When I hit the sales lot I was running. I thought I was that good that I was going to be the very best salesman. Talk about learning to be humble! Selling cars was tough. I started looking for ways to help me be a better salesman. I found a couple books to read related to sales. One book is probably the most popular book in the success world by Napoleon Hill, Think And Grow Rich, the other by Tom Hopkins, How To Master The Art Of Selling.
Sometimes you win without winning the actual prize. Recognition is a very thing for a salesman and I always, even now, loved being recognized. To be awarded Salesman Of The Month was an award that I accomplished quite a few times. I had never reached Salesman Of The Year until many years later in my sales life. There are a few reasons for this. When there are changes to the routes or you get promoted to a position and of course changing jobs. Being recognized even by being told what a great job you are doing seems to play into the ego of all salesman and managers. The dealership was no different, when you sold a car you were praised, when you sold the most for the week or the month you were rewarded. They knew that praising their sales team meant more sales.
There were thirty sales people on the floor. It was cut throat. The was no organized up system. An up was a customer. When an up came to the sales lot who ever was the most aggressive sales person was who got the chance to sell. We were allowed to sell new and used cars and trucks. This was a very aggressive dealership. High pressure! No customer walked away without at least two sales people talking to them. Once I even saw the general manager, this little short red headed man is a suit with always a bright yellow tie, go running out onto the lot chasing after a customer leaving and trying to get them to come back inside. That’s pressure! Pressure on the customer and on the sales team.
After the first month on the lot I was eighth in sales out of the thirty sales people. Believe me it was good to be in that position and every one in the dealership knew who I was, however It was a year of recession,and customers buying big ticket items were not plentiful. So being in eighth place only looked good on the tote board not in the paycheck. In most dealerships, even today there are only a few very successful sales people working there. I needed to find something else and quick.
A few months went buy and I got a couple that were going to buy a car from me. It took a while to get the finance officer to get the job done and it was approaching lunch time so I sent the couple in what was to be their new car to lunch when they returned the finance manager was ready for them. I sent the car to be prepped. After the financing went through there was a period of time while we were waiting for there car to be finished prepped. I talked to the customers, the fellow, Dan told me that I was the best salesman he had ever dealt with and that he was a manager for a company that sold meats using route sales. He said that he had several people retiring soon and then he offered for me to apply for a route sales position.
