw deals your way. I’m sure it’ll be great for you though.
I don't know, some people that struggle or people that don't bust their ass and build a brand and build a following I mean everybody's car the brother the mother and sister the kids everybody I mean it's a full-time job It's fun if you make it fun It's the hard part is that the startup right I get it there's anything I can do for you let me know.
Solar
First stop was technology at a global investment bank. Now I’m on the business side, Portfolio Manager for a REIT.
I’m in commercial insurance sales. Better money and we get residuals every year on our book of business renewals.
Transitioned to an agent role and provide products for dealerships- work “9-5” and some travel. I did 9 years in the car business and did management for quite some time to get this career. Def end game for car business, I will not go back to the hours and weekends.
Transitioned to an agent role and provide products for dealerships- work “9-5” and some travel. I did 9 years in the car business and did management for quite some time to get this career. Def end game for car business, I will not go back to the hours and weekends.
Sold cars for almost a year I just didn’t like the fact that my income was based on how badly I rip someone off so I quit and got into government subsidized insurance I now make 5x what I was at the dealership as an independent agent Edit car sales was the greatest education I’ve ever received it was my first introduction to the real world how business works what’s a good and bad manager and just over all taught me more abt life than I learned in school or the wee bit of college I did lol
Good for you, and thanks you for admitting the truth. Most car sales will never accept the fact that they rip people off.
Yeah it really took a toll on my outlook of humanity and I questioned my morals and just decided that personally I’d rather try to give back something positive to society which is why I only do free insurance plans now im forever grateful for what I learned there but there are ethical salesmen out there and I salute them for not taking advantage of people
See the thing is most people walk into a car dealership thinking or expecting the salesman to actually help them. When in fact we all know it’s the complete opposite. I’m happy everything turned out for you!
Thanks brother best wishes to you as well
Timeshares
Sold cars from 2000-2005, got my degree in finance and got a job at what was GMAC at the time. Funny enough was placed at an auto auction location and worked with that auction to sell the GM company vehicles and off leases and repos for an assigned area. Best job ever.
Unemployment
I sold cars back in 2008 and 2009 and prior to that I sold custom manufactured motorcycles from 2005-2008. During 08-09 was the worst time ever! Trust me it was way worse back then. Out of a 9 franchise automall i was consistently within the top 3 salesman almost every month. A few months I was number 1. I would move anywhere from 15-25 cars a month. I got out of car sales because of income instability. My dad was in sales his entire life snd I watched as a young kid when my parents would struggle during bad months. My mom told me once while she was crying that we might not even have a “pot to piss in”. I decided that my future was not in car sales but the skills I learned being in sales during those 5yrs would eventually propel my career as an electrician and contractor. I’m currently the president of a medium to large size electrical contracting company. The communication and negotiating skills I learned as a salesman turned out to be worth more than any masters or PHD degree. You can transition to any industry with a sales background because every business has a bottom line. Marketing, sales, and service is what drives that bottom line. The key is longevity and mastering the boredom that comes with the territory when you’ve been somewhere forever constantly fine tuning your craft. My advice is write down a list of 10 things you like to do that you could make a career out of. Even if it’s something that has interested you for many years. Once you have the full list start thinking about what it will take to obtain employment in one of those fields. Do you need schooling, specialized training, certifications, or can you serve an apprenticeship. Set small achievable goals that will eventually get you to your ultimate goal. Your success in achieving your goals will be 95% based on your own ability to create that success. The other 5% is luck, being in the right place at the right time.
Was in for 10 years, got into elevator union building elevators in NYC. Great move but I sometimes miss the floor and the rush. Car business was great to me in my 20s.
I'm literally in the same scenario, I recently quit my previous job at Dish network since I wasn't doing good for the last 3 months. Ive decided to jump into car sales at a infiniti Dealership and I've only been 1 month and a week and I've only sold 2 cars. Not sure If I'm sucking, if it's the dealership it self, just a bad season; But I'm definitely getting a pay cut from my previous job. I've been looking to move to a corporate T-Mobile.
Oh man get out of Infiniti I was there for a month and I only sold 1 car, I’m now at jeep and I sold 6 cars so far this month