• Use a follow-up system to create more business.keys to the new car image by Jake Hellbach from Fotolia.com
  
  A car salesman needs various tools to complete his job quickly and effectively. Any tool that saves time is useful, from a stapler to a list of lien holders. As a salesperson, your time should be spent working with a customer to sell a vehicle and providing a positive experience for everyone involved. Time spent looking for items or waiting for answers is time wasted.
  
  

Physical Tools

• A car salesperson's desk should be well supplied with tools that eliminate customer waiting. Obvious items such as pens, a stapler, correction fluid, manila folders and paper clips allow you to put together deals quickly and properly. Always have more than one pen; giving one to your customer while you do your portion of the paperwork saves time. A set of crayons and extra paper keeps children busy while you discuss a vehicle purchase with parents. Have your own screwdrivers handy; sharing with other salespeople is often time consuming as someone always misplaces the tools. Have one decent flat-head screwdriver and Phillips screwdriver with a non-slip grip handle and a 10mm ratchet for common Honda or Acura security bolts.
  
  

Follow-up Tools

• Whether your dealership provides a computer-based follow-up system or not, you should keep accurate records of whom you have spoken to and sold a car to. Use a manila folder for the current month and label it as so. Keep your customer "up" sheets--or customer information and interest sheets--inside the folder. On the sheet, keep detailed notes on the customer's time frame to purchase and his vehicle likes and dislikes and keep detailed information about all follow-up attempts. Use a composition notebook to keep track of whom you have sold a car to, and keep hard copies of the information in your monthly folder. In the composition book, include the month, customer name, address and telephone number as well as the vehicle bought and the date. This way, you can follow up often. During downtime at the dealership, you can go through your customer information to try to create more business for yourself.
  
  

Customer Interest Tools

• Put together a binder for customers to browse through while you are away from your desk. Label it for sections that you want to include, such as awards, safety information, fuel economy or different vehicles that your dealership sells. With new cars, separate the vehicles and include specification information from the Internet or a brochure and include any publications that provide a good overview for the vehicle. If you do not sell new cars, add information about the importance of fuel economy or top-10 best lists, such as those from "Car and Driver," "J.D. Power" or wherever else you can find relevant and interesting information. Offer the customer the binder for reading material until you return.
  
  

Other Tools

• Because selling a vehicle requires paperwork, such as a buyer's order, credit application, customer information sheet and reference list, keep deal jackets at easy reach, which include all the paperwork you need to write up a deal. In addition, keep all pay-off addresses and lien-holder information used often at your dealership on an easy-to-access piece of paper or in a notebook. Tracking down lien-holder information can prove frustrating, especially if the busy finance manager is the only one who can supply it.