Examining Car Sales vs. Real Estate Agents

Good real estate agents are nothing like car salespeople.

I am going to say right upfront here, do NOT send me hate mail. I want to talk about car sales vs real estate. Because I am about to say that there are parallels between certain types of sales people, say, for example, a car salesperson and a real estate salesperson. I’ve heard it said that the easiest person to sell to in the universe is another salesperson, but I think that’s only the dumb ones. The thing is nobody wants to be sold. It’s irritating. And the only people who don’t find it irritating are those who can’t figure out that they are being sold.

The parallel between a car sales vs. real estate agent is they both involve individuals in sales, and that’s about where it stops. The difference between the two is generally a real estate person wants to help a buyer achieve his or her goal. Car sales sell product. A real estate agent forms a fiduciary relationship together; car sales people do not. But there are people who don’t like dealing with a real estate agent because they think the agent has one goal in mind — to sell and close on a house. And they don’t trust agents for that reason. There is a conflict when it comes to money.

Yet, there are ethical agents in the business. Agents who focus solely on their clients and try to do what is best and right and legal for their clients. With car salespeople, it’s all about the money. I don’t know why dealerships even employ salespeople except they probably need some kind of on-the-lot body to ride along in the car to make sure the test driver brings it back. It’s not as though they know their product inside and out.

Can you tell that I am shopping for a new car? When I know the interior options that are available and the salesperson does not, it’s irritating. When a salesperson tells me he will run the numbers and call me right back but doesn’t, it’s irritating. When I ask for meteor gray and the salesperson tries to sell me pearl black, it’s irritating. And these are a couple of dealerships that have employed individuals to interact online who are supposed to be focused on customer service. They are irritating.

And it must be just as irritating for them to have to deal with us in the public who care about only one thing: the dealer’s bottom line. Man, today I am very thankful that I am a Sacramento agent and not working in the auto industry. That’s an awful job. Car sales vs real estate hands down real estate wins.

While Elizabeth is in Cuba, we visit older blogs published elsewhere