Considering a career in car sales? You should – the average salary for a car sales role is £40,215.08. And the role itself can be as exciting as you make it.
Maybe you’ve been in the industry for a while but are looking for a new challenge? Or perhaps you’re looking for a change of industry, and looking to land your dream job in automotive sales.
Whatever your situation, your interview will include an interview based around your car sales experience, or any sales experience for that matter. Below, we’ve put together some of the most frequently asked questions you could be asked at a car sales interview, and a few other tips too:
What do I want to achieve?
When attending a job interview, your main goal should be to get as much information as possible to decide whether this is the right company for you. You’ll also want to get a feel for company culture and structure e.g. working hours, benefits, commission structure.
What the interviewer wants
The interviewer is looking for the ideal candidate who fits their bill, as it were. Their job description should have been clear enough for you to identify whether you think you are the right fit for the job and the company. They want to select an individual they feel has great customer service skills, and can sell not only cars, but an experience. They may also require specific experience, dependent on the role (e.g. a car sales executive or manager).
What can I expect from this interview?
No two interviews are ever the same, but the person conducting it should be experienced and have a good understanding of the role they have advertised for. You will be expected to be keen (otherwise why would you be there), positive and clear. They will require you to talk about yourself at length, and your past work experience Your answers should be relevant to the role and help them understand you more as a person.
Never sold a car before? Don’t worry, you’ve likely been selected for an interview because a lot of dealerships like to train employees in a certain way – they will likely ask you why you want to sell cars, though. So make sure you have a good answer for that.
If you have sold cars before, they will likely want to know what your passion is for selling cars. Be honest when you answer this question.
What interview questions should I expect?
If you’ve never sold a car before, the following are questions you are likely to hear at interview stage:
- Why do you want to sell cars?
- Why should I hire you?
- Why did you apply here?
- Why are you leaving/have you left your current job?
- Do you think you are a people person?
- Would you be a successful car salesman or woman?
- How do you feel about the work hours in the car business?
- What do you know about our brand?
- Do you think you would be good at selling?
- Have you ever worked on commission?
- Would you prefer to sell new cars or used cars?
- Do you get along with people?
- Are you a goal-oriented person?
- What did you like about your last job?
- Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
- What motivates you? (Money and competition are good answers)
And if you’re a car selling machine, the following will likely be the questions you’ll get in an interview:
- Do you like selling cars? Why?
- Why should I hire you for my sales team?
- How many hours did you work a week at the last dealer?
- How many cars do you sell a month on average?
- Do you prefer to sell new or used vehicles?
- What was your closing percentage?
- Do you set and achieve your monthly goals?
- How did you get along with your sales managers?
- What kind of bonus did you get on a regular basis?
- Do you think you get along well with other sales people?
- How often do you sell repeat customers?
- How often do you get referral customers?
- What is your average gross?
- How often does a sales manager close behind you?
- How many ups do you usually get a month?
10 ways to stay motivated when jobseeking in sales
To keep on track until your ideal account manager or field sales role is in the bag, it’s vital to stay focused and positive.
How do I return to sales after a career break?
There are numerous reasons why sales professionals might take a break from the profession, and return later in their life. There may be family commitments, a desire to work abroad for a while, or to try something different such as teaching or setting up an ecommerce business.
A key skill that will contribute to your success – Self Talk
Often self-talk happens without you even realising it and can be a subtle running commentary going on in the background of your mind. But what you say in your mind can determine a lot of how you feel about who you are, as a sales person or as a sales manager
Do hobbies help or hinder a sales CV?
Opinions are divided on whether there is any purpose to the ‘interests’ section of a CV. The traditional view is that your hobbies and pastimes show something of you as a person and demonstrate how rounded you are which could help in your sales job application.
I’ve tailored my CV but still can’t get a sales job interview
We all know how important it is for job applicants to tailor their CV or online application to the specific sales job, rather than send generic details about themselves. But increasingly – as more and more people apply for each advertised vacancy – those who apply for sales jobs they are fully qualified for, are finding that even this isn’t working in their favour.
Sales Advice: Preventing buyers’ resistance to sales people
What can sales professionals do to at least lower the resistance barriers to making a choice? We may not have caused that resistance ourselves, but we certainly have to face up to it every day. We have to do everything we can to minimise indifference and negative pre-disposition to our sales approach. What can we do to help prospects welcome us rather than resist us?
