ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — This week, Joe Verde Sales & Management Training Inc. released results of online survey of auto salespeople. Conducted throughout 2013, the majority indicated that they decided to pursue a position in auto sales because of the income potential.

An informal survey posted on joeverde.com asked: “What made you decide to become a car salesperson?” The survey was open to car salespeople for the entire year and garnered responses from 294 people. Here are the top reasons respondents gave for entering the car business:

The income potential: 28%

I love talking to people: 20%

I was referred to the car business: 16%

I love cars: 14%

I could start working right way: 12%

I was laid off from another industry: 10%

The same survey question was posted on the site in 2012, and returned very similar results, capturing responses from 323 people. And again, the top response at 28% was income potential.

“Regardless of your motives, one thing I can promise you is that selling cars will be the highest paying, easiest work you’ll ever do… or selling cars will be one of the lowest paying hardest jobs you’ll ever have,” said Joe Verde, president of Joe Verde Sales & Management Training Inc. “Before I started selling cars, I was a very positive and disciplined person. Once I started selling cars, I fell into the traps and quickly became not only an average producer; I wasted five years because I didn’t know what to do to sell more cars.”

Famous for being the eight-car guy who transformed into the 38-car sales professional, Verde is the author of five popular books for dealers, managers and salespeople. Verde also is a highly sought-after and dynamic leadership, management and sales training figure in the automotive industry. He also is a leading innovator of virtual sales training. In 2003, he created the Joe Verde Training Network, one of the first online training venues for auto dealers.