Training Dealership Salespeople in the Automotive Industry

Thanks to theinternet, customers are savvier and more informed than ever. At the same time,the automotive industry is constantly changing and innovating. In the automotive industry, customers spend an average of 14 hours researching before buying a vehicle. Hence, when they walk into a dealership,they expect someone with at least the same amount of knowledge as them so theycan be appropriately advised.

Therefore, dealers need to make sure salespeopleare up-to-date and even more knowledgeable than car buyers to reach their salestargets.

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To keep car dealership staff a step ahead ofshoppers, include the following in their training:

· The features of each make,model and unique value proposition.

· The options that every vehicleoffers.

· Vehicle's certifications, whatare they, and what do they mean?

· Proof points about your price.To be able to compare them with the competition.

Moreover, a studymade by MaxDigital about the automotive industry reveals that 76% of dealershave hired people without any automotive experience. While 62% said they'veeven hired people with any sales experience. That makes it even more importantto prepare your salespeople. When they are trained and armed with all theinformation they need, they feel more confident and empowered to perform well.

Source: 2018MAXDigital Survey

Salespeople willslack on performing well without adequate training, sales processes, and theapproach to consumers. Hiring inexperienced salespeople and not providing propertraining results in high turnover rates and makes it more challenging to reachsales goals.

If that wasn'tenough, as stated by a recent study, the average cost of recruiting, training,and the loss of productivity for each salesperson are $45,000 in the automotiveindustry. That gives training a higher priority than reaching sales targetsbecause if salespeople are not prepared they won't be able to sell.

Investing in employeetraining allows dealerships to offer professional development programs thatincrease their:

· Knowledge

· Satisfaction

· Engagement

· Loyalty

Ultimately, thistranslates into lower turnover rates and improved sales performance, increasingsales and customer satisfaction.

_{Offer customized training to dealers}

As the manufacturer you likely developed productknowledge material and espoused the expertise to train and educate dealers. Todeliver this value to your dealerships create educational and training materialin formats that are easy to understand and communicate to their salespeople. Keepin mind their needs and learning preferences, providing them with choices thatfit into and around their work schedule.

Technology allows asynchronous access to knowledge in different formats. Digital learners preferto watch videos while others prefer audio, interactive sites, webinars or videochats. On the other hand, traditional, synchronous educational methods allowfor in-person interaction and clarify doubts in real time.

Considering these twoprofiles, you can prepare your educational content in two formats:

· Digital: they embrace new technologiesto learn

· Traditional: prefer face-to-face, aren'tdigitally savvy or don’t have access to devices

_{Technology-based learning solutions}

Technology is continuously evolving in both theautomotive and learning technologies industries. The automotive sector is justgetting up to speed in implementing social and collaborative tools. Voice-overIP conferences, virtual meetings, apps, and webinars have easily connectedlearners in different locations with trainers or peers.

Keeping up the paceis a challenge so you need to take advantage of these technologies to speed upthe learning process of your salespeople. Mobile learning technology like gamification apps is an excellent example of how you can usetechnology for your corporate training.

_{Leveraging gamification to train your salespeople will allow you to test their knowledgeand let them learn about the following:}

· Product knowledge

· Sales skills

· Company knowledge (values,mission, etc.)

· Customer handling/service atthe dealership

·  Onboarding training

·  Internal systems and processes

·  Automotive compliance training

·  Marketing content

Moreover, according to research, gamification increases employee engagement. As aresult, companies experience higher productivity and employeeretention because they are knowledgeable and accountable for their progress.

Having your employeesmotivated and engaged increases their performance, which translates to morecapable salespeople, happier buyers, and a more productive dealership.

_{Virtual training}

_{If you're ready to go the extra mile, try virtualtraining. But first you need to know if the dealerships are prepared for it.Therefore you want to know if the staff is:}

· Tech savvy

· Keen to innovate

· Non-resistant to changes

_{Dealership sales people will have access to virtual learning environments where they cantrain with simulated customer meetings in the car dealership. Virtual learninghas several benefits:}

· It allowsthem to practice what they've learned before without interacting with realcustomers.

· Salespeoplewill be confronted in the virtual dealership by demanding customers and learninghow to react in different scenarios.

· Salesveterans in the dealership can help by transferring them their particularknowledge and experience to deal with any complex situation they may face inthe virtual training.

· It is afun and dynamic environment where salespeople can learn and satisfy theircuriosity in dealing with customers differently.

· Reinforcethe knowledge acquired through gamification apps and other technologicalsolutions.

Using the right technological training tools, your salespeople will be ready to sell yourvehicles and customers will be much more satisfied.

Posted by Toni Canyelles

Aug 28 2018

Last updated Apr 18 2019