Any other bro's from the car business?

[RobbieH02879]

What's up fellas? How many car guys do we have here? I've been in sales & management before my accident for close to 5 years,it's a great business to be in if you are smart & treat it like your own business!

Nothing like the feeling of closing a huge deal,I remember many times I just wanted to jump up & down after closing a $5K front ended deal after working for the sale for hours. It is also a stressful career,I worked from 7am to 7 pm or until the last customer was gone! You definitely gotta put in the time to succeed in the business,you do it to get rich,or at least make a good living for yourself,nothing else.I had a buddy who was 21 at the time and he made close to $13K on month...but there are ups & downs obviously,I remember making huge money one week and collecting my draw the next.lol

My accident has put me down for close to a year,plus I have found out my DL has been suspended so I have to get that straight before I go searching for a new job in the automotive field,but I can't wait to get back out there and work it.

There are also the drug elements that goes on within the dealership,I have been guilty of it as well.Cocaine flows through like water! You could walk in the bathroom and find little pieces of rocks on the counter from the sales guys and managers doing lines...guys constantly wiping their noses after leaving the bathroom...or two guys going into the bathroom & trying to leave discreetly.

You'll find all types selling cars,ex cons,the professional businessman,gang members,hell we had a blue blood Harvard Graduate doing the F&I at one of the dealerships I was with! You have a sense of brotherhood in the car business as well,but ya gotta watch for the backstabbing,I had one guy who tipped the owner off to do a surprise drug test one day! I was freaking.I faliled the test,so did 80% of the dealership including teh Sales Mgr & Finance Mgr!!...guess what? The owner announced we were all clean to save face! I was one of the top producers so that may be why nothing ever came about...in this business all that matter is money,plain & simple...obviously if an employee couldn't function from drug use he'd be ousted rather quickly.

Another incident sticks out in my mind,the Sales Manager at one of the first Franchied Dealerships I worked at was notorious for his Coke use,hell I remember riding around with him & a buddy in a new SUV snorting!! Well,one day he just up & left the lot,found out he frove straight to rehab,the guy had it all,nice house,beautiful wife,was makingon average over $10K per month,yet it was a bag of powder a day that took him down!

Just about every person I've met from the car business partied like there was no tomorrow,I can recall days when guys would leave the club & go straight to work! It was insane,it had to do with all the excess money floating around...some of these guys were 18 years old making thousands per week,so they turned to drugs and strippers to make use of that money.

One of the strangest BUT most interesting businesses to be apart of,perfect if you enjoy the hunt for the sale while making some good money.Just keep your head on straight and you can do very well for yourself.Think about it,you have an office,inventory,secretaries to answer the phones,without any overhead...if you can produce you have little to worry about,you are basically in business for yourself.The hardest part is when you first startmyou feel overwhelmed,don't know what to do etc....once you get the hang of it then it is money,plain & simple.Stick with it and learn the proper procedures & steps to ensure closing of the sale & you'll do well for yourself.

[kenneth]

I have recently left the banking industry and have contemplated the whole idea of being a car salesman. didn't choose that route however i'm getting started with something very similar. Real Estate. same idea but has it's obvious differences.

[RobbieH02879]

I looked into Real Estate as well,not a bad business,a buddy was trying to recruit me to come work for him.Seems to be kinda hit or miss,sales come few unless you are living in a thriving market.A friend of mine from my area hasn't sold a home in 4 months,but we all know slumps are encountered in every sales career.I wouldn't mind working as an agent though,I enjoy being on the go as well as selling.

[RobbieH02879]

BTW,good luck bro! You'll enjoy the atmosphere,that was one of the things I was attracted to when I was considering real estate,showing nice homes etc.

[borderbound]

I enjoyed it for the few years i was in the bizz
but i never met a dealer(owner) who wasnt a absolute PRICK

My definition of a prick = someone who is a multi-millionaire
who grosses his little sister ( who made 30k a year as a school teacher) for 5k on a used dodge intrepid with a bad tranny on the last day of the best month the dealership had in 10 years

then threaten to fire ME(finance mgr) if I let his mother ( title secratary)
see any of the paperwork

[toyoda]

Fuck the car business I was in that shit since since 1996 I made good money till the internet changed that!!
Things I hate
1.) 65-70 hr work weeks! Working Sat-Sundays
2.) Managers who are managers because they cant sell shit!
3.) Pushy people that look at a highline car @ my dealership & then go buy a corolla down the street.
4.) Riff Raff looser people the dealership hires (drug users, cons)
5.) Customers that demand to see the invoice then dont believe it when you show them.
6.) Not getting a client all day then having to stay hours late because some dumb fuck wanted to start "looking" @ 5 minutes to 5 on Sat!
7.) People with no credit who waste all my time.

I worked for a BMW store in Miami that was actually cool but that was because I had a good background, its hard to start at those stores.

Now I do home mortgages better office enviro, better hours, more money,
no weekends I made that move after seeing how much money my wife made her first year as a loan officer.

[RobbieH02879]

Originally Posted by toyoda

Fuck the car business I was in that shit since since 1996 I made good money till the internet changed that!!
Things I hate
1.) 65-70 hr work weeks! Working Sat-Sundays
2.) Managers who are managers because they cant sell shit!
3.) Pushy people that look at a highline car @ my dealership & then go buy a corolla down the street.
4.) Riff Raff looser people the dealership hires (drug users, cons)
5.) Customers that demand to see the invoice then dont believe it when you show them.
6.) Not getting a client all day then having to stay hours late because some dumb fuck wanted to start "looking" @ 5 minutes to 5 on Sat!
7.) People with no credit who waste all my time.

I worked for a BMW store in Miami that was actually cool but that was because I had a good background, its hard to start at those stores.

Now I do home mortgages better office enviro, better hours, more money,
no weekends I made that move after seeing how much money my wife made her first year as a loan officer.

Yep,I know how ya feel.I controlled my customers pretty well,so didn't have to deal with some of the bitchy people asking for invoices etc. But no matter how good you are you're gonna get that one guy who pushes all the wrong buttons,I normally just did my best and if that wasn't good enough turned them to someone else and moved on.I was hooked on the car business after from one month pulling in close to $15K,but that was an exception as we both know.

I have considered getting onto Mortgage loans as well,or at least until I can get some other things taken care of.What are the requirements?

[kenneth]

Originally Posted by RobbieH02879

BTW,good luck bro! You'll enjoy the atmosphere,that was one of the things I was attracted to when I was considering real estate,showing nice homes etc.

thank you! good luck to you as well.

[Carlito]

I am glad someone started this thread, I was in the car biz myself from 1997 until 9/11 when biz declined, a month after my daugther was born and I could not live off commisions so I went back to bartending which is what I do now. I enjoy bartending but the money is limited whereas in the car biz the sky is the limit. I've sold new, used, special finance and worked at a Toyota dealership then my last year I moved so I changed jobs to a Ford dealership. I have planned on going back next year right around tax season, is time I have to put all shit aside , no more selling gear to my friends(CobraLabs), no more coke deals I am walking straight next year, i will still juice but I will do long cycles using maybe just Primo or EQ, don't want to get too big.
Hey Robbie I thought about selling some coke to all those cokeheads mofos at the dealership, shit the general manager at the Toyota dealership I worked at is a notorious coke user, I mean all the fucking time he is high but he is a great businessman, I give him that. But no ! I will not do that I am going back and I am hungry for success the right way ,I have too much to loose if I keep doing what I've been doing, we all know we all eventually will get caught. I apologize for those I am offending with what I have said I am just being real. yeah I nickel and dime coke occasionally but not to children just to rich white collar idiots in their mid 30's and plus,these idiots frequent the bar I work at, shit half the waitstaff use coke, I don't do it that is why I do well sometimes. And i don't care if some fed motherfucker is reading this because I am out of the game for good, ha ha.

Everything Robbie said about the car biz is true and I must say bro that with that good attitude of yours you'll get very far. Selling cars or anything is not difficult , neither is easy. Nobody is born a salesman, salesmen are made.

I also thought of becoming a personal trainer but I think they don't make as much $$$ as a car salesman, are you all with me? right??? besides I probably will get deeper into this AAS game and sell to clients and get myself in trouble later on. What goes up comes down, I know this from experience bros.

Robbie, I will let you know where i end up at and I am glad that there are other salesmen on this board. I can relate to.

Carlito

[GeaR_and_SauCe]

Ha, worked and known many people who have worked in the car business here in philly. That post up top is deal on 120 fuckin percent.

On that note I got a pretty funny story. I was working at one of the major dealerships in philly. If you are from philly or south jersey you definitly know what dealership I'm talking about. Anyway, pills are real big in philly. Philly is the percocet, oxycontin, xanax etc capital of the world. That shit here is like how coke and dope are everywhere else. Anyway, one of the old men was hooked on oxys, he would eat them like they were candy. Oxys make you constipated to the point where it hurts to shit. Anyway, this guy goes into the bathroom stall one day to take a shit and he comes out in tremendous pain. Aparntly he had forced out a shit that ripped his asshole wide open. He had to be take to the hospital to get his asshole sewed back together. Even funnier was one of the matenience guys trying to break the unflushable shit brick with plunger. Had to be one of the funniest things I ever witnessed in my life.

An event like this can only take place in one of these dealerships. Its sick.

[RobbieH02879]

Originally Posted by Carlito

Hey Robbie I thought about selling some coke to all those cokeheads mofos at the dealership, shit the general manager at the Toyota dealership I worked at is a notorious coke user, I mean all the fucking time he is high but he is a great businessman, I give him that. But no ! I will not do that I am going back and I am hungry for success the right way ,I have too much to loose if I keep doing what I've been doing, we all know we all eventually will get caught. I apologize for those I am offending with what I have said I am just being real. yeah I nickel and dime coke occasionally but not to children just to rich white collar idiots in their mid 30's and plus,these idiots frequent the bar I work at, shit half the waitstaff use coke, I don't do it that is why I do well sometimes. And i don't care if some fed motherfucker is reading this because I am out of the game for good, ha ha.

Yep,I hear ya all the way,carlito,been there as well.Most of the salesmen were out everynight(including me!) and was buying grams a night! I was pretty well known in the car business and the club scene,it started getting worse & worse,guys were stopping by my house at 3am partying etc... That shit just don't fly all the time.Though all the strippers were a nice perk! Hell,the main clubs I used to go to just about everyone was snorting the shit,they'd walk outta the bathroom wiping their noses etc.After I started bouncing at one I became friends with most of them,hell the owner was inviting me into his office to do lines.I originally stated bouncing on the weekends to increase chick hook ups,I could care less about the money,I was killing it then in the car business.It was okay bouncing,definitely got laid alot! At that time all I wanted to do was party though at night,so I eventually quit bouncing,left on good terms,still got in free everywhere because I was a likeable guy.Hell I didn't even pay for drinks anymore,not even at the strip club...all the strippers were all over me,the manager of the strip club was kissing my ass...lol

At every dealership I worked at the majority of the salesmen & managers were coke users,hell you could do a line just from gathering up all the rocks they left behind on the counter! The sales mgr. was a good friend of mine,he regularly asked me to come have a line...lol The owner gave every employe a surprise piss test,80% of the dealership failed,including me! The owner didn't care though,we were making money! lol I eventually got tired of all the drug shit & just did my thing,whicj was concentrate on business & make money.It's cool to let loose every now & then,but everynight is overkill for me.I have lots of career & financial goals to accomplish,this accident has put a hold on everything...but I believe new doors will open up.

Everything Robbie said about the car biz is true and I must say bro that with that good attitude of yours you'll get very far. Selling cars or anything is not difficult , neither is easy. Nobody is born a salesman, salesmen are made.

Thanks bro.I got into the businesss at 19,found out I had a talent for selling,now all I had to do was hone it.I had no idea how much a good car salesman could make,until I sold my first car...$1400 commission slip ...I was hooked after that one.It is hard work,but the great thing is the more work you put in the better you'll do!.When I got into management the money was definitely very nice,plus I got to choose the high end vehicles to drive. I remember screwing our 19 year old secretary in my office! lmao,those were the days,lol I remember a lot of crazy shit going on.

.

Robbie, I will let you know where i end up at and I am glad that there are other salesmen on this board. I can relate to.

Carlito

Definitely let me know where ya go man.Agreed about being glad there are others here,it's nice when someone else knows what the hell you're talking about or can relate to the experiences.

Good luck on whatever you choose to do,Carlito.Be sure to keep me updated man.

Sorry if my post is incoherent,I have been up all night & am exhausted,can't seem to sleep very well lately.

[RobbieH02879]

Originally Posted by GeaR_and_SauCe

Ha, worked and known many people who have worked in the car business here in philly. That post up top is deal on 120 fuckin percent.

On that note I got a pretty funny story. I was working at one of the major dealerships in philly. If you are from philly or south jersey you definitly know what dealership I'm talking about. Anyway, pills are real big in philly. Philly is the percocet, oxycontin, xanax etc capital of the world. That shit here is like how coke and dope are everywhere else. Anyway, one of the old men was hooked on oxys, he would eat them like they were candy. Oxys make you constipated to the point where it hurts to shit. Anyway, this guy goes into the bathroom stall one day to take a shit and he comes out in tremendous pain. Aparntly he had forced out a shit that ripped his asshole wide open. He had to be take to the hospital to get his asshole sewed back together. Even funnier was one of the matenience guys trying to break the unflushable shit brick with plunger. Had to be one of the funniest things I ever witnessed in my life.

An event like this can only take place in one of these dealerships. Its sick.

Holy shit! That could not have felt good...lol @ trying to break the "shit brick"!

[RobbieH02879]

BTW,at the last GM dealership the porters were the ones pushing drugs!! These guys came to work loaded down,lmao.The sales mgr. would page one of them into his office to get his shit.Those guys made a killing off the salesmen & managers.

[Carlito]

Originally Posted by RobbieH02879

BTW,at the last GM dealership the porters were the ones pushing drugs!! These guys came to work loaded down,lmao.The sales mgr. would page one of them into his office to get his shit.Those guys made a killing off the salesmen & managers.

Lol, sad but true bro. I am glad we can all discuss about this without any inhibitions I sort of thought I blew it when I commented on my drug deals 'cause it may ofend someone but for the record I want to add that all that shit is over starting next Jan'05, I won't brew and sell gear no more to anyone and won't definetely connect people with coke is all over bro I got a 3 year old daugther and a beautiful good wife and I have realized I got way too much to loose I am going to concentrate on my job as a salesman and make the best out of it! I will still cycle but they will be ligth cycles I am thinking I will just use Primo and anavar I still love the weights and will never give that up and the juice...well I must admit is something I can't give up.
Robbie, back when I sold cars(@4 years) I did not care much I let deals go(not good) or I gave them away as long as I made my weekend money and paid my bills that is all I wanted and was happy with. Is funny how all I had in my apartment was a TV, stereo a sofa and my bed...nothing else but I made good money that I blew on chicks, wining and dinning, clubing buying their coke oh man it was fun, but now is a different story I have matured a bit more and see life from a different prespective. This time I will take advantage of all the tools a dealership offers such as the internet, service department, old records, the so called 'dead deals' etc...I will not be in the crowd smoking a cigarrette and bitching about how slow is, no I will use my time prospecting, following up, working the phones and whenever I can I will flirt with the receptionist, lol I got some stories about that too bro, I'll tell you later though. I will make as much money as possible , you know how it goes Robbie, no reading the paper and drinking coffee in the morning waiting for the manager to ask you to 'make your follow up calls'.
I know of a guy that works in a Mitsubishi dealership that makes about $10,000a month he is a superstar, very humble quiet but busy real busy all the time, he has an assistant and if you would see his desk you'll see dozens of folders(deals) piled up he is working on, this guy takes OFF whenever he wants to and even takes any car he wants to for the weekend if he wants to. I remember one time my firend(who works at that dealership) told me he collected about $800 worth of spiff cash in a regular friday meeting and he gave it all to his assistant because he said it was his bonus for helping him putting all his deals together, shit can you imagine that? I also found out what makes a susccesful salesman, he invests his own money on marketing , distribute @ 10,000 fliers per month plus he has ads in different local papers and mags, he also uses the internet. Next year I want to do something like it too, see bro I am hispanic and i must take advantage that I am bilingual and take on the hispanic community here in Houston,TX. Being bilingual have helped get many 'half deals' mainly closing them. I will also look into using the internet to my advantage...hmmmm I thin I just of something maybe I can sell them on the message boards, you know I have sold cars before that were brought from a different state before just because it was a special edition or others, is called a dealer trade I am sure you've heard of it before, hmmm why not? tell me what ya think about it please.
Anyways , I am all about not waiting for the customers to walk in but for me to get them from anywhere possible. I know if I could brew my own gear, get labels advertised it to my buddies( internet and local) and make a 400% mark up I could use that ability in a legal way too.
Sorry guys for the long post but I wanted to share this with Robbie and all of you.

Later,

Robbie, I will keep in touch!

Merry X-mas to everyone and hope you all enjoy the holidays in company of your loved ones!!!

Carlito

[RobbieH02879]

Originally Posted by Carlito

Lol, sad but true bro. I am glad we can all discuss about this without any inhibitions I sort of thought I blew it when I commented on my drug deals 'cause it may ofend someone but for the record I want to add that all that shit is over starting next Jan'05, I won't brew and sell gear no more to anyone and won't definetely connect people with coke is all over bro I got a 3 year old daugther and a beautiful good wife and I have realized I got way too much to loose I am going to concentrate on my job as a salesman and make the best out of it! I will still cycle but they will be ligth cycles I am thinking I will just use Primo and anavar I still love the weights and will never give that up and the juice...well I must admit is something I can't give up.

Sounds like you definitely have a great attitude,and you are obviously a smart guy...I'm sure you are going to do great if/when you decide to go back.I know what you mean about wanting it all to be over with,it just builds up so fast.After a while I couldn't go anywhere without everyone around me pulling out bags of coke.I eventually had to put my foot down when a guy came to me at my dealership while I was talking with a customer!! That is just way out of line.

I will make as much money as possible , you know how it goes Robbie, no reading the paper and drinking coffee in the morning waiting for the manager to ask you to 'make your follow up calls'.
I know of a guy that works in a Mitsubishi dealership that makes about $10,000a month he is a superstar, very humble quiet but busy real busy all the time, he has an assistant and if you would see his desk you'll see dozens of folders(deals) piled up he is working on, this guy takes OFF whenever he wants to and even takes any car he wants to for the weekend if he wants to.

That is how I was,I was quit until a customer walked up,then it's showtime...I treated it like a business & it payed off,instead of smaoking with the rest of the guys I was on the phone during slow times...looking up files from previous customers & calling them to get leads etc. Just doing that increased my sales...I had the highest closing rate at one point,about 70%...the average is 35%.My whole goal was to become a manager within the first year,I achieved that goal through working my ass off and sharpeneing my selling skills.I created this entire other persona,a smooth,suave,Robbie who didn't take no for an answer...that Robbie began taking over in all aspects of my life,especially my love life! Before I got into the business Iwas the shyest,quietest guy you'd ever meet..lol After a year,I was a 'big dog' in the business.That showed me that anyone can become successful if they apply themselves,and that is what I taought all my guys.

I remember one time my firend(who works at that dealership) told me he collected about $800 worth of spiff cash in a regular friday meeting and he gave it all to his assistant because he said it was his bonus for helping him putting all his deals together, shit can you imagine that? I also found out what makes a susccesful salesman, he invests his own money on marketing , distribute @ 10,000 fliers per month plus he has ads in different local papers and mags, he also uses the internet. Next year I want to do something like it too, see bro I am hispanic and i must take advantage that I am bilingual and take on the hispanic community here in Houston,TX. Being bilingual have helped get many 'half deals' mainly closing them. I will also look into using the internet to my advantage...hmmmm I thin I just of something maybe I can sell them on the message boards, you know I have sold cars before that were brought from a different state before just because it was a special edition or others, is called a dealer trade I am sure you've heard of it before, hmmm why not? tell me what ya think about it please.

I think it is a great idea,as far as investing in your own advertising,that goes back to what I originally said...treat it like your own personal business.Doing that will increase your number of deals greatly..just do the math,you run a $125 newspaper ad(depending on where you live),lets say that ad brings you 4 more deals for the month at just the minimum commission... 4 x $200 = $800,but realistically if you are just getting the minmum you aren't controlling your customer well enough. Let's use a $500 average per copy... 4 x $500 = $2000 extra per month from just 4 more customers...you can see that it definitely pays off to network & advertise more on your own.

Anyway you can bring in custmers is a good way.I wrote a little short overview on anotehr board about the steps of selling a car,obviously you have a lot of experience so you will know pretty much all of what I wrote,but I think I will post it for someone who is new to the business who may stumble across this thread.

Being Bi-lingual has a very good advantage,I need to learn to speak spanish,in this area there are many Mexican - americans & workers who only speak spanish.Any skills you have use them,that gives you an advantage over your competitors.

Anyways , I am all about not waiting for the customers to walk in but for me to get them from anywhere possible. I know if I could brew my own gear, get labels advertised it to my buddies( internet and local) and make a 400% mark up I could use that ability in a legal way too.
Sorry guys for the long post but I wanted to share this with Robbie and all of you.

yep,use the skills you have picked up in other businesses legal or not & apply them.They can only help,just don't sel steroids to you customers j/k...though I have sold to other employees before. lol

You have a good head on your shoulders,once you apply yourself I can see you being one of the top producers and maybe even moving up to a management position.

Later,

Robbie, I will keep in touch!

Merry X-mas to everyone and hope you all enjoy the holidays in company of your loved ones!!!

Carlito

Thanks bro,let me know how it goes.And have a happy holidays to you too.

Rob