ALT-1 How to Evaluate a Good Car Salesperson
The sales profession has long been viewed as a dishonest way to make a living especially for a car salesman. Having personally spent three years in the business of selling automobiles, I can attest to the fact that all salesman are not bad people. The truth is there is a very high rate of turnover with salesman for the average dealership. In many cases your salesman will be someone brand new to the business. I've had the pleasure of working with people from all walks of life ranging from computer programmers,soldiers,accountants,construction workers, and even former police officers. I became a car salesman the same way most of the people I worked with did, I was laid off from my current job and wanted to continue making a professional amount of money. Car sales is one of the highest paying jobs you can have with little to no experience.
Now I'm certainly not oblivious to fact that there are salespeople and dealerships that are using dishonest business practices,but you shouldn't always jump to the conclusion that you're being ripped off. With the introduction of the Internet there's absolutely no reason that you can't arm yourself with all the information that the dealer has access to as well. Before you ever set foot into the dealership should have at least a general idea about what vehicle you want and a realistic idea of what you should be paying for it.
The best car salesman you can have is the Internet. What I mean by that is most major dealerships have a Internet sales department, which is usually ran by an employee who is being paid a salary plus bonuses for the number of cars sold. This individual is more likely to be low pressure as he or she isn't dependent on the gross profit of the vehicle. You simply pick the vehicle you want and the price is usually negotiated via email, which is typically lower because the Internet customer is far more educated than the average person walking through the dealership's doors on the subject of price. This is the best option for you if you know what vehicle you want, especially if you don't want to haggle and spend several hours in a dealership.
For those of you who simply prefer the old random visits to dealerships I wish you the best. Most car salespeople are paid strictly on commission. While I believe most people are decent, when an individual is faced with the next big sale taking care of the mortgage, or simply putting food on the table there's no telling what they are capable of. My only advice is to avoid the salesperson with the most desperate look upon their face.
