Are you building value during your presentation/demonstration?

In Part 3 of this series I'll go over the issue of spending some time outside of work perfecting your skills.  As we know in the automotive industry when you start your career most never receive any real training or if there is training it's very rudimentary.  When I started in the business I was given a box of about 20 VCR tapes and told to sit in a room for two days watching them.  Equally relevant, during this two day marathon I had a sales professional come in the room and talk to me for over a hour about how I was going to hate the business.  Upon completion of this worthless endeavor I was given an office, directed to where the forms were and told to shadow a 6 car a month salesman.

  How many great people have we lost in the automotive industry due to this lack of training?  This strategy is setting new people up for failure and most importantly it's not giving new people the opportunity to fulfill their dreams.  What's even worse is that I know stores that still have this strategy in place for new hires.

  We must analyze true professionals to see what separates the Oscar winner or #1 draft pick from the pack that never make it.  Do you think that a #1 draft pick just showed up for the game and never perfected their skill before the game?  The movie start that get's $20 million a movie do you think that is by coincidence?  The student that graduates with a 4.0 do you think he/she spent time outside of class studying?  What's inherent in all these professionals is that they spend a vast amount of time outside of their field perfecting their craft.

  Do we think that the automotive industry is any different?  If you want to take your career to the next level it's imperative that you also sharpen your saw!!  Study websites, listen to lectures, read books and go to seminars to help increase your human capital.  Those that make the real money in this business have a strategy in place that made their dreams a reality.  Successful people take it upon themselves to become the best in their industry and that's why they are compensated as such.

  Last but not least we must look at what we do as a career not just a job!!  Those that have the career mindset will put in the extra effort to take their career to the next level.  Good luck and good selling....