How to hire an automotive sales person

How to hire an automotive sales person, step by step

Here's a step-by-step automotive sales person hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an automotive sales person job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new automotive sales person
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The automotive sales person hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an automotive sales person to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an automotive sales person that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of automotive sales people.

   Type of Automotive Sales Person	Description	Hourly rate
   Automotive Sales Person	Retail sales workers include both those who sell retail merchandise, such as clothing, furniture, and automobiles, (called retail salespersons) and those who sell spare and replacement parts and equipment, especially car parts (called parts salespersons). Both types of workers help customers find the products they want and process customers’ payments.	$20-57
   Expert	An expert has extensive knowledge on a subject gained from a significant amount of experience. Although the tasks will vary on the line of work or organization, an expert's role will often revolve around sharing expertise through discussion, evaluation, and influencing... Show more	$25-77
   Beauty Advisor	A beauty advisor's role is to represent a brand by engaging with customers and recommending cosmetic or skincare products in pursuit of securing sales. They must have extensive knowledge of the company's products and current trends, ability in applying make-up, and customer service skills as most of the duties will focus on demonstrating and responding to inquiries... Show more	$13-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Referral Business
   • Salesperson
   • Competitive Models
   • Car Sales
   • Post Sales
   • Chevrolet
   • Hyundai
   • Sales Process
   • Honda
   • Product Knowledge
   • Sales Contracts
   • Chrysler
   • Auto Sales

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage product deliveries, and maintain overall orderliness and cleanliness of facility to optimize customer experience.
   • Train current sales consultants on new innovations, advancements and new models associate with the Nissan brand.
   • Identify new sales opportunities within existing accounts to remain a client-account manager relationship by up-selling and cross-selling.
   • Earn role expansion to encompass auto sales after exceeding rigorous automobile sales objectives.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your automotive sales person job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An automotive sales person salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, automotive sales people' average salary in north dakota is 54% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level automotive sales people earn 65% less than senior-level automotive sales people.
   • Certifications. An automotive sales person with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an automotive sales person's salary.

   Average automotive sales person salary

   $72,061yearly

   $34.64 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level automotive sales person salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing an automotive sales person job description

   An automotive sales person job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an automotive sales person job description:

   Automotive sales person job description example

   $65,000 Minimum First Year* - Salary plus bonus. Our average pay is $78,000 yearly.

   WE HAVE MOVED INTO OUR NEW DEALERSHIP - CUSTOMERS EVERYWHERE- WE NEED YOU NOW!!!!!

   If you have no experience, we will train you! Our training program is one of the best in the industry- Our salespeople are tomorrow's Managers. Presently 12 of our 18 current Managers were Salespeople that we trained and promoted!!

   Arlington Toyota is one of the largest automotive dealerships in Florida. Consistently in the TOP 50 TOYOTA DEALERS in the U.S. WE ARE HUGE- Over 800 vehicles available, largest advertising budget in North and Central Florida and the best Management staff in the STATE of FLORIDA. We are seeking candidates that are ambitious with the desire to improve their current quality of life! If you not content or happy with your current situation, LET'S TALK!!!! We will train you in our Sales & Sales Management Program! We need great people to join our team NOW! AGAIN, OUR TRAINING PROGRAM IS THE BEST!

   We will hire you if you have prior experience in these fields-

   Waiters and Waitresses

   Bartenders

   Chefs

   Host and Hostess

   Retail Sales Experience

   Social Media & Networking

   Internet Sales- Craigslist, Amazon or Ebay

   Mall Clothing and Merchandise Sales

   Kiosk Sales

   Call Center

   Recent College Graduates

   If you want a new career, please contact us now. We will expedite the hiring process. We have 1,000 vehicles in inventory, and we do not have enough employees for our NEW DEALERSHIP. WE WILL TRAIN YOU SO YOU CAN BECOME SUCCESSFUL!!! So come on and join a winning team and make some serious money with the best management staff in Northeast Florida.

   WHAT WE OFFER:

   • Paid vacation, holidays and sick leave
   • Medical, Dental & Vision plans
   • 401(k) savings plan
   • Life insurance
   • Team and Family-oriented work environment

   EOE
   Drug free environment
   Must have a valid driving license

   * Based on achieving objectives

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find automotive sales people for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any automotive sales people they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level automotive sales people with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your automotive sales person job on Zippia to find and recruit automotive sales person candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting automotive sales people requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new automotive sales person

   Once you've found the automotive sales person candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new automotive sales person first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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