Ten years after leaving his job as a truck driver with a transport company, Steve Allan is celebrating a personal milestone in the dealership business.
Allan joined the Kot Auto Group in British Columbia as a sales consultant at Kelowna Hyundai in April 2013. He’s since worked his way up the company ladder and is now the General Sales Manager at Penticton Nissan.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs and a lot of stress, wondering if I’m making the right decision, and a lot of long hours, and good months and bad months,” said Allan in an interview with Canadian auto dealer. “It’s been tumultuous, but you only get better every year. There’s been a lot of personal and business growth.”
Allan couldn’t see himself working long-term as a trucker, and since he had friends in the car business who were doing well financially and enjoyed the work, he sent his résumé to all the dealerships in Kelowna. Only one dealership called him back: Kelowna Hyundai. He was hired two weeks after he was interviewed for the job. Allan describes his journey in the business as exciting and dynamic.
“It was definitely a challenge (at the start), but a lot of fun at the same time. It’s been a fun auto group to grow with because they are very dynamic. John Kot buys a new store every year or two. There’s always new things on the horizon, new initiatives.”
Allan recalled the adjustment of wearing business clothes he had to borrow from friends.
“It’s just a different environment,” said Allan. “For me, it wasn’t hard because I’m generally a positive person and I found selling cars came naturally. You don’t even have to know that much about cars, you just have to be personable, talk to the customers, listen to them, and provide options.”
After taking a shot in the car business, the 34-year-old highly recommends it.
“You could jump into it and make a good living for you and your family fairly quickly,” said Allan. “When you work on commission, the amount of money you make is only limited to the amount of effort you put in.”
