I know that I don’t need to tell you how important training is in a dealership.  Starting on our first day working in a dealership, we are told how important training is, and most dealerships have weekly, or even daily, training meetings. Managers read countless books and websites, dealerships hire consultants, and salespeople and managers are sent to seminars, all in the name of training. A quick search on Google will yield endless results for articles on the importance of training and programs that will help you train your salespeople and service employees. The automotive retail industry is inundated with training programs and consultants.

So we get it: training is important.

And all of this hype around training is definitely warranted, because training is one of the biggest keys to success for any dealership. I’ve seen inexperienced salespeople flourish as a result of a well-executed training initiative, and dealerships with low sales numbers can turn things around with the right training implemented correctly for their employees. But I’ve also seen enthusiastic and talented salespeople fall behind because of a lack of well-executed training. I’ve seen intense (and expensive) training programs fall totally flat and do nothing but cost a dealership money. And I would bet you’ve seen all of these scenarios play out as well.

I have seen different types of training programs succeed and fail, and in my opinion, it has less to do with the training program itself, and more to do with the type of person who is being trained and the how the training is implemented in the dealership.

There are so many different types of learners, and each one benefits from a different kind of training. Some people learn most effectively by watching videos or reading manuals, and some people need to be able to get their hands dirty and actually do what it is they’re supposed to learn. Some people need a lot of guidance and individual attention, while others can work just fine on their own. Deciding on the right training program for your dealership comes down to knowing your team and understanding their training needs.

Another thing that determines whether a training program will be successful is being able to eliminate the “set it and forget it” mentality. A training program is an ongoing process, and it’s important that governance and accountability are established early on. Having a governing mechanism is place to continually check the progress of your employees will help keep the program from stagnating, and holding your sales team and managers accountable for their participation and progress will do a lot to help make a training program successful.

Because we know training is such a big part of dealership life, and because we know that training can be very different from dealership to dealership, we want to know what kind of training your dealership has in place and how things are going with it. We’ve created a short survey, and in the coming weeks we will publish a series of blog posts detailing our findings so that you can learn about the solutions that other dealers have come up with. We would love it if you would take 5 minutes and contribute your thoughts.  

http://bit.ly/DrivingSalesFeedback

We want to use this as an opportunity to shift the conversation from “Training is important,” to “How can you make training work in your dealership.” We all know training is important, but we might not all understand what kind of training our employees need or how we can implement a successful program in our stores.

Let's move some metal.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron Henson, Global Brand Ambassador, DrivingSales

Ron is an accomplished dealership operations expert and trainer and has a passion for the car business that he willingly shares by speaking around the globe. He is a highly acclaimed international speaker and has delivered dynamic presentations for companies such as Google, Toyota, Nissan, Autotrader.com, Dealer.com, NADA, and NCM to name a few.  He brings a diverse perspective and skill set to his audiences having spent over 20 years in retail dealership operations.

I know that I don’t need to tell you how important training is in a dealership.  Starting on our first day working in a dealership, we are told how important training is, and most dealerships have weekly, or even daily, training meetings. Managers read countless books and websites, dealerships hire consultants, and salespeople and managers are sent to seminars, all in the name of training. A quick search on Google will yield endless results for articles on the importance of training and programs that will help you train your salespeople and service employees. The automotive retail industry is inundated with training programs and consultants.

So we get it: training is important.

And all of this hype around training is definitely warranted, because training is one of the biggest keys to success for any dealership. I’ve seen inexperienced salespeople flourish as a result of a well-executed training initiative, and dealerships with low sales numbers can turn things around with the right training implemented correctly for their employees. But I’ve also seen enthusiastic and talented salespeople fall behind because of a lack of well-executed training. I’ve seen intense (and expensive) training programs fall totally flat and do nothing but cost a dealership money. And I would bet you’ve seen all of these scenarios play out as well.

I have seen different types of training programs succeed and fail, and in my opinion, it has less to do with the training program itself, and more to do with the type of person who is being trained and the how the training is implemented in the dealership.

There are so many different types of learners, and each one benefits from a different kind of training. Some people learn most effectively by watching videos or reading manuals, and some people need to be able to get their hands dirty and actually do what it is they’re supposed to learn. Some people need a lot of guidance and individual attention, while others can work just fine on their own. Deciding on the right training program for your dealership comes down to knowing your team and understanding their training needs.

Another thing that determines whether a training program will be successful is being able to eliminate the “set it and forget it” mentality. A training program is an ongoing process, and it’s important that governance and accountability are established early on. Having a governing mechanism is place to continually check the progress of your employees will help keep the program from stagnating, and holding your sales team and managers accountable for their participation and progress will do a lot to help make a training program successful.

Because we know training is such a big part of dealership life, and because we know that training can be very different from dealership to dealership, we want to know what kind of training your dealership has in place and how things are going with it. We’ve created a short survey, and in the coming weeks we will publish a series of blog posts detailing our findings so that you can learn about the solutions that other dealers have come up with. We would love it if you would take 5 minutes and contribute your thoughts.  

http://bit.ly/DrivingSalesFeedback

We want to use this as an opportunity to shift the conversation from “Training is important,” to “How can you make training work in your dealership.” We all know training is important, but we might not all understand what kind of training our employees need or how we can implement a successful program in our stores.

Let's move some metal.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron Henson, Global Brand Ambassador, DrivingSales

Ron is an accomplished dealership operations expert and trainer and has a passion for the car business that he willingly shares by speaking around the globe. He is a highly acclaimed international speaker and has delivered dynamic presentations for companies such as Google, Toyota, Nissan, Autotrader.com, Dealer.com, NADA, and NCM to name a few.  He brings a diverse perspective and skill set to his audiences having spent over 20 years in retail dealership operations.

Sales Professionals, Absorb this!

"Talent, you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft."
"I've never really viewed myself as particularly talented. Where I excel is RIDICULOUS, SICKENING work ethic.

Please comment with your favorite quotes & then go out and break your personal records this weekend!

Sales Professionals, Absorb this!

"Talent, you have naturally. Skill is only developed by hours and hours and hours of beating on your craft."
"I've never really viewed myself as particularly talented. Where I excel is RIDICULOUS, SICKENING work ethic.

Please comment with your favorite quotes & then go out and break your personal records this weekend!

I often like to reminisce about some of the seemingly lost arts of sales.  When I got into the sales business over 25 years ago, I read everything I could get my hands on in regards to the art of building relationships and selling.  I loved, and still love, reading Joe Girard, Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins, Zig Ziglar and many others.  Here's the thing.....I often wonder if the art of putting a customer at ease, bringing down barriers, and building rapport has gone the way of rear facing third row seating in station wagons and smoking on airplanes.

Cliché alert!  You only get one chance to make a first impression. This oldie but goodie rings true every single day with every single person that you meet and it truly is an art form to make that first impression as good as it can be.  Guests at your dealership arrive with force fields fully operational, and the sales pros that can artfully and tactfully bring those force fields down are the one's who find success, and most likely the one's who are winning your sales board on a consistent basis.

Through piecing together some of the tips I have learned over the years from pros like I mentioned earlier, as well as many others, I present some ideas on how your team can do a better job in this area.

• Dress for Success
• Smile
• Stop what you're doing and focus on them
• Show rather than tell
• Ask questions
• Be complementary
• Find common ground
• Avoid the overused, "Can I help you?"  
• Get their name(s) and use them

These are just a few items that can provide you with sales meeting content for a solid week!  I know it seems somewhat rudimentary, but I think it gets overlooked when we are teaching sales skills.  How about role playing the meet and greet in your next sales meeting and evaluating where your team's skill set resides in this area?  I'd wager that you may be surprised at the outcome and you just might see that focusing on this topic for a few days could reap immediate benefits for your staff.

A final thought: Building rapport is synonymous with building credibility, and people want to buy from those who are credible.

Let's move some metal!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron Henson, DrivingSales

Ron Henson is the director of dealer services for DrivingSales and DrivingSales University. Prior to joining the DrivingSales team, he spent over 20 years in the retail side of the industry, most recently as the General Manager of a very successful Honda dealership.

Ron is an accomplished dealership operations expert and trainer and has a passion for the car business that he willingly shares by speaking at many industry events, conferences, and 20 groups in the United States and Canada.

Ron is an avid sports enthusiast and spends much of his free time watching his kids play football and soccer. He lives in Bountiful, Utah with his wife of 23 years and three children.

I often like to reminisce about some of the seemingly lost arts of sales.  When I got into the sales business over 25 years ago, I read everything I could get my hands on in regards to the art of building relationships and selling.  I loved, and still love, reading Joe Girard, Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins, Zig Ziglar and many others.  Here's the thing.....I often wonder if the art of putting a customer at ease, bringing down barriers, and building rapport has gone the way of rear facing third row seating in station wagons and smoking on airplanes.

Cliché alert!  You only get one chance to make a first impression. This oldie but goodie rings true every single day with every single person that you meet and it truly is an art form to make that first impression as good as it can be.  Guests at your dealership arrive with force fields fully operational, and the sales pros that can artfully and tactfully bring those force fields down are the one's who find success, and most likely the one's who are winning your sales board on a consistent basis.

Through piecing together some of the tips I have learned over the years from pros like I mentioned earlier, as well as many others, I present some ideas on how your team can do a better job in this area.

• Dress for Success
• Smile
• Stop what you're doing and focus on them
• Show rather than tell
• Ask questions
• Be complementary
• Find common ground
• Avoid the overused, "Can I help you?"  
• Get their name(s) and use them

These are just a few items that can provide you with sales meeting content for a solid week!  I know it seems somewhat rudimentary, but I think it gets overlooked when we are teaching sales skills.  How about role playing the meet and greet in your next sales meeting and evaluating where your team's skill set resides in this area?  I'd wager that you may be surprised at the outcome and you just might see that focusing on this topic for a few days could reap immediate benefits for your staff.

A final thought: Building rapport is synonymous with building credibility, and people want to buy from those who are credible.

Let's move some metal!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron Henson, DrivingSales

Ron Henson is the director of dealer services for DrivingSales and DrivingSales University. Prior to joining the DrivingSales team, he spent over 20 years in the retail side of the industry, most recently as the General Manager of a very successful Honda dealership.

Ron is an accomplished dealership operations expert and trainer and has a passion for the car business that he willingly shares by speaking at many industry events, conferences, and 20 groups in the United States and Canada.

Ron is an avid sports enthusiast and spends much of his free time watching his kids play football and soccer. He lives in Bountiful, Utah with his wife of 23 years and three children.

When was the last time that you walked onto your showroom and saw that gathering of sales consultants standing around in the "Ring of Despair" and thought to yourself, "I'll bet that's a productive and uplifting conversation?"

Truth is that there are Problem Causers (yes, I know that's not a word) & Problem Solvers in every business in America.  Car Dealerships are certainly no exception and I submit that the Problem Causers seem to gravitate toward car dealerships for some uncanny reason.  

As a leader, should your valuable time be spent putting out the fires caused by Problem Causers or fostering the growth and goodwill generated by Problem Solvers?  The answer seems quite clear at first blush, but the execution of the concept gets a little tricky.  We all know that misery loves company so unless you have a sales staff loaded with high performers and the bottom guy on the totem pole is still rocking 18 units per month, you may have a few of these Problem Causers on staff.

I like the saying, "Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions."  

Many of your most influential employees in your dealership today may not have the word manager in their title.  Seek these people out!  Interview your management team and your employee base and find out who these non-management leaders are and tell them that you appreciate their efforts.  Tell them how much it means to you that they foster an environment of positivity in your business and ask them to continue to spread it throughout the organization.  You can spend countless hours finding people doing things wrong, but if you go looking for people doing things right and mentor them and coach them on helping others to do the same, your day will be much more productive and your attitude and mood will certainly benefit.

Be the leader that you would want to have and watch the results.  Now it doesn't happen overnight, but it will happen.  The "Dope Ring" will start to erode and the Problem Causers will start to drift away toward other dealerships that are much less successful and creative than yours.  They will go find the cancerous, negative environment that they crave and your store will be the better for it.

Move some metal!

When was the last time that you walked onto your showroom and saw that gathering of sales consultants standing around in the "Ring of Despair" and thought to yourself, "I'll bet that's a productive and uplifting conversation?"

Truth is that there are Problem Causers (yes, I know that's not a word) & Problem Solvers in every business in America.  Car Dealerships are certainly no exception and I submit that the Problem Causers seem to gravitate toward car dealerships for some uncanny reason.  

As a leader, should your valuable time be spent putting out the fires caused by Problem Causers or fostering the growth and goodwill generated by Problem Solvers?  The answer seems quite clear at first blush, but the execution of the concept gets a little tricky.  We all know that misery loves company so unless you have a sales staff loaded with high performers and the bottom guy on the totem pole is still rocking 18 units per month, you may have a few of these Problem Causers on staff.

I like the saying, "Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions."  

Many of your most influential employees in your dealership today may not have the word manager in their title.  Seek these people out!  Interview your management team and your employee base and find out who these non-management leaders are and tell them that you appreciate their efforts.  Tell them how much it means to you that they foster an environment of positivity in your business and ask them to continue to spread it throughout the organization.  You can spend countless hours finding people doing things wrong, but if you go looking for people doing things right and mentor them and coach them on helping others to do the same, your day will be much more productive and your attitude and mood will certainly benefit.

Be the leader that you would want to have and watch the results.  Now it doesn't happen overnight, but it will happen.  The "Dope Ring" will start to erode and the Problem Causers will start to drift away toward other dealerships that are much less successful and creative than yours.  They will go find the cancerous, negative environment that they crave and your store will be the better for it.

Move some metal!