Ok, so you have run your automotive salesperson help wanted ads, you have scheduled the respondents for an interview, you put them through your physiologically based interview, and they have passed personality tests, background checks, drug tests and DMV. You initially “trained” them either in house or used an outside source such as AutoMax Recruiting and Training to do all that for you. Now they are ‘Plug and Play Professionals” Now comes the job of retaining who went through the training.

They are now on the floor ready to take “ups”, first customer comes in, new salesperson greets them just the way they were trained to do, customer grabs a brochure and leaves. You call the salesperson over and ask what happened and he or she says something like “Oh they were just looking, on lunch hour, wife was next door shopping, asked for directions, car was getting oil change, killing time while his partner robbed the bank next door”, and he heads to the coffee maker for a cup of joe, you get the picture. In your frustration of this being the 15^th customer that visited your showroom today without one sale, in your best Alex Baldwin voice from Glengarry Glen Ross you tell him in no uncertain terms “Coffee’s for Closers, kid” and he cowers back into his office.

Near the end of the day you remember yelling at the “greenpea” and you go sit down and tell him “I have great news, you are going to be trailing Five Car Fred the rest of the week” “Five Car has been here 13 years and has a lot of time on his hands” {He only sells Five a month] “He will show you the ropes and T.O. all your deals and only take 50% of your commission of every sale, isn’t that great?” The salesperson says “ok, Boss”

Fast forward 3 weeks from that wonderful decision and only a couple of things could have  happened, one he has settled in nicely due to the ‘Training?” of Five Car Fred and has become Four Car Frank or…..you look around and he has blown out and gone on to become the CEO of Burger Doodle down the street. Retain who we or you initially train!

Did You Hire em Dead or Kill em After You Got em?

This can all stop, it’s just a processes problem and process’s can be fixed. Have a very specific plan and have different people that are SUCCESSFUL get involved in the new hire’s initial and ongoing training. Whether it is done in house or using the talents of an outside vendor like AutoMax this all just needs a little tweaking and care.

Make sure the ad says what the job really is and attract the career minded people you want and need, not just people looking for a JOB! Have a person designated to handle all the resumes and initial screening to save you or your manager’s time and effort. Make 100% sure the initial training is motivational in nature and is designed to change the new salesperson’s perception of the car business [remember the day before they were a customer and we all know what their perceptions are of us] These people must have the basics and enough initial training and information so they can take a customer and not mess the whole thing up in the first 5 minutes. Retention is about all of these things PLUS, the ongoing training and mentoring they get either from you is essential tothem sticking around and being as successful as you need and want them to be.