CAR SALESMAN MAKES $200,000 IN THIS ECONOMY
I have to tell you that I love this business! I really do. I love being a “car guy.” You truly get what you put into it. However, itdidn’t always start out that way. I didn’t grow up and dream of being a car salesman. I had aspirations of being an Army officer, and when I got out I wanted to work in counterintelligence.
Then, I got bit buy the car dealership bug. I saw an ad in the paper that was perfect for me. It said “free company car (demo).” At this time, I was a sophomore at the University and completely broke with a ton of maxed out credit cards. I have to tell you answering that ad was the best thing I could have ever done for my life. The first year I got into rhythm, and the second year I cracked six figures and never looked back. Today, I own multiple companies and owe it all to being a car salesman. I am first-hand living proof that anyone can make it and make it big in this industry. There are similar stories across the nation.
Chris Gramlich, from Peruzzi Toyota in Hatfield Pennsylvania, is one of these stories. Chris is in the top .5 percent of the automotive sales consultants in the United States in annual income generated. While his title might be “Internet Sales Manager,” he doesn’t manage the department. Chris is an Internet sales consultant, which means he works only with Internet prospects. Peruzzi’s Internet team has coordinators (appointment setters) who take the Internet leads to the appointment stage then TO them to the Internet sales managers for the relationship and value building, product presentation, demo drive and delivery. Chris’s two main roles are of TO support if the Internet coordinators can’t close an appointment or overcome an objection, and he is the relationship builder and closer.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Chris recently for this article. Here’s what he had to say:
Sean V. Bradley: How did you get started in the automotive industry?
Chris Gramlich: I started off selling TVs, cameras and VCRs. A manager from a dealership came in and bought a camera off of me and offered me a job. That was nine years ago.
SVB: How many units per month are you averaging?
CG: Right now about 30 units per month
SVB: How many units did you sell in your best month ever?
CG: I sold 50 units. That was the month after I got married, and I pretty much lived at the store. It was September 2004, and back then, there was no Internet department. I planted my desk by the showroom main door and I literally took every single up that I could, and I answered the sales calls as much as humanly possible. It was, basically, good old fashion hard work. I had a sold six vehicles to a grocery store chain that month. But the main reason why I sold so many cars that month was because someone made a comment that I was going to fall off now that I had just got married — they were wrong.
SVB: What is the most you have made in a month and in a year?
CG: I’ve actually made $24,000 in a month. And I made $225,000 in one calendar year selling cars on the showroom floor.
SVB: What do project you will make in 2009?
CG: I am on track to hit close to $200,000. In this economy….
SVB: When you were a kid, what did you want to do when you grew up?
CG: I wanted to be a lawyer.
SVB: How does it feel that, in a recession, you are making more money than some of the most prominent attorneys in the United States?
CG: It feels great. I love what I do; I don’t
have a degree, and I have the opportunity to provide a great life for myself and my family. I love this business.
SVB: How do you fell about the ”Al Bundy” stereotypes of car salesman?
CG: I don’t like it. I take a lot of pride in what I do. I understand that some people feel that way, but I hate that I sometimes get grouped into that category. Whenever I greet a customer, I always assume that is what they are thinking or feeling. It is always my strategy to change their perception of me and our industry from the second that I greet them. It might sound a little high-minded, but it’s the truth. I try to change people’s perception of the automotive sales industry one prospect at a time.
SVB: Has your success been gradual?
CG: Yes it has. I came from a family of sales professionals, so the inspiration was there, but there is a learning curve selling automobiles. I learned how to do it over time. As time passed, I evolved. I learned skills, tactics and style. It took me nine years to get to where I am today, and I still feel as though I have a lot to learn.
SVB: What one idea or strategy can you outline for our readers that helped you become so successful?
CG: Hands down, ask good questions. Qualify your prospect properly. I think this is what a lot of sales people miss. As a matter of fact, NADA says the No. 1 reason why someone does not buy a car is that they are landed on the wrong vehicle. So, qualify your prospect thoroughly.
We’ll continue our discussion with Chris Gramlich next issue.
Sean V. Bradley is the founder and CEO of Dealer Synergy, a nationally recognized training and consulting company in the automotive industry. He can be contacted at 866.648.7400, or by e-mail at sbradley@autosuccessonline.com.
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