Frequently Asked Questions:

The College has pulled together a list of some of the most asked questions from our students (see below). If you don't see your question answered please use the form to the right to contact us. Click on the links below to watch any of the videos. Click Here to read more testimonials. Internet Sales Specialist How my Income Changed 1 How my Income Changed 2 Management Program Testimonials

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What if I'm Not Sure I Want to be in "Sales"?

1) The first point to consider is the definition of sales or salesperson .

a. The definition of sales IS:

i. Caring about other people. By caring, good salespeople ask questions and then listen to find out what is important to the people they want to serve. By caring, good salespeople are friendly, empathetic, and continually strive to find new ways to help other people by satisfying their needs or wants.
ii. Good salespeople become friends with their customers and make sure they
completely understand everything before they spend any money so they are
100% satisfied and happy with their purchase now and later. That means
honesty is absolutely necessary to be a good salesperson.

b. The definition of a salesperson is NOT:

i. High pressure
ii. Intimidation tactics
iii. Talking someone into doing something they don t want to do
iv. Using deception or deceit to make a sale (a whatever it takes even if it is wrong mentality)

2) If you have the ability to identify a need in somebody s life and find pleasure in meeting that need to solve that person s problem, then you are naturally a salesperson by our definition because you care.

3) This is the only type of salesperson our employers are looking for to fill key positions in
their Sales, Internet, and Finance departments. We want to help everyone who has this
desire, even if they haven t yet developed these skills of caring for others because the skills can be learned if the desire and heart is there.

4) Also, there is no pressure in sales as long as a salesperson has customers to talk to and a good product to sell if the salesperson understands that every person makes their own decision about what they want to buy and what they want to pay. It is not the salespersons job to talk anyone into anything. It is simply the salesperson s job to help each customer identify what their need is and help each customer receive all the information necessary to make an intelligent decision based on accurate information.

5) A better term or definition of a true salesperson might be:

a. Consultant
b. Customer service specialist
c. Servant
d. True friend

6) If you can see yourself being a good friend to others because you genuinely care about people and like helping others, then we believe you would be a perfect candidate and make a very good living as a sales and leasing associate, internet sales specialist, or finance and insurance manager for a retail automotive, RV, or motorcycle dealership. All three of these careers require someone who is an effective salesperson and that skill (of really caring and being a true friend) is the greatest determining factor in the pay someone earns in any of these three careers.

What if I'm Concerned About "Commission Pay"?

1) All dealerships are required to pay a salary or commissions, whichever is greater, so that everybody is compensated for the hours and time they spent working. These are all W-2, full-time positions, with benefits provided.

2) Some of the various pay plan structures that exist in dealerships include base salary or
commissions, whichever is greater.

3) Sometimes dealerships have pay plans that offer salary plus bonuses for each unit sold with no commissions at all.

4) Sometimes employers offer salary plus commissions.

5) The careers we represent in the automotive industry are performance based. That means you re recognized for your abilities and those who are able to perform better are usually paid more.

6) Dealerships offer different pay plans and compensation packages. In all cases, your success at cold calling or finding your own customers is not required to earn a commission.
Instead, commissions are paid for providing customer service to customers who come to you seeking more information and help to purchase the products you represent.

7) As reported by National Automobile Dealers Association for the year 2005 for the western region in the United States which includes CA, OR, WA, AK, HI, the average income for auto sales and leasing associates is $49,582 (average), and $92,821 was the average high. The average income of an F&I Manager in that same region during that same time period according to NADA is $110,659 per year.

8) We are looking for candidates who are, or who are willing to do what it takes to become, above average candidates for our employers. If these annual income levels satisfy your needs call us.

What are the "Hours" in the Automotive Industry?

1) You have to agree to work a full-time schedule. In return for a full-time schedule:

a. You can have the opportunity to earn high annual earnings.
b. You can work in a stable industry with opportunities for rapid promotions for those
who do well.
c. You have the opportunity to receive health, dental, and vacation benefits from most
employers.
d. You don t have to do cold calling to obtain all your customers or work in a 1099
position because all the positions are full-time W-2 positions where the customers
come to you already interested in the product you provide.
e. You just need to make sure you have good customer service and organizational skills.

2) You have to agree to take off some mornings.

3) You have to agree to take off some afternoons.

4) You have to agree to take off some weekdays.

5) You have to agree to take off some weekends.

6) So conversely, you have to agree to work some mornings, some evenings, and some
weekends (generally at least every other weekend) if you re going to be in the retail
automotive, RV, or motor sports industries. Exceptions apply in some cases with some
employers.

What if I Don't Want to Spend the Rest of My Career in the Car Business?

1) You don t have to. You will gain experience and skills that are transferable to many other industries. After successfully being a sales associate and F&I Manager in the automotive industry; you have prepared yourself for a variety of other career opportunities outside of the automotive retail environment that can pay six figure annual incomes.

2) Those career opportunities include careers in lending with banks and finance companies or being a corporate sales representative for a public or private company who may do business with automotive manufacturers, retailers, or lenders.

3) Companies who employ these qualified individuals include:

a. Automotive recruitment companies
b. Automotive and lending industry training companies like College of Automotive
Management
c. Automotive computer or software companies like Advent Resources and Reynolds and
Reynolds
d. Credit bureau companies like Credco
e. Companies that provide insurance products and after-market products like JM&A and
Western General
f. Banks, finance companies and credit unions.

4) Incomes can often exceed six figures for these types of positions and these types of
companies generally offer excellent compensation as well as benefit packages for their
employees.

5) There is a variety of different companies offering career opportunities that pay over six
figures who would consider a successful F&I Manager with sales experience as a perfect
candidate due to their working knowledge and understanding of the retail auto industry
especially if they have other skills like writing, organizational management, and professional presentation skills.

6) If you see yourself spending the next 12 to 30 months earning average or above average incomes in the industry, which is $49,582 to $110,659 per year per the Career Voyages website, then you may be able to also have 100% of any training you pay for reimbursed by your employer. So in essence, you can also get a education you can take with you anywhere you want to go.

What is the Current Reputation of the Car Business?

1) The industry has spent the last 10 years recreating a new image for itself and that is the image of customer satisfaction and business integrity.

2) All the dealerships are rated by their customer satisfaction index monitored by the
manufacturers.

3) Legal compliance is now very important to all dealerships and the department of motor
vehicles (DMV) as well as the attorney general s office for each state is very active in helping dealerships comply with laws and regulations.

4) The work place in the automotive, RV, or motorcycle dealership is dramatically different than it was just 15 or 20 years ago. Today, customer service is the emphasis of all job descriptions that involve dealing with the public.

5) The business is not about using high pressure closing tactics, being a silver-tongued
salesperson, or convincing people to buy vehicles they don t need or want.

6) Instead, the business is all about providing the highest level of customer service by having access to information, the skills and ability to identify customer needs and wants, and to provide customers with the information they need to make their own informed decisions about what is best for them.

7) Our employers prefer good personalities and people who care about their customers. If you have a good personality but you don t have successful experience in the industry or excellent customer service skills, you can attend training at our career vocational school to learn those skills.

8) Career training is usually 100% reimbursed by employers who are serious about attracting the most qualified candidates to their companies.

Is There Job Security in the Automotive Industry?

1) The position in the highest demand in the automotive industry is the automotive salesperson because every dealership needs more good sales people and customer service representatives per reports published on the Auto Retailing Today website.

2) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2007, the #1 career forecasted to be in demand over the next several years is Retail Sales Representative and the highest paying retail career is Automotive Sales.

3) Nearly every year is a record year in total retail sales and those years that are not record years are usually followed by a record year one, two or three years later.

4) The public transportation systems in California are inadequate and everybody needs reliable transportation. As the population continues to grow, so will the need for automobiles and so will automobile sales overall in our opinion.

5) The automotive industry is one of the most stable industries in our nation s economy at this time and has been for the past several decades despite multiple economic downturns during these periods in our opinion.