Our training may be the most important thing we do. Let’s look at what the sales training process is like in some depth.

Sales Training
This starts as a classroom event and then moves onto the sales floor. New sales people receive 3 days of highly interactive classroom training with a young and newly promoted sales manager. He’s wicked good. He demonstrates, models behaviors and phrases, and teaches our non-confrontational sales process.

We use 10 steps in every sales transaction but we never want the salesperson to coerce the customer. If the customer doesn’t want to buy a car today when we greet them – “Fine. Let’s make this an information day and have some fun looking at and taking about these great cars.”

After the classroom training is completed, there is almost daily practice to keep the sales steps sharp. But, there is also product knowledge that must be learned. This information comes from the manufacturers and is computer based training. 99% of our sales people are Certified in their product knowledge.

We don’t expect new sales people to be successful immediately, although it does happen. We expect that the new sales person will reach a point in the sales process where they get stuck. When it happens a manager will step in and complete the deal. The sales person stills receives the full commission for the sale. Over time, sales people get to know more and can complete most of their own deals. But once again, a manager is always ready to help whenever a deal gets tough. We are in this together.

A sales person will experience at least 120 hours of training and development annually.

Service Training
Technicians are almost always certified by attending workshops at the manufacturer’s sites or over the internet. Plus there is online factory help with serious problems. If the training is work related it’s paid for.

Service tech training is a function of the number of new models, engines, systems, and changes that a manufacturer makes, but 24 – 30 hours a year is typical.

Others
All new employees in other departments receive structured on-the job training typically provided by their supervisor.

Managers
Our managers all participate in 2 day long workshops annually plus addition course work as it becomes available. In a normal year a typical manager will spend between 32-40 hours in training classes. And they will be conducting 80-100 hours of training.