Some dealership groups boost training results by creating their own auto group university
You spend thousands of dollars each year for technician training, sales training, management / leadership training, customer experience, software training, safety training and more.
Some dealer groups also pay for college or university courses, like those offered by the Automotive Business School of Canada and NADA programs.
Whether the training is created and facilitated internally, by your OEM partners, by an independent training company or by colleges / universities, consider bringing all of your training activities under one umbrella with the creation of your own Auto Group University (e.g.: Trotman Auto Group University/TAG-U).
One of the top three reasons why people leave dealerships is that the management promised structured training for the new hire and did not deliver. “They promised to train me and they didn’t. Now I am being let go due to lack of performance.” There are many dealerships that provide little or no training.
As a training organization, we often have participants that pay their own way for training workshops / programs on a regular basis because of their dealership’s unwillingness to do so.
One of the top three reasons why people leave dealerships is that the management promised structured training for the new hire and did not deliver.
Hence, when sales consultants, service advisors, technicians, detailers, etc. learn of a local dealer group that has its own university and provides ongoing, relevant and fun training and career development, word gets out and it attracts incredible top talent from everywhere.
Just as important, the creation of your own Auto Group University retains top talent and becomes its own recruiting machine. And why not get the recognition for so much of the training that you are already paying for?
Start with some simple branding and marketing. Create a logo and insist that it appear on all training materials for all departments — training partners can easily add a logo to printed and digital training materials.
If the training materials are takeaways from OEM training, create binders with logos where materials can be and organized and stored. Add the logo to your showroom, meeting room, common spaces, website and social media.
If you have uniforms (e.g.: polo-style shirts or button-downs for sales consultants, give them the option of displaying your auto group university logo). This will also be seen in a positive and progressive light by your customers and create discussions at showroom level.
Make it a habit of capturing 15-30 second video snippets of all live training activities (whether big group sales training or intimate one-to-one software training). Post the snippets across all of your dealer group’s social media platforms.
Whenever we (Wye Management) facilitate in-dealership training for dealer groups, we encourage the recording of video snippets of all sessions for outbound marketing purposes (e.g. LinkedIn).
Appoint a Training Director within your dealer group to develop and grow your university.
Canada’s SHIFT Auto Group in Atlantic Canada appointed a former sales consultant, financial services manager and sales manager to this role.
This individual (Jason) also had formal teaching and software development experience. Hence, Jason was not only able to create a live workshop curriculum, but was also able to create video content, an online platform and online testing.
The Training Director’s role extends to sourcing and vetting outside professional training providers, organizing training activities/events, developing sustainment tools and monitoring / measuring training effectiveness.
As a training organization, we work closely with Training Directors and collaborate on the creation of a dealer group’s university from concept to completion.
As part of your Auto Group University, why not create your own video library? Since you may already employ a videographer on your social media team, and have showrooms, service departments and unused spaces for backdrops, the production of 3-5-minute Success Tips (e.g.: Murray Auto Group-U Success Tips, Performance Auto Group-U Success Tips, AutoIQ Auto Group-U Success Tips, Spinelli Auto Group-U Success Tips, etc.) could be limitless in scope and extremely cost-effective. Moreover, videos allow the entire organization to participate — everyone becomes both a teacher and a learner.
Create a curriculum for each position (start with one such as sales consultant, then grow it to the others). Decide if training workshops / videos / testing are requirements for promotion.
For example, we work with dealer groups on a bi-monthly basis facilitating live, in-person training workshops along with follow-thru “coaching on the ice” on the showroom floor.
Hence a sales consultant’s curriculum may include a series of half day in-dealership workshops facilitated over a 1- or 2-year period (and are requirements for promotion). E.g.:15 modules:
- Prospecting and sourcing new business for your franchise within a franchise
- How to sell cars using social media
- How to reply to E-leads and live chat
- Welcoming and counseling showroom customers
- Fundamentals of vehicle operation and technology
- How to create and facilitate a powerful vehicle presentation
- How to create and facilitate a dynamic demonstration drive
- The fundamentals of leasing
- How to create and present a payment-based proposal
- How to ask for the sale
- The fundamentals of effective, modern negotiation
- How to follow-up unsold showroom and E-lead customers
- How to manage and grow a customer portfolio
- How to sell used vehicles
- Fundamentals of leadership (Everyone is a leader)
In addition to the needed training specific to the role, some Auto Group Universities organize 2-3-hour speaking engagements and workshops within a LIFESTYLE curriculum on topics such as: how to manage time, mental health, stress, physical fitness, money and topics like dressing for success, managing credit scores, fundamentals of investing, and getting your first mortgage.
Live training (outside events and in-dealership) and videos can be enhanced with training manuals, documents and point-of-sale materials that are made available via a university cloud platform.
Your Auto Group University can also provide formal, professional coaching programs (in-dealership and Zoom) as well as career tracking/planning one-on-one sessions.
Your Auto Group University can also provide formal, professional coaching programs (in-dealership and Zoom) as well as career tracking/planning one-on-one sessions. For such hugely “value-add” programs we suggest a formal written application and selection process.
Remember, you are already making significant investments in so many forms of ongoing and event training.
Take it one step further and create your own Auto Group University as a critical (and fulfilling) component of your continuing success as well as your legacy in the retail automotive industry and your community.
