Why I Felt Uneasy About Dealer Salespeople

The other day, I wrote an article titled “Often, I can’t tell if dealer salespeople really want to sell or not,” and it received more feedback than I expected, including comments like “I’ve had similar experiences” and “Maybe it’s just how the dealer system works.”

On social media, I also saw posts saying “I went to the dealer, but they completely ignored me.” It made me realize that many people have had various experiences, to some extent.

While discussing this with my husband, he said something interesting.

Maybe there’s a gap between the manufacturer and the dealer. The manufacturer probably wants people to visit dealers more casually, which is why they promote it in commercials and ads. But dealers, who are busy, don’t want people coming just to browse without serious intent—they want customers who truly intend to buy. That might affect how they interact with customers.
I don’t think all dealers are like this, but compared to a few years ago, I sometimes feel dealer salespeople seem more pressured. They must be under a lot of stress trying to sell so many cars.

I thought, “That makes sense…”

In any company, there’s often friction between the frontline sales team and the service development team, and I imagine there are many things customers don’t see between manufacturers and dealers.

But while talking with my husband, I realized, “In my previous article, I wrote from the perspective of dealer sales skills, but maybe this is less about sales ability and more about differences in work philosophy…”

It’s not about who’s right or wrong, but about what each person values and how they approach their work.

For example, I’m quite competitive by nature, so

“If I’m going to do something, I want to be number one,” “I want to do it in a way I’m satisfied with,” and “I want to feel my work has value.”

I have these strong feelings. But I’m also slow to learn and clumsy, so I struggle quite a bit every time… (laughs)

Because of that, the uneasy feeling I had recently when visiting dealers and interacting with salespeople wasn’t so much about whether they loved cars, but more about a disconnect between how I think one should approach work and how those salespeople actually worked.

That said, I also think the dealer’s system, structure, changing customer demands, and clientele all contribute to a situation where even if they want to sell passionately, they’re often overwhelmed by quotas and time pressures and can’t afford to show it. So it’s a complex, deep-rooted issue.

What I Learned as a New Salesperson

When I first started as a new graduate salesperson, I had very few customers and couldn’t achieve results like my seniors, which made me feel frustrated. Because I wasn’t producing results, my boss would pressure me at every sales meeting, and once, I blurted out an excuse during a meeting.

“My seniors handle urban areas with large companies and good clients, so they get results, but I’m assigned to a rural area with only family-run businesses, so I can’t produce results.”

Looking back now, I think, “What was I saying in front of everyone…” But at the time, my boss said this to my excuse-filled self:

No one would assign someone who makes excuses to an urban area. People who get results do so no matter the situation. Those who don’t just make excuses and don’t get results.
If you were assigned to an urban area now, you’d just say things like “There are too many rivals,” “I couldn’t meet the decision-makers,” and you’d never get results.
Stop making excuses and give your all in the environment you have now.

His words hit me so hard I couldn’t argue back. I was embarrassed, frustrated, and almost in tears in front of everyone. But at that moment, my mindset changed to:

“Blaming the environment gets you nowhere. Instead of reasons why you can’t, think about how you can. Give your all to what you can do now.”

There will never be a perfect environment. Market conditions, organizational structure, customer situations, your skills… there are always things you wish were different.

But saying “if only” changes nothing.

So you have to change yourself, and that’s the fastest way to reach the results you want. I learned this through work as a new employee, and this mindset has become the foundation of who I am today.

What Do Porsche Owners Have in Common?

Thinking about the Porsche owners I know, when I talk with them, it’s less about “the environment” or “what others are doing” and more about “what I want to do” and “what I plan to do next, and how I’ll get there”—a very self-driven mindset.

That’s why talking with them is fun and educational, and I think this way of thinking is why they succeed no matter the circumstances.

My husband often says,

In work and life, “I really want to do this but can’t” usually means you don’t truly want it. You just don’t have enough passion. If you really wanted it, no matter what others say or how things are, you’d act to make it happen.

Every time I hear that, I’m reminded to live more self-driven.

That said, I’m easily influenced and tend to go with the flow… (laughs) Also, while I speak critically about dealer salespeople, I know well that “talk is cheap, action is hard,” and if I were in their shoes, I might struggle too.

That’s why I want to learn from this experience, reflect on myself, straighten my collar, and keep working steadily while learning a lot from those around me! (So serious… lol)