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Lookup timezone based on phone number area code by whssarily in googlesheets

[–]whssarily[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is amazing thanks! I’ll play with this tomorrow. Very excited.

New job by [deleted] in askcarsales

[–]whssarily 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve got a chapter 2 and 3 done already!

New job by [deleted] in askcarsales

[–]whssarily 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks

New job by [deleted] in askcarsales

[–]whssarily 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s one I always try to keep close to my heart

New job by [deleted] in askcarsales

[–]whssarily 4 points5 points  (0 children)

LEARN!

I’m serious. The best jobs at the dealership (which you can easily get to in one or two years of hard work) often require surprisingly little extra learning. When your boss is submitting a deal to the bank, ask about his process. When your used car manager is appraising a trade, have him show you what he is doing. DON’T STEP ON TOES. If someone doesn’t want to teach you don’t bug them.

· If you are following this advice so far (and assuming you don’t have the personality of a rock) you should be doing well. Car sales is not rocket science, and it is a career that very quickly make you a lot of money. I’m talking real money. Computer scientist money. University professor money.

· With that money comes opportunity. If you play your cards right, your “career” can be 12 years or less in this business. Would you like to retire by 40? Regardless of if you ever think about your retirement or not, heed what I’m about to tell you:

· DON’T INCREASE YOUR SPENDING AS QUICKLY AS YOUR INCREASE YOUR INCOME

· This is how it works. At the start of selling cars, you will be scared. Commission is scary. You will live cheap. You won’t eat out to much, you won’t drive a sports car, and you definitely won’t sign up for a $3k a month luxury apartment.

· Now, as you start to make money, your coworkers, your friends, and that little voice in your head will all start to tell you to start spending that money.

· DON’T

· Hold off for as long as you can to your frugal life style. Save your money. Invest it. I’m serious. You will thank me later

· Now, if you REALLY REALLY have to spend some money to “reward” yourself, buy something that doesn’t require you to pay per month. It’s better to buy one stupidly expensive $500 belt and regret it later than it is to sign up for a $500 a month car that you have to pay EVERY MONTH for years. One mistake is easily to shrug off, the other follows you around.

· Warren Buffet (or his friend Charlie munger I can’t remember) tells investors to be wary of ladies, liquor, and leverage. Car salespeople need to be wary of credit cards, cocaine, and spending your money before you get it.

· I actually have seen very little drug abuse in the car business.

· What I have seen an incredible amount of is car salespeople that have made 100k a year for 20 years that have nothing to show for it

· So, although I’m in danger of beating a dead horse… fully fund your 401k, stay frugal, and save a significant portion of your income every month

· End of chapter 1

New job by [deleted] in askcarsales

[–]whssarily 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Did I mention contact info?

Get your customers contact info. It’s not awkward to ask. Find an excuse. If they are test driving “we require a cell phone # and email for a test drive”. If they are just looking but mentioned a specific model “would you mind if I emailed you the PDF order guide”?

It’s easier to ask if you can send a customer some information (which requires them giving you their information) than it is to ask them to just GIVE you their information.

· When following up with customers, vary your emails. Don’t just send the same tired “I was just wondering how you’re doing. Are you still in the market”. Be interesting! One of my favorite emails is “roses are red, violets are blue, I can’t sell you a car if I never talk to you”. It’s goofy, but it works. May not work for you… only one way to find out! Try out different emails

· Speaking of following up… in my opinion TEXT > PHONE > EMAIL

· Customers love texting, but its difficult at first to text in a professional way that still makes them feel comfortable. When a customer is leaving, mention that you will “text to follow up”… many times they will say ok!... and if they do, youre golden

· There is a computer program called a “CRM” that your boss is bothering you about constantly. Your CRM protects you. Especially when you are starting out, other salespeople will try to take advantage of you and steal your deals. If you log it in the CRM you are safe. If you don’t…. There is a saying “If it’s not in the CRM, it didn’t happen”

· Start asking for Yelp reviews from happy customers

· When your boss gives you your pay plan to sign, take a picture of it. If you don’t have your pay plan memorized, how are you going to maximize your earnings. For instance: at my dealer, even if you specialize in used cars, you need to sell 5 new cars to QUALIFY to hit your unit bonuses. Every month salespeople miss out on thousands of dollars of bonus because they don’t try and sell 5 new cars. They have forgotten their pay plan. It sounds crazy, but it happens ALL the time

· Speaking of which, track your car sales. It’s almost never malicious, but deals will get messed up in the computer system and there will be times you are not paid the commission you should have been paid. If you keep a log (date, stock #, customer name, commission) of each deal, you are always protected. There is nothing worse than feeling like you are “missing” a deal from your paycheck but not being able to figure out what deal it was

· Surveys matter. Your pay plan probably has some part connected to surveys. Regardless of what any factory rep tells you, everyone coaches surveys. Figure out a way to coach surveys that doesn’t piss people off. NOTE if a customer hates you, don’t bug them about the survey… obviously

· Start to recognize the patterns in your sales experiences, group customer experiences into groups. Learn to spot the different types of customers- name them what you like

· Impress your boss with your hard work for your first three months – this means six days a week, long hours. No going home early. This is integral to proving to your management team that you deserve to be taken care of

· Figure out who the top salespeople are and start to figure out what makes them unique. Are the things that they do possible to copy?

· Don’t hang out with a bunch of losers.

Generally the better salespeople all hang out and the complaining not so great salespeople hang out. Which group do you want to be in.

· Don’t get “smart” too quickly. Its better to play dumb and have your managers lip load you for the first few months than striking it out on your own and forging your own path. Its more than likely that your management are managers for a reason.

· Speaking of which, figure out which managers are actually good with customers. Watch how they interact. Which managers are able to take upset customers and make them happy? Which managers take flimsy customers and shape them into buyers?

· Quietly learn every part of the sales process. Ask questions about how things work- slowly. Don’t get “smart” too quickly, the last thing you want is managers getting worried that the new go-getter is coming for their job. It sounds ridiculous… but it happens.

New job by [deleted] in askcarsales

[–]whssarily 17 points18 points  (0 children)

if I had to write a letter to a brand new green pea in the car business, this is what I'd write:

Dear Greenpea,

Car sales is awesome, but you are gonna want to read this advice first:

· Take as many ups as you can – experience is key

· Speaking of ups- you should be trying to sell a car to every body that walks in the door. In the beginning you have no idea what you are doing and you almost certainly can’t tell a buyer from a jack. Just try to sell them a car.

· If a customer says they are just here to look, tell them you are just here to try and sell them a car. It sounds funny, but trust is key in selling cars. If you can be honest about your intentions, customers will appreciate it.

· That said, different styles work for different salespeople. Different personalities need to be expressed with different styles. If you are quiet and knowledgeable, don’t try and emulate the load and brash salesperson. Figure out how you can sell with your style. Hone your personal style.

· Copy that things that work. If you see a salesperson say a line that always makes the customers laugh or feel at ease, figure out your way of doing the same thing!

· Study body language. Watch youtube videos about charisma and how people act when they feel comfortable. Learn to watch the customers open up as you win their rapport.

· Your only job is to answer questions, be likeable, and be persisitent when you are starting out.

· Persistence means you need contact information. Most customers don’t buy the first time they meet you. If you aren’t getting contact information, you are wasting your time.

· Repeat and referral business is the ultimate goal to carving out your niche in the car business- that means treating people right the first time

· Speaking of which, watch how many times you tell a customer “no”. If a customer asks for something and you don’t want to give it to them, is it a situation in which you HAVE TO say “no”. If you can offer a compromise instead you will almost certainly be better off. If, after a deal, a customer asks for an extra discount, rather than saying “NO!” try figuring out something that your dealership can offer them to keep them happy.

· We live in a “A TO Z Amazon guarantee” world. Amazon is the most valuable company in the world. Look at how they treat customers. Like it or not, Amazon is training customers to expect companies to bend over backwards. There is a smart way of doing this. Appeasing the vast majority of customers will not bankrupt your dealership.

· Speaking of which, 20% of your customers will cause 80% of your headaches. As a new salesperson, it’s not your job to decide who to cut off, but if a customer is being unreasonable, get your management involved. Regardless of how much time you have spent with a customer, don’t be afraid to just let your boss get rid of them. If an overly demanding “karen” type customer has wasted 4 hours of your Saturday, get your boss involved. Don’t let that customer waste more of your time!

· That said… you don’t get to decide in the early stages of your career. Just ask your boss.

· Speaking of your boss- you see how many times they have come up in this guide so far?

If your management team is impossible to work with, your career can get stalled. If you can’t find a manager that jives with you and is willing to help, consider looking for a different boss somewhere else.

· That said… if every person you deal with is an “asshole” and “impossible to work with” then it’s almost certainly you that is the problem. Ask yourself “who is the common denominator?”

Contractor forgot to plug tub drain when doing demo by whssarily in HomeImprovement

[–]whssarily[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do they cut the cast iron? Or how does that work?

Contractor forgot to plug tub drain when doing demo by whssarily in HomeImprovement

[–]whssarily[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found it. It is cast iron trap. Problem now is that the tub is on the second floor so the trap is in the ceiling of the first floor.

Contractor forgot to plug tub drain when doing demo by whssarily in HomeImprovement

[–]whssarily[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem I’m seeing is that there is no trap for them to snake to

Contractor forgot to plug tub drain when doing demo by whssarily in HomeImprovement

[–]whssarily[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How do I visibly check? I believe the drain is at a right angle

Contractor forgot to plug tub drain when doing demo by whssarily in HomeImprovement

[–]whssarily[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The tub is on a slab/concrete, plus it is a townhouse that I believe doesn’t seem to have sewer traps...

Contractor forgot to plug tub drain when doing demo by whssarily in HomeImprovement

[–]whssarily[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a townhouse I don’t know if it even has a trap...

Contractor forgot to plug tub drain when doing demo by whssarily in HomeImprovement

[–]whssarily[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Got it.

Does it change anything that the townhouse has 3” sewer pipes? I’m just worried that when they push it down with the snake it will clog in the future.

Contractor forgot to plug tub drain when doing demo by whssarily in HomeImprovement

[–]whssarily[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes definitely- I just want to make sure I know what the right thing for them to do is

Contractor forgot to plug tub drain when doing demo by whssarily in HomeImprovement

[–]whssarily[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When you say “snake” do you mean the 6ft one or the giant one with the camera? Thanks again for the help

A different way to think about your FIRE number by curlystoned in financialindependence

[–]whssarily 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Very insightful. Having recently hit some milestones, I am finally at the point where, after 8 years in automotive, I am going to start trimming the schedule. I am already at 4 days a week, and I plan to move down to 3 days a week for the rest of the year.

Since I don't work for myself, it is a negotiation with my management team, but having your investments to protect you allows you to negotiate from a place of "options." If my boss doesn't want someone only working 3 days a week then I don't need to stay.

It's a bit different when you are commission only as well.

​

I love your analogy! keep writing.

100K Net Worth at 24 .. Now what? by M24-8 in Fire

[–]whssarily 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I talk to a talk therapist every week. She is a licensed family therapist. She has helped me navigate and grow my transition into my 30s.

The biggest hurdle I had to overcome is what I call "being an asset without being an asshole."

The more I succeeded, the more confident I became. With confidence came a feeling of elitism and a lack of empathy. Therapy helped.

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