He Loves His Job

Times may be tough right now in the car industry, but Thomas Elliott is optimistic things will get better.

After all, in Atlanta, “Everybody’s got to have a car.”

As sales manager at Spartan Lincoln-Mercury in McDonough, an Atlanta Used Car Dealer, Elliott, 37, said his job is to move the inventory of the dealership’s new and used cars. “We drive traffic through the Internet,” he said, remarking that he fields calls from across the country as well as from Canada and Europe.

“It’s a real challenge, especially with the subprime market,” he said, noting that not long ago, the dealership worked with 50 banks to get car loans for customers. Now, they work with just 10.
Both the dealership and the lenders are much more careful about their due diligence on borrowers, he added. “We’re not sending the bank a questionable deal,” he said.

“We make sure the vehicle [the customer is buying] is in line with what the banks will loan money on,” Elliott said. “Our primary focus is to be competitive on pricing, get traffic from the Internet and then sell those vehicles.”

Elliott also is responsible for making sure the dealership’s supply of new vehicles is in line with what the buyers want. And he is the coach and motivator for the dealership’s sales force.
In addition to selling new vehicles, Elliott also must keep up the supply of used vehicles coming into the dealership, he said. “The used car supply is drying up,” he said.

People are holding on to their cars longer, and overseas buyers are snapping up bargains at auto auctions. In the Mideast and China, he said, there are buyers for larger cars and sport utility vehicles that are less popular with Americans right now.

“They can drive those vehicles,” he said. “Those used to be our bread and butter.”
In the business, he said, “I make sure we can buy at a price where we can sell it and make a profit.”

What got me interested in this
“Necessity,” Elliott said.

Before entering the auto industry, Elliott was a technical consultant and salesperson with a major accounting firm and smaller software company. However, in 2003, he was laid off as those industries suffered their own problems.

He turned to the auto industry in part because his uncle had been in the car business for 30 years and his older brother sold cars for 12 years. “The family was in the car business,” he said.
While Elliott thought he would be selling cars for only a few months, he discovered he likes the business, was promoted to sales manager and stayed.

Best part of my job
“Working for a family-owned dealership, especially in tough times,” he said. “I’m still gainfully employed.”

Spartan is owned by Don Jackson, who also has several other dealerships in the Atlanta area.

Most challenging part
“Slow days,” he said. Sometimes, the dealership will be full of people shopping for cars, but other days the showroom can be nearly empty.

What people don’t know about my job
“We’re really in it to do the deal,” Elliott said. “We’re not greedy people. We’re willing to do what it takes.”

He added, “It’s all about getting new customers” for the long term, who become customers for the dealership’s service department and who will come back for their next car as well.

What keeps me going
“Every day is a new challenge,” he said. “How are we going to get more people to come into the showroom?”

He said there is always the need to sell more cars next month. “How can we continue to keep everything moving?”

Preparation needed for this job
“It’s all about personality, relating to the customer’s needs,” Elliott said.

In addition, a salesperson needs to be good at math, and “when a customer gives an objection, knowing how to overcome it.” You also have to be able to think on your feet and know both the product and financing options. “It’s all about relationships and being creative,” he said.
Whether he’s selling cars or software, it isn’t that different, he said.

While a college degree is not necessary for sales, Elliott has a bachelor’s degree in financial management from Virginia Tech and has taken ongoing sales training and has sales and management certifications from both the dealership and Lincoln-Mercury.

Elliott was in technical consulting and sales for Ernst & Young and in software sales for MarketWorks, which makes sales software for small businesses.

Before he began what he called “real jobs,” Elliott played professional basketball in the National Basketball Association —- briefly for the former Charlotte Hornets —- and in Europe. His basketball career ended after an injury, he said.