Hi all, just started my new job at Audi of Charlotte in the newest facility in the US. The building is amazing. I just wanted to drop by and say hi to all of you Audi enthusiasts. Prior to this job I knew very little about Audis but am learning as fast as possible. These forums are a big help to my education in customer wants/concerns. I don't own an Audi now but after working here for only a few days and driving the ones on the lot I am looking forward to my first Audi purchase. Any advice you guys can give is always welcome! This is not only my first car salesman job but my first sales job in general, which seems to be both a blessing as well as a curse in this business. I am not corrupted by the "slimy salesman" disease but at the same time my knowledge of the cars is limited. The latter problem should handle itself with enough time and I have no intention of becoming the stereotypical salesman.

 

You're off on the right foot. Study your product. But in the meantime, just be 'real' with the customers. I'd say at this point, if a prospect asks a question you don't know the answer to, admit it, then say "...but I'll find out the answer for you".
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Oh - be sure and tell the new owners where their owners manual is (shelf below steering column - at least on A6's) You'd be amazed how many questions we get on that one.
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Good luck. I tried selling cars myself back in 1975 - zip sales in 6 weeks.

 

Hey welcome to the forum. Let us know if you have any questions. You've got me thinking now. I should try to sell some Audi's.

 

Thanks guys for your input, believe it or not, the "don't lie, tell them you'll get the answer for them" response is the number one thing that my boss' as well as my fellow salesman have told me. I must have gotten lucky and got into a good dealership with caring people. They tell me the philosophy is to just be totally honest and genuinely care about the customer and their needs and the cars will sell themselves. Seems like good advice. I wouldn't be able to cut it as a salesman anyway if I had to lie to people to get their money. The best part is that Audi customers understand that there has to be some profit made from the car or we salesman don't eat, and the salesman at this dealership seem to understand that people want to pay a fair price for their vehicles and not get taken to the cleaners.

 

Maybe you can let us in on how much the dealers make on each sale. The dealers get kickbacks in addition to the amount over invoice correct?

 

I'll be completely honest with you, the commission made off of new Audis is not that great, even if the customer comes in and pays full sticker price the markup is only about 2k. I have been told there is more markup on a 10,000 Ford or Chevrolet than on our 30,000+ A4s and A6s. That astounded me. The minimum commission made off of any car is $200 but it ranges usually from $300-$600. At least here it does, as I said, I'm very new to this whole car salesman thing and am still learning. From what I hear, the most money to be made is in the used car lot. That's where salesman can make the bigger paychecks per car usually in the $800-$1200 range.

 

welcome to the forum

Start with the basics.. about Audi Learn the history of the cars the different models... the different types of engines used.. and what history has been set by Audi at the tracks!! After you learn the basics of that (which will help you get a better feeling for Audi) learn about the different options and generations of the current cars. ie B5 B6 B7 for the A4 and Sport Line USP etc.. etc... then move on to the next model.

 

Thanks RedGoat for the advice, will take it to heart. Keep the good info coming guys it's all very helpful!

 

Yeah when I started searching for my car I walked into the dealer and said "Yeah I'd like to test drive a new B7 A4". The guy looked at me like I was speaking jiberish. I had to explain to him the chassis codes.

 

^^^ That would have been a bad sign.. I would have probably asked for a new salesman ^^^