Description

Position Summary

The General Sales Manager is responsible for leading all aspects of the new and preowned vehicle sales department to achieve volume, gross profit, customer satisfaction, and retention objectives. This individual will drive daily sales execution, team performance, process discipline, and accountability while upholding dealership values and luxury-brand standards. The ideal candidate is a proven automotive sales leader who can recruit, coach, motivate, and develop a high-performing team, manage performance through measurable KPIs, and create an exceptional client experience from initial contact through delivery and post-sale follow-up. This role also partners closely with F&I, service, parts, BDC, and marketing to maximize dealership profitability, operational efficiency, and long-term customer loyalty. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Lead, manage, and hold accountable all new and preowned vehicle sales personnel to achieve monthly, quarterly, and annual sales objectives. 
Establish clear expectations for showroom performance, lead response, appointment conversion, follow-up activity, closing ratio, CSI, and professionalism. 
Recruit, interview, onboard, train, coach, and mentor sales consultants to improve individual and team performance. 
Conduct regular one-on-one performance reviews, daily sales meetings, and coaching sessions focused on traffic management, product knowledge, objections, and closing effectiveness. 
Develop and execute strategies to achieve unit sales, front-end gross, back-end opportunity, market share, and departmental profitability goals. 
Review and manage daily, weekly, and monthly KPI reports, including appointments shown, test drives, write-ups, closing percentages, gross per unit, lead aging, salesperson activity, and CSI results. 
Ensure 100% CRM compliance for lead logging, follow-up, desking support, pipeline management, task completion, and customer communication documentation. 
Monitor internet, phone, showroom, and referral lead handling to ensure timely response, quality communication, and maximum conversion. 
Work closely with the General Manager on forecasting, inventory mix, aging strategy, incentive opportunities, pricing alignment, and market competitiveness. 
Maintain strong awareness of new vehicle inventory, incoming units, model availability, OEM programs, lender trends, and local market conditions. 
Partner with F&I to support a seamless turnover process, improve product penetration opportunities, and ensure a compliant, customer-focused delivery experience. 
Coordinate with marketing and BDC teams to support campaigns, events, digital lead generation, social media visibility, and traffic-driving initiatives. 
Collaborate with service and parts departments to strengthen the ownership experience and support customer retention. 
Professionally handle customer concerns and escalations with urgency, sound judgment, and a solutions-oriented mindset to protect CSI and dealership reputation. 
Maintain adherence to all dealership policies, brand standards, legal requirements, and regulatory compliance expectations. 
Ensure the sales floor, employee presentation, and customer engagement process consistently reflect luxury-brand image and dealership standards. 
Lead by example in ethics, professionalism, work ethic, punctuality, and customer treatment. 
Support a culture of teamwork, accountability, urgency, and continuous improvement across the department. 

Performance Expectations

Success in this role will be measured by performance in the following areas:

New and preowned vehicle retail sales volume 
Sales gross profit and departmental profitability 
Lead response time and appointment conversion 
Closing ratio and salesperson productivity 
CRM compliance and follow-up completion 
Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and online reputation 
Employee development, retention, and accountability 
Inventory turn, aging management, and model mix effectiveness 
Compliance with dealership and manufacturer processes 

Qualifications

Minimum of 5 years of automotive sales management experience required; luxury brand experience strongly preferred. 
Proven track record of achieving or exceeding sales, gross, and CSI objectives in a dealership environment. 
Strong leadership skills with the ability to recruit, coach, motivate, and develop sales professionals. 
Demonstrated ability to manage performance through KPIs, reporting, and process accountability. 
Strong understanding of the full automotive retail sales cycle, including lead handling, desking support, F&I handoff, delivery, and retention. 
Experience with CRM platforms, inventory tools, desking processes, and digital retail/social media engagement. 
Excellent communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, and customer service skills. 
High level of professionalism, organization, and attention to detail. 
Ability to work in a fast-paced, performance-driven environment while maintaining a customer-first mindset. 
Valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record required. 

Preferred Qualifications

Luxury automotive retail leadership experience 
Experience improving CSI and online review performance 
Bilingual communication skills 
Strong digital marketing and social media understanding 
Experience with manufacturer standards, incentive programs, and brand compliance 

Compensation

Aggressive performance-based pay plan 
Compensation commensurate with experience, production, leadership ability, and results 

Benefits

Health Insurance 
Vision Insurance 
Dental Insurance 
Life Insurance 
Paid Vacation 
Employee Vehicle Purchase Program