Studies have shown that 88 percent of American workers say ongoing training is important to them.* However, only 8 percent of American workers intentionally focus on training and education.* So if most workers want more training, but they don’t focus on it, where’s the disconnect?
It’s believed, like many things, it’s either will or skill. Most people who say ongoing training is important have the will to improve. So, then it comes down to skill, or in this case, having a defined plan that’s easy to create and execute. Our secret weapon is a 5×5 training plan – a 5-week program for 30 minutes a day for five days a week – you can implement now with your team.
Pick five topics to train your team on. Here’s how you would execute each topic.
- Product Knowledge
This training takes place out on the lot and focuses on manufacturer construction and highlighting hot inventory pieces you have in stock. This is a great opportunity to schedule a visit from a manufacturer rep. They are full of knowledge and great salespeople.
- Objection Handling
This training takes place in a classroom setting and involves role-playing. Ask everyone to bring their toughest objection to the session to role-play with other team members. After each role-play, use input from the group to create word tracks and ideas the team can write down as takeaways to review on their own.
- Phone Role-Play
This form of role-play can be very powerful and is rarely trained on in dealerships. Pair up the team and have one person be the customer and the other act as the salesperson. Use role-play scenarios, a defined inbound phone greeting script and a phone call scorecard to define a successful sales call. There are a lot of available options for a scorecard. Find the one that best suits your needs.
- Phone Call Review
This training takes place in the classroom. Use what was taught in the phone role-play session to review both good and bad phone call scenarios. It’s incredible how quickly people improve when they have an audience. This session is a great way to highlight what makes a great phone call.
- Walk-Around Role-Play
Select a target boat in your inventory and let everyone know a few days ahead of training what your unit is for the week. On training day, randomly select a team member to do a walk-around demo for the whole group. Explain to the team that the focus should be on asking qualified questions to identify hot buttons; they should be able to accurately explain features, advantages and benefits, as well as engage the customer. The group then provides their feedback to the team member who presented. By randomly selecting someone, everyone needs to be prepared and ready to present. As an extra step, video the team members completing their walk-around so they can review it on their own for a better understanding of where the feedback is coming from. Do this to offer areas of improvement and encouragement.
The 5×5 training system is quick and easy to implement. It’s a great tool to get your team prepared for the season ahead!
About the Author
Dom Zappia, Area Director at Relentless Dealer Services, an APCO Holdings brand, has been in the industry for 17 years. His extensive knowledge started at a dealership where he was first introduced to F&I as the Finance Manager. Dom’s passion for F&I grew into an extensive training program developed specifically with marine dealerships in mind. His understanding of how dealerships work has helped him to tailor training needs for dealers across the nation. Learn more at www.relentlessdealerservices.com
*Pew Trend Magazine