How Much Does An RV Salesman Make?

You can make a fortune in sales, but some salesmen don't make very much money. How much does an RV salesman make?

An RV salesman makes more money than most other salesmen do. RV salesmen often get generous salaries plus commissions on whatever they sell. They vary a lot in income.

An RV salesman makes $57,617 per year on average. This works out to about $4800 per month, $1100 per week, or $28 per hour. If you earn more than 90% of RV salesmen, you will get $82,000 per year in salary, plus more with commissions.

RV salesmen need the right skills and strategies to succeed. Some cities are much better for RV salesmen than others. Your income may gradually increase for many years as you gain more skills and experience.

I have been selling RVs for a decade and am now almost in the top 10% of sellers. It is a great career if you have the right talents.

‍How Much Does an RV Salesman Make?

Those that earn more than 75% of RV salesman get $75,500 per year. Those that earn more than only 25% get $30,000 per year. There is a large range of success within the profession.

Someone who makes more than 75% of sellers has two and a half times the income of someone who makes more than 25%. You can greatly increase your income if your skill level increases or if you sell RVs in a better location.

What Cities Are Good for RV Sellers?

There are many cities where RV sellers earn more than average. The ten best cities all have similar pay - from $67K per year in San Mateo, CA, to $64,757 per year in Green River, WY. Four of the ten best cities are in California:

• San Mateo, CA ($67,105)
• Boston, MA ($66,347)
• Daly City, CA ($65,762)
• Berkeley, CA ($65,715)
• Santa Monica, CA ($65,416)
• Renton, WA ($65,412)
• Juneau, AK ($65,170)
• Queens, NY ($65,058)
• Quincy, MA ($64,935)
• Green River, WY ($64,757)

What Commissions Do RV Sellers Earn?

The best salespeople make far more than their salaries by earning commissions. When someone sells an RV, how much of the sale do they receive?

An RV seller will receive about 20% of the net profit from a sale. If the profit margin is low, the seller won't make much money this way. Sometimes, they might only make a few hundred dollars on a vehicle worth $20,000.

Do RV Sellers Make More in Certain Regions?

Yes, RV sellers make more in some states/regions than others. For example, they earn ​$60,746​ in Washington and $59,203​ in California but only $42,122 in Louisiana and ​$40,081 in Mississippi.

Larger Companies Usually Offer Better Jobs

You will usually (but not nearly always) earn more money working for a larger company. In particular, bigger companies offer better commissions. A bigger company will also have more models and more expensive models for you to sell.

Job Outlook

There might be about as many RV salesmen in 2030 as there were in 2020. Some people will enter the profession and others will leave it, and there won't be a huge number of layoffs, nor a shortage of workers.

Another possibility is that the number of RV salesmen will increase over the next decade. Many people are buying RVs, and this could create more jobs for RV salesmen. Gas prices are increasing, but RV sales may remain strong or increase despite that.

Relevant Skills

More than anything else, you need the personality of a salesman. You should be likable, talkative, and persuasive. The rest of the job is knowledge about RVs, computer skills, and willingness to learn from your mistakes.

Some but not very many less talkative salespeople exist. These people seem like they would not close a lot of deals, but they actually perform very well at the job.

Possibly, talking a bit less and a bit more slowly makes them seem honest and trustworthy. Different salesmen have different strategies that work for them, most are very extroverted and act like you would expect salesmen to, but not all of them. Cheerfulness, humor, and coming off as honest can help you at this job.

What Do RV Salesmen Make Compared to Other Sales Associates?

RV sellers make more money than most other sales associates. RV sellers make $15000 more per year than car salesmen do. An average car salesman makes $42,430 per year on average.

Other sales associates often make much less money. For example, someone selling products in sporting goods, musical instrument, or hobby stores makes only $21,760 per year on average.

Sales associates usually don't make a lot of money. They make $25,810 per year in California, $23,880 per year in Texas, and $27,380 in Colorado. RV salesmen usually do much better, pulling in more than twice as much money as other sales associates.

Some RV Salesmen Move On to Related Jobs

RV salesmen often move on to other, related jobs. Many of these jobs pay better than what more than 90% of RV salesmen earn:

• An RV Dealership General Manager, who earns $108,335 per year
• An RV General Manager, who earns $88,596 per year
• An RV Resort General Manager, who earns $83,766 per year

How to Make Money as an RV Salesman

The most important thing in sales is to make your customers trust you. You need to be simple and straightforward, happy to answer questions, and willing to show a customer an RV with the features they want.

Be Helpful and Enthusiastic

Smile, introduce yourself, and ask what you can do for them. This is enough to get them talking, and that is the first step towards a sale. The more customers you approach with enthusiasm and confidence, the more RVs you will sell and the more money you will earn.

Making small talk isn't always the best idea. In my experience, talking about the weather isn't necessary - you can go straight to talking about RVs instead. Sometimes a customer can be a bit nervous, but you don't usually need to make small talk to make them feel at ease.

If a customer has never bought an RV before; they might not know what to expect. Explain to them how buying a vehicle works. Don't use industry terms to sound like an expert, use common terms the customer can understand.

You Don't Always Have to Be 100% Positive About Whatever You Sell

Sometimes, being mostly positive but very slightly negative about what you are selling makes you come off as honest and helps you close the deal. You might say something like "While I would prefer a bigger gas tank, many customers love this RV."

You might also say something like "This RV is alright, but this one is a lot better" - this makes you come off as an honest person that is trying to help them. Think about what your customer will honestly like - that is often the same as what they will buy.

Don't Talk About Prices Right Away

Try to avoid talking about prices until you have already demonstrated the benefits of what you are selling. If they only sort of like the RV, they may turn the offer down as soon as they hear the price. However, if they really like it, the price may not scare them away.

Always Show the Customer the Inside of the Vehicle as Soon as Possible

Talking about how great an RV is isn't going to work if you aren't inside of the RV and showing them everything you talk about. If you want to talk about an RVs great features, bring the customer into the RV where you can demonstrate anything. The faster you can bring a customer inside an impressive RV, the better a chance you have at a sale.

Show a Few RVs to a Customer

After learning enough to know what your customer is interested in, show them a few RVs that are reasonably similar to what they want. You might save the best of the two or three for last. For example, you could talk about why the second or third RV you show is better than the first.

Be sure to point out differences between the RVs. A customer might not notice the differences, especially not if they have never bought an RV before.

Make them aware of as many advantages as possible. Sometimes, you can mention disadvantages a little, but downplay them and focus on the positive. Your conversation with the customer should be calm and relaxed, like a conversation between two old friends.

Close the Deal at the Right Time

If you try to close the deal too early, the customer will turn you down. Learn to close the deal at the right time.

The right time to close the deal is when the customer's interest reaches a high enough level. When their interest peaks, try to close the deal. If you wait too long, their interest might decline.

Always Invite the Customer Back to Your Office First

Again, don't try to close the deal too quickly. Invite the customer back to your office and talk to them some more. Answer some more questions and give them enough information.