What will earn you big commission even if it’s covered in mud and has thousands of miles on the clock? The Land Rover Defender, of course.
Since the last of these cars rolled off the production line in 2015, used models have been changing hands for more than they did when they were in showroom condition.
If you work in sales, you’ll know the power of brands. It’s the golden ticket, the guarantee customers will pay top dollar and come back again and again.
So why would Land Rover mess with this winning formula by ceasing production of its best-seller? Because, without airbags, a bull-nosed shape that was hazardous to pedestrians and a failure to reach modern emissions standards, the Defender was reckoned to be no longer fit for purpose.
But try telling that to surveyor Keith Wallace from Perthshire who has just picked up his second Defender.
“The first one had no heating so this new one, with its heated seats feels like the last word in luxury,” he says, “but even without the comforts I’d still have bought it because nothing does a better job in tackling farm tracks when I’m visiting rural properties.”
Photographer Alison James from Ayrshire says the same: “When mine went into the workshop for repairs last year the dealership lent me a swanky Range Rover. It was so blingy that it stood out like a sore thumb in our village, so I was glad to get my trusty workhorse back on the road.”
A new Defender is set to appear in 2018 but rumour has it it will be very different from its predecessor, designed to appeal to cash-rich buyers in China and the US, rather than hard-working farmers.
So does that mean there’s a gap in the market for something sturdy and unpretentious?
It looks like it and manufacturers including Skoda and Dacia are vying to supply the demand with no-nonsense alternatives.
How do you get a piece of this action? By following up the opportunities on s1jobs and bagging yourself a sales position with one of the dealerships primed to make the most of the expanding SUV and 4×4 sector.
Because it’s not just at utility level that demand is growing. Audi’s huge new Q9 is set to be pitched directly against the Porsche Cayenne and the Lexus RX and with everyone from Jaguar to Bentley offering their own take on the SUV, the market for luxury mega models is heating up.
With an average on-the-road price of £45,000-plus, the commission on each one can be serious money.
So whether you’re dealing in dented Defenders for serious off-roaders or super-slick SUVs for the school run, selling 4x4s could give your career in sales the traction it needs to really take you places.
Get in the driving seat with top Sales positions on s1jobs