car sales executive

automotive technician

sales consultant

financial consultant

used car manager

Stricklands

Strickland's and I had a love-hate relationship. The ownership was friendly, the management was seemingly supportive, the job was fun, but the pay is where the fun stopped. 

The pay rate when I was there was minimum wage, and you received commission on a tiered based system once you sold 13 cars in a month or greater($50.00/car @13). Sadly, hitting 13 cars was difficult for me. Having no book of business, I had no reputation to work with, thus no referrals, and no return customers. 

To break down the job, it's %80 call centre, %5 meetings, and %15 working on your prospects. 

The way to success is working the grind. If you're not there half an hour or more before open, there's no leads. Expect to come in on your days off to take any and every opportunity for a sale. 

In my time, there were anywhere between 3-5 people hitting quota, and earning commission.  The remaining 15+ associates did not earn any commission. 

All I can say, is that if you have a knack for sales, and you're happy cold-calling all day hoping to get appointments - this may be the place for you. The management staff gets everyone pumped up, and they really make you feel welcome. 

Years later,  I wonder if part of their business plan is to hire large groups of new hires, get all of their referral business from friends and family, and then rinse and repeat once new-hires are squeezed dry, and don't make anything above minimum wage for 4+ months. If the number of cars they sold monthly were somehow split evenly between associates, you would have every car salesmen making minimum wage.

One extra note - it was advised to tell potential customers that cars were always still "available" as long as they were still on the website - regardless if they had already been sold. The excuse when people arrived would be that "it had just sold recently".  It really made me feel like a swindler. The idea behind that was that we as salesmen should have the capability to sell them something that they didn't want - since there was always inventory to work with. 

A quote they used frequently was that good customer service is selling. Whether or not a product was right for the client, it doesn't matter. As long as they bought. And that's "good customer service".

I worked for Strickland's and it was the worse experience I have ever had when it comes to an employer.. 

The ad they have posted for people to apply to says it's competitive hourly wage which is a lie, everyone there is underpaid for the amount of work they do and the people who do nothing are the ones making the money..  They also state that they "pride ourselves on providing career advancement" which is also a lie unless you get  into a position in all the wrong ways.. they also state that they reward high performance and they provide a stable rewarding work environment.. that's a huge lie too.. I know all workplaces have their drama but I have never seen it this bad in all my years i've worked.. if someone doesn't like you they get rid of you and find a way to do it whether legally or not.. and if they can't they will push and hound on you until you say enough and quit.. I have never seen an establishment have such a crazy overturn in staff, honestly I think they deserve an award because it is that terrible.. When I worked there the detail department was under brand new management who had no idea what she was doing.. In the duration of time I worked for her 3 people got fired and 2 people quit if that doesn't tell the company that maybe she isn't right for the job I don't know what will.. Strickland's could be a great place if the owners and HR were more involved and actually knew what happens at their dealerships. On top of that the training is horrible I never received orientation of any legally required training and when they train people the people training don't even know what they are doing to begin with so end up training new people completely wrong. 

Stricklands is one of the worst places I have ever worked and I would never wish it on my worst enemy

My typical day is doing basic and advanced automotive repair. This includes diagnostics and getting cars ready for the used car department. Customer work is pretty straightforward. Getting cars ready for the used car department while dealing with the sales manager and service manager trying to undermine and cut corners to keep costs down low is overwhelming. The feeling of being undermined every time you recommend or make a judgment call to replace something is an extremely terrible feeling. If you point out that they are doing something wrong or unacceptable you're the bad person unless you're a yes man, you will not excel in this environment. The shop foreman is frequently overwhelmed and in a bad mood because he's frustrated with  the lack of equipment and broken equipment that management refuses to replace or fix. 
Management is not worried about complying with Ontario safety standards, they   rush it through hoping it won't come back .  In conclusion if you want to be frustrated all the time, this environment would be perfect. If you want a good relaxed environment where you are paid well this isn't it, keep looking.

-8 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday, when it gets busier sometimes 8 am to 8 pm one day a week, and every other Saturday for a half day

-came in to the position not knowing anything about detailing a vehicle, I was taught everything I needed to know and eventually moved in to main detail where I was taught skills I never thought I would ever have to learn (ie: buff and wax)

-I found it a great place to work, obviously you're always going to run in to people that you don't like and you don't get along with, but you'll have that no matter where you work (it's a part of life)

-the hardest part of the job was learning how to detail the cars in the specific amount of time that was given (and yes it can be done, most of the time depending oh how dirty the vehicle was when it came in)

-most enjoyable part of the job was definitely the people that I worked with in the department, for the most part I got along with everyone

-management of all departments make themselves available with an open door policy if you have questions, concerns, or just need someone to listen about absolutely anything

Willingness to work at Strickland’s is key. If you show up every day on time willing and ready to work you will be rewarded. If you are a problem solving person always looking to increase your knowledge you will be rewarded in this company. If you take pride in your work and strive for customer satisfaction you will do well here. Tons of little perks such as being able to use shop equipment to repair, safety and maintain personal vehicles. Free donuts on Friday was great too. I was at the Brantford GM location for 7 years. Started as an apprentice and worked my way up to licensed technician. They will help you along the way and you will learn a lot here. I only left for personal development and would come back in a heartbeat if my chosen career path doesn’t align. There’s not much more I can say about working for Strickland’s other than it’s been a fair, engaging and sometimes challenging experience. Everyone here will treat you as part of their extended family and there is a great group of guys in the shop. 

I would never recommend working for Strickland's.. the management is horrible the pay sucks for the amount of work you do. There is no gratitude for the hard work done. The management is rude and the sales people are disrespectful and treat anyone else like they are nothing because they feel like they are superior to any other employee. Things are very unprofessional and too personal, people either like you or they don't and will get rid of you at any point in time no matter how long you've worked there. There is no room for growth and no one sticks around very long because of the way things are run. They put people in charge who are unfit for the job.

The detail department is horrible some of the detailers are too full of themselves for the bad work they do and some rig the system to make a buck. 

The sales department is horrible because the people are disrespectful to any other department employees.

I do not recommend applying here, it's a waste of time and will be the worst workplace experience.

What a fun, stimulating job to come to every day! The team of staff Strickland's has assembled here in Brantford makes coming to work every day a great experience. There is a ton of support and encouragement from both management and your colleagues that makes learning the ins and outs of the job far less challenging. The owners approach everything they do with integrity and professionalism, and they take good care of both their staff and their customers. To me that is a big deal, and I'm grateful for it. 

There is a lot of potential for growth and upward mobility within the company, as they are always reaching higher and growing the business. You will be challenged to be your best self, be given all the support you need to reach your potential, and you'll have a lot of fun doing it. 

Every day is different, we have lots of fun on the job, and we make good money doing it. Why wouldn't you want to work here?!

I've been an employee with Strickland's going on 7 years. In my opinion here are a few positive attributes to working for this company. With hard work & dedication you can earn 6 figures plus!! I don't know of anywhere else where you can earn this type of income without post secondary education!! Even with post secondary education I don't know of a lot of places where you can earn this type of income!! They are great at promoting from with in if you are looking to work your way up in the company. The work place has a great team atmosphere. Its a great social job that allows you to come into contact with new people every day. The Strickland's name is one of the most well known & reputable names in the car business. People come from all of the province to buy vehicles here because of the name and the fact that we have the best prices in all of Ontario!! If you are looking for a career with great income, a positive work environment then this is the place for you.

I worked at Stricklands for 8 months leading up to the pandemic. It was an okay environment to work if you like extreme competitiveness and pettiness from senior staff. It was a struggle every month to guarantee a living wage with the messed up bonus/commission structure in place.  Getting paid out on time was an issue only twice but it still occured. 

Don't work here if you want a steady job.

Not good for workers who commute from as little as 30 minutes away. 

The offer to come back to work after the pandemic was a slap in the face. The salary was cut completely and the commission structure was altered so slightly that it didn't make a difference, don't want to work for free.

Many of the good staff left after the way this terrible company handled workers after the pandemic.

Pros.  
Co workers. Floor staff are very supportive among eachother.  And stick together for support and knowledge. 

Cons.
The management make false promises to staff and offer no support when in stressful situations!
If there is anything the managment is good at is Creating false hope for future advancements and providing a stressful working enviroment by threatening your job.
Long hours and no breaks aloud.  Create long stressfull days,  not aloud to bring concerns forward or you will be disciplined.
Employer buisness owners not on site enough to know floor staffs real work ethic and allow the management to bully staff members.

Dont get sucked into false promises and little support.   I would recommend anywhere else Save yourself alot of stress

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Car sales executive 1 salary reported	$110,500 per year
Automotive technician 1 salary reported	$32.00 per hour
Sales consultant 8 salaries reported	$110,500 per year
Financial consultant 1 salary reported	$21.50 per hour
Used car manager 5 salaries reported	$113,500 per year

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