Rookie Car Salesman…On The Point.

Part 2 of Car Dealer Confessions…by Tug Pullman. 

When my intensive car dealership training commenced (about 2 days), I was paired with a veteran used car sales person whom they introduced as my “Mentor”.

This gentleman enjoyed two hobbies: chewing tobacco and collecting the business cards of Sales People who either quit or were fired. His first action as my professional mentor: Showing me his “Wall of Shame”. Under his desk was a cork board, upon which he tacked the business cards of departed Sales People.

He went on to tell me most people don’t make it past the first month in this business. He also showed me the spot reserved for my business card.

Competition can be fierce in the automotive sales field. I didn’t know it then; this was the first overt attempt to “get into my head” by a veteran sales person. They like to keep the ranks thinned out so there were more sales for them. A young intelligent new sales person represented the biggest threat to their sales pipeline and comfortable work life.

Most of these demoralizing head games took place on the “point”. The point is outside of the dealership, closest to the entrance where customers pull in. If you have ever pulled into a dealership and had the feeling that you were raw steak being lowered into the lion cage, then you have visited the point.

For traditional Sales People, this represents their “turf” and the best chance they have to sell a vehicle. The more aggressive they are, the better their chances of landing a customer.

My first trip out to the point began harmlessly enough. Not too long after staking my claim near the front entrance, I was approached by one of the top Sales People. He was an ex-professional pool player and quite slick in a “country” type of way.

He began the conversation normally enough, commenting on the weather and such. Not long into it, he began his spiel about how terrible business was, and how he heard they would be letting several Sales People go at the end of the month. His technique became quite transparent as he continued talking;  eventually he walked past me to grab the customer who just parked in the point..

I filed that little maneuver under the title “Chat and Swoop”, a technique he obviously perfected. I was starting to catch on…rather quickly.

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