Call it book smart vs. street smart, theory vs. practice, analytical vs. creative thinking, or right brain vs. left brain… Testing or quizzing salespeople has always been an exercise in futility. Largely because the methods used to test and score a car salesperson share little in common with reality.

Salespeople don’t close real deals with essay or multiple-choice answers.  What looks great on paper, might not play well with a real customer.  Traditional testing can test a salesperson’s knowledge, but reveals little about how he or she will react, in certain situations, with real customers.  Testing may have its place, but roleplaying and practicing is the key to the automotive sales professional’s confidence and competence.  A comfortable and confident salesperson will put customers at ease and will sell more cars. Read more…

For Managers, For Salespeople automotive sales training, role play, roleplay, sales practice, sales training accountability, salespeople, salesperson testing

 With car sales approaching a 25-year low, it’s tempting to blame the economy, cut expenses and “ride” out the storm.  Typically, the first cuts come in the advertising and sales training budgets.  I thought we’d have a discussion about sales training.  

Is sales training really too expensive or is ignorance even more costly?

What would be your opinion of a hospital that slashed its training and license requirements  in order to save money and make it easier to hire new employees?  A Hospital where the entire staff had been trained by “experienced” doctors and nurses who loathe their chosen profession and most had been fired by other hospitals?  As you arrive for that elective surgery, how long would it take for you to detect their incompetence and rush to another hospital? Read more…

The Business automotive advertising, automotive sales training, blame the economy, car business ethics, car dealership, dealership bankruptcy, Declining Car Sales, economy, Sales Process, sales training, salesforce