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Car sales representative skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Frederik Beuk,

Linda Hajec

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical car sales representative skills. We ranked the top skills for car sales representatives based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 46.7% of car sales representative resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a car sales representative needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 car sales representative skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how car sales representatives use customer service:

Provided Excellent Customer Service Direct Customer Contact Processed Customer Credit Applications Responsible for Custom Orders on Vehicles Closer on Vehicle Sales
Provided exceptional customer service to all clientele; negotiating variations in price, delivery and specifications with managers.

2. Test Drive

Here's how car sales representatives use test drive:

Demonstrated vehicle functionality, explained options, and accompanied prospective customers on test drives.
Demonstrated new automobiles by explaining characteristics, capabilities, and features; taking test drives, explaining warranties and services.

3. Car Sales

Car Sales require in-depth knowledge and understanding of the automotive market and its prices. Additional information for car sales includes each car's types, prices, and features that the dealership provides. Marketing and selling skills go hand in hand with car sales.

Here's how car sales representatives use car sales:

Work with customers on all aspects of the new and used car sales process, including evaluating leasing and financing options.
Used Car sales consultant for all walk up clients that need assistant with obtaining a new source of transportation.

4. Customer Satisfaction

Here's how car sales representatives use customer satisfaction:

Focus on customer satisfaction and retention methods while remaining efficient and business friendly.
Facilitate automobile sales, Detail automobile functioning, Guarantee customer satisfaction through follow-up contacts

5. Automotive Sales

Here's how car sales representatives use automotive sales:

Results-oriented, customer care and service automotive sales professional.
Provided training to new automotive sales representatives

6. Customer Inquiries

Here's how car sales representatives use customer inquiries:

Responded to general customer inquiries regarding vehicles that we had in stock.
Consult with customers on vehicle sales, respond to customer inquiries via phone and email.

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7. Telephone Calls

Telephone calls are a communication means through which a caller is connected to the called party. The call is done through a telecommunications device called a telephone. The caller can use a landline, mobile phone, or satellite phone to make the call.

Here's how car sales representatives use telephone calls:

Exhibited strong communication skills by making 20-30 telephone calls a day to potential customers and sold owners.
Maintained and developed relationships with existing customers via meetings, telephone calls, e-mail.

8. Professional Appearance

Professional appearance refers to the dress code of a company. While a professional appearance is often requested during an interview, it may not be required in the actual position. In addition to the dress of a job candidate, professional appearance also refers to the overall mood and presentation of the person, including body language, the tone of voice, and the verbal language used during the interview process.

Here's how car sales representatives use professional appearance:

Maintain professional appearance of lot and vehicles.

9. Repeat Business

Repeat business refers to customers who repeatedly keep coming back to do business with one specific company. Some ways to receive repeat business involve offering personalised customer service, starting a loyalty program, giving out coupons, and offering freebies. These customers are considered loyal brand ambassadors who are responsible for creating good word of mouth for the business.

Here's how car sales representatives use repeat business:

Generated enough referral and repeat business to maintain 60% above average sales.
Provide personalized assistance to customers with the goal of ensuring a positive shopping experience and establishing a foundation for repeat business.

10. Comprehensive Knowledge

Here's how car sales representatives use comprehensive knowledge:

Possessed a comprehensive knowledge of vehicle pricing, specifications and features enabling the provision of informative comparisons to clients.
Maintained comprehensive knowledge of pricing and specifications of competitive vehicles to provide clients with information comparisons.

11. Chrysler

Here's how car sales representatives use chrysler:

Completed Chrysler's course requirements for Certification on both Chrysler-Jeep Products and other brands, Passing with Gold Certification.
Selected for Chrysler's MVP program this year.

12. Payment Options

Here's how car sales representatives use payment options:

Advised customers regarding payment options; loans and leasing banking terms.
Recorded amounts received and prepared reports of transactions Advised customers regarding payment options; loans and leasing.

13. Referral Business

Here's how car sales representatives use referral business:

Follow up and earn referral business.
Maintained a prospect development system, including owner follow-up, which encouraged repeat and referral business and contributed to customer satisfaction.

14. Product Knowledge

Product knowledge is the skill of having better information and knowledge about the product you are selling. Product knowledge is essential for the employees of the companies so they can communicate and inform the customers about the product. Having great product knowledge is essential for a better sales pitch and to give the customer a better and complete idea of the product that will influence him to buy the product eventually.

Here's how car sales representatives use product knowledge:

Certified in Chevrolet product knowledge, providing customers with friendly service through automobile product and sales knowledge.
Become an industry expert on product knowledge and paperwork processing.

15. Suitable Vehicle

Here's how car sales representatives use suitable vehicle:

Discussed customers' needs and advise them on the most suitable vehicle.
Advised and assisted costumers on new models in determining best suitable vehicle for their needs.

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What skills help Car Sales Representatives find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What car sales representative skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

Digital Literacy and AI are obviously on everybody's mind. The benefit for early career professionals is that these are skills they can use to differentiate themselves from more established professionals. Embrace these tools. At the same time, being an authentic storyteller that helps buyers envision the potential of your solutions can be an extremely powerful skill.

What technical skills for a car sales representative stand out to employers?

Linda Hajec

Assistant Teaching Professor of Accounting, Associate Chair, Student Recruitment, Retention and Outreach, Penn State Behrend

I think the basics are still important - the feedback from employers still says that they want to see excellent skills in Excel - but if we are talking about changes as a result of the pandemic, job candidates that can also show a comfort level with remote meeting software will feel more natural and less awkward going forward. If you are going to meet on Zoom, make sure you know where to find the features on the screen and if you need to, practice with someone who knows you are just needing to mess around with the settings.

The last thing you would want to do is accidentally exit your interview halfway through because you didn't know where the "share screen" button was. Being familiar with other online collaboration software such as Teams or GoogleDocs is important, too. Even companies that are not working 100% remote are finding great use for these kind of sites, even just to house documents such as policy manuals that they want to share with a group of employees. The fact that a group can work together an collaborate asynchronously is a reality that many companies had not faced before, so the employee needs to be prepared to remember to follow up on team projects instead of waiting for a meeting to see where everything stands.

What soft skills should all car sales representatives possess?

John Cicala Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Digital Marketing, University of North Alabama

The ability to write for reading and not to write as if they are simply transcribing an internal conversation with the paper or whatever media is being used to communicate. They should also possess the ability to interact and to converse with others in person and to actively listen.

Do you want to know more?

List of car sales representative skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a car sales representative resume and required skills for a car sales representative to have include:

Customer Service
Test Drive
Car Sales
Customer Satisfaction
Automotive Sales
Customer Inquiries
Telephone Calls
Professional Appearance
Repeat Business
Comprehensive Knowledge
Chrysler
Payment Options
Referral Business
Product Knowledge
Suitable Vehicle

GMC
Car Inventory
Hyundai
Toyota
Gross Profit
Honda
Cold Calls
Credit Checks
Customer Complaints
Customer Vehicles
Sales Campaigns
Credit Applications
Internet Sales
Sales Floor
Vehicle Sales

Motor Vehicle
Sales Contracts
Inbound Calls
Service Agreements
Increase Sales
Dealership Standards
Customer Relations
Competitive Models
Wholesale Clients
Financial Aspects
Sales Process
CSI
Credit Terms
Body Shop
Interest Rates

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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