PRESS RELEASE
BMW Announces NADA Sales Program Endorsement
3 February 1997
BMW Endorses NADA Sales Certification Program
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- BMW of North America, Inc. and the
National Automobile Dealers Association today announced BMW's endorsement of
the NADA Salesperson Certification program. BMW becomes the first
international brand to endorse industry standards for new-car sales staffs.
"BMW's endorsement demonstrates our commitment to the franchise system and
the added value that only independent, entrepreneurial, franchised retailers
can provide. Sales professionals are an essential factor in delivering added-
value to customers," said Thomas 0. McGurn, BMW's General Manager - Retail &
Industry Relations.
"While BMW customers use new technology and independent sources to do
research prior to buying, they want a personalized, respectful and intelligent
experience when they visit the retailer. The NADA certification program made
sense to us since BMW was the first automobile company to fully integrate
ethics in its retailer training program," McGurn added. BMW first included
ethics training in June of 1996.
"When we launched Salesperson Certification in 1992, our goal was to set a
standard by which to measure the service and professionalism customers receive
in the showroom," said John P. Peterson, 1996 NADA president.
NADA's curriculum covers three main areas through the Salesperson
Certification program: ethics and law, customer satisfaction and professional
sales practices. It supplements the product knowledge and professional skills
training already offered by BMW.
After they complete the training, they must pass the NADA certification
exam administered by a third party occupational testing institute. To date,
more than 4,000 sales people nationwide have been certified and belong to the
Society of Automotive Sales Professionals.
NADA recently began qualifying BMW instructors to deliver the training
element of salesperson certification as a supplement to the BMW professional
development training curriculum for 1997. NADA certification will begin this
spring and BMW expects more than 80 percent of its retail sales specialists to
become fully certified by mid-1998.
BMW sales in the U.S. reached 105,751 in 1996, double the total of 1991.
In addition to product, BMW attributes the dramatic sales gain to a value-
added strategy carried out together with its 342-member retail organization.
Elements of the strategy include low cost financing for construction and
renovation of customer exclusive facilities, an initiative to reduce insurance
costs for owners, including scheduled maintenance in the price of new
automobiles, a certified pre-owned program and interactive satellite
television training.
BMW of North America, Inc. was established in 1975, when the company
assumed marketing and distribution responsibilities for BMW vehicles in the
U.S. from a private distributor. Since then, the company's North American
operations have grown to include marketing, sales and financial services
organizations in the United States and Canada; a South Carolina manufacturing
operation; a design firm in California; and various other operations
throughout the U.S. and Canada. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the brand's North
American headquarters, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW products is available to consumers via the World
Wide Web on the BMW homepage. The address is: http://www.bmwusa.com.
The National Automobile Dealers Association represents 19,500 franchised
new-car and truck dealers holding nearly 40,000 separate franchises, domestic
and international.
Journalist note: This and all BMW press materials are available via BMW's
fax-on-demand service. The phone number is: 888-BMW-4960.
SOURCE BMW of North America, Inc.
CONTACT: Martha McKinley, Business Communications Manager of BMW, 201-307-3786;
or Donna Reichle of NADA, 703-827-7407