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Comment by DealerELITE on June 17, 2014 at 3:17pm

Ron

Alan Ram has just been added who in your opinion is the next BIG up and coming automotive sales trainer that will be synonymous with the names mentioned ?

Comment by Ron Rozier on March 19, 2013 at 8:04am

First of all I am AMAZED that Alan Ram was not mentioned in the article as one of the Greats, it is a real slap in the face in my opinion to a truly great trainer and true car guy in general.

1. Who is the person? I do not think that any one person will be the number one person anyone. The internet and social media and the ease of publication of materials makes the playing field more even. Some are better in certain area's than other. Alan Ram should have been mentioned here if you are talking about Phone training. If you are talking about true processes and not the rehashed to death " Road to the Sale" Or the Secrets to Selling" then Ron Rozier ( Myself) is the best. If you are looking for old material just repackaged, then any of the normal consultants because of their saturation of media attention that the rest of us do not get, they will continue to hog the spot light from publications like Automotive News and etc.

2. Why do you feel they will be the next "great one"? I feel that I would be the next great one because what I do is real life, not class room, not theory but actual real life and I actually will work in the dealership as a closer/manager and put my name and reputation on the line. Anyone can stand in front of class room for 3 days and rehash the words from the greats of the past, but not many really will actually put their money where their mouth is.

3. Which industry trainer have you learned the most from? Alan Ram without a doubt.

4. Who else, other than an industry trainer, has influenced you the most in your automotive career? (friend, parent, manager, teacher, etc)

There were several people that I learned from. The first was the greatest desk man that ever lived his name was David Jennings. The first owner I learned the most from was Mr. Bobby Bleecker and the last was Mr. Joe Bush. They taught me that talk was cheap and results yeilded profit. That sunglasses and Rolexes meant nothing if you could not walk that walk. The last and not least was a pastor name Wayne Brewer would taught me that Jesus Christ was the worlds greatest CEO, He took 12 people and changed the world forever by doing what He believed in and getting those that followed him to believe as well. As managers or trainers that is our primary job.

Comment by Sally Whitesell on February 18, 2013 at 6:14pm

I am guessing you are just talking about sales training in the front because I know you already know the answer for the Service Department.

Comment by Mathew Koenig on January 16, 2013 at 9:19pm

I love dealerelite because of the great participation from folks on here. Stan you made a comment earlier that caught my attention and it did so because I think it was a bit harsh, and honestly, it came across in a way that didn't seem like the normally smiling and happy Stan Sher that I've seen: "Too many frauds in the industry with no experience are regurgiting the legends like Jackie Cooper, Tom Stuker, Ziegler, and Cardone and very few have an open mind to create their own success and teach an open mind."

Who are we to call anyone a 'fraud' or accuse them of regurgitating other people's info? I remember nearly 20 years ago when people called Grant and Joe 'frauds who ripped of Stuker and Ziglar & Cooper' and now, here we are 20 years later and Grant and Joe are some of the most respected, and recognized names in Automotive Training.

Much of what we hear from today's greats, we have heard before from the greats before them, and the greats before them right?

In my opinion, the greats are who they are, and they have become so successful and well respected not necessarily because they came up with something "new" but because they're smart enough to keep reminding people of the things that work. And they teach them how to try and understand their customers so they can serve them better than anyone else.

Great trainers are not always great innovators of new technique, rather, great trainers understand who their audience is and they deliver quality content in a way that makes it worth listening to. They get the audience to believe in that message in a way that they WANT to go back to their dealership and put it into practice.

I don't know who the 'next big trainer' will be but I would guess that the folks who are holding the big names ten or twenty years from now will likely be some of the people that face the same scrutiny and accusation that Joe and Grant faced back when they were new on the scene.

I say Kudos to every trainer out there who is willing to put the betterment of their audience before their own ego. I loved listening to Grant, even after hearing 1/2 of his stuff from other trainers because Grant had a way of inspiring me to step out of the box and try things that the other trainer couldn't "sell" me on.

I adopted Joe Verde's prospecting process right after coming back from Sean Gardener doing the sales training workshop I was at in 1999. I got "sold" on the importance of prospecting and it worked in my store and at the end of the day, I know darn well Joe didn't invent the words "how many how many who's next". Joe's guy delivered the message in a way that got me to buy-in.

It won't matter to me if the next big trainer is from Cardone's Camp, Verde's Camp, or if it's Stan or Joe or Philip or Chris or if it's some 20 year old who never sold more than 15 cars a month. If they're delivering great information in a way that inspires others people in our industry to become better - they'll be great to someone and I say that they're great to me :)

Comment by Philip Zelinger on January 16, 2013 at 8:18pm

Joe, based on his accelerated learning curve and meteoric rise in recent months I tend to agree. He is a quick study who definitely bears watching.

Comment by Joe Webb on January 16, 2013 at 8:16pm

Why... the answer is Stan Sher, of course.

Comment by Philip Zelinger on January 16, 2013 at 1:21pm

Hi David,

First, I hope to visit with you at NADA - along with Stan and other Dealerelite friends - to continue this discussion.

Second, let me agree with your comment and then provide what I see as an obvious point to support my priority of next generation people, communication and marketing skills vs.having walked in your students shoes.

The next generation od salespeople in the auto industry must relate to their digitaly empowered customers in a manner and method that they understand and demand.  The truth is that most showroom visitors have more product and price information than today's - and certainly yesterday's - sales consultant.  The only way for a salesperson to control the sales process is to concede that the customer is in charge and to enhance the customer experience.by providing relevant timely information while enetrtaining them with their personality.  In other words - make a friend first and a sale second.

My point relevant to your suggested need to have walked in a salespersons shoes is that the customer's shoes are much more relevant!  Of course empathy trumps sympathy and any qualified trainer will understand the challenges and processes that exist at the dealership, however, the next generation of sales consultants need not be re-educated rehashed sales people trying to overcome bad habits.  The true source of future staff shoud be college graduates seeking a career or at least people attracted from other hospitality industries or similar people oriented professions.

Again, now that software solutions exist that allow a sales consultant to resource product and process information from an iPad the challenge becomes how to develop a report with a customer that will allow you to join them on the same side of the screen during their due dilligence while shopping for a vehicle, a salesperson and a dealership; in that order.

The solution, as far as this post goes, isi to find a trainer that understands customers first and salespeople/dealer processes second.  I agree that one without the other won't work but the trainer of choice should have his/her priorities in that order.  Similarly, they need to be able to recommend personal and professional tools and processes - such as individual social networking skills to build a sales consultants individual book of business as well as consulting the dealer client regarding state of the art sales tools and systems.

Finally, they should be able to train by example with their own experiences - both inside and outside of the auto industry - evidencing their ability to practice what they preach.  I can teach someone to follow a sales process but I can't necessarily teach them to be a nice person - only that it will impact their ability to make a living if they aren't so they should work on self improvement along with their closing techniques. 

Comment by David T. Gould on January 16, 2013 at 12:44pm

Phil, "They don't need to be a car guy or gal"... my money goes with the trainer who has walked the walk and talked the talk. Technology is an important piece of the future automotive trainer equation, but if you don't understand the dynamic of how it fits into the individual store's sales process, efficiency and failure factor will rise. Good Selling! (Training) DTG

Comment by Philip Zelinger on January 16, 2013 at 11:47am

Hey Stan,

We usually agree but in this instance, not so much. Old school "car guys" flashing their Rolex and telling stories sourced from the good old days perpetuate the stereotype of fast talking salespeople who confront customers with negotiating techniques vs. people skills designed to listen and learn how to earn a customer's trust and business, in that order.

I voted for Grant because his image is less of a car guy and more of a universal motivational speaker. That, plus his roots in technology based processes extend into systems like ePencil which evidence his investment in technology to support - or train - consistent processes in a sale with people skills providing the difference from one sales experience from another.

Simply put, gregarious self promotional speakers may provide short term adrenaline to motivate a room but their energy is not a teachable skill. A trainer that teaches by example through their own social networking activities and who uses technology based systems to handle the product and process on the showroom floor are much more likely to make a long term impression and impact. They don't need to be a car guy or gal, just a person willing to share with the people skills and future vision to know how to do it effectively.

Comment by Stan Sher on January 16, 2013 at 11:23am

The question was "who is the next big automotive trainer?". The keyword is automotive yet most of you mention names of people that are social media experts and then names like Ziegler and Cardone and a few trainers who work for big names. Let's look at the question again and see if everyone pays attention. "Automotive" means someone who has skin in the game and has done the job. This trainer is someone who sold cars, managed departments and is proven. Zeigler is fully proven. Cardone is proven as he has sold cars before for some time. But if you choose the next trainer in automotive make sure it is a real car person. Too many frauds in the industry with no experience are regurgiting the legends like Jackie Cooper, Tom Stuker, Ziegler, and Cardone and very few have an open mind to create their own success and teach an open mind.

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