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12/13/2004: "come get a Pontiac"
Today I had my first day as an automotive sales professional. I'm fairly pleased to announce that I am working at Dennis Murphy Pontiac Buick GMC in Cambridge. And no, I haven't sold anything yet. However, it was an interesting day.
Monday mornings is the sales meeting, mandatory attendance for all sales people. I was introduced to the group, and got my first taste of what it's like on the inside of a car dealership. I don't have an office of yet (and I don't see where one is magically going to come from) so I can't actually sell anything yet, as I need a computer to do so, but I still kept myself busy today.
Right now I'm borrowing office space from the other newbie that's been there for 2 weeks. She and I have a good rapport, and we're learning lots from each other. We're being sent for further sales training on Wednesday through Friday this week, and as part of that we have to do some "mystery shopping". We played husband and wife, and had a truly awful sales person at the dealership we shopped. It was fun.
Today was spent mostly meeting people, getting to know the lay of everything, and driving. Yes, lots of driving cars. The best way to learn the product you're selling is to actually use it, so I went out to the lot, dealer plate and snow brush in hand, and test drove a few cars today. So far I've tested the Wave sedan, the Vibe, and the new G6 GT. Man, this job is going to be fun.
The Wave is... well, basic. I had an automatic sedan, and it was a decent car, but not entirely thrilling. I want to try out a manual and see how that handles. The Vibe I took out was a manual, and I'm quite impressed with it. It handles well, looks good, and has a decent amount of power. (Apparently there is a dealer-installed supercharger available you can have installed, but you have to opt for the automatic transmission. THAT I'd like to try!) I'm seriously considering ditching my current car and getting into a Vibe (at invoice, of course). The G6 GT is a snappy car. Nice direct steering, a good amount of power, and the manual mode auto transmission is pretty fun too. I could get used to a G6 GT.
Tomorrow I'll get into the Montana, the Aztek, the Grand Prix, and the Bonneville. Apparently the Bonneville is now available with a V8. Oooh... THAT is going to have to wait until the roads are nice and dry. That puppy is gonna SMOKE!
All in all, I have a lot to learn, but I've already learned a lot, and met a bunch of people. I think this profession - however long it's going to last - is going to be fun.
