If I were to ask you, do you train your parts, service and sales department. Could you give a definitive answer? Could you tell me about the culture that you have created around training? Would you be able to show me that training is a foundational part of your playbook? How else do your employees learn?
I can hear the objections now. We don’t have time to train. They are responsible for training on their own. There’s not that much new to learn. I’ve invested in training in the past and I didn’t see a return on the bottom line. All these objectives are part of the bigger picture of the culture. I’ve written a bit about creating a healthy relationship between your employees and company.
When it comes to creating a foundation of training in the dealership, it can take a while. But, we seem to be one of the industries that doesn’t really prioritize it. Sure, we have MMI and there are a few other higher level training companies like Spader, but is that really the extent of our industry’s culture?
When I was working in IT before moving over to powersports, there was always something going on – a new certification, class or even session with a vendor to learn. It was built into the foundation of how you got hired and moved up in ANY company. If you had certifications that were two years old, you might not have gotten a call back in favor of someone who kept up with the industry.
While I don’t think we need to be that rigid about creating a learn or leave industry, I do wish we had more of a system we could plug people into when they came into our world. I never would have been able to transition from IT over to powersports if it wasn’t for my husband starting an independent shop and throwing me into the deep end. That act of faith and necessity on his behalf has let me create millions of dollars for all the brands I work with. I never would have won my spark award last year or created a million-dollar parts dept on over-the-counter transactions without that opportunity.
Where I get frustrated is when I tell people this story and what my background is, their comment is “oh, you’re just special or lucky.” This drives me nuts. I am a driven person with big money goals and the drive to figure out how to hit them. A majority of the foundation on how I share information with my team and sell to my customers comes from other industries. For example, I spent all of last year focusing on learning how the luxury market sells. How can a brand sell a $10K handbag and how can I use those same systems and principles to let my team sell an air filter.
I constantly hear people complain that they can’t find good workers. I think we are approaching the problem from the wrong angle. Instead of just assuming we will always be able to get that perfectly qualified unicorn of an employee, why not train your way to the employee you want? Of course, that does put a bit of work back on the manager or owner. But, shouldn’t we be doing this work to begin with?
I would deeply love to have good training that I could rely on from the brands. I have been begging my reps from Can-am, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Honda for better educational opportunities for years now, but my request hasn’t really translated into anything tangible. I’ll give my reps credit. They take my ideas over the years and pitch them, but the higher ups within the food chain don’t seem to care or think it’s profitable.
This is just mind blowing to me. Why would I not want to create a division of training for ALL departments so that they can sell my product or services better? Why am I relying on my reps, who are dwindling by the way, to try and cram down the shops throats the latest sales goals, and also think they are going to have time to train on the latest product release.
It’s super frustrating and embarrassing when customers come into the shop and know about the product release and new features before we do. I shouldn’t have to go to YouTube to find someone’s review video so I can learn how to install an accessory on a bike. Yet, this is the standard the industry has set for us. When a new feature comes out, I’m telling everyone. Sometimes, the gossip hotline, even between dealerships, is the only way that we can learn something.
Why is there not a portal inside every brand where I can get training on all the new machine releases, basic mechanical knowledge and accessory training? An all-in-one spot and not restricted to what my title is, or if I can show up to onsite training. Just because I’m in parts does not mean I don’t need mechanical knowledge. Just because my husband is in service doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to know how accessories are installed. Just because my coworker is in sales doesn’t mean they don’t need to know about common mechanical issues.
This is why I’m so passionate about getting dealers to create a training culture that is accessible to everyone in the company. The better informed we are as a team, the better we sell and the more profitable we are. The more customer loyalty we create, the more we can drive customers back to the brands we are representing.
