Have you ever noticed when the sales floor goes out for good third-party training that they come back with a pep in their step? That’s because whatever speaker they had got them fired up and ready to go all out for your product. There is nothing better than rekindling that spark and feeling some extra motivation to get back into the sales game full steam ahead. But what would make that even better? Someone to come back to the dealership and discuss it with, not even just that day, but days later.
Continuing education in sales is a massive part of keeping sales associates on top of their game with product knowledge and the current market conditions and popular techniques. But what about their other skills? Their people skills and ability to discuss that product are also crucial to the equation. When associates go for training, they get a day jam-packed with information, which is terrific. However, if the details of that day are not reviewed at LEAST two or three times after the fact, that associate may forget most of the details they learned that day. This is why continuous training is much more beneficial than one day every six months or so.
If those details are discussed more than once (and applied), we are on track for more of that training being retained. So why aren’t we taking more time to discuss other skills as well in terms of training customer service and phone skills? Kids go to school for 12 years to be generally educated, and they discuss principles and subjects hundreds of times throughout the course of their school career before graduating with proficiency in the topics discussed. It would only make sense that great associates are fine-tuning and studying their craft daily.
With that being said, this question is for my managers, what training are your associates getting, and are YOU making sure that they are doing their homework? We all know the law of averages. The more cars your sales staff sells, the more money rolls through the dealership. The more money coming through sales is more money in your pocket as well. Having your staff succeed ultimately leads to your success. So as a manager, are you making sure that your associates are putting their best foot forward every day, or are you hoping that they retain the information that they are given and leaving your paycheck up to chance? Even if you are the best closer, your sales associate will set the tone. Having them on their A-game from the jump, educated in their product, and professional with their delivery is crucial to your survival and theirs.
If your sales floor isn’t on top of its game, what can you do to assist them in fixing it? If they are going to training or get regular in-house training, are you engaging with them after the fact to clarify points and encourage their newfound knowledge and growth? These secondary actions will drive home your desire for their success, which may be the key to turning performance in your dealership around. It is an “extra” step, but the outcome of that step could change lives if done correctly, and of course, that addition to the dollars in your paycheck doesn’t hurt either.
As the COO | Partner of Phone Ninjas, Chris delivers leadership, coaching, and mentorship to 55 team members providing software sales and phone skills coaching. He fosters powerful partnerships and collaborations with leaders across various business sectors, establishing expectations, communicating vision, and escalating performance to maximize productivity and effectiveness.
Chris is an innovation-driven business executive with over 25 years of experience delivering leadership to teams of up to 75 overseeing development, launch, and sale of website lead acquisition, reconditioning process software systems, and technology that support automotive dealerships across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
