Automotive Sales Consultant — Napleton Buick GMC Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake, IL
Full-time
Napleton Automotive Group is a family-owned dealer group with stores across Chicagoland and Wisconsin, representing Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Ford, Hyundai, Genesis, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram.
Napleton Buick GMC Crystal Lake is on Northwest Highway in the heart of McHenry County, serving Crystal Lake, Cary, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Huntley, Woodstock, McHenry, Fox River Grove, and the Barrington and Lake Zurich area.
Here's what you should understand about this store before you apply: we don't have a Chevrolet on the lot. No Trax to fall back on, no base Silverado to close a payment-shopper into. Buick and GMC only. That means you sell on product, on the walk up to Denali and Avenir, and on the experience — not on being the cheapest sticker in the county.
It's a good problem to have. Denali and AT4 trucks, Yukons and Yukon XLs, and Enclaves and Envisions carry real gross. In this market — commuters on the UP-NW Metra line, two- and three-vehicle households, and the Barrington and Inverness corridor twenty minutes south — you're not scraping to find someone who can afford a Yukon Denali. You're competing for them against Tahoe, Expedition, Grand Wagoneer, and Escalade. Learn to win that comparison and you'll do very well here.
As a Sales Consultant, you help customers find the right vehicle and guide them through the entire process — first hello to handing over the keys. You'll work leads, greet walk-ins, demonstrate vehicles, present numbers, and follow up with people who aren't ready yet.
You don't need to have sold cars before. You need to be someone people trust, someone who follows up when they say they will, and someone who wants to get paid for how hard they work rather than how many hours they sit at a desk.
This store rewards a slightly different skill set than a high-volume, low-price store. Fewer units, more gross per unit, longer conversations, and customers who do their homework before they walk in. If you're the type who'd rather have four good conversations than forty rushed ones, this is your kind of floor.
- Greet and qualify walk-in traffic; find out what someone actually needs before showing them anything
- Respond to internet leads and phone inquiries fast. Route 14, Route 31, and the Randall Road corridor are packed with dealerships, and your customer is emailing three of them at once. The first store to answer usually gets the appointment
- Conduct product demonstrations and test drives
- Present pricing, payment options, lease structures, and trade-in values clearly and honestly
- Sell the walk up — help a customer understand what they actually get for the step from Elevation to AT4, or Preferred to Avenir, instead of just quoting two numbers
- Ask for the sale, handle objections, and close
This is a lease-heavy market, and that's an advantage most salespeople never learn to use.
- Work lease maturities and equity opportunities — customers coming out of a 36-month Acadia are the warmest leads in the building
- Stay in touch with past customers for referrals, service, and repeat business
- Maintain consistent contact with unsold prospects; most deals happen on the second or third conversation
- Log every interaction in the CRM so nothing falls through the cracks
You have two brands and no volume brand to hide behind, so know both cold.
GMC — Sierra 1500, 2500HD and 3500HD, Canyon, Terrain, Acadia, Yukon and Yukon XL, and Hummer EV. Master the trim ladder: Pro, Elevation, AT4, AT4X, SLT, Denali, and Denali Ultimate. Know exactly what changes at each step — interior materials, suspension, tech, Super Cruise availability — because your customer will ask and \"it's nicer\" is not an answer.
Buick — Envista, Encore GX, Envision, and Enclave, including Avenir. Buick is a quiet-luxury argument: ride quality, cabin noise, standard content, and price against a comparable Lexus, Acura, or loaded Toyota. Learn to make that comparison out loud and specifically.
Trucks and towing. Sierra buyers here tow boats to the Chain O' Lakes and the Fox River, pull campers, haul trailers for landscaping and construction, and plow in the winter. Get fluent in payload and tow ratings, GVWR and GCWR, conventional vs. fifth-wheel towing, cab and bed configurations, Duramax diesel vs. gas, Allison transmissions, and plow prep. A contractor and a boat owner need different trucks.
Full-size SUVs. Yukon and Yukon XL are the halo of this store. Know the third-row and cargo numbers against Tahoe, Suburban, Expedition, Grand Wagoneer, and Escalade — and be honest about the trade-offs. Buyers at that price point can tell when you're guessing.
Winter and AWD/4WD. McHenry County customers want to know how it handles in February, what road salt does to it, and whether AWD is enough or they want four-wheel drive. Have real answers.
EVs and Super Cruise — Hummer EV and Sierra EV. Most of this market parks in an attached garage, which makes home charging genuinely easy — but nobody has walked these customers through range in a Chicago winter, installation, or public charging on the way to Wisconsin. Learn to answer plainly. Super Cruise is also a real closing tool for Metra-alternative commuters on 90 and 53; know how it works and be able to demo it.
Commercial and fleet. GM Business Elite programs matter here. Landscapers, excavators, plow contractors, and small businesses across McHenry County buy work trucks and vans, and they rarely buy just one.
Complete GM manufacturer certification training for both brands (we pay for it). Stay current on inventory and available incentives, both new and pre-owned.
- Coordinate with the finance team and management on deal structure
- Perform thorough vehicle deliveries — set up myGMC or myBuick and OnStar, pair the phone, walk the features, set up Super Cruise, and show them how the trailering package actually works
- Follow up post-sale and earn a good survey score honestly
- Represent the store well in a community where reputation and referrals drive the business
- Strong communication skills and a genuine willingness to talk to strangers
- Self-motivation — nobody will stand over you and tell you to make calls
- Reliability and a professional appearance
- Basic computer and smartphone proficiency
- Valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record
- Availability to work a retail schedule including Saturdays
- Ability to pass a background check and pre-employment screening
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Previous automotive sales experience, especially in a near-luxury or premium-trim store
- Any commissioned sales, retail, restaurant, hospitality, or customer service background
- Experience selling on value rather than lowest price — jewelry, furniture, real estate, home improvement, and high-end retail all translate
- Leasing knowledge, or a willingness to learn it properly
- Truck, trailer, boat, or trades familiarity — it earns instant credibility with Sierra buyers
- Small business, commercial, or fleet sales experience
- Bilingual — Spanish is a real advantage in this market
- Comfort explaining EVs, charging, and Super Cruise to a skeptical customer
- Military service
- CRM experience
- People who are competitive with themselves
- People who'd rather have an uncapped pay plan than a safe salary
- People who follow up on day 30 when everyone else quit on day 3
- People who are coachable and actually apply what they're taught
- People who build a repeat and referral base instead of starting from zero every month
- Commission and volume bonus pay plan with a training guarantee while you ramp up
- Strong per-unit gross on Denali, AT4, Avenir, and full-size SUVs — you don't have to sell the most cars in the county to earn well here
- Paid training, including GM manufacturer certification for Buick and GMC
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off
- Closed Sundays
- Employee vehicle purchase and service discounts
- Real promotion path — many of our managers started on the floor, and Napleton has stores across Chicagoland and Wisconsin when you're ready for more
Apply directly through this posting. No automotive experience necessary; we train the right people.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Napleton Automotive Group is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a drug-free workplace.
