Why become Sales Manager?

[Salesman84]

Would you like to know why you can sell 30 cars and the rest of the folks only sell 10? Normally it's because they let you.

That might be true, but I actually used to tell myself that the only reason they sold 10 was because I let THEM by being tied up selling 30 cars. I would use that as motivation to try and be more efficient, and get back to the desk and phone as quickly as possible. Having a crazy raging GM that would get angry with you if you weren't making calls to old leads while your customers were in finance helped keep your drive up too. Looking back now I appreciate his style.

 

[Carsalesmannn]

I think you smoking crack

 

[john.quinn]

At the risk of being the voice of doom and gloom, I know more GMs that died in stores, from strokes or heart attacks, than retired. The first store, where I was a manager, lost two this way. I knew six that died at a store. I don't know one that retired. At my last stores, the GM had a heart attack before he turned 50. How many have you seen fired after over fifteen years? You get fired as a GM and it is usually a downward spiral from then. Yes, they make a lot of money and they earn every dime. They had better be banking it.

If I made the mistake of hiring Doug, I'd probably have a heart-attack too!

For me it was a simple question: chase the $$$ or do something interesting. In 1997 I was faced with that interesting choice: go the traditional sales manager route, or investigate/explore/play with this new, fringe thing that was showing some potential -- the internet. I chose the latter, and while some of my peers made a few more bucks -- and some are certainly now on Doug's death watch -- I soaked-up knowledge and experience beyond anything I could have gained by chasing the bucks, and if I do say so myself, I became uniquely well-rounded. That decision is serving me quite well 16 years later.

If money is the most important thing -- stay in sales and work for yourself. Just be sure that money will satisfy all of your needs.

 

[Jlewis74]

Whats the point of making good money if you dont have time to enjoy it? With that said if working is what you enjoy go for it!

 

[ddavis]

If I made the mistake of hiring Doug, I'd probably have a heart-attack too!

It appears that John is off his meds again.

John, there is no business where you can go from hero to zero in a single month like the car business. You can have years of outstanding increases and lose your job after three bad months. I have seen many GMs suffer that fate. That kind of pressure takes it's toll.
I have seen so many changes in the last few years. I hate to say this, after 40 years in the business, I no longer recommend this industry to young people. There are still some good stores out there. I retire next month. I will still continue to do some consulting but on a very limited scale.