Sales Manager
(Male, Age 33) from chicago, IL
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 33 who works as a Sales Manager in chicago, IL. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Sales Manager |
|---|---|
| Salary | $80,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 52 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | chicago, IL |
| Years Experience | 12 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for Chicago Harley Davidson. We are located in Chicago obviously. We are currently the number one Harley davidson Dealer in the Midwest (thanks to me). Our store is 100,000 Square feet. We even have a Museum upstairs. It is one of the nicest dealerships in the United States. Harley Davidson Dealerships are privately owned franchises, so I am directly responsible for the profit we make and I report directly to the private owner (a.k.a. Dealer Principal)
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
God! Where do I start? I am responsible for all sales of New and Used Motorcycles. I am great at what I do. I brought this dealership where I work to the Number one dealer in the Midwest in only 2 years. My job is to persuade people into buying Harley Davidsons from us. I have to know when to speak, when to SHUT UP, when to smile, when to laugh. If I do not build common ground with the customer–They will never buy anything from me, So I would consider myself a Master of Friendship. My job is to earn peoples trust and as a result, they will buy something from me. There are instances where you can be the lowest price, but if the customer doesn’t trust you– He will not give it up!!! I could tell you more over the phone if you guys want!
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
1 Week Vacation * 3 Sick Days * Humana * No retirement Plan 🙁
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
Under Compensated.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with people everyday. I am considered “Inside Sales”. People come in and tell me thier life stories (like I care!!!) abouut how they used to ride a bike 20 years ago, but now that thier kids are grown up they are ready to buy one. Sames old story again anad again. Sometimes I dont even know what they have said when the conversation is over!!!! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I dont do my job well, I just have no interest in the fact that someone rode a motorcycle across the United States
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I am always working collaboratively with my co-workers. It is essential to work as a team. there are a few guys/gals here that do not particularly care for me so I have to be extremely tactical to get the job done right!
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 2
Hours: 4
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 6
Job Title: 7
Level of Responsibility: 8
The Actual Work: 5
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | At this time of day, I am hard boiling eggs anf cooking oatmeal for my breakfast. I am also Ironing my clothes, and preparing my sons lunch for school. I am in the shower by 8:00 am |
| 8am to 9am | I leave the house at 8 am and walk to the train on my journey to work. I often get the Newspaper and possibly a cup of coffee on my way to work. By this time of day, Ihave been up already for almost 3 hours. |
| 9am to 10am | I am walking from the train station to my job and as I arrive to my work, I turn on my computer and open up email to start my day off. As I walk from the train and enter the dealership, I place my lunch in the refridgerator, and fill my wtare bottle up. |
| 10am to 11am | I peel my grapefruit at my desk and start answering the telephone as it begins to ring with people who are eager to buy motorcycles. I am also working the sales floor and supervising deals |
| 11am to 12pm | Work gets busy around this time of day as we get more foot traffic. I am runnung around our huge showroom floor trying to make things happen. I often find myslef walking back and forth from the service department back to the sales floor, and also back and forth to the main offices. |
| 12pm to 1pm | I usually try to get lunch in but at my desk. In my job, you have to be there all day and available to sell on demand. You never know when the right person is going to come in and be ready to buy. If I am not there, then the deal will fall through. |
| 1pm to 2pm | I am still working the sales floor throughout the day. I tend to go back and forth from the finance offices to my desk and to the sales floor repeatedly. |
| 2pm to 3pm | This time of the day is usually slower. The morning rush has come to its end, and I have the liberty of relaxing and checking my email. I prefer to be busy throughout the day as it makes my day go by very quickly. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Some people leave work at this time of day so I try to make sure that the floor is covered at this time. I am calling on customers that I have spoke to days before. I am checking inventory levels and ordering accoringly. |
| 4pm to 5pm | At this time of day, i usually have a meeting with an instrutional class. I advise the “soon to be motorcyclists” as to which bike is best suited for them. |
| 5pm to 6pm | From 5-6 pm I am working the floor and trying to get business. I have been on the phone all day and I have been trying to break records from the previous year. |
| 6pm to 7pm | This is generally a slow time, unless we get foot traffic from people who are getting off of work. I prefer to be busy these last few hours and close the day with a sale! |
| 7pm to 8pm | I start to get ready to get going towards 7:30, I start watching the clock….I leave work at 8:30 p.m. and have to catch the train, so it is important that I am not late for the train…If I am late for the train, the next one doesn’t come until 11 pm so it is cruicial that I am there on time. |
| 8pm to 9pm | I typically call customers at this time because I assume that they are finished eating dinner. Mind you I am watching the clock and dont want to miss the Train. |
| 9pm to 10pm | I am on the train on my way home from a long day. I am usually speaking with my wife on the train, or with some of my peers/mentors. This is a time when I know my day is coming to an end, I get off the train and walk home to see my family. |
| 10pm to 11pm | I am at home ad find my 4 yr old still awake. I try to get him in bed immediately as he has a day of school tomorrow and we have to do it all over again. After I get him in bed, I turn on the Science Channel and watch interetsing shows about Space travel and the future of Exploration. |
| 11pm to 12am | I am usually in bed by now. This time chart doesnt taylor to my life. I wake up at 4:40 A.m. to go Jogging. I do a 6 mile run from my house to the laske downtown and back. I am back home by 6:00 am to startt the day all over again. This was fun, but long ! As I finish typing this, I see the clock at 12:05 A.M. I am not completely exhauseted…I am just thinking about Coffee for tomorrow aas I will be tired from staying up this late. (My wife also yelled at me to come into bed about 25 minutes ago) |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Referral
What was the application process?
paper application (But I did submit a resume)
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I had to sepak directly with the owner. At the time, he could see right through me. He did not know that I would turn out to be the best but he gave me a shot and I proved him wrong. It was at a previous dealership that I worked at. He showed me the way, and I took off from there. he let me sit next to him and I watched everything he did.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Why do you want to work here? What have you done before? Have you ever been in sales? Do you know how to use a computer.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
I think they did a great job. There were plenty of things they did to help me prepare for the sales floor.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
There was training for my position. It basically covered the entire sales strategy from start to finish. From introducing myself and getting the customers name, all the way to the handshake and follow up call 3 days after he bought the motorcycle.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not at all. I have this great degree in computer science that doesnt do a thing for me in a Sales environment. But I’d rather have the degree then not!
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would first tell him/her that this Job Sucks! The hours are long, and the business is “Cut-Throat”. In my business, it is “SINK OR SWIM”. You are either a good salesman, or you are fired. LOL. I would also suggest watching what I do at work.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
They have to be Tactical–know how to get the best results from the customer. They have to be friendly and outgoing—if you are inroverted–You will “SINK” fast! You have to be Smart—tell the customer what they want to hear ( My answer is yes to everyting almost %90 of the time).
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Training yes! Education Yes! But most of all-You are either born a salesman, or not.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
The best thing I would tell someone is to watch what the top producer is doing and mimic that. I would veen suggest asking the Top Salesman if you could buy him lunch and befriend him immediately. Ask him if you could be his assistant for the first few weeks, after you are done with training.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, My employment is part of my career plan. I have aspirations to own my own dealership someday in the next few years. I am tired of making other people rich!
What are your current career goals?
My career goals are to Buy a Dealership and run it the way I see fit. I have brought my current dealership o the number 1 dealership in the midwest and I do not want to stop there. I Want to bring it all the way to the top. On that Same note, I want to make all the money that My boss is making!
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I love what I do and I am great at it. I think that People are born a Salesman. It is not something that you can learn to do. Being a good salesman is based on your personality. I hope I was of some help to you guys. I hope I get a nice big COFFEE CARD so I can energize myself to makemore money for my Wife and Kids.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Salesman | 6 years | 30 –ending at 55k | I was a salesman at a Motorcycle Dealership in Chicago. It was a Japaneese dealer and we sold Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki |
| Prior Job 2 | Server | 4 years | 40K | I was a server at a fine dining restaraunt downtown while I was in school |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:2.1
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.75 | International Academy of Merchandising and Design | Computer Science /Bachelors |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
N/A |
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