Job offer at Toyota Dealership

hey guys and gals, i am a recent college grad, graduated in December 2013. its been a few months and i haven't really had any job offers except this recent offer to be a salesman at my local Toyota dealer, Advantage Toyota in Barboursville, WV. the job market here right now is tough, i would move but my future wife is in doctorate school so I'm kind of stuck where we are at the moment.
anyways, is this a good starter job (I'm highly considering it)
just thought id stop by here and get peoples thoughts and see if there were any salespeople on here who could give me some advice!
thanks in advance.

 

Good dealership. I've had a lot of work done there when I was going to Marshall.

 

yea i've heard a lot of good things about them.
just trying to find somewhere where i can start a career

 

Not a salesman but if you have no problem with being told no than it's better than nothing. Also would you get any discounts on parts or anything from Toyota?

 

Take the job, get in good with the parts department, and then offer Tacoma World members discounts.

 

Tacoma World discount??

 

Being a salesman in a dealership is a bit of a cut-throat job. Don't make friends, and don't do favors. you have to keep on your toes at all times!

 

haha you guys are full of advice lol

 

yea thats what i figured

 

Being a salesman is about numbers. MOST (but not all) dealerships have a first-sales-contact, first-sales type of thing. This means the first salesman to make contact with a potential buyer gets the chance to make the sale. Here is where some problems sit: The new salesmen usually get the desk furthest from the door, and hardest to see the lot. Also some old-school salesmen that have been there for a while will try to befriend you and be a "big-brother". Actually what they are doing is helping themselves. If you pair up, and they are the senior salesman, THEY get the largest share of the sales commission. You may do all the paper work and leg work, and they just help with a few kind words to the customer, and you get 40% of the commission and they get 60%. So I say keep on your toes, keep your eyes open at all times, KNOW YOUR PRODUCT, and don't ask for help unless you have absolutely NO choice.

 

thank you very much for the advice, i intent to study and know all the product( i am a bit of a nut when it comes to researching things)

 

Didn't read anything but, OPs first post.

Gotta ask, if you've been looking for work since December of 2013 with no success is there really a bad job offer?

Oh & BTW sold yotes for a while. Didn't like it but, if you've got specific questions feel free to ask.

 

good point!


Being a salesman isn't the end of the world, you could always get the sales job and try to work over to the service dept?

 

had a friend that worked at a dealership for less than a year (not Toyota) and basically wasn't for him.

to start off they (the dealership) "pay" you an amount that you are required to make back in sales (maybe not within the training period) but making commission on sales gets you more money. If you even out the sales with what they pay it's like making minimum wage.

Like Bama said, senior salesperson will jump on the chance to befriend and "help" you with the sale and take the majority of commission leaving you out to dry.

If you have an outgoing personality, are good with people, and know the product you are selling; you stand a chance at making it. Just know the bottom line is to get that sale and to not let the customer leave

 

I have car salesmen friends who love it and make great money. They stay at a dealership for a couple years and then move on to a better brand to make better commission (Toyota -> Lexus -> Mercedes).
Others hate it and only do it for a while until they find something better.
Either way, OP, since there is nothing else, I would say this is a great opportunity to gain experience. If you like it and can work your way up, great, if not and you only do it until you can find something better, then this can go on your resume and it pays the bills while you are looking.
Good luck and enjoy it as much as you can.

 

I've actually been thinking about doing this as well. Working at Toyota temporarily to gain experience (since I can't seem to find much else right now) as well as getting a good discount on stuff. Plus I get so irritated about salesmen never knowing squat about their products.

I was actually leaning towards more the internet sales. Sorry if it's a slight hijack. Anyone have any experience with this? Internet sales vs regular sales?

 

i actually have a job right now at a law firm where i did my internship in college but its just minimum wage kind of like filing and stuff so im not jobless just looking to move on. thank you for all the advice guys.

im kind of excited and scared at the same time, ive never worked a sales job based off commission

 

It really depends on if you can make a good salesman. It can be lucrative if you're good at it, and it helps if you believe in the product. There's lots of brands I couldn't sell, but could sell Toyotas. We own two.

BTW what's your college degree? Maybe you can keep your current job part-time

 

I can see wanting to move on, but I am curious: If you have an internship at a law firm, that is a solid paycheck, why risk the possible pay loss as a salesman? I have seen salesmen get next to nothing in a paycheck in a bad month. At least where you are now it is steady work. Have you tried asking for a job change within the law firm? Not trying to tell you what to do, but I would think if you were in an internship in college at a law firm, that you went to college to study law. This means that staying within that firm would benefit you. Just my thoughts.

 

He has law background, I think he will be able to BS enough to make sales! LOL, just kidding.

OP, I agree with Redeemed and BamaToy1997 that if your degree is in law then it might be good to keep that position, even part time. The sales experience will definately be a plus on your resume, but I would not let go of the law contact completely - networking relationships is worth a lot. (That's assuming your degree is in law based on your internship)