agent Entrepreneur logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Ask Joe: What is the best way to increase my income by $15,000 a year?

August 5, 2015
Ask Joe: What is the best way to increase my income by $15,000 a year?

Ask Joe: What is the best way to increase my income by $15,000 a year?

3 min to read


You didn’t say how many units you sell now or how you’re doing, so let’s assume you meant $15k more in the next 7 months.


The math is always first: $15,000 ÷ 7 months means you’ll need an extra $2,142 per month the rest of the year.

Ad Loading...


If you average $350 in commission, you’d need to sell 6 more per month. Actually, it’s 6 at $357 so you’ll need a bump of $7 to $357 per unit. To earn $7 more at 25% commission, you need to raise your gross $28 per unit.


$28 should be a non-issue. Just use the ‘easy bump close’ (from our 3 Pass Negotiation Process) in your last pass. (Wrap It Up & Final Bump.) As you shake their hand on the deal ask, “My manager said you wouldn’t let $28 bucks stand in the way of getting your new car, was he right?” That’s 50¢ more per month on a 60 month agreement, so you’ll do fine.


Back to the extra 6 units per month. Math again, that’s 1.5 per week, with a lot of different ways to do that.


The easiest way to pull this off, is to sell more of the people you’re already talking to on the lot. The average salesperson talks to 10 people, 8 are buyers, and they only sell 2. Using that math, let’s say a 10 car guy talks to 50 people per month. If 10 is your average, to sell 6 more units, you’ll need to close 32% instead of just 20% of those prospects.


4 easy ways to sell 6 more units...

Ad Loading...
  • Demo More ... 50% who get a good ‘targeted’ demo and presentation on their ‘hot buttons’, buy on the spot.

10 car guys already sell half, and don’t realize it. They only give 40% a quality demo now (4 out of 10), and sell 2.


50 prospects x 40% demo ratio =


20 demos, at 50% closing = 10 sales


50 prospects x 64% demo ratio =

Ad Loading...


32 demos, at 50% closing = 16 sales

  • Close More ... Average closing ratios are 20%. That’s 10 out of 50. To sell 6 more, improve your closing ratio to 32%. 50 x 32% = 16 deliveries.

How? Nothing huge, just go back to page 3 and start improving everything some.

  • Unsold Follow Up ... 33% will come back and 67% will buy on the spot.

10 car guys sell 10 and 40 leave. Just get 75% contact info (30). Follow up 30, 10 come back. Deliver 67% of those 10 = 6.7.

Ad Loading...
  • Or A little of each ... Demo just 4 more to sell 2 more units. Improve your closing % by 4% (24%) to sell 2 more. And follow up on just 10 people, 3 will come back and you’ll sell 2 more.

That’s 6 extra units & $2,142 more without breaking a sweat. Or get serious and do all three; improve demos, closing and unsold follow up, and you’ll deliver 18 more.


18 more + 10 you’re selling now would be 28 per month. At $357 per unit plus bonuses, you’d be on track for $120,000 to $150,000 a year.


Tip: plug your own numbers into our calculators so you can really understand your long-term potential from making these ‘no sweat’ improvements. Go to JoeVerde.com/calculators.


 

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

More Sales

A rear view of a red Hyundai Elantra
Salesby Hannah MitchellAugust 17, 2026

Used Lots Getting the Business

Many consumers are seeking out the units to save money, and the demand – higher in July than normal – is keeping supply limited and prices up.

Read More →
Photo of man's hand holding a square blue piece with a yellow capital P on it, with other letter pieces below on a surface
Salesby Justin B. GasmanAugust 5, 2026

Two Kinds of Agents and the 5 Ps That Separate Them

Follow these key guidelines to distinguish your agency from competitors by adding more value to your dealer clients' businesses.

Read More →
Man climbing ladder in front of mountain landscape.
Salesby Lauren LawrenceAugust 3, 2026

Positive Equity Reaches Record High

Mainstream vehicle owners who bought a car seven years ago are likely to have positive equity when trading in for a new vehicle, according to second-quarter Edmunds data.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
outside shot of two trucks in front of a body of water with a cloudy sky
Salesby Lauren LawrenceJuly 29, 2026

Used Market Stabilizes

The Carfax Used Car Index noted a major drop in used-vehicle price increases in July after several months of hikes.

Read More →
Photo of blue Toyota Prius parked next to a body of water with a city skyline behind it
Salesby Hannah MitchellJuly 24, 2026

July Auto Sales Simmer

Deliveries were up modestly from a year ago despite still-high prices as OEMs offered more incentives and loan rates eased somewhat.

Read More →
Photo of parked cars of various types for sale on a lot
Salesby Hannah MitchellJuly 20, 2026

Used Sales Hit Summer Drag

The vacation season, combined with high prices, has dented deliveries and added to inventories, though supply is still slim enough to keep listings elevated.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Closeup photo of a new white car on a road from the driver's side
Salesby Hannah MitchellJune 26, 2026

June Automotive Boon?

A forecast for this month’s new-vehicle sales tells a familiar 2026 story: Year-over-year comparisons must be made in light of last year’s aberrations.

Read More →
split background green and blue. 2019 to 2025 with car going from starting location to end point. $37,310 and $48,402. Agent Entrepreneur logo
Industryby Lauren LawrenceJune 25, 2026

Affordable New Cars a Thing of the Past

More than one out of five new vehicles sell for more than $60,000, according to Edmunds. That's up 7% compared to prepandemic 2019.

Read More →
Hood of orange Tesla in front of sunrise
Salesby Lauren LawrenceJune 18, 2026

Legacy Automakers Risk Falling Behind

As legacy automakers, mostly in the U.S. and Japan, have revised their 2030 electric-vehicle sales targets and shifted to a hybrid focus, they risk falling behind new market leaders.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Photo of man holding a car key
Salesby Hannah MitchellJune 17, 2026

New Cars a Tad More Affordable

May averages show that combined circumstances gave auto consumers slightly better buying power for the month, though average prices were up year-over-year.

Read More →
Ad Loading...