Help People Find the Right Car as a Salesperson!

Nela Friesen
Jul 12, 2025
6 min read

What can High School Students do to prepare?

About Riley Mitchell

Riley Mitchell currently works at Lethbridge Hyundai, a car dealership. It's the only dealership that he has worked at so far, and he has been there for about four years. He started as a sales associate, consulting with customers and helping them find their perfect cars, but has now been promoted to Internet Manager, which includes additional responsibilities related to the company's online presence.

What is Working as a Salesperson like?

An Average Day

As an Internet Manager, part of his job is to ensure that the website is well-maintained, that all cars have the necessary pictures, that any current discounts or promotions are applied, etc. He also talks to coworkers to make sure that they are following up with people who have started shopping online, which is becoming more common. It's important that people are being talked to; otherwise, the company might be losing a potential customer. Some people want to buy a car immediately, and some want to wait a few months, so it's important to stay on top of all that. Along with these duties, he still works with customers, consulting with them to find their perfect cars by talking to them, taking them for test drives, etc.

Pay

There can be various pay structures in the car sales industry. At Hyundai, they pay a flat rate plus bonuses. It's about $300 per car sold, plus bonuses based on how many cars are sold. Everyone also gets paid a base wage, so everyone can make a living. Some people get into the industry but might not be a good fit and might not be able to support their lifestyle, but if you're good at the job, you can make a lot, depending on how many people you can find who want to buy cars from you. Since you get paid per car sold, the sky is really the limit as to how much you can make in this industry.

Work Conditions

It is an independent job as it's his job to follow up with people and make sure his clients are taken care of. However, at Lethbridge Hyundai, they have a great team and will collaborate when needed by helping out with each other's clients, for example.

The hours can vary depending on the person. Riley works five days a week, with Monday as his day off, but will sometimes come in on the sixth day if needed, depending on who the customer is. If it's someone that he's worked with for a long time, he will want to be the one to meet with them since he knows their needs and preferences for cars best, allowing him to find the best car for them efficiently. Maintaining a good work-life balance is easy because of the team that helps each other out, and the flexibility in the hours. It's quite easy to take a day off for doctor appointments or family events, etc. Some people will also take a lot of time off if they are, for example, able to sell a lot of cars in the first three weeks of the month, they might take the entire last week off. However, Riley prefers to work every week because the more time you spend at the company, the more people you meet, which is always a good thing in this line of work.

The job can become stressful if you're not selling a lot of cars, because you'll be making less and not getting the bonuses. The stress level is manageable, but it can be stressful, especially if someone is not well equipped for the job and isn't able to do well in the industry. However, something Riley likes to think of is that what he's doing isn't life or death like it is for a doctor, for example. Worst case scenario, someone just doesn't like the car.

Qualities Needed

One of the most important things in this industry is being personable. You have to be able to listen well because the goal is to find the perfect car for the client. If you're not listening or being respectful of people's time, it won't help you in the industry at all. Another thing is just memory and car knowledge. You have to know not only your dealership's cars but also your competitor's cars, and how they are all different, including what makes a certain car perfect for your client. And lastly, you have to like talking to people. You can't have days of not feeling like talking to people, because every day, the whole job is talking to people to try and find the car that will be the best fit for them.

To summarize, in sales, you need to know the product, know what the client wants, how you can fix their problem with your product, and how to get in front of as many people as possible to find people in need of your product.

Hardest and Easiest Parts of the Job

The hardest part of the job for Riley is memorizing all the product information. There is a lot to remember, which can be challenging at times.

The easiest part of the job for Riley is just talking to people. Some people might find this difficult, but it comes naturally to him. If you're someone who loves talking to people, then this would likely be an easy part of the job for you.

How is it Rewarding?

A car is a big purchase, and it's rewarding to help people with this decision. It's nice seeing people buy their first car, or their dream car, or a car for their family. They can also help out the clients financially and help with credit building as well. The most rewarding part of solving problems for the clients by finding the car that's the right fit for them and seeing them leave happy.

Misconceptions

There is a misconception that car dealerships will lie to their clients and do whatever it takes to get them to buy cars. This was more common in the past when dealerships might hide things from buyers that could hurt them, but with the rise of the internet, the industry has changed, as clients can now be a lot more knowledgeable about cars. Most dealerships, including Lethbridge Hyundai, value their customers and only want what's best for them, so they will be transparent and open with them. Riley was a bit unsure about entering the industry because of the bad stories he had heard, but he told me that he has had a good experience in the industry so far. In his opinion, there are a lot more good dealerships than bad dealerships in the world today.

Post-Secondary / Training

Riley did not need to go through any post-secondary programs to become a car salesperson. He just needed a high school diploma. He did, however, go through some training with Hyundai for product knowledge and learning how to take care of clients, etc, which were all completed online.

There is a continuing demand for more people in this industry. Riley found it easy to enter the industry because when he applied at Hyundai, they were undergoing an ownership change. He was hired easily after giving good answers in the interview, despite having no previous sales experience. Now that some time has passed, it can be harder to enter the industry because many car dealerships require sales experience to be hired. However, people can take stepping stones by, for example, working at Best Buy or another company that sells something smaller before working your way up to cars.

What can High School Students do to prepare?

Being personable is the main part of the job, so talking to as many people as possible is a good way to prepare for the job. If you're interested in cars and can expand your knowledge in high school, that can also be beneficial. Riley told me that the job is easy to try out after graduating, especially if your cost of living is low, so it's something you should try out if you're interested. It also doesn't have to be cars; you can sell whatever you know and are interested in. If you know a certain product well, then you can help others find the one that's best for them!