{"id":1008,"date":"2019-03-11T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T13:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/?p=1008"},"modified":"2019-03-13T11:17:47","modified_gmt":"2019-03-13T16:17:47","slug":"training-ensuring-roi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/training-ensuring-roi\/","title":{"rendered":"Training: Ensuring the ROI"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_1175\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1175\" style=\"width: 240px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1175\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/1147-2\/steve-roennau-headshot\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/08\/Steve-Roennau-Headshot.jpg?fit=336%2C420&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"336,420\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 60D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1328756843&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;47&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Steve Roennau Headshot\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Contributing Author:&lt;br \/&gt;\nSteve Roennau&lt;br \/&gt;\nVice President&lt;br \/&gt;\nEFG Companies&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/08\/Steve-Roennau-Headshot.jpg?fit=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/08\/Steve-Roennau-Headshot.jpg?fit=336%2C420&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1175\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/08\/Steve-Roennau-Headshot-240x300.jpg?resize=240%2C300\" alt=\"Contributing Author: Steve Roennau Vice President Compliance EFG Companies\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/08\/Steve-Roennau-Headshot.jpg?resize=240%2C300&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/08\/Steve-Roennau-Headshot.jpg?w=336&amp;ssl=1 336w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1175\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Contributing Author:<br \/>Steve Roennau<br \/>Vice President<br \/>EFG Companies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There\u2019s not a dealer in the automotive industry that doesn\u2019t wrestle with the concept of training! Everyone agrees that training is necessary to run a successful, profitable, efficient and ethical dealership operation.\u00a0 However, the spectrum of dealers\u2019 commitment to training is wide in the retail automotive space. Even the dealer that is committed to training struggles with things like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"black\">Why pay to train someone who\u2019s just going to leave?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"black\">It\u2019s difficult taking income-producing team members off the floor, desk, or drive for an extended period of time.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"black\">I can\u2019t determine if training is actually making a difference to my bottom line.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li id=\"level1\"><span class=\"black\">I can\u2019t get my managers to see the value. My dealership runs a certain way and they don\u2019t want to have to re-train team members after a training course that is counter-intuitive to the way we operate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3><b>Turnover<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re reluctant to train your people, to really invest in them, due to the fear of turnover, you may be missing the point.\u00a0 Studies consistently show that <strong>two of the key reasons for employee turnover are limited advancement opportunities and lack of training for a specified role.<\/strong>\u00a0 The proper investment in employee training has the potential to increase job satisfaction and empower your team members to expand their roles in your dealership.<\/p>\n<p>By sending employees through developmental, performance-based training courses, they will be recognized for their accomplishment and will appreciate their leadership for investing in their success.\u00a0 Instead of seeing turnover as a barrier to a training investment, <strong>consider training as a tool to help reduce turnover and retain Top Performers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><b>Time off the Floor\/Desk\/Drive<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s an old story about a woodcutter that goes something like this:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A woodcutter was hired, given his axe and direction. He started out strong and his boss was quite pleased with his work and shared that feedback with the new woodcutter.\u00a0 This motivated the woodcutter to work even harder in the days to follow.\u00a0 However, even though he swung the axe as hard as he did when he started his job, his production (number of trees cut) declined each day.\u00a0 He then went to his boss apologizing saying that he must be losing his strength.<\/p>\n<p>Then, the boss asked the woodcutter a simple question, \u201cWhen was the last time you sharpened your axe?\u201d\u00a0 To which the woodcutter replied, \u201cSharpen my axe? I had no time to sharpen my axe.\u00a0 I have been very busy trying to cut trees.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Investing time in training, sharpening the team\u2019s skills, should pay-off in improved, sustained production results.<\/strong> Think of time off the floor as part of that investment.<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<h3><b>Does Training Really Improve Results<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>Every dealership has experienced training that produced no results. The last time you sent your team members through training, were they being read to or were they in a participatory class tailored to address their current challenges?<\/p>\n<p>While some training courses stem from a \u201ctelling\u201d technique, results-oriented training <strong>addresses current trainee challenges<\/strong>, <strong>engages the trainee<\/strong> in every form of adult learning (seeing, hearing and doing), and <strong>ensures learning has taken place<\/strong> through competent role play. Whether you handle training internally or you utilize a professional outside organization, it\u2019s imperative that the training methodology you leverage is truly <strong>conducive to learning.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>But how can you prove the training is effective?<\/strong> This starts with benchmarking the individual\u2019s performance. For example, if an F&amp;I manager comes in to training with an average product penetration rate of 30%, then you can use that benchmark to determine success.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, once your team members are back at work, ensure there are mechanisms in place to track production following training.\u00a0 <strong>Benchmarking a critical aspect of training, and tracking results<\/strong> are always key elements to a successful equation to ensure positive training outcomes. It also fuels the momentum of the person when they can clearly see and track their own results.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Having to Retrain the Team After Training<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>If you think you need to retrain your team members after sending them through formal training, there may be two issues at play:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"black\"><b>There is no training buy-in or support from the management team.<\/b> For training to take hold in the dealership, your managers must \u201cbuy in\u201d to the training, meaning they need to participate in the training class to understand the curriculum and endorse it in the dealership.\u00a0 Training without the full support of the management team is a waste of resources.<\/span><\/li>\n<li id=\"level1\"><span class=\"black\"><b>The training course chosen might not have been right for your dealership<\/b>.\u00a0 Not every organization trains the same way!\u00a0 Some subscribe to the conventional wisdom that sales training is sales training, that all F&amp;I training is basically the same, or that everyone will essentially train on a similar service consultative process.\u00a0 While the skills to be honed may show elements of consistency, the methodology of how they are taught vary greatly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Effective training will always start with understanding the specific challenges to address or the problems to solve.\u00a0 Then, a solid trainer who understands how adults learn will deliver the training appropriately, ensuring that learning has taken place.\u00a0<strong> Leveraging the right trainer and full support of the dealership\u2019s managers will garner your best results without having to retrain the team.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><b>Finding the Right Training Partner<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>A commitment to the right training <strong>delivers countless benefits to dealership operations<\/strong> and that commitment must start with leadership.\u00a0 Understanding that not all dealerships are staffed with people that can effectively train their teams across all disciplines, a dealer can leverage training support from many sources in the marketplace.\u00a0 In this search for a training partner, there are four keys to finding the one that best fits you.\u00a0 The right training company to support your dealership should:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"black\"><b>be proven industry experts.<\/b>\u00a0 Get to know them and understand the company\u2019s background, reputation, certifications, and the experience of their employees.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"black\"><b>utilize effective training methodologies.<\/b>\u00a0 Ensure the training company can articulate a clear methodology to their training and be able to substantiate it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"black\"><b>provide methods to demonstrate success.<\/b>\u00a0 Ask the company how they prove their training effectiveness and success with sustainable training relationships.<\/span><\/li>\n<li id=\"level1\"><span class=\"black\"><b>be a trusted industry partner.<\/b>\u00a0 Do your research on the training company to understand their corporate values, history, current business accomplishments and other companies with whom they do business.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With almost 40 years of experience in retail automotive, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.efgcompanies.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EFG Companies<\/a> has a proven track record of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.efgcompanies.com\/services\/training-services.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">training and developing<\/a> people and high performing teams through proven methodologies and on-going support. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.efgcompanies.com\/about-efg\/contact-us.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0Contact us<\/a> today to learn more about EFG!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s not a dealer in the automotive industry that doesn\u2019t wrestle with the concept of training! Everyone agrees that training is necessary to run a successful, profitable, efficient and ethical [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[312],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-training-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hsqu-gg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1008"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1609,"href":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1008\/revisions\/1609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efgintelligence.com\/dealershipcorridor\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}