Saskatchewan Automobile Dealers’ Association Training Courses & Calendar

Course Description

Online Live Course Duration – 12 Hours of Live Instructor lead training split into 4 Half Days

Updated for the realities of the highly researched shopper in a socially distanced world!

Some customers are very sensitive and their short-list is shorter than ever before. They are in a varied state of comfort and visiting fewer dealerships and are highly knowledgeable.

We need to be able to meet them where they are in their shopping journey and help them navigate through the best way to purchase their vehicle and be comfortable with the process.

They are much further into the decision process, so how do we proactively lead and help clients to a positive buying decision and respect personal and professional guidelines?

Learning Objectives

1. Psychology of selling

• Understanding the automotive industry and how a client-focused approach to selling follows success principles.

• Eliminate negative preconceptions and develop a personal success formula.

• Help participants understand the buyer decision process. Unlock why buyers behave as they do.

2. Leadership of the buying process and transitions

• To have participants see how our selling best practices exactly mirror the client decision-making process.

3. Overview of the Buying Cycle

• Participants will understand the importance of taking a leadership role in the buying cycle.

4. Introduction

• Participants will have an understanding of how to conduct a proper Introduction and Transition to the Consultation.

• Participants learn word tracks to identify the shopper who has already selected a vehicle from online research.

• Participants learn how to prepare for and introduce themselves to a BDC-generated appointment.

5. Consultation

• Participants will be able to conduct a proper consultation to get an understanding of the client’s needs, lifestyle, budget, and vehicle requirements.

• Participants learn to adapt their approach to meet the needs of a customer who has conducted online research prior to their visit.

• Participants will be able to find the right selection or confirm a selection that a customer has already made, based on his or her needs and available stock.

• How to effectively transition to the presentation.

6. Presentation

• Participants will understand how to present and personalize a vehicle’s features, advantages, and benefits based on the customer's needs and want.

7. Demonstration

• Participants learn a planned approach to the demonstration.

• Transitioning to Build Added Value.

8. Building Added Value

• Be able to answer the question “Why should I buy here?” and build value in the dealership.

• Be able to transition to Information Review.

9. Information Review and Terms to Own

• Understanding how to confirm mental ownership.

• Understanding how to maintain leadership.

• Understanding the customer’s Terms to Own, and why this should be agreed upon preceding figures.

• Understand and develop skills in gathering information for the worksheet/proposal and working with trades.

1. Terms to Own

• To get a practical application of the skills of the Terms to Own.

2. Presenting Figures

• Participants learn to develop skills around presenting figures and justifying trade value.

3. Overcoming Objections

• Participants learn how to professionally respond to Objections and solve problems.

4. Management Involvement

• Participants learn how to professionally involve a manager when difficulties arise.

5. Financial Choices – Business Office Turnover

• Participants learn a professional and effective turnover process.

6. Delivery / Follow-up

• Participants learn how they participate in the professional delivery.

• Participants understand the delivery is not the end but the start of a long-term relationship.

• Participants learn how to position the customer for referrals and leverage the customer’s social media.

7. Follow-up / Locate / Personal Marketing

• Participants learn how professionals develop their own traffic and repeat business.

• Participants quantify what their effort in locating opportunities is worth to them.

8. Tracking for Success

• Participants understand the value of personal accountability and self-analysis.

What did participants like most about the program?

• The first part of the introduction was super interesting
• Two-way communication was excellent 
• Improving my sales skills and bring me to another level
• The way it motivates and changed my closing style
• Role Play sessions
• The skill of closing sales / Dealing with customers using a proper way
• The way it motivates and improves
• How to present and lead the customer
• Role-play sessions
• I can learn all the steps and the way to talk to the customer more confidently

Here's what participants said about the course?

• This course was very helpful to me
• I will sell at one more car a week because of this course
• Great course / great instructors
• All the consultants should learn from you guys
• This will certainly improve my knowledge in the future
• Thank you so much, this helps me a lot
• This is my first day at Listowel Ford and I am very glad I had the opportunity to be in this class. Phil is a great mentor and a very good teacher. 

Listowel Chrysler – New Sales Consultant

•  “I have now been in the car business for two months now and had a very successful start. In my first month of July, I sold 18 units and in the month of August, my number was 19… I want to thank you for sharing your expertise and knowledge. I owe all to you for such a successful start."

MMDA Student

• “Amazing Course! 3 hours into my first shift following their process, I was able to handle questions efficiently and do a proper qualification with my customer, brought the proper information to my Sales Manager, and were able to work within the customers' Terms to Own and get a deal done! Don't miss their courses, even if you're a seasoned vet!!!!"

Tom Anderson – Ledingham GM

High-Performance Leadership Part – 1 (MHPT-1)

Program Structure: Classroom
• 8 hours
• Includes all Sales Management, General Managers

Methods: Interactive Instruction, Trainer-led Group Discussion, Practical Skills Exercises

Objectives:

• To increase the sales managers knowledge of modern best practices in the current customer environment
• To increase manager’s understanding of the dynamics of ‘change management and their role in achieving higher performance through their people
• To gain greater knowledge of how to develop a “high-performance culture”
• Increase comfort with and effectiveness in conducting better structured one-on-one coaching
• Increase manager’s ability to deliver more effective skill development meetings
• Managers will be able to motivate team members to change in a positive direction
• Managers will be able to develop productive habits for themselves and the team
• Managers will have a better understanding of the forces at work against them in developing their team and be more confident in overcoming those forces

Expected Outcomes Upon Execution of Strategies:

With the execution of discussed strategies, a culture of personal responsibility for team members will emerge.
Increases in sales volume and long-term profitability.
Increase in CSI and customer retention

Managing a High-Performance Team – 2 (MHPT-2) “Managers to Coaches”

Program Structure: Classroom
8 hours
Includes all Sales Management, General Managers

Methods: Online Line or Live interactive instruction, Trainer-led Group Discussion, Practical Skills Exercises

Objectives:

Increase the participant’s understanding of the dynamics of change management and their role in achieving higher performance through their people
Increase the participant’s knowledge and proficiency
with the coaching aspects of their job
Increase comfort with and effectiveness in conducting one-on-one coaching
Increase comfort with and effectiveness in delivering skill development meetings

Course Topics:

• Management development of people
• Why is change hard?
• Coaching
• Your role in coaching and change
• The forces working against us
• CEO / GM impact on accountability
• Sales team coaching
• Coaching is sales
• Coaching questions
• Better One-on-ones
• What should I coach?
• Learning styles
• Attention span
• Incorporating stories
• How well do you need to know it?
• Designing a meeting agenda
• Evaluation of learning/change
• Appendix – practice materials
• Practice scenarios
• One-on-ones
• Skill development training
• Practice One-on-ones (Set-up)

Projected Expected Outcomes:

Returning to the dealership, participants should feel more confident conducting one-on-one coaching sessions and delivering skill development meetings with their team
Participants will have a better understanding of the forces at work against them in developing their team and more confidence in overcoming those forces

Build your repeat and referral network

Duration: 2 x 3 hour Sessions
Attendees: Sales Consultants, Sales Management, General Managers
Methods: Online Live- Interactive Instruction, Trainer-led Group Discussion, Practical Skills Exercises.

Topics and Objectives

• Consumer Research, social media, And Shopping Behaviour. New Realities – Future Success.
• Participants are provided with a comprehensive summary of current research findings in the areas of consumer behaviour, social media usage, shopper research habits, consumer expectations, and future purchase intentions.
• Participants understand the link between these changes and the need to adapt their attitudes, expectations, and personal approach to better match the current and future customer.
• Participants understand the personal impacts of fewer dealership visits, lower walk-in traffic, and shoppers well advanced in their decision-making.
• Participants understand that the days of going to work to wait for traffic are gone. There is nothing that dealership or brand can do to bring back the days of high walk-in traffic. It’s a permanent change in shopping behaviour that affects every dealership and every brand.

What do we learn and do?

• Participants review and evaluate the current and future realities.
• Participants translate facts to impacts to personal actions required.
• Participants understand a status quo approach to their role will not achieve future success.
• Participants understand the need for an “appointment culture" to ensure future success.
• Nature Of Loyalty. Marketing: Brand Vs. Dealer Vs Personal. Mechanisms For Building Loyalty.
• Participants understand the differences and objectives of personal marketing versus brand or store marketing.
• Loyalty, Repeat, And Conquest Business. Passive Versus Active Approaches. What Is Outbound Marketing?
• Participants review passive versus active approaches to business development. Participants understand what activities fall within the definition of “Outbound Marketing".
• Circles Of Influence: Defining Your Existing and Future Online/Offline Networks.
• Participants understand how to identify their existing or potential new circles of influence – both on-line and off-line.
• Participants understand how to identify logical targets to increase their circles of influence via activities, interests, or associations.
• Re-Defining Our Role. Designing Our Personal Marketing Plan/Methods/ Channels.
• Participants design a plan for growing circles of influence that defines methods, channels, and frequencies/timings.
• Participants identify missing channels and create action plans to establish.

Content Review – Reflection – Action Items

Each vehicle consultant will reflect on the content presented and create action items for back at the store.

Sales and Service Integration – SSI

Course duration – 3 hrs
Method – Live or Online Live Interactive Instructor Lead Sessions
Who should attend?
All Sales, Parts & Service, Reception and Business Office

This course covers:

In sales and in service, we serve the same customer but provide different benefits to them. After-sales service ranks high on the list of priorities, although many salespeople forget to tell customers about the great things their dealership does to meet and exceed customer expectations.

What you will learn:

• The values for excellence in customer experience
• Understanding the importance of seamless integration between sales and service
• Presenting the parts and service department to the customer how you and the dealership will take care of them after their purchase
• Help the customer understand the benefits of choosing our company
• Key staff to customer communication strategies

Learning about your dealership staff and services to include:
• Number of Friendly Staff
• Inspection Facilities
• Commitment to reconditioning
• Shop Equipment / diagnostic tools
• Accessories display
• Parts Inventory value
• Technician cumulative experience
• Master Technicians on staff
• Department awards and plaques
• CSI Awards
• Customer lounge/facilities
• Internet access
• Business centre
• Service department hours of operation
• Online service booking
• Preauthorized services
• All-make services

Service Advisor Selling Skills (SerAS-1)

Program Structure: Classroom
8 hours
Includes all Service Management, Service Advisors, Parts Advisors, Service Reception, Appointment Coordinators and Tower Supervisor

Methods: Interactive Instruction, Trainer-led Group Discussion, Practical Skills Exercises.

Training Content – Service Advisor Program (2 x 1-day sessions)

• Role of the Service Advisor in the service process. Structure in selling
• Eliminating misconceptions, Good Service is Good Sales!
• Understanding customer fears/expectations
• Interview technique / Listening skills / Write-up skills
• Consultative sales process
• Decision making in advance. Avoiding the 1-line R/O
• Maximizing efficiency and productivity – better customer interactions
• Communication while work is in progress
• Identifying sales opportunities / Creating options / Presenting solutions
• Cross-selling techniques
• Building value/work order review skills
• Telephone skills and turning inquiries into appointments
• Managing workflow through better appointment procedures
• Tracking performance
• Follow-up strategies

Projected Outcomes:

• Develop the sales skills of service advisors
• Increase personal leadership in the service consultation
• Increase hours and dollars per customer R.O.
• Increase the sales of parts and accessories
• Improve control of scheduling to maximize efficiency
• Greater customer retention

Service Managers Team Leadership Course (SerML-1)

Program Structure: Classroom
8 hours
Includes all Fixed Operations Managers, General Managers

Topic Areas and Objectives:

Cultivating your environment
• Participants will examine the culture within the department. Various mindsets and beliefs

Attributes of an Exceptional Service Department
• Participants will understand the thoughts from outside of our industry and look at what makes a service organization great

Leadership and Coaching vs. Management
• Participants will understand that if we want someone to change behavior, we need to understand how the change sounds and feels from their perspective. Why change? Who benefits? Why is that better?

The Service Cycle
• Participants will understand the Service Cycle and why this flow is a logical path to follow. The order of things can create or control the chaos

Critical KPI's What to Track
• Participants will understand what numbers matter the most and how we can be deceived by looking at too few of the KPI's. Keep it simple but track the essentials

Quality vs. Compromised time
• Participants will know the effects of time compressions on our job outcomes. Can rushing save time if we skip essential items? We need to be able to see clearly through the common illusions
Consultations, Workshop Scheduling Strategy
• Participants will understand time management and profitability. Compare common practice to best practice. Illusions are a powerful trap; how do we separate what we can and cannot control by changing our strategy

Internal, Retail and Warranty
• Participants will know the common goal used to create structure can produce an opposite effect

Building all the value in Products and Services
• Participants will examine the various customer types and understand what builds value in their minds

Controlling our emotions around a customer situation
• Participants will understand the difference between our sympathy for our customer's situation and actions that solve their problem

Planning and delivering your own training meetings
• Participants will learn how to deliver effective, short and concise training meeting to develop your staff

Acton Planning
• Managers will identify the key action items for training topics and have a plan to support the team.

Projected Outcomes

• Service Managers will:
• have a strong knowledge of the things they can do to positively affect their environment
• know how to exceed the customer expectations by validation and anticipation
• understand various motivators and demotivators of different personality types
• know what the key metrics are to having a clear perspective in their department
• understand the effects of quality vs. compromised time on customer satisfaction and profitability
• have better control of the entire schedule and be able to blend internal retail and warranty work seamlessly
• how to sell a value proposition vs. product name
• understand the psychology that affects our outlook and can stop us from serving the customer
• know how to plan and deliver effective staff meetings

Transitions to Buy Now (SETTBN-1)

Program Structure: Classroom
8 hours
Includes all Sales Consultants, Management, General Managers

Methods: Interactive Instruction, Trainer-led Group Discussion, Practical Skills Exercises

Topics and Objectives:

Understanding the Buyer's Plan
• Participants will understand the buyer decision process, and why buyers behave as they do

Leadership: Have a Positive Influence
• Participants will understand the importance of establishing positive customer-centric leadership to help people accomplish their goals
• Participants will understand the importance of taking responsibility for their actions in the market

Selling Cycle Overview
• Participants will know where in the process we can go off track and compromise the closing ratio

Transition Structure
• Participants will know the most effective strategy for establishing or re-establishing leadership in transitions

Transition: Introduction to Consultation
• Participants will understand the importance of building a strong foundation for the sales process
• Participants with know the best strategy for overcoming the most common stalls from the Introduction to the Consultation

Transition: Presentation to Demonstration
• Participants will be able to quantify how strategic effort makes a financial impact for the company and themselves

Transition: Demonstration to the BAV and Information Review
• Participants will understand the importance of the BAV and know how to effectively maintain leadership in the transition to the BAV

Transition: Information Review to Terms to Own
Participants will know the steps to transition the customer to the Terms to Own

Conclusion – Reflection
Participants will know how to identify current strengths and areas for improvement, develop immediate action items, build/customize scripts and create immediate action plans

Expected Outcomes Upon Execution of Strategies:

• With the execution of discussed strategies, Sales Consultants and Managers will be able to help customers advance farther through the customer experience to increase closing ratios
• Increases in sales volume and long-term profitability
• Increase in CSI, customer and staff retention

Professional Telephone Skills Development

Program Structure: Classroom
Duration: 8 hours
Attendees: Sales Consultants, Sales Management, General Managers
Methods: Online Live and Live Interactive Instruction, Trainer-led Group Discussion, Practical Skills Exercises.

Topics and Objectives

Market Realities
• Participants will have an understanding of today’s market and key drivers behind buyer behavior

Growth in today’s market
• Participants will be able to identify strategies and understand the right mindset for growing your “business within the business”

Sourcing Opportunities
• Participants will be able to identify and prioritizing ‘prime’ target marketing opportunities.

Telephone Success

Participants will:
• have an understanding of the most effective behaviors and the habits that should be avoided when making or taking telephone opportunities
• be able to follow up on a direct mail campaign
• know the fundamentals of language and communication to establish and maintain ‘positive leadership’ on the telephone

Outbound Call Structure

Participants will:
• have a pre-call plan for the target market
• understand business-to-business marketing
• know how to expand their “sphere of influence”
• understand the core principles of an effective outbound call structure
• be able to build personalized scripts to approach the target market “Using their words in a proven strategy.”
• Be able to make effective outgoing calls through practical application in “Real-Play.”

Follow-up and follow-through

Participants will:
• know effective frequency and content for long-term follow-up to build a solid book of business.
• know how to generate more referrals.
• be able to make better follow-up calls through practical application in “Real-Play.”

What’s it worth

Participants will:
• Know the personal financial impact of creating great habits and skills for outbound calls and personal marketing

Incoming Call Structure

Participants will:
• know the underlying behaviors of customers that call in and the objectives of the salesperson success plan
• understand the role of the Internet and how the Information Age affects caller behavior
• be able to identify the core principles of an effective incoming call structure for a highly informed buyer
• understand the core principles of an effective incoming call structure for various media leads
• be able to effectively take Incoming calls through practical application in “Real-Play.”

Conclusion, reflection, and self-development

Participants will:
• be encouraged to identify current strengths and areas for improvement
• to develop immediate action items
• to build/customize scripts
• to create immediate action plans.

Projected Outcomes

• Participants will have a mindset of ‘Self Employment,’ and a plan to drive their own success
• Participants feel more confident in customizing proven call structures to their own words
• Participants have a better plan for a variety of incoming and outgoing call types
• Participants will achieve a higher number of kept appointments
• Participants will be more effective building positive long-term relationships with their client database
• Participants will have a better understanding to their role with ‘Highly Informed Buyers’ and have a better game plan for handling and creating opportunities
• Participants will develop a personal action plan to implement the new skills
• Participants will understand and take responsibility for measuring and monitoring their own success
• Managers will understand the behaviors that will drive the desired change and know how to coach the associated skills
• The dealership will improve overall customer satisfaction and retention
• The dealership database will recover the negative effects of the non-strategic ‘over mining that has occurred
• The dealership will experience long-term increases in volume and profitability
• The dealership have better control over used inventory mix
• The dealership will experience shorter trade cycles in the long run

Resolving Objections Course Description

Shortening Trade Cycles Sales Consultant Advanced 1 Day (STCY)
Program structure: Online Live or Live delivery
Duration: 2 x 3-hour sessions

Attendees: sales consultants, sales management, general managers
Methods: Online Live or Live interactive instruction, trainer-led group discussion, practical skills exercises.

Topics and objectives

To help Sales consultants to understand why many people keep a vehicle too long and how this adversely affects their overall cost of ownership.
When and Why Should They Trade?
• Sales consultants understand the real impacts to the customer with an inappropriately long trade cycle
• Sales consultants can quantify what trimming the average ownership cycle of their customer base does to volumes and personal income and benefits to the customer
Optimal Trade Timing to Minimize the Cost of Ownership
• Sales consultants understand and can explain the “sweet spot” for a customer to change vehicles
• Business Office Impacts on Trade Cycle
• Participants will understand how finance terms and equity positions affect trade cycles
When Will They Trade?
• Sales consultants will understand how proactivity and strategy affect trade behaviours
Sales Consultant’s Prospecting Process / Discipline
• Sales consultants learn how to turn up the frequency of repeat and referral sales.
• Sales consultants can make appropriate customer contacts to get more from their client base more often
• Educating Our Buyer Today on When We Want That New Vehicle Back
• Sales consultants learn when they can first educate the customer on optimal trade timing
Cost Of Ownership Logic for Overcoming Delay Objections
• Sales consultants can overcome price objections and overcome procrastination today with powerful logic and self-solving techniques
• Getting Your Sales Manager Involved at The Right Time
• Participants will know how to work with managers to help increase customer confidence to trade now

Creating More Internal Referrals
• Sales consultants learn practical approaches to engage with customers when they are coming in for scheduled maintenance
Meeting Your Customer in The Service Department
• Sales consultants will know how to harvest more opportunities effectively from service appointments
Action Plan Development
• Sales consultants set a personal action plan to incorporate the best practices from this program

Sales Consultant Advanced 1 Day Digital Inquiry INET-1

Program Structure: Online live

• 2 x 3-hour sessions 

• Includes all Sales Management, General Managers, Sales Consultants 

Methods: Interactive Instruction, Trainer-led Group Discussion, Practical Skills Exercises. 

Sales Consultant Topics and Learning Objectives

Shopping Behaviour 

• Participants will understand the current trends and behaviours of modern shopping habits of automotive buyers

• Idea To Behaviour Gap 

• Sales Consultants will know what roadblocks exist that reduce consumer confidence in complete online interactions and how behaviours are changing.

Why Not Just Come In?

• Participants will understand the consumer’s perceived time savings, convenience, or keeping a safe separation from dealerships.  

Our Objective 

• Sales consultants will understand the philosophies around a high service approach when a prospect makes a digital inquiry versus visiting the store.

Digital Tools 

• Participants will know the importance of the proper use of the tools for managing incoming digital inquiry, whether they are incorporated into the  dealership DMS, stand-alone software, web  interfaces, or some hybrid solution, and their functions

Timeliness of Response 

• Participants will understand how the time that it takes to respond to a lead affects the outcome of the sale.

Response Standards 

• Participants will understand the basic benchmarks of a digital response

Inquiry Process 

• Personal Service Message 

• Participants will know how to earn the trust of our customers and have them feel comfortable in accepting our help.

• Inquiry – With Phone Number 

• Sales consultants will be able to effectively respond to inquiries that have phone numbers provided and will have customized response templates.

• Inquiry – No Phone Number 

• Sales consultants will be able to effectively respond to inquiries that do not have phone numbers provided and will have customized response templates.