Describing the gist of a car sales career is simple… You sell automobiles.
However, this career field has so much more to it, and individuals can have a varying degree of success based on their skillset, dedication, and luck.
World’s Best Car Salesman
A man named Ali Reda sold 1,582 cars in 2017 in Michigan! By comparison, the national average for entire car lots was 1,000 cars in 2017.
I wanted to share Reda’s story because he represents the fact that a car salesman has insane potential for what they can accomplish.
Not only did he sell an amazing amount of cars himself, but by being great at his job (getting requested by nearly everyone in the community that walks onto the lot), he’s hired multiple assistants to manage his work.
This is the dream of any salesperson, that you work hard and become notorious to the point that there is no choice but to hire additional employees to help you sell cars.
How much does car sales pay?
An average commission for a car salesman is $250-$300 per car. Many dealerships also offer a base salary and bonuses, but this can vary widely by dealership and location.
Many dealerships also offer commissions on add-ons, like extended warranties, insurance, financing options, rust protect, and other items like that.
Note that just like any other sales career, it can take awhile to build up your pipeline. The best car dealers have people requesting them when they walk onto the lot. You don’t get there on day 1, or even year 1.
If a car salesman sold 1 car every work day, they’d sell a little over 250 cars. That’d bring in $62k-$75k in commissions. The most successful and senior car salesperson brings in more than 1 per day, while the average salesperson only sells 10-11 cars a month.
10-11 cars a month doesn’t make anybody rich, however salespeople who are intentional about building up referrals and becoming well-known in the community can make much, much more money.