General Sales Manager

Group 1 Automotive; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading automotive retailer in Chelmsford is seeking a General Sales Manager to drive outstanding customer experiences and lead a successful sales team. This role involves developing team capabilities, supporting negotiations, and ensuring market visibility. Candidates should possess strong leadership qualities, a commitment to customer satisfaction, and the ability to thrive under pressure. A focus on achieving business success and employee satisfaction is essential. Join a dynamic group that values diversity and offers excellent career development opportunities.

Benefits

33 days annual leave including bank holidays

Exclusive retail discounts

Discounts on new and used cars

Company pension scheme

Flexible working options

Dedicated wellbeing support

Training and development opportunities

Paid volunteer day

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of key business growth drivers.
• Leadership skills essential for customer satisfaction.
• Ability to negotiate effectively at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Develop Sales Executives to meet targets.
• Act as a contact between the company and markets.
• Support sales executives in closing agreements.
• Gather market and customer information.
• Negotiate price and specifications.
• Review sales performance and objectives.
• Conduct performance reviews with team members.

Skills

Leadership abilities

Negotiation skills

Customer satisfaction focus

Financial awareness

Attention to detail

Job description

General Sales Manager – Volkswagen Chelmsford

Fun, exciting, rewarding work. Join us for the ride.

Working with world-class brands as a General Sales Manager you’ll have the drive to deliver outstanding and trusted experiences for our customers.

As part of a successful, global automotive group, you’ll broaden your experience across both sites and brands. And with the right support from us, you’ll be able to progress as high as you can aim.

What we can offer you

• Enjoy 33 days of annual leave(including bank holidays) to rest and recharge
• Save money every day withour exclusive retail discounts
• Drive a great dealwith discounts on new and used cars, plus servicing offers
• Plan for the years aheadwith our company pension scheme
• Balance home and workwith our industry-leading family-friendly policies designed to help you spend more time with the people that matter
• Commute for lesswith our cycle-to-work scheme
• Prioritise your wellbeingwith dedicated support for you and your family
• 24/7 access to healthcare professionals, ensuring you get the expert advice you need quickly and easily
• Make a differencewith a paid day to volunteer in your community
• Invest in your futurewith our company share purchase plan
• Earn financial rewardswhen you refer a friend to join the team
• Keep learning and growingwith our training and development opportunities for everyone.
• Life assurancewith the option to increase cover
• We’re open toflexible workingoptions – just ask

What you’ll do day to day

• The development of the Sales Executives within the team to achieve and exceed targets.
• Acting as a contact between a company and its existing and potential markets.
• Support the sales executives in negotiating the terms of an agreement and support the closure of sales.
• Gathering market and customer information.
• Negotiating variations in price, delivery and specifications with other managers.
• Advising on forthcoming product developments and discussing special promotions.
• Checking quantities of goods on display and in stock and advising Sales Executives.
• Checking vehicles in build with production and being a key point of contact.
• Reviewing own sales performance, aiming to meet or exceed targets.
• Gaining a clear understanding of customers' businesses and requirements.
• The training and development of Sales Executives within the Team.
• Conducting regular performance reviews with employees.

Helpful skills and qualifications

Don’t worry about ticking off every single skill here − if you care about delivering great experiences as much as we do, we want to hear from you.

• You will be able to demonstrate a strong understanding of the key success drivers essential to deliver consistently strong results in terms of business growth, net profit and cost control, together with high levels of employee and customer satisfaction.
• Whilst previous automotive experience will be a benefit, attitude and character are more important to us.
• We will want to see that you have strong leadership abilities and deeply care about customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
• A hands on leader and financially aware
• Ability to negotiate at all levels with strong leadership skills
• Motor Industry experience is preferable
• Ability to work to timescales effectively
• Keen eye for detail, good communication and a passion for delivering great customer service
• Strong industry knowledge
• Ability to work under pressure

We value diversity and believe it strengthens our team. If you don’t meet every requirement listed but are enthusiastic about this role and eager to learn, we encourage you to apply.

Be part of something big

Group 1 Automotive is on an exciting growth journey. We are home to over 7000 colleagues dedicated to providing exceptional customer service, with 114 dealerships in the UK, representing 21 brands at the forefront of automotive retail.

But you don’t need to love cars to work with us – just need to share our mission to create outstanding and trusted experiences for our customers, our partners, and our people.

Our Values

At Group 1 Automotive we pride ourselves on our five core values that are incorporated in all we that do.

Respect - Integrity - Transparency - Teamwork – Professionalism