PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT GETTING INTO THE CAR BUSINESS... DON'T.
The pressure. The politics. The opportunity. And why building your own business within the business is the key to survival.
By Dee Jones | Automotive Sales Professional | 25 Years in the Industry
If you're thinking about getting into the car business, I have some advice for you.
DON'T.
Seriously.
Unless you're prepared for one of the most stressful, unpredictable, competitive, and potentially rewarding careers you'll ever experience.
I've been in the automotive industry for 25 years, and I've experienced enough to know that this business isn't for everybody.
People see the nice cars, big commission checks, expensive watches, and successful salespeople. What they don't see is everything that happens behind the scenes.
The long hours. The deals that fall apart. The customers who disappear. The unpredictable income. The pressure to perform. The personalities. The politics.
And perhaps the most frustrating part of all?
“Every single month, that sales board goes back to ZERO.”
Nobody cares what you sold last month. You're only as good as what you're producing today.
THE REALITY OF THE CAR BUSINESS
Let's talk about what you're actually signing up for.
You're entering an industry where your income can fluctuate dramatically from one month to the next. Interest rates, inventory shortages, vehicle prices, economic uncertainty, and changes in consumer confidence can all affect your paycheck.
Customers have more information and more distractions than ever. They're shopping multiple dealerships, comparing payments, watching the economy, and sometimes talking themselves out of purchases they were excited about the day before.
You can spend days putting a deal together only to have it fall apart in minutes.
You'll work nights, weekends, holidays, and sometimes well beyond closing time.
And regardless of how hard you've worked, the first day of a new month means starting all over again.
That's the reality.
THE STATE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
According to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), U.S. new light-vehicle sales increased from approximately 15.85 million in 2024 to 16.23 million in 2025, representing a 2.4% increase.
Cox Automotive also reported that 2025 was the strongest year for new-vehicle sales since 2019.
Sounds great, right?
But here's where things get interesting.
NADA's 2025 dealership data shows that the average new-vehicle salesperson sold approximately 114 new vehicles annually, or 9.5 per month.
For used-vehicle salespeople, the average was approximately 139 vehicles annually, or 11.6 per month.
Those figures improved only modestly from 2024, when the respective averages were 111 new vehicles and 137 used vehicles annually.
In other words, the overall industry can be growing while individual salespeople are still struggling to build meaningful income.
NADA's 2025 Dealership Workforce Study also reported that annualized turnover among sales consultants reached 66% in 2024.
Think about that.
This business offers tremendous opportunity, yet retaining people remains one of its biggest challenges.
And there's another reality: market conditions don't stay favorable forever. Even after 2025's growth, Cox Automotive reported a slowdown in the final quarter of the year.
“The market does not owe you a living. You have to create your own opportunities.”
I BUILT A BUSINESS WITHIN A BUSINESS
I've been fortunate enough to make a good living in the automotive industry.
But I learned something important a long time ago.
“If you're going to sell cars for a living, stop treating it like a job and start treating it like your own business.”
That's exactly what I've done.
I built a business within a business.
I developed my own reputation, generated my own opportunities, built referral relationships, invested in marketing, and created a customer base that knows who I am.
A dealership can give you inventory, financing relationships, a building, and an opportunity.
But you have to build your name.
Your reputation should mean something beyond the dealership sign above your head.
Customers should remember you. Refer you. Come back to you. And trust you enough to recommend you to their friends and family.
Build those relationships the right way, respect customer privacy and your dealership's policies, and create a reputation that lasts throughout your career.
“Because dealerships can change. Managers can change. Pay plans can change. But the reputation you've earned belongs to you.”
"DID YOU STEAL LEADS FROM YOUR PREVIOUS DEALERSHIP?"
I recently had someone make a comment to me because I was selling a lot of vehicles.
They asked if I had stolen leads from my previous dealership.
I actually found that question interesting.
It showed me how differently some people approach this business.
When someone relies almost entirely on walk-in traffic and dealership-provided opportunities, it's difficult for them to understand how another salesperson can consistently generate business independently.
What they don't see are the years spent building relationships.
The countless phone calls. The referrals. The social media marketing. The follow-ups. The appointments made outside normal business hours.
The customers who call because someone they trust gave them my number.
“I don't wait for the business to come to me. I go create it.”
I'm not built to sit around hoping someone walks through the door.
I believe in creating opportunities instead of waiting for them.
That doesn't make me better than anyone else. It means I've chosen to approach this career differently.
And that's something I encourage every salesperson to do.
THE HARDEST PART ISN'T ALWAYS SELLING CARS
Sometimes the most difficult part of the car business has absolutely nothing to do with customers.
It's the people around you.
The negativity. The poor attitudes. The constant gossip.
The coworkers who spend more time worrying about what you're doing than improving their own performance.
And yes, sometimes even managers who would rather hold people back than help them grow.
Not every dealership operates this way, and there are outstanding leaders in this industry.
But anyone who's spent enough time in the business knows exactly what I'm talking about.
You have to develop thick skin.
You can't let every negative comment distract you.
You can't allow someone else's lack of ambition to become your limitation.
And you certainly can't spend your career waiting for everyone to celebrate your success.
“Stay focused. Keep producing. Let your results speak for themselves.”
ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING - AND CUTTHROAT - INDUSTRIES
I've heard people compare the automotive business to the streets.
And after 25 years, I understand the comparison.
It's competitive. It's emotional. And sometimes it's ruthless.
Careers are built and careers are broken.
People make extraordinary incomes, while others struggle financially or leave the business completely.
But here's the other side.
This industry has created opportunities for people who might never have found the same earning potential elsewhere.
You don't necessarily need a college degree or a wealthy family.
You need discipline, resilience, people skills, the ability to learn, and a willingness to work when others won't.
For someone willing to take this profession seriously, the possibilities can be life-changing.
That's why, despite everything I've seen and experienced, I still love this business.
MY ADVICE TO THE NEXT GENERATION
Don't just learn how to sell a car.
Learn how to build a career.
Learn how to market yourself. Understand credit and finance. Develop referral partnerships. Create content. Follow up consistently. Study your customers. Protect your reputation.
Build a book of business that grows with your experience.
Don't measure your success only by how many customers the dealership hands you.
“Measure it by how much business you're capable of generating yourself.”
Be the salesperson customers ask for by name. Be someone people trust. Be someone who creates value wherever they go.
And most importantly, never allow the wrong environment or somebody else's limited thinking to determine what you're capable of accomplishing.
THE BOTTOM LINE
So, if you're thinking about getting into the car business, my advice is still the same.
DON'T.
Unless you're ready to work. Unless you're ready to compete. Unless you're ready to experience rejection, uncertainty, pressure, and occasionally complete chaos.
And unless you're ready to build something bigger than just another monthly commission check.
Because if you are?
“The car business just might change your life.”
It certainly changed mine.
2027 AUTOMOTIVE SALES MENTOR PROGRAM
I'm putting together a mentorship program for 2027 designed for automotive salespeople who want to develop their own business, improve their production, and create long-term careers in this industry.
If you're serious about taking your career to the next level, let's connect.
Dee Jones | RocketCarLoan.com
Call or text Dee directly at 740-956-0246, or connect with his partners at BizApp247, 888-919-1160, the leading AI-powered sales and marketing platform helping auto dealers and brokers across the Midwest build smarter, stronger, more connected businesses.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dee Jones is an automotive sales leader with 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, spanning retail sales, wholesale operations, and franchised dealerships. Throughout his career, he has focused on relationship-driven sales, special finance, business development, and helping sales professionals build sustainable careers.
SOURCES & DATA NOTES
NADA Data 2025, pp. 8 and 10. New-vehicle salesperson production and used-vehicle salesperson production represent separate departmental averages; industry sales totals are from the same report. https://www.nada.org/media/4695
NADA, 2025 Dealership Workforce Study, National Retention and Turnover (2024 data). https://www.nada.org/media/18376/download
Cox Automotive, Dec. 17, 2025, sales outlook, updated Jan. 7, 2026. https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights/cox-automotive-forecast-dec-2025-u-s-auto-sales-forecast/
