Can a Ferrari salesperson afford a Ferrari?

While anything is possible, I doubt it. Car sales is car sales. If income is the primary reason for being a car salesman then I would much rather sell Toyota or Ford than Ferrari.

 

Judging by the Ferrari salespeople that I've known over the years, I'd have to say no. They don't seem to make any more money than salespeople of other makes. The commission may (or may not) be higher than on a normal car but you have to consider sales volume. They may sell one or two in a month. Some of my guys here sell 25 cars in a month. I'd be willing to bet that my guys do better.

 

Ask yourself this, Can the salesperson at Tiffany's afford the diamond rings they sell!

 

I met a salesman at a party about 2 years ago. He told me that he was
selling exotic cars at a dealer in Beverly Hills. He said he used to sell Toyota's. He also told me he was trying to get back his old job.

 

I sold 'em for a while, and the answer is yes/no. Depends on the salesperson.

When I frist started selling them, it was possible to make $22k on a 360 Spider sale. After salepeople started taking four months off after a 360 sale, the owners cut the max commision to $6k per car, regardless of the commision.

We sold F-cars, P-cars, and Audis. F-cars (used) would usually net about $1k in comms, a new F-car about $4k. A Boxster would yield around $500, and a 911 anywhere from $2k - $5k (for Turbos.)

There were about two guys there that had big money, but a lot of it was family cash.

On average, an F-car salesperson would probably make anywhere from $5k - $10k/month.

But, that'll buy a 308 or Mondial!

 

The salesman worked at Symbolic motor cars.

 

The strange thing about most of the Ferrari salespeople is that they will probably never be able to afford an F-car but they also treat most prospective customers like they can't afford it either. When I went to Ferrari of Atlanta, I had to show Steve Eckhoff a card from the dealer in Jackson, MS that referred him to me in order for him to even start talking to me seriously. He almost tripped over himself to work with me then. Go figure.

 

Interesting thread: a question I get asked from time to time. There are models I can afford, and models I cannot and could never afford. It's all relative. The monetary reward is very good, but what is better is being able to meet guys like you, help you, and watch your faces smiling ear to ear as you drive off in your F-cars. The owners/enthusiasts we meet make it worthwhile and alot of fun! Helping someone make their life-long dream come true? Priceless. Sorry to hear that some of you have had less than great experiences with F-salespeople. We are here to serve you, not the other way around.

 

How much work you put in to it will have a significant effect on your income.

Sit on your ass in any showroom while waiting for "ups" to walk in and "lay down" doesn't cut it for more than $2-3K a month if you are lucky........

Work properly and prospect, all the while building a client base by creating rapport and genuine relationships, as opposed to viewing every person as your next bag of groceries makes an enormous difference.

I'm looking for a TR soon.

 

I think any middle-class citizen with a stable income can afford a Ferrari.

The question is would they buy one? I dont see a reason why if they can drive any car in the showroom.

 

The car business is a weird business. The top 20% of the salespeople make 80% of the money, while the others make none. Most exotic car dealers have flat commisions they pay on exotics, while normal makes, Benz,Bmw,Vw etc do not. So the experienced salespeople can make much more. I can tell you as fact, top salesperson at Champion Porsche, makes 250,000 consistently, owns a 355, a 911 and Jag Xke. In my old dealer, most Bmw salespeople made 80-100K, while the top guys were making 160-180,000. Same goes for Benz.

 

I concur with allanlambo. The local MB sales people all make between 100-200 k per year. Their top mechanic, over a hundred k.

I feel that most people can afford just about anything they want if they are willing to work that hard and put other things lower on the list.

aehaas

 

Sort of taking this question a different direction, is it possible for an 18 year old to find a sales job? I dont know how many people would want to buy an exotic or sports car from a guy my age...I probably woudlnt myself...but Im just curious. I am looking for a job right now.

 

Jordan - Anything is possible, but don't count on it.

Selling an F-car is really no different than selling a Toyota. The customers, while they make significantly more, do not just throw their cash away, and they grind like the rest of them. The biggest difference between selling high-end and mainstream is the amount of traffic that crosses the doors each day.

That said, anyone can sell an F-car, as anyone can sell a Toyota. The thing is, most exoctic stores won't even look at your resume until you've got a lot of experience.

For example, I first tried to get a job at FOC in Dec 1999. There was one salesperson there, and he was making great cash. He said that he needed another person to help with the load.

At the time, I had about two years of sales experience, one of them as a manager. I tried, tried, tried to get that job, but no luck. It took another year for me to get anywhere, and it was because of my experience that got me in the door. While I had never sold high-end, I was, at the time, the General Sales Manager of main-stream store, which is a pretty high-end job. I had to give up an income of $10k - $15k a month just to be able to sell F-cars.

If you want to sell them, my advice is to get a job at a Ford store or something and get a feel for the sales market. Give it two or three years of strong performances, and then give the F-car market a try.

Not that it never happens, but unless you've got some serious experience under your belt, your chances are next to zero.

 

I have met multiple sales people for Ferrari who can afford and own Ferraris, including the vintage and modern models.

--Dan

 

I can verify what Allan posted. At least I heard the same thing years ago. The top salesman at Champion Porsche was making $250,000 in 1996 when the only product they had was the 911. This what I was told by another employee while I was getting my car serviced. Damn!

 

Take it from me, sell cars other than Fcars, make more money, and drive an Fcar to work. Much more rewarding. You can sbsolutely get a sales job at 18.

 

I'm not saying I want to do this. I have no interest whatsoever - I'm doing more than fine w/o it, thanks. Just saying that there are in fact Ferrari salesmen who can afford their own.

--Dan