It's Time To Trash Your "Training" Program
By Dave Anderson
Training is not the key to your competitive edge. Nor is it the answer to more sales, profits or market share. Results you get from training aren't worth the investment. In fact, training can be the deepest hole you can throw hard earned money into. Effective training, however, is of incalculable value: you can't spend too much time or money investing in it. Discussing the outcome of training vs. effective training is splitting hairs you say? Hardly. Imagine a group of bank guards going up against a group of Green Berets and you'll get a picture of the difference between training and effective training.
Before you spend another dime, evaluate these guidelines to ensure your training is effective.
1. Hold Separate Sales & Training Meetings. A sales meeting is where you share information on ads, spiffs, policies, schedules, sales, etc. Training meetings deliberately develop competencies for job skills, habits and attitudes. Don't confuse or combine the two.
2. Train Your Trainer. Anyone entrusted with developing skills, habits and attitudes in others should be trained to train. Sounds logical, but most managers holding training can't teach, coach or communicate effectively because knowing how to do something and teaching it are two different skills. Poor trainers do more harm than good. How many man-hours will you waste by allowing unskilled "trainers" to inflict themselves on your people? There are good "Train The Trainer" programs, inside and outside the car business. Quit kidding yourself that your guys "know what they're doing." Unless they've been trained to do it, they don't.
3. You Get Involved. The biggest momentum-maker training programs have is when top leaders attend. Nothing lends credibility like having the boss in class. Think you don't have the time? Get your priorities straight and think again. If you want to understand your people and what's going on, make time to attend training sessions. When you put a high enough value on training to invest your time, you send a message about your priorities. (Besides, once you see your managers in action, you'll pay attention to point two.)
4. Forget "Quick Fixes": Training is a process, not an event. Make it consistent and ongoing. No one is ever "trained." They're in the process of getting better or worse, and without effective training, they take the latter route. Leaders who believe sending people to a 3-day class produces superstars are naive. It's not what happens during a class that makes significant differences in performance, it's what happens day-in and day-out, in-between classes that improves skills. You need reinforcement, accountability and practice, drilling and rehearsing to turn knowledge into action. Take the long view and commit to paying the price for process.
5. Covering Too Much At Once. Training is not a race. If you purchase a set of 12 videos, you own a year's worth of training. Watching a video per week, without internalizing, is foolish. Don't "microwave" the training process: "crock-pot" it. Building skills creates confidence. Skimming a "little of this and a little of that" confuses. Plan your training. Allow for application of what's being learned before moving on.
6. Bias Toward Action. Learning doesn't improve ones competence. Knowledge is not power. Learning and knowledge are only effective when turned into action. Action makes knowledge real; it precedes results. Hold people accountable for using what they're taught. Coach and keep them on track. Most people know what to do, they don't do what they know.
7. Quality Of Information. Look at the date on your training materials. If they were around during any of the following, you need an upgrade: A Republican was president, there was still a Soviet Union, you didn't have a home computer, you thought the Internet was a spy ring. Don't get me wrong, there are valuable nuggets in the oldest of resources. But industry conditions have changed more the past two years than the prior 10. Does the content of your training reflect that? Customers have more information, want faster answers, faster processes, and can buy online. Any program that's over 2 years old, is probably not addressing many of today's issues. You wouldn't want to fly an airplane with a pilot, be operated on by a physician, or defended by an attorney trained with outdated materials. It'd be a death wish. When you allow your people to "operate" on customers with outdated skills, they're inflicting capital punishment on your business, and you're an accomplice.
8. Strike At The Root. Every organization has strengths and weaknesses. Before you begin a training program, assess your strengths and weaknesses. Develop strengths and improve on weaknesses. Customize a program for your organization. There are no "add and stir" regimens that fit everyone. When working on weaknesses, strike at the root, don't "hack at the leaves." For example, if your store has a problem closing deals, you may buy a video library on "closing the sale." But you could be throwing your money away. Is the root of the problem the "closing" verbiage, or is it something leading to the close? The root may be your salespeople aren't building value, and can't close the deal at any price. Or perhaps they're not investigating and putting people on the wrong car. Maybe they're not establishing rapport, so customers find it easy to leave. You get the idea. Teaching them thirty new "closes" would be a waste of time and money. Make sure you're addressing the root problem, not a mirage.
One final thought: Before you bring in outside trainers or send people to class, ask: "How long has it been since the trainer's been in front of a customer?" "When did he last spend time in a dealership?" "Is he speaking from yesteryear's experiences or a recent perspective?" For the money you're paying, these questions are fair. Many trainers talk regularly to managers and dealers so they can "keep up" with the business. That's not enough. Who would you rather operate on you: a doctor who talks to patients, or one who actually spends time in a hospital curing them?
Dave Anderson began in the business as a car salesman, has been Director and General Manager of some of the most successful dealerships in the country as well as Director of Training for Joe Verde Sales and Management Training. He is the author of more than 50 sales and leadership programs, including his newsletter, Leading At The Next Level. danderson@dealeronline.com
