Money Making Millennials- Meet Super Mom, & Car Saleswoman, Kaye Chambers.

What ignited the spark in you to go into this occupation(s)?

At the time I started selling cars, I had watched several people I knew make a ton of money doing it. I thought it would be a great opportunity to provide for my child and no longer live as a struggling single mother income. Also a big part of what inspired me was being able to fund creative projects. Buy expensive camera equipment, travel... It didn't take long for me to realize the car business was becoming way more then just a plan B for me.

Did you go to college/school? If so what did you study? I studied art at Parkview High School and when I graduated I just knew I was going to be a fashion designer. I left Little Rock and studied design at Stephens Women's College but ended up transferring to Fayetteville in hopes of walking on the basketball team. My knee held me back so I kept studying art until I came home one summer to study at UALR when my mom saw an add that an Apple store was coming to Little Rock. I was kind of a computer wiz.... Building websites as a teenager, taking a part my parents computer. I ended up getting the job and opening the first store here in Little Rock and working for Apple for 3 years. It was the best time of my life until the car business. It was intense... long hours, different customers every day with different needs but I realized I loved sales. Why should I go into your field? What are the pros/cons?

I'm going to get the con out of the way because that's what we do in the car business.... I'm not trying to sell anyone a dream. It's tough... I miss out on many nights tucking my child in. My shins hurt on the weekend from walking the pavement all week. I miss my family and friends on weeks that I'm pushing for a big goal and you have to hustle your butt off. If you don't sell you don't get paid. That's the worst of it. It's Monday through Saturday 8 AM-9 or 10 PM sometimes later. The best of it is indescribable but I'll try... Selling cars is a rush. A customer comes in that may have a rough credit situation... maybe someone comes in wanting a car the banks say that can't afford, maybe they've had a car repossessed, maybe they have perfect credit and it's your job to sell them a car the dealership wants you to sell for more then they're willing to buy. It's our job to push past the objections. It's such a thrill. Hours some times even days into a car deal and the next thing you know you're putting on a temporary tag and posting a picture on Facebook. It's such an amazing experience. Describe a typical day on the job. The high functioning car sales people are organized. On a good day, I drop my daughter off at day care at 7:30, get to work at 8 AM, listen to some Eric Thomas or Grant Cardone, clear out my to do list from the day before, draw out a pipeline list. 80% of my business comes from Social Media, my Email blast and referrals from repeat customers. I try and post at least 3/4 days a week. Write a blog post at CallKayeLr.com. I make sure if I sold a car late last night my customer got home safe, and everything is working. Around 10 o'clock on the 4 days we don't have meetings I'm on the lot or in an appointment. Social media has allowed me to take about 4/5 hours out of the sale process for the customer meaning typically they see an add or reach out, fill out an application over the phone and we work with the banks and management staff to set expectations based on credit. It helps people who may have to get a cosigner, or may have to change their budget not sit in a dealership all day disappointed. It also doesn't put the pressure on the customer as much. A lot of times bad sales people want to rush a deal to benefit them and that's just not the way I work. I was rushed into a bad deal, from a bad sales person that I would never go back to or refer anyone too. That was before I started in the car business and it made me realize who I didn't want to be. The truth is women, people of color, young people, and those with troubled or growing credit are the most preyed upon. I just want to make a difference because I've been there and you can be successful in the business without being dishonest. How much do you make a daily/yearly/ or monthly? This is one of the biggest pros of this business. It changes from lot to lot. I came from a large lot where you sell a lot of cars to make a decent living. The average person at a Chevy dealership with a great management staff should make 5-10K a month. That comes from selling new cars with bonuses that the customer sees to, a great used car manager that prices our pre-owned vehicles competitively and the fact that Crain pays extra for hitting your bonuses. It's my job to sell 15 cars a month. I know when I don't why... I didn't push hard enough. It's very doable and the pay off is a check every Friday and a bonus check on the 15th. For the amount of work you do, does the pay satisfy you?

The car business is different then any other job. I could clock in to a 8-5 and ride the clock bored out of my mind and uninspired, getting the same check every week. Or I can come to work, bust my butt every day thinking about my child, and my rent, and my parents and make enough money to justify working 70 hours a week. My manager Rickey Love always says "there's no worse feeling then coming to work in the car business and not making any money" and it's true.... It's up to you to get a check. Crain provides the inventory but we work for ourselves. Where do you live? Right now I live on Cantrell... It's quiet, I was able to get my daughter into a great pre-school program for next year and the truth is I love Little Rock. My parents are both from the U.K. I've had an opportunity a lot of people haven't. My dad took me all around the world. My brother lives in New York and it's nice to visit but Little Rock has been for so long. It's an amazing place to raise a child and I couldn't be as successful as I am without the support of my parents. It's because of them I can go to work every day and know that my daughter is taken care of.

What project(s) are you currently working on? My current project is finishing my website/blog so that people can get the ins and outs of buying a car whether they work with me or not. I'm also working on a series of video commercials to show people why Chevy is such a great project and a few radio features. I want to set myself apart from my competitors and be more then just a car saleswoman. I want to be a revolutionary and bridge the gap of providing great customer service to the new wave of shopping for vehicles online.

What are your hobbies? I love to read. Love to exercise. I did photography for years after leaving Apple so I still have to flex that creative muscle from time to time. I'm thankful that a lot of the skills I brought into the car business like photography, social media marketing, and website development have helped me in the car business and that I still get to use them. What do you do in your non-work time? Spend time with my daughter. When you work as much as I do there's always catching up on chores, laundry, something has to be done but I try and put a lot of it aside and spend as much time with her as possible. I still shoot photography for customers that worked with me before I got in the car business but it's rare that I'm willing to give up family time like that. What makes you happy? My daughter. Just hearing her laugh and watching her mind and spirit develop is such a gift. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful? The worst kind... Time with my baby and time with my family. There's a time in the business when you decide to either keep making the max $ by working every day or when you start to save and take your off days, and enjoy Sunday. I'm just focused on getting there and enjoying the next phases of life.

#business #apple #Technology #cars #mom #blackgirlmagic