A car dealership is not a simple entity. There are moving parts everywhere! Most are 4 businesses in one and some are even 5 businesses in one. Managers and department heads are constantly working to ensure that their staff is making the right decisions to ensure everyone’s income is maximized. When you break down the task list that a manager needs to handle on a daily basis it is long, and micro-managing every staff member never works out for anyone involved. 

With the current market and the market that is being projected ahead, it’s time to make sure that management is utilizing the proper tools to get an actual and honest snapshot of staff’s performance. Remember the phrase “work smarter, not harder?” Now is the time to mitigate stress and use every tool in the book to ensure staff performance is in tip-top shape.

There are plenty of training tools out there that give sales associates an idea of their performance and how to improve without a lot of hands-on work by a manager. This is a great way to ensure that staff is consistently checking their performance without that dreaded micromanagement. Daily training on the most common tasks, like answering the phone properly, is like brushing your teeth in the morning, it’s just a necessity.

When it comes to our bi-weekly or monthly check-in or morning meeting a manager can use a simple report from the training program to get an idea of strengths and weaknesses from whatever aspect we are training similar to many manufacturers’ CSI reports. It gives them an opportunity to mention key points quickly and efficiently so that everyone knows how to proceed. What’s even better with third-party training though, is when a trained professional is working to assist your associate. Gone are the days of multiple-choice quizzes to ensure someone “knows their facts.” Having a third-party coach is a great way to get an honest and unbiased assessment of your sales associates’ performance. It’s also a great way to continue training an associate when they need more assistance. It can be done on the salesperson’s schedule and the manager isn’t taking time out of their day to assist. Plus, how many of your managers have teaching degrees? Non, right? They’re sales pros, closers, product knowledge experts, they’re NOT trainers! Of course, it’s always great to have all parties involved, however with short staffing being a real issue, having someone else available to take that extra time on management’s behalf is a game-changer. 

So, when used as a consistent tool, third-party training is a crucial asset to any dealership. It allows management to get a snapshot of the group’s training and performance. It also allows sales to receive additional assistance if needed on an individual level, and it keeps all associates on the same page when it comes to performance expectations. With a massive market shift coming, third-party training may be seen as something to be cut from the budget. But it’s really a massive asset that dealers cannot afford to lose. As a matter of fact, most top-performing stores are doubling down on it! It should keep all departments involved focused on ensuring a profitable performance across the board. 

When everyone at the dealership works to improve their performance on the customer experience front, the dealership prospers tenfold. Having a live assistant to oversee sales associates’ performance in certain aspects of the dealership, like phone training or in the BDC, is huge because, as we all know, communication is key and perception is reality. When you get an honest assessment in a quick snapshot as a manager, you can quickly determine what needs attention and what is working as it should. While there may be some fat to trim, consistent training is not part of it!

These days there is a crucial part of the car buying process that needs to be communicated very clearly to keep a customer confident in their salesperson and the dealership they have chosen to give their business to. Gone are the days when someone could stroll the lot to pick out the trim level and color of the vehicle they are interested in and drive 3 cars while they are at it. The modern-day salesperson needs to explain what is happening in the market clearly and make sure the customer understands what their “real” options are.

Currently, we’re facing a market anomaly where vehicles are sold faster than they can be produced, and customers are bouncing from dealer to dealer over the phone trying to find something that they can even look at. With that being said, phone etiquette is going to become even more of a crucial factor in dealership survival in the coming months and years. Sales associates not only need to know their product knowledge like it’s second nature, but they also need to be able to educate an unaware customer or defuse a frustrated customer in their first encounter.

Working with a customer over the phone has been commonplace even before vehicle inventory was slim to none. Now more than ever we need to ensure that our sales associates are willing to review all the details necessary with the customer and continue to keep the tone of the call positive. Perception is reality and if the sales associate isn’t on the ball over the phone, they are wasting an opportunity because the customer will go elsewhere.

This is where having a common and consistent practice for all associates over the phone is vital to a dealership’s success. We now need to work on having everyone on the same page and working as a team to present a united front across all departments. One thing that can help with this is dedicated phone training. Everyone can benefit from hearing themselves over the phone, but also having someone guide them to a better call with proven suggestions and best practices on how to continue to improve is extremely beneficial.

It's time to make sure that all associates are working to inform the customer of current dealership practices and how they are continuing to work to fulfill their customers’ needs in a vehicle. All aspects of the dealership’s current process should be presented in a positive manner, from pricing to available inventory to drive. The process should be presented simply and efficiently making it sound like a matter of fact, but also reassuring the customer that they are going to be taken care of appropriately. A sales associate that follows an organized process on the phone for every call will have no problem putting the customer at ease and getting a higher rate of commitment to purchase with them.

A united front via the phone, and in-person, is going to put your dealership ahead of the pack and keep your sales associates busy with special orders and pre-sales through even the toughest of markets. What processes is your dealership putting into place or currently utilizing to do this, and are they working?

What is Micro-Learning?

Microlearning is a method of training that serves up bite-sized pieces of information in short periods to promote better engagement and retention of the learned material. This can include short text or videos to help workers develop new skills with less time invested.

Employees want continued education

While 93% of employees say they’d stay at a job longer with continued education, most companies admit that finding the time is a huge obstacle. Micro-learning is the best solution to keep your employees trained while still giving them the time to focus on their work. Companies find that they only have 1% of overall work hours to allot to training and that equates to about 15 minutes per week. That’s not a lot of time, so the way we train must adapt to this schedule. A quick lesson on closing the sale or how to properly attain the appointment is the best way to teach. It also will give the important lesson needed and allow them to immediately apply the material rather than forgetting what they learned in an all-day session. 

Invest in your staff

Turnover is ranked in the top 3 costs for all businesses. It is much more costly to invest in a new hire rather than to invest in your current staff. Lack of training leads to employees feeling unappreciated which means they either leave or get fired for underperforming. While it may seem simple to hire a replacement, it actually costs ⅓ of their salary to hire and train a new employee properly, while training your existing staff, will only cost a few hundred dollars per person. 

Trained employees are profitable employees

A company is only as good as its employees, so give them the resources needed to proudly be your frontline and the face of your business. Provide the tools needed to be the best. Proper training will ensure that they are spending less time researching and more time providing the info needed to help close the deal. According to HR Magazine, companies that invest $1,500 on training per employee can see an average of 24% more profit than companies that invest less.

A well-trained employee is more effective and happier in their position. They stay longer in their current position which saves you money in turnover and will help you become more profitable. The days of a full 8-hour training session in a hotel meeting room are long gone. They are overwhelming and can negatively affect the bottom line. A company that offers ongoing coaching can provide the micro-learning needed to keep your employees trained, not take too much time away from their daily tasks, and help increase your bottom line.

Have you ever really thought about how you represent yourself? How about how your company represents itself? Branding your business is now more important than ever. With the explosion of social media, there are now more ways than ever to show off your company and what you stand for. If you haven’t developed a strategy to engage customers at every turn, you are missing out on new business and maybe losing existing business.

NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR MISSION STATEMENT

I have seen so many boring presentations from sellers and they all begin with a PowerPoint slide showing their company's mission statement. News Flash: nobody cares. Your potential client wants to know what you can do for them. They want to feel heard and they want to know how you are going to help them solve their problem. Ask them questions and let them tell you what they need. Consider your branding the best way to prove your value. Gimmicks aren’t going to do it.

WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?

Today’s consumer is savvy. They have already looked at your website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. They know the specials you are running and have an idea of what you have to offer before you even speak. Make sure your marketing is making them want to speak with you and not chasing them away. Don’t use the same post across all social media platforms. Nothing makes me stop following a business faster than seeing the same post 5 times a day. Each platform carries a different mainstream audience. Figure out who that audience is to you, and make them want to engage.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

The more educated you are, the more comfortable you become in a relationship. This is true for a professional relationship as well as personal. Keep your client educated. Are you offering a rewards program or have new incentives? That is great branding, but only effective if they know how to use it. Is there new product info that you need to share? Make sure that info is reaching your client. What do you do better than your competition? Knowing that answer is so important; it is how you turn a new sale into a long-term client. In the end, you need to be a problem solver. Keep reminding your clients of the value you have to offer and make sure your branding is always selling your value.

A friend recently attended a seminar for business owners and in a customer-focused break-out session, she heard a story that resonated with the entire room. She shared that story with me.

A woman in my session had purchased her dream car and absolutely loved it. Of course, she loved her car, but her story about the experience is what hit. The dealership had sales reps dressed in all black. A bit more casual than she had seen before, but she loved the vibe. They had fun music pumping throughout the showroom and the atmosphere was upbeat, fun, and celebratory. They even covered her new car with a tarp, called everyone into a room, pulled off the tarp to show the new car and everyone cheered and congratulated her. It was perfect. She continued to go back for 2 years for service and would even buy accessories while she waited. Until her last visit…..

On her final visit, something had drastically changed. The cool black outfits were replaced with ill-fitted and wrinkled dress shirts. The fun music was replaced with bad yacht rock and a general atmosphere of dread. Nobody was smiling nor making eye contact. There was coffee spilled on a desktop and leftover pizza boxes from the night before were in the cube next to the split coffee.

Needless to say, it sounded horrible and she never went back. The dealership went through an ownership change and it clearly was a setback. Outside of the obvious mistakes above, what makes a long-term customer:

How to keep a long-term client

1)   Communicate: make sure you send meaningful communications. Not just pricing. Include product updates and service updates available to your clients.

2)   Be Honest: sometimes pricing doesn’t work or contract terms change. Stay ahead of miscommunication and let your client know where you are in the process and where they stand.

3)   Empathy: Remember important facts about your client's needs. Get a great CRM and keep notes.

4)   Reward: reward your clients with loyalty programs and incentives.

5)   Stay in Touch: remember birthdays, and anniversaries and provide important industry updates.

I remember it like it was yesterday, the first time a car was discounted to make a deal. It was 1932, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Big Red Ewing accepted $1,450 “out the door” for a brand new 1933 Studebaker Dictator that stickered for $1,466 Plus TTL. Now, whether or not that’s true, I cannot say. But I’m sure it went down just like that.

Let me start by saying I’ve never charged sticker for a car. I’ve never (not) offered a courtesy discount right out of the gate. I also never packed a payment or presold F&I products. I believe every part of a deal stands on its own merits. Front, back, products, etc. It’s also the LEGAL way to do it.

So, when I say we need to stay at MSRP, I mean it. There are innumerable reasons why and I’ll touch on some of them. But whether I’m buying a shirt, a watch, or a tank of gas, There’s no negotiation. Here’s a fun exercise, try offering the waiter $35 for a $50 steak and see what he says. The back-and-forth bickering seems to be most enjoyed by those individuals that don’t value their own time or that of their “adversary.”

Discounting is easy, it’s too easy. It’s impersonal and doesn’t allow for the product/service/salesman to stand on their own merits. It creates an excuse for buying rather than a reason. Let me say that again, it creates an excuse for buying rather than a reason. If there’s not enough profit in a deal then you simply cannot afford to take care of your customer the way they’ve become accustomed to or the way you’d like. Plus, only the most skilled sales pros avoid discounts today, right? *Tongue in cheek

If you were on trial for murder, would you go with the best attorney or the cheapest? If you were having open-heart surgery, would you go with the best surgeon or the lowest-priced?

Price negotiation is the most difficult piece for sales professionals (and customers) to grasp. Whether it’s on the phone, in person, or online. We’ve all wanted to get that part of the deal over with as soon as possible. What’s worse, the customer is absolutely deplorable at this piece and usually resorts to lying in order to avoid substantiating their price position. Over allows, under allows, etc. are all just mathematical trickery. Any dealers (all dealers) using valuation tools in a dealer group know exactly what I’m talking about. “XYZ Dealer told me they’d give me $20,000” when in fact we can see they only ACV’d it at $18,000…

Look, I’ve read, watched, and listened to all the “gurus” in the auto vendor space, and after I’m done laughing my a$$ off it all boils down to the exact same things when discussing “how” to hold gross and avoid discounts… “you need to build value” and “you need to differentiate yourself” and “you need to sell yourself” blah blah blah. This is something we actually are all in together and the fact of the matter is this: if you build tremendous value in your car and really do a heck of a job selling me on it but I can save $500 down the street at Down The Road Motors, guess what? I’m going there… $500 is $500. It’s not personal, it’s strictly business. You just wasted all of your time closing me for the other guy. And that’s exactly how customers work. If they “say” they have a better deal but can’t prove it, substantiate it and we all know MSRP is MSRP then we have to be willing to walk away.

Rebates, subvented rates, dealer cash, stair steps, etc. are all a form of discounts and thus should be switched to front margin gross and left as is indefinitely. “One Price” is still a discount unless that one price is the one printed on the window sticker.

Don’t mistake what I’m saying, I don’t agree with “Market Condition” addendums or “Protection Package” addendums to artificially increase the price either. Those are just a marginally legal way of product packing and I think it’s ridiculous.

We need to give honest feedback to the manufacturers – they need to produce better inventory and we need to order better inventory. Honest trade values are no longer a wildcard as we have valuation tools that literally do our jobs for us which makes used car prices as easy as new car prices.

I remember the days of faxing in the week’s numbers to my manufacturer rep and always lowballing them (like all of us did) because we thought if they didn’t know we had 100 ups that week and 200 phone calls we’d get better and more aggressive incentives. The real issue is that was no different than “fudging” the ad source in CRM. How do we know where to spend more if the information is inaccurate? We’re only hurting ourselves.

Jewelry has, on average, a 300% markup. Furniture, mattresses, carpet, appliances, etc. all have more margin as a percentage of sales price than cars do. I wish cars did have more because I’d proudly drive a $20,000 Yugo! We’re selling the second largest purchase 80% of Americans will make and operate with the same percentage margin as a loaf of bread. Discounts are unnecessary, discounts are for the weak and discounts need to never rear their ugly head again.

Do you agree or disagree? 

Is Coaching Better than Training?

No. They're just different. Coaching is Apples. Training is Oranges. You can't compare them. Both are fruit. But each does something unique and complements the other.

This article is about How Training and Coaching work together.

But first: Why is it so important to differentiate Training from Coaching?

Phone Training and Phone Coaching share similar goals and outcomes: to promote individual learning, and generate positive changes in the learner's behavior. But they differ in their approach, their time-frame, and their expectations.

Essentially, training is about transferring knowledge while coaching is about enhancing knowledge and practicing skills so that they become an integral part of how the learner acts, and even who they are, when taking an inbound call from a customer.

Typical Sales/Phone training is limited. Even world-class automotive-focused training—which is tried-&-tested, perfected over many years, delivered in bite-sized sequences that make perfect sense, word-crafted for every kind of phone call (outbound or inbound) and available in-classroom or online—is limited in its effectiveness in changing behavior. It's a powerful model, proven over decades with hundreds of dealerships. But after the training—when the salesperson goes back to the floor, or their desk—it takes a lot to remember everything to say, the way to say it, in the right order, with the right words and with proper tone. Mostly, it's because old habits get in the way—not lack of motivation, or of interest, or of a positive attitude.

Ongoing one-on-one active coaching delivers continuous value. Even the best auto sales training seminar isn't a one-and-done solution for your dealership. As time passes, the best practices and knowledge learned in the sessions may fade.

As one of our coaches wrote in a 2021 article:

“Brain science research shows that an average of 50 percent of the information received in classroom training is forgotten within one hour. After 24 hours, on average, only 30% is retained. And within a week, only 10% of that valuable, expensive training information remains…”

So, much of the $642 million spent annually by US dealerships on Training (not coaching) is wasted. (Average Annual dealership spending is estimated at $36,000.)

Therefore suffice to say if some of the $642 million spent annually by US dealerships on Training were re-distributed and re-prioritized to reflect a training/coaching mix, the ROI would be a lot more rewarding for owners, managers, and learners.”

What team members need is:

·    Ongoing accountability

·    Ongoing reminders

·    Ongoing real-time feedback

·    Ongoing recent situational conversations that are their own

·    Notice anything? Ongoing, ongoing, ongoing…

Are there people and structures in place to monitor employees' use of best practices, to ensure that they hold on to what they've learned? Who do they go to when they feel unsure about a particular call, or their use of the word-tracks? Where can they get feedback that isn't the usual "constructive criticism" that they'll get from their manager? Oh, and lest not forget the ultimate question, “is that manager qualified to address these concerns?” Store managers are retailers, inventory specialists, closers (hopefully) and salesmen. While a lot of us like to say their job description includes training, they’re not teachers, they’re not trainers and oftentimes they themselves don’t know what to say in a lot of situations.

Each salesperson has their Workbook or Manual, printed or online-library scripts, so they can continue to work on making their learning stick. But for most folks, it's hard to do that on your own.

Whether it's classroom training—usually in the break-room, for a day, or a half-day—or Zoom classes, or days of online learning at a PC, the challenge for Training is how to transform learning new ideas and new techniques into changes in behavior, language, attitudes, even mindset…Success depends on What Happens Next.

Training creates awareness, demonstrates new processes, and word-tracks, and Steps to the Sale. It educates us on protocols, models, techniques. We get excited and motivated to get back to work, and make even more money…Then what?

We've all been there—as learners ourselves on a course, or as managers responsible for keeping our salespeople motivated, focused, and capable of using what they learned when they get back to the desk. Despite our best intentions, it doesn't take long for reality to set in. We get busy. They are playing catch-up on what they missed. People to call. Calls to answer. All of a sudden, from the smoothness of the role-playing in class, they disintegrate into the Liberty-Biberty bumbling actor on the Liberty Mutual ad!

I'm not criticizing. I've been there too – we all have. It takes practice and courage to change the language and sequence of what you say on the phone to a prospect. It can be easier just to side-step into your old way of doing it, can't it? "Hey, it's worked so far…may as well stick to what I know…"

That's where Active Coaching works its magic.

We need Active Coaching to take it to the next level, which is to observe, record, and measure the salesperson's performance.

Immediately after the initial certification, active coaching begins whereby one starts to listen to their phone calls, to identify where they have (or have not) integrated their learning into their behavior. Measures of accuracy and excellence are deployed, and straightforward feedback is given in near real-time: honestly, respectfully, non-judgmentally, and all builds upon the initial foundational certifications. This starts to build confidence, capability, and works to replacing old unconscious habits and beliefs, with new habits, that drive better results.

One-on-one coaching is the gold standard when it comes to retaining and adding to auto sales phone skills. A professional coach can periodically check in on recordings of live client calls, grading each automotive sales representative against a situationally appropriate score sheet on how well they follow the relevant phone script and maximize the chance of setting an appointment and thus making a sale.

By reviewing those calls in a live one-on-one session with the car salesperson, a coach can guide the employee to better performance. The feedback is tailored to the learner's strengths and weaknesses, delivering more bang for the buck than a generic Training refresher would.

In the coaching review process, coaches can go through role-playing sessions, and give employees an update on their progress. These check-ins are designed to keep every salesperson engaged and improving from one coaching session to the next.

Why can't the Sales Manager do the Coaching?

Well, of course he could…if he didn't have a hundred other things to do, problems to solve, owners to please, teams to manage, etc.

In a recent Sales Coaching Practices survey, 72% of sales managers agreed that coaching is important. The survey reported that "Organizations effective at coaching the topics of salesperson performance, motivation improvement, and skill development have positively correlated performance advantages of 12%, 9%, and 6%, respectively, over other firms."

The survey also reported that 44% of respondents only dedicate between one and four hours a week to coaching.

Why dealerships NEED Active Coaching

Outsourcing your Sales/Phone Coaching overcomes most, if not all, obstacles. But it also does a lot more. Here's a brief list of why it is so effective:

·      Time. Each coach manages the time with their salespeople.

·      Contact is consistent, regular, and recorded.

·      Two-way. As an external coach, with no management role, we can work outside the normal boundaries of accountability, to develop more open-ness and trust. Listening, not Telling

·      Individualized/Personalized: Each session and each coaching strategy is based on how each salesperson is motivated.

·      Fine-tuning: The salesperson is responsible for incrementally adjusting their performance in a way that works for them.

·      Intentions = Development, Growth, not just Results.

·      Measurement is Critical, and the process is transparent:

·      Observe.

·      Record.

·      Listen.

·      Give Feedback.

·      Nudge, if necessary.

So, in conclusion, is Coaching better than Training? No. They depend on one another, like sunshine and rain. Without either one, there is no growth.

The mixture of instructor-led car sales training and active coaching adds up to a potent performance improvement approach. By focusing on the vital elements of car sales, such as phone skills, under the microscope, you can make your people more effective — and your dealership will grow, more than ever before.

That moment you reach for your wallet, and it’s not there. The panic sets in as you race to retrace your steps. The sweat drips from your forehead as you start to accept the reality of having to replace all of your cards and IDs.

This is not an ideal situation, and for those of us who are lucky and blessed enough to find it – would we keep looking for it? I’m not being facetious; would you keep looking for your lost wallet after you found it? Um, no. We breathe a deep sigh of relief and move on about the day. And perhaps grab a drink to celebrate. I mean, just the thought of having to cancel cards and get a new ID is enough to induce nausea. 

So why isn’t the same said when we find a training resource for our dealership? We’ve all experienced the “self-promoter” who hasn’t sold a car in decades, if ever. We’ve also all fallen victim to the “data-guys” who never left their desk to even see what a customer looks like and then there’re are the bold-faced liars…. These are the most interesting because they believe if they smile enough and chirp loud enough their sordid past will be forgotten…. Uh, nope. So, if we find a training resource with relevant automotive experience, a track record of successes that’s priced right, why keep looking? It’s situations like this where we overlook a resource right in front of us and where we kick ourselves months later because not only are we in the same situation, but we’re still “looking for training.” 

The training we’re often “looking for” is a “solution” to “fix” our problems. So, when we come across the “self-made trainer” who can instantaneously fix our problems, we do a little dance (okay, maybe not a dance, but we get excited – don’t lie!). I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we’d all be performing like rock stars if training were this easy. 

The truth is that not all training is created equal. And there isn’t a “simple fix” to the core struggles we face on the retail level. More importantly, it’s not about discussing the end result from the get-go, or working with a trainer who only shares how they got to the end result. Offering training that only explains how they got to the end result using their formula isn’t training. It’s a feel-good story. A story that sells because who doesn’t like to be told “these results over here can be yours.” Kudos to them, seriously. But let’s instead focus on training that teaches core principles, training that helps your team grow and training that not only makes you more money but also makes customers feel good. Oh, and lest not forget a method that sticks, that keeps your team performing time and again in an ongoing manner. 

Going back to the point of “if you found your lost wallet, would you keep looking for it?” – think about all the items in the wallet that would need to be replaced. Credit Cards, Bank Cards, & IDs. The wallet holds all of these items, the “end result.” The wallet holds the things that make it a resource. Well, the same can be said for training. If you find training made up of all of the components that make it a resource, why keep looking?

Think about this analogy for a minute. Much like other general trainers, the same can be said for weight loss products. It’s the idea that we can use “one resource” to fix all of our problems. But the fact is that simply taking a weight loss pill isn’t going to address all the root causes; healthy eating and exercise. The fascinating “general trainer,” aka jack of all trades, master of NONE. They are the end result, but don’t provide the resources and train on how to get the end-result. 

Phone Ninjas is about teaching and training your staff to apply the techniques (resources) to increase your dealership’s appointment set and show rates on the phone. It’s this approach that can and will offer vast success. Do yourself a favor and get a free mystery shop, and stop looking for the unicorn that poops glitter which doesn’t exist. 

"If you're not happy, there's the door" might have worked circa 2019 (or 1978), though not recommended, but does that work now? More importantly, have we really spent enough time trying to determine why so many Sales Consultants, Sales Managers, and BD Agents leave the dealership? Could we increase retention by deploying on active and ongoing training? These are good questions and questions we should be focused on as we continue to face the uphill battle of retention.

A new statistic suggests that more than 43% (DSES 2021) of current employees are actively looking for a new job?! Why are they looking for a new job? It's been said loud and clear that employees want training. They also want to have a clear understanding of their career path. Imagine doing this as part of a plan vs. throwing someone into a role without training or providing a clear path! Believe it or not, there are several career paths in the auto industry - if anything, we've proven to pivot and create roles to handle the current issues we face.

So Then Where Are We With Training?

Well, discussing the importance of training isn't new. Knowing the value of training isn't new. But acting on offering dealer-level training IS something new. And when you think about it, it poses the question, "why do we fight against dealer level training so hard?" Do we spend more time and energy fighting against training - losing revenue from turnover - than if we just embraced it? Aren't we tired of using the same playbook (or no playbook at all), following the same unconventional haphazard ways that leave us puzzled when things go wrong? It seems exhausting, doesn’t it? And when you “google earth” yourself up to the 10- or 30-foot view, who honestly wants to associate with someone that actually says “I don’t need training, I don’t need to get better at my job….” Read that again. Why would any business retain anyone, management or otherwise, with that mentality? It’s NOT always verbal, actions speak loudly.

So, while the conversations remain the same, the actions based on these conversations remain unchanged. Where you might've had your Sales Managers take a demo - while they're desking deals - not paying attention, to which they say, "We don't need that I think we're good." Or worse, you get a free mystery shop, and one of the first comments from your Sales Managers, Sales Consultants, or BD Agents is "well, I knew that was a mystery shop" or "that was a fake customer, do you want me to waste my time." To which, in many cases, the GM might respond to the vendor, "now's just not a good time to train. You can follow up with me another time."

It's these comments and responses that should have us concerned. Regardless of what they "think" or "assume," the call or lead doesn't mean they should handle it differently. Every lead and phone call should be dealt with at the same level of customer service, following a process and of course with a true sense of urgency. Without following a process, how can we effectively handle breakpoints or offer guidance?

Sure, we might offer a "one time" online class or share an article - that gets left on the floor or thrown in the trash - but is that really training? Sharing advice, tricks, or tips is never bad, but is it beneficial to share tips and tricks when your teams aren't sure how to apply them?

The bottom line is the dreaded question, "are we losing more employees than we think due to lack of training and guidance?" And are we willing to continue to lose otherwise good employees because we don't want to train them? More importantly, are we willing to lose highly skilled employees - who sell 10-15 units a month - because we don't want to invest in their future?

If you're tired of losing employees and starting at square one before you can even hire the next sales consultant, it's time to start a conversation. To start, sign-up for your complimentary mystery shop. 

Don't you love a good headline? Those attention-grabbing headlines elicit a worst-case scenario, don’t they? I'll leave it up to your imagination on what they might have searched for - but what if they were actually searching for "online sales training?" Did you know that online sales training for the automotive industry is searched over 12,000 times each month?

That's a lot of searches! With many searches comes a lot of training material, videos, and those infamous "get trained fast" schemes. However, there is no such thing as a "quick fix.” Sure, you can watch a video or even take a class, but simply "doing it" isn't the same as "living it." Training, and thus coaching, is still ongoing. Using and applying the training learned in stages is more practical and more likely to result in long-term success.

If you're in the early stages of looking for the right training program - kudos to your dealer for recognizing the importance - it can be challenging to know which program is best for the Dealership. To make the best decision possible, you must first identify your objectives. More importantly, understand how the training will be applied at the dealer level. Training cannot be crammed into a day in-person session in the lunchroom or a one-time virtual session.

I can't tell you how many times dealers have paid thousands of dollars to hire a trainer for a "one-day training program" only to have their Sales Managers not follow up with their Sales Consultants or BD Agents. Or worse, their Sales Managers and General Managers were not present during the training sessions.

We keep saying things like "it starts at the top" or "we need our GMs and Sales Managers to be engaged," but this is a critical component that frequently falls short. Why do we fall short when it comes to Management engagement? It's not a simple question. However, it is a question that must be addressed before implementing a dealer-level training program.

And no, this isn't one of those "let's change their pay plans to reflect training" ploys. It would have already worked if it was as simple as "fixing pay plans." Not only does this rarely work, but it also shouldn't have to resort to changing pay structures to ensure that our management works to enforce training. Instead, we must examine why they have adverse reactions to the word "training."

One of the most common objections I've heard to training is that "training can affect my pay." The notion is that if they can manage their "way," they can control their paycheck. And, while it might have merit on the surface, at the end of the day, it's your Dealership and your bottom line. By ensuring that your Dealership has adequate training for growth and development, you can control and protect your profitability and revenue.

Another thing to consider is that it's OK to focus on one core component at a time. We'd all be selling 25 vehicles per month if the training was "easy." So, while the market is hot right now, and dealers are largely relying on smaller teams to sell more, this is all smoke and mirrors. Make no mistake, once the market settles, and dealers face a flood of inventory - with floor plan expenses rising - it will become an increasingly competitive market with lower front-end grosses and lower overall GP. That is the nature of a hot market cooling down.

And, no, I'm not talking about going into panic mode. It's about taking the opportunity to strengthen our dealer teams to refine our efforts. Not to mention that even in a hot market, we continue to miss out on opportunities. Consider how many potential customers have slipped through the cracks. How many leads have gone unnoticed? How many customers were brushed off? If you don't believe this has occurred or that it isn't a big deal because of limited inventory, what do you think will happen when there is a lot of inventory, and that customer who was brushed off the lot or whose inquiry went unanswered is ready to buy?

We must not overlook the customer who did not purchase today because they will still be in the market tomorrow.

Do yourself a favor and sign up for a complimentary stealth test. You won't be disappointed in the training or your Sales Consultant's approach after they've been trained.