http://www.automotivedigitaltraining.com

April 2013, Cover of AutoSuccess Magazine “Automotive Digital Training”

NADA says that there are approximately 17,580 franchised dealerships in the country. The average dealership sells approximately 96 units per month. The average dealership has 10 sales people, meaning that the average salesperson sells approximately 9.6 units per month. NADA says that the average cost per sale in advertising is OVER $600 per car. Let’s break that down, 96 units X $600 = $57,600 (per month) or $691,200 annually spent on advertising. The average dealership invests $5,760 per month per salesperson or $69,120 annually per sales person in advertising dollars. That means that Dealers spend MORE in ad dollars per sales person versus what these sales people actually make per month, per year!

Then why is it that MOST dealerships DO NOT train their people? When I say “DO NOT” train, I am talking about other than basic or OEM training. It just baffles me how we can be in a multi-billion dollar industry but we wing it on a daily basis. Dealers spend the vast majority of their budget on trying to drive “fresh ups” to the dealership, on mailers, print, radio, TV, digital marketing, technology, CRMs, Websites, Software, Video, Cameras and various other things but little or NO budget in training and evolving their greatest assets, their “human assets”.

Zig Ziglar once said ‘there's only one thing worse than training your staff and having them leave, and that's not training them and having them stay.'

Dealers know this, I know this and you know this. Then why is this still a reality? Why is this still an epidemic in our industry? Dealers have come up with a list of reasons why:

• Training is TOO EXPENSIVE… A trainer with actual experience and a proven track record charges a lot of money. $5,000, $7,500, even $10,000 per day (plus expenses)!

• Some Dealers have had a BAD experience in the past with a trainer that came into their dealership, charged them a lot of money and didn’t deliver! So, now they are reluctant to invest in training because they fear losing the investment again.

• You don’t get the “Rock Star” , meaning that the dealer gets entranced with a national personality and decided to make the leap of faith and hire ABC Training company and is totally disappointed when they find out they don’t get the founder / CEO (The Rockstar), they get some rookie, fledgling to come to their dealership. This is anti-climatic!

• What happens AFTER the trainer leaves? OK, so the dealership invests a tremendous amount of money in training and they bring in the “Hot Shot” trainer for 2-3 days into the dealership. The trainer evangelizes the message BUT… what happens after the “ether” wears off?

• People learn differently… There are different “Mind Patterns”. People are either:
o Visual thinkers / learners
o Kinesthetic thinkers / learners
o Auditory thinkers / learners
Meaning that NOT all trainers will work, or fit for ALL of your employees.

• Lost Opportunity – The time that employees are traveling to a workshop, either driving or flying is time away from selling. The time that showroom sales consultants, Internet sales & / or BDC reps are off the floor, off the Internet or off the phones and are in a training room with a trainer or consultant is time away from making money. Time away from selling cars or selling appointments.

Think about it for a minute… What should we truly be TRAINING our people on?
• Showroom Sales Basics “The Road To The Sale”
• Advanced Showroom Sales Tactics
• The Art of Prospecting (How a Sales Professional can create and grow “their own business”)
• Entrepreneurship
• Time Management, Organization, Goal Planning / Projecting
• Leadership (FranklinCovey)
• Phone Sales
• Communications
• Statistics, Data, Trends, Benchmarks / Composites
• Internet Sales
• Business Development
• Follow Up
• Digital Marketing (SEO, VSEO, PPC, Social Media, Websites, Online Reputation, Email Marketing)
• Data Mining
• CRM
• Sales Management & ADVANCED Sales Management
• Human Resources (Recruiting, Interviewing, Hiring, Pay Plans, Schedules etc..)
• F&I
• Female Certification (How to market to, sell to and retain female shoppers / buyers)
• Customer Service

Can you imagine if Dealers actually invested in TRAINING their people in some, most, or ALL of these subjects? Think about what that would do to the “Bottom Line”! I can see how we can increase the average (“Mediocrity”) 9.6 units sold per sales consultant to 12 – 15 units and take the 15 car sales consultants to 20 – 25 units per month and the 20-25 sales pros to 35-40+ units per month! Why wouldn’t it? Why is it not possible? Why is it Not Probable? I challenge you all to TRY. Train your people, give them an opportunity to be more than “ordinary” give them the opportunity and resources to be ‘extraordinary”. Dealers need to make their PEOPLE their #1 priority. The better your people, the better your business… bottom line.

Finally, the Automotive Sales industry has the solution to the age old dilemma of “To Train or Not to Train”? The Automotive Digital Training Network is the Most Comprehensive Training Platform to ever be created. Automotive Digital Training (Or ADT) is a 24 / 7 Video On Demand Training, Tracking, Testing and Certification Platform. The actual ADT technology or Learning Management System (LMS) is the most powerful period. But what makes the Automotive Digital Training system so powerful and unique is NOT the technology by itself. It is the TRAINERS on the platform. The Automotive industry has never had a training platform filled with as much talent, experience, credibility, celebrities, subject matter experts all in one place. There are other tools out there but they have maybe 1 “Rock Star” trainer and that is all there is and some “content fillers”. The ADT platform has 1 requirement and that is that ONLY the absolute best of the best can be on the ADT platform. Think of it this way… You might like “Spider-Man” or think that “Green Lantern” are good super heroes. The Automotive Digital Training Platform is like the “Avengers” or the “Justice League” to their single super hero. Why should a dealer choose and pay for one platform with one trainer that has one specialty but talks about other things…? For example, would you go to the dentist if you had heart problems? NO! Then why get training on Internet Sales, BDC or Digital Marketing from trainers that have NEVER worked in, built, or managed an Internet Sales Department or BDC, EVER in their career? Why because you use them for training on “Road To The Sale” and you have NO other training or information on Internet or BDC…? That is the SAME THING as going to the Dentist and allowing him to give you a triple bypass because he is somewhat related to the medical field! It is ludicrous and should not ever happen at your dealerships.
The Automotive Digital Training Platform (with its Training team) has a combined actual Automotive Sales experience of OVER 160 years! And the ADT Team has literally trained over 275,000 Automotive Sales Professionals. Seriously, think about those numbers. That is what Automotive Digital Training is all about… experience, subject matter expertise, success, credibility all for you the dealership.

ADT is the answer to all of those training objections / obstacles discussed earlier in the article. Lets go through those one by one:

• Training is no longer cost prohibited. As a matter of fact for less than the going rate of an intermediate trainer for 1 day in your dealership ($2,500). You can have a 24 hour, 7 days a week comprehensive video on demand training, tracking, testing & certification platform for your entire Showroom Sales team, Internet / BDC department, Digital Marketing & Management Team (including F&I) for an entire month!

• For the Dealers that have had a bad experience… All I can say is I am sorry that you had a bad experience or even lost money. With that being said, that cannot and will not happen with the “A-Team” of ADT. They have already trained over 250,000 Automotive Sales professionals. There has never been a team ever assembled at this level, ever.

• You will ALWAYS get the “Rock Star” or “Super Hero” that you have come to respect and need. ADT’s roster is ONLY Elite… no bench warmers.

• What happens AFTER the trainer leaves…? One of the best things about the Automotive Digital Training platform is the fact that Sales Consultants, Internet / BDC reps, Managers etc… can train 24 / 7 anywhere. They can train at work, on break or lunch, at home, in the gym. Literally, the ADT training is “On Demand”. Plus, there is a complete accountability system that tracks who is watching the videos, when they are watching them, what videos were watched, for how long they were viewed, were they watched to completion? And then there is testing for each and every video watched to measure retention to the information.

• People Do learn differently and that is another reason why the Automotive Digital Training platform is so powerful and is light years ahead of “old school” training resources like old and outdated work books or old and out dated video tapes. The ADT platform is full multimedia, not only does it consist of training videos by elite trainers, but there is interactive learning and “role playing” capabilities on the platform as well. Furthermore, every single week or month there are new modules from all of the trainers. So, as the industry changes and evolves, so does the information and education. As a matter of fact the elite training team of Automotive Digital Training consists of trend setters and serious “influencers”. So as they identify new strategies, technologies, tactics, secrets, resources etc… they will add those as new training modules on the platform. Plus there are different trainers for different students, different styles for different cultures. This is total customization learning.

• There is no more “lost opportunity” because of the 24 / 7 video on demand capabilities. The training is done when and where you chose as the dealer. You can schedule time to train accordingly and / or you can provide the resource for your people to immerse themselves additionally on THEIR time.

The best way to understand the Automotive Digital Training Platform is to think of it like a Television Network and on a television network you are going to have different “channels”. Each channel has a specialty for example “ESPN” is the Sports channel, “MTV” is the music channel, “CNN” is the news channel, “HBO” is a premium movie channel and “Showtime” is a premium channel. Automotive Digital Training consists of “channels” on the “network” of Automotive Digital Training Inc.

Here are the Channels on the Automotive Digital Training Platform and the Elite Trainers That Host them:

The Automotive Digital Training “Core” Channel:

• Internet Sales
• Business Development
• Phone Sales
• Objections / Rebuttals / Word tracks
• Digital Marketing… Email Marketing, Online Reputation, CRM Data Mining
• Female Certification (How to market to, sell to and retain female shoppers / buyers)
• Entrepreneurship
• Time Management, Organization, Goal Planning / Projecting
• Leadership (FranklinCovey)
• CRM
• Communications
• Statistics, Data, Trends, Benchmarks / Composites
• Video & Video Search Engine Optimization (VSEO)

The Trainers :

Sean V. Bradley – CEO of Dealer Synergy is one of the top automotive trainers and consultants in the country and is currently one of the most sought after subject matter experts for Internet Sales, Business Development and Digital Marketing. Sean has over 14 years Automotive Sales experience. Beginning as a sales consultant, Sean learned the business from the ground up holding positions at dealerships as Sales Manager, Internet Sales Manager, Special Finance Manager and Business Development Director.

Sean has spoken to over 90 NADA, NCM And Internet Sales 20 groups. Sean has been noted as one of the highest rated NADA Convention Speakers 3 years in a row. Sean was a General Assembly Speaker for several Digital Dealer Conventions; He was also an expert on the JD Power & Associates Internet Round Table. Sean has guided Dealer Synergy to become a two-time winner of the Auto Dealer’s Monthly’s Dealers Choice Award for “Best Internet Trainer” and was also voted “Best of the Best Internet Training Company” 3 years in a row by Dealix. Furthermore, Sean V. Bradley is the only certified FranklinCovey Trainer and Facilitator in the Automotive Industry (Besides his wife and partner, Karen Bradley) and a proud member of the National Speakers Association.

Mr. Bradley also created the popular NCM/Dealer Synergy Internet Sales Boot Camps, the Synergy Sessions events, Internet Director Immersion Program and the hugely successful Internet Sales 20 Group. Additionally, he is the founder of AutomotiveInternetSales.com and the co-creator of Dealer Battle Plan. Most notably, he pioneered the field of Automotive Video Search Engine Optimization. Sean V. Bradley writes in over 13 national and international magazines and is a contributing writer on numerous automotive blogs and networking sites. Sean has had his own column in AutoSuccess Magazine for over 5 years.

Sean V. Bradley has personally trained over 2,000 Dealer Principals / GMs and 5,000 Sales Professionals and Managers for a total of over 7,000 Automotive Professionals

Peter Martin – President of Cactus Sky Communications

Peter “webdoc” Martin is renowned for creating innovative and cutting-edge programs, systems, and tools to facilitate the Auto Dealer’s success in today’s market. Peter is the Co-Founder of ADT (Automotive Digital Training) a comprehensive web based video on demand training and testing platform for the Auto Industry.
Martin is also currently the President of Cactus Sky Communications — a company that helps businesses acquire, manage, and retain customers online. He has leveraged over 27 years of sales and marketing experience to become a business leader, speaker, writer, and trainer with a focus in email and online marketing. Cactus Sky is recognized as one of the premier digital marketing companies in the country.

Martin is a digital marketing expert nationally recognized as the “webdoc,” and is the technology correspondent for ABC 7 News where he provides technology advice, website reviews, and product news. The “web doc” currently has over 20,000 followers on Twitter. Peter is also a regular speaker and trainer for the NADA, the NIADA, and Digital Dealer, as well as other business organizations. As a contributing author to Digital Dealer, AutoSuccess, and other publications, he provides training and education on a variety of topics. This includes email marketing, website design, sub-prime marketing, database mining, online reputation, automotive marketing, social media marketing, and how to sell to women. The webdoc is the technology correspondent for the National News Team: a syndicated radio and television network.

He began sending out Monday Motivational in 2005 and currently has more than 21,000 subscribers who tune in to jump-start their workweek. His first book, “Monday Motivationals,” will be released this year.

In 2006, Martin founded AskPatty.com, the number one automotive advice site for women. He created the Certified Female Friendly Training Program, which was designed to assist car dealers to sell as well as provide exceptional customer service to women.
Peter started his automotive career after graduating with a BS Marketing degree in 1987 with the Ricart Ford organization. He was part of the management team that took the dealership to the Number 1 ranking in the nation for Ford. His extensive background in the automotive industry provides him with a keen insight into advertising and marketing.

Peter Martin has personally trained over 10,000 Automotive Sales Professionals in his career.

Karen Bradley – President of Dealer Synergy, is a Drexel University graduate with a strong background in business management and customer service. She currently owns 4 companies and has appeared on the covers of nationally syndicated magazines including AutoSuccess Magazine. Karen is an Instructional Design and Curriculum Development expert who has made a huge impact on numerous dealerships through her trainings. She is also recognized by the National Speakers Association for her skills in public speaking. Additionally, as a certified Franklin Covey trainer, Karen inspires dealerships across the country as a facilitator of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and the 5 choices of extraordinary productivity curriculum.
Karen Bradley is also the Co-Creator on the Internet Sales 20 Group. Karen was instrumental in developing all of the composites, workbooks, curriculum and instructional design of the acclaimed workshop.

Karen’s unique background and expertise make her an exceptional asset on the ADT team. Karen will be training on “Female Certification” on how to market to the female shopper, how to engage the female prospect and retain the female customer. Karen will also be training on time management, leadership and organization.

Karen Bradley likes to remain behind the scenes but will be at the front of the classroom on the ADT platform. Her curriculum, instructional design and workshops have served over 3,000 Automotive Sales Professionals

Ziegler Super System Channel :

• Sales Management
• Showroom Sales Success
• Objections / Rebuttals / Word tracks
• Desking
• Success & Wealth
• Motivation, Inspiration and Leadership
• F&I

Trainer:

James A. Ziegler, CSP, HSG -
For more than 37 years, James A. Ziegler, CSP has researched, studied, and trained in the retail automobile business as surely as if he were studying for a Masters’ degree in any other profession. He’s the ultimate student of our industry. Ziegler exhibits intellectual dynamics and an incredible ability to perform at levels above the industry.

Jim Ziegler’s future forecasting has accuracy in the 90% + category for predicting industry trends and events before they happen: the best record in the industry. As a retail consultant working with manufacturers and more than 15,000 dealerships nationwide, Ziegler is respected for his expertise internationally.

James Ziegler is often interviewed, featured in articles by him or about him, and quoted as an industry expert by Reuters, Automotive News, USA Today, Bloomberg News, Dow-Jones, Wards Dealer Business, F&I and Showroom magazine, Entrepreneur magazine, Success magazine, Newswire, Automotive Executive, RV Executive today, Auto Age, AutoSuccess, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WSB television, BBC International Radio, Detroit News, and he’s appeared on CNN.

Jim Ziegler has personally…

• Worked with 15,000 dealerships nationwide
• Trained 100,000 Dealers, Managers, and Executives
• Been the featured keynote speaker in 79 State Automobile Dealer Association Conventions

Automotive Digital Marketing Channel:

• Best Practices & Strategy
• Advertising / Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization
• Pay Per Click
• Retargeting
• Websites
• Social Media
• Display Advertising
• Focus Sites / Micro Sites
• Blogs
• Mobile Marketing

Trainer:

Ralph Paglia – Ralph has been in the Automotive Sales industry for 32 years. He is an established automotive marketing practitioner and a highly respected auto industry operations consultant and thought leader. He has written dozens of articles published in major magazines, and has been referenced and quoted by many others.

Ralph is the creator of the Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community and has served as Vice President of Digital at Tier10 Marketing, Director of Digital Marketing Solutions at ADP Dealer Services, Reynolds Consulting Services Practice Leader and OEM Partnership Executive at The Reynolds and Reynolds Company. He led the Courtesy Chevrolet Digital Marketing and BDC teams from 2005 through 2007 when the dealership retailed over 11,000 new and used vehicles in 2006.

For the past 15 years Ralph has led the auto industry’s adoption of digital marketing strategies and tactics while designing programs for Ford Motor Company, Mercedes-Benz USA, American Honda Motor Company, Toyota Motor Sales and retail enterprises such as AutoNation, Group 1 Automotive, Penske Automotive Group and others.

Ralph has personally trained over 55,000 Automotive Sales professionals in his career and his Automotive Digital Marketing (ADM) Blog has had over 1.8 Million Visitors in the last 5 years

AutoMax Channel:

• Human Resources
• How and Where to recruit
• Screening & Interviewing
• Job descriptions, job ads
• Recruiting sites and portals
• Offer letter, NDAs, Non competes and other compliances
• Schedules
• Pay plans
• New Bee “Get Started” training

Trainer:

Craig Lockerd - is the founder and CEO of AutoMax Recruiting And Training, the most requested recruiting and training firm in the United States. A 30+ year veteran of the auto industry, his philosophy is simple, "It all starts with, and ends with, people." A highly sought after speaker, Craig has spoken at numerous Twenty-Groups, dealerships and industry conferences.
Craig has worked with dealerships nationwide on over 11,000 recruiting/training campaigns conducted and over 100,000 people placed into the automotive industry and more to come as AutoMax now staffs dealerships “Porters to Presidents” When it comes to “cutting edge” recruitment of top talent for the auto industry and how to develop and retain that talent, Craig is the best.

"Would you select a person in your dealership to staff your dealership that has little idea on how to properly title a help wanted ad, how to describe the position, tag it and where to place it and what to do with the applicants if they got any?" Or....get advice from an expert that has done it over 12,000 times, received in excess of 1,000,000 resumes and placed over 100,000 people into dealerships?

That is why Craig Lockerd is the absolute best resource for anything and everything Automotive Human Resources related.

R.B.I. Channel:
• Showroom Sales
• Redefining basics
• NEW & Advanced “Road To The Sale”
• Qualifying and identifying wants, wishes expectations
• How to exceed expectations with a unique value package proposition (Why buy from us)
• Objections, rebuttals and word tracks
• Developing Customer Commitment
• Closing the Sale
• Engaging the customer and securing the connection
• Success and wealth
• Time management and organization
• Prospecting

Danny Alkassmi - former Auto Dealer, is the President of Rising Beyond, Inc. (RBI)
Danny has been serving the auto industry for more than three decades. His successful career includes Retail Sales, Sales Management and General Management for Auto Dealerships from Southern California to New England. He then went on to become a National figure in Training and Consulting.

Danny has been conducting Sales Training seminars and Management Workshops from coast to coast, in every major market for both the manufacturer and the Dealer. Some of his recent sponsors include General Motors, Mazda Motors, Volkswagen of America, and Autobytel, in addition to some of America’s top dealers.

As an expert in instructional design Danny continues to provide fresh ideas and highly effective solutions for the auto industry. He is the Founder and Developer of many Award Winning Training programs and Business models. Danny is the creator of RBI Score, the Industry’s most effective sales process.

Danny Alkassmi has literally re-invented the “Road To The Sale”. He has a totally unique way of explain and training Car Sales 101 to advanced tactics and strategy that lead to profound success. Danny has a unique background as a successful Dealer Principal and a successful track record as a national trainer that has evolved countless dealerships and individuals to success. Teaching them how to sell more cars, more often and more profitably.

Danny has personally trained over 2,000 Automotive Sales professionals in his career.

The AutoSuccess Magazine Channel:

AutoSuccess is the first and ONLY Magazine to ever have their nationally acclaimed writers available on demand. AutoSuccess is creating a channel that will be dedicated to all of its elite writers. Writers will submit training videos to the AutoSuccess channel and these videos will be an extension of the writers and their articles.

AutoSuccess Magazine goes to over 22,000 dealerships, both franchised and independent and is read by over 100,000+ Automotive Professionals on a monthly basis.
This is an industry first. This is the first time ever a team of this caliber has ever linked up to create something this incredibly impactful for the Automotive industry.

If you have any questions or if you would like a FREE Test Drive on the Automotive Digital

Training Platform Please contact:

Sean V. Bradley