Most dealerships pay salesmen a paltry base salary of roughly minimum wage. Salesmen then typically earn commissions of 25% of the dealership’s gross profit on the car. That gross profit, by the way, is more than you might think. On a $36,000 American-made SUV sold at “only $200 over factory invoice” it could easily be $1,300, depending on how long it sat around on the dealer’s lot. The commission can put an extra $300 to $400 in a salesman’s pocket per car sold, and the average salesman sells ten cars per month.