We’re joined once again by Rebecca Sides from Inchcape Mercedes-Benz. Today, Rebecca is speaking with us about why a career in car sales is so much more attractive than it’s made out to be.
“You’re going to sell cars?!” My friends and family’s response to my new chosen career wasn’t exactly what I hoped when I told them I was embarking upon my new role. I was fully aware of people’s associations with car sales people; slick suits, huge vulgar watches and awful one liners. I was determined though to change their perceptions and make them see the possibilities of the motor industry.
When I started with Inchcape it soon became clear to me that the opportunities ahead of me were endless. From starting with no experience I could become anything I wanted as long as I was committed and dedicated to the company and my own learning.
I believe that at the core of any company is sales. Whether you are a product or service based business, ultimately the driving force is the continuous exchange of your assets for another’s. In reality, most of life is a sale. Whether it be selling yourself to a new employer or partner, winning the sale for your choice of restaurant, or the sale to your spouse for the new pair of shoes you just had to buy on the joint bank account debit card!
To take that analogy one step further, some of the best sales pitches I have ever seen in my life have been those of children. They don’t believe in NO and therefore more often than not, they get what they want. How many times have parents been tricked into the McFlurry on the way home or the extra hour watching slime on YouTube because ultimately, they were DEALT?
See Rebecca in action below!
When I first started at Inchcape, the tools available to me were invaluable. I was sent on a number of sales courses which taught me the basics of any sale and helped lure me away from the pre conceived ideas I had of asking a customer, “So if I can get it to this price will you buy it?”
I have learned over the years that a customers initial response of “I’m just looking” or “I need to speak to my partner before committing” are actually complaints not objections. They are answers derived from a fear of previous bad sales experiences, where the value they hoped to receive from their exchange they didn’t get.
So many people who start in sales are never actually taught to sell. They copy bad habits from their colleagues who too have never been taught correctly and so the problem breeds. It is here that I question the curriculum we are taught in school. Not once did I have a lesson on how to build confidence and handle difficult conversations. Not once was I taught how to handle objections or to build value. All of these lessons are the building blocks of sales which ultimately are fundamental parts of everyone’s life. How great would it be for these to become a part of the national curriculum? Maybe that is a mission for me to start……
After completing a number of sales and development courses at Inchcape, I was chosen to attend a leadership and management review which identified areas of my character which needed improvement and areas where I had strength. Had I not embarked upon the journey into sales with Inchcape Mercedes Benz, I would never have had access to such incredible free of charge learning.
A career in car sales, I soon learned, was far more than haggling, but an understanding of why people make the decisions they do. As I have walked through the proverbial glass ceilings, supported each step by Inchcape, I have learned that goals are important but so is action. Being able to understand why my team make the decisions they do, understanding their WHY has been vital to becoming a strong manager and sales leader. Success and failure are not surprise events; they come from the little things. It is understanding and recognising these little things, that brings long term success.
A wise leader once told me that the core of my business was to sell cars, parts and hours. As I have grown, I have learned that being a strong seller individually will bring success but unlocking the gift of growing other people’s sales ability is limitless. A career in sales, I initially thought, would be fun and financially rewarding, but never did I anticipate the breadth of learning I would encounter and the people I would be able to help along the way. The ability to give another the skills to enhance their career is truly priceless.
If that isn’t the definition of an attractive career path, I would question what is.
About Rebecca
Rebecca Sides is the General Manager at Inchcape Mercedes-Benz, and has worked here for just over a decade. As an expert in car sales, her experience makes her fully qualified to deliver unique and inspiring advice about working in the motor industry. Visit Rebecca’s LinkedIn page here.
