Walk your showroom on a Saturday and count the desks with nobody behind them. Each one is a line of gross you are paying for in floor plan, advertising and lot space, and not collecting.
The production of one position
NADA's 2025 data shows the average new-vehicle salesperson retailed 111 new vehicles for the year, about 9 a month, and the average used-vehicle salesperson retailed 137, about 11 a month.1 In the first quarter of 2026, the Presidio-NCM benchmark of more than 4,000 franchised dealerships put gross profit at $1,781 per new vehicle and $1,253 per used vehicle, with $1,727 in F&I income per retail unit.3
| Input | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Units per month | 91 |
| Front gross per unit (average of new and used) | $1,5173 |
| F&I income per unit | $1,7273 |
| Gross the position produces | $29,196 a month |
What you actually lose
Your other salespeople pick up some of the ups when a desk is empty. They do not pick up all of them, and a stretched floor works each up less well. If your team covers half, one empty desk still costs about $14,598 a month. You can set your own coverage in the calculator.
Why the desk keeps emptying
Sales consultant is the highest-turnover job in the building. NADA's workforce study put annual turnover at 71.9% with three-year retention of only 32.8%,9 and a Hireology and Cox Automotive study found 67% annual turnover among sales teams.11 The desk does not stay filled on its own. It stays filled when someone is always recruiting for it.
See what it costs your store
Put your own numbers in the calculator, or order the hire now.
What we deliver for Sales Consultant hires, and the flat fee
Sources
- NADA Data 2025, Annual Financial Profile of America's Franchised New-Car Dealerships
- Presidio-NCM Average Dealership Performance Benchmark, Q1 2026
- Auto Dealer Today, The 4 Pillars of Dealership Hiring (NADA Workforce Study)
- Auto Remarketing, Hireology and Cox Automotive study
Full list and methodology: sources and methodology.