David Spisak – Car dealership technology: Avg. sales rep still sell 10 cars a month

David Spisak was on CBT News. He said he got into the car business in 1981.

Back then, dealerships didn’t even have a DMS.

Over the past 45 years, we’ve gone through five waves of technology: DMS, CRM, the internet, social media, and now AI.

Across all five waves, the average salesperson has continued to sell only about 10 cars a month.

David said, “I’m pretty sure the technology has evolved big time. I’m not so sure that we’ve evolved.”

Then he said, “It’s not the golf club. It’s the golfer.”

David is right that the average number of cars sold per rep hasn’t moved. But I think he’s wrong about why.

Here’s what he missed: Those tools primarily help dealerships capture and manage demand after a consumer has entered the market.

The internet and social media didn’t create more car buyers. They made it easier for the same buyer to contact more dealerships. Then DMS, CRM, and now AI gave every dealership more capacity to pursue that buyer.

But the buyer still buys only one car.

When a shopper is comparing several stores with similar inventory, the dealerships and salespeople can appear interchangeable. The decision comes down to who has the right car and who offers the best deal.

Now look at what that leaves the salesperson.

Price is ultimately controlled by the desk. Inventory is determined by dealership management and the factory. Neither is within the salesperson’s control.

So the problem isn’t simply the golfer. It’s that we’ve spent 45 years giving the golfer tools for the wrong part of the game.

Every tool in David’s timeline becomes important after the consumer has decided to shop for a car. By then, the salesperson is already competing against five other dealerships selling roughly the same cars at roughly the same prices.

What the salesperson can control is the relationship and trust they build with consumers before those consumers start shopping for a car.

And that starts with a warm introduction.

We teach salespeople not to ask:

Do you know anyone shopping for a car?

That question starts the relationship too late. If someone is already shopping, they’re probably already talking to multiple dealerships.

Instead, ask:

If I made it super easy, would you feel comfortable introducing me to three of your friends? They don’t need to be shopping for a car right now. I just want them to save my contact information so they already know someone in the car business when they need help.

Once that introduction happens, the salesperson can immediately be useful by offering a free market analysis:

• What the person’s current car is worth today.
• What financing offers and lease specials are available.
• What replacing their vehicle could look like if they decided to buy today.

There’s no pressure to buy. The salesperson is simply helping them understand the market.

Sometimes, that information helps someone who wasn’t planning to shop realize that now may be a good time to buy.

And when a salesperson has already been helpful and earned someone’s trust, they become that customer’s first and only choice.

That salesperson didn’t win by competing on price. They built a relationship before another dealership even knew the customer was in the market.

That’s the difference between waiting for internet leads and creating sales opportunities through relationships and trust.

So the question isn’t technology versus people. It’s whether the technology removes the constraint that’s actually holding people back.