Andragogy. It’s probably not what you think. The term was popularized by Malcolm Knowles in the late sixties. Malcolm Knowles used this word when defining his six assumptions related to adult learning.

Adults learn differently than children. Children can be instructed in a linear, structured manner. This is why schools can exist. Children can all be put through a similar curriculum, and chances are they will come out of it with a decent education.

But adults don’t work like that, and it’s important that dealerships learn how adults learn. If you can build a training program that leverages these adult learning principles, you can better ensure the learning will stick.

Let’s discuss each of Knowles’ principles and how important coaching is in this training process.

1. Adults need to know. Because adults have a wealth of experience, they want to know why the training is important. You need to explain why the training is necessary and how it can help them improve.
2. Foundation: This wealth of experience also means that your training needs to build on their foundational knowledge.
3. Self-concept: Or put another say, self-guided. Adults must be responsible for how they learn. If the training is self-guided, they will see it as “their choice”, not something that was shoved down their throat. You can get away with a structured learning track when “certifying” someone on a process, but once the employee has a basic understanding of this process, they need to be responsible for their education.
4. Readiness: Adults learn best when they need the instruction. If a training topic is relevant to something they are working on or that they need to improve in order to be more successful, they will be more apt to listen and apply the training.
5. Orientation: Adults learn when the training is problem-related. As stated above, adults have a wealth of experience and their training needs to solve a problem. If they can uncover an area to improve on, they will seek out training.
6. Motivation: Internal motivators are more powerful than external motivators. Adults want to lean when they are motivated, not when they are forced.

Think about the last time you wanted to learn how to do something. Maybe you wanted to cook a brisket, replace a fuel pump, or create a clipping mask in Illustrator. Chances are you searched the topic online and watched some how-to videos on Youtube. There is a reason “how to” begins so many search phrases.

This is how we learn. We decided we wanted to learn something. We found content that was relevant and contextual, and we watched it or read it. We then applied our training in the real world to solve a problem.

What does this have to do with dealership training? Here are some tips to help you better leverage your training.

• Establish job performance quotas. Take the time to define success. For example, if a BDC agent should set 50% appointments on inbound phone calls, you can use this as one of your quotas. Find five to seven quotas in each job role and assign metrics to them like we just did for appointment set percentage.
• Ask the employee for their actual numbers in your quotas. At the beginning of each month, compare actual metrics vs. established criteria in key areas. For example, compare their actual number against the appointment set percentage benchmark. Complete this exercise for all of the quotas you established above. You’ll see some trends develop.
• Celebrate a win. Discover a quota the employee is performing very well on and comment on it. If the service advisor is crushing their hours per RO, high-five them. It’s important to celebrate successes.
• Ask the employee what they want to work on. For example, let’s say your salespeople have demo percentage as one of their quotas. You have decided you want them to demo 80% of their customers, and the salesperson demoed 67% in the previous month. The salesperson could see that increasing their demo percentage would help them sell more cars. You could ask questions to help uncover why the demo percentage was low and ask the employee how they want to improve it. A note here: “try harder” is not a plan. Get them to give you some concrete actions they can try.
• Assign training. Now you have an employee who knows what they want to work on! They have decided what they need to learn. You can assign them some courses to watch and give them some activities they can complete to apply their training. You’ll see performance improve, and your employees will be more engaged in their development. After a few months they will come to you with specific items they want to improve on.

Our time is valuable. We need to make the most of it. As the market normalizes, we will need to reinforce the fundamentals of each process employees execute. Following this model is a great way to make sure your training efforts aren’t wasted. Apply the principles of adult learning and make your training more impactful.