Country Hill Motors (a single-point Ford dealership in Pennsylvania) and Bob Ruth Ford (an independent dealer group in Kansas City) both are surpassing industry averages and hitting record numbers for their business, as a result of their commitment to training.

Success At-a-Glance

First, there’s Country Hill Motors (this month’s cover story), which currently has three rooftops and is adding a fourth in the next 30 days. They have zero floor plan and own everything (the cars, real estate, etc.).

Then, there’s Bob Ruth Ford, which far surpassed their sales records for the past four consecutive months. They went from selling and delivering 220 total units (with 75 coming from their Internet sales/ BDC efforts) to selling and delivering in July 2019, 352 total units (with 253 coming from their internet sales/BDC initiatives). This is a net lift of $3.4 million per year in gross profits!

Bob Ruth Ford and Country Hill Motors both adopted the philosophy that training is not something you “did,” but rather something you “do.” But it’s not only about training consistently, but also about training effectively, which involves two things:

1. Repetition. Think about how many times Navy Seals, Olympic Gold Medalists, and professional athletes, go through the same actions to practice and perfect what they’re doing. Repetition is crucial.

2. Experience. When repeating or practicing something, you develop and build “muscle memory” or reflexes, and you also start to pick up on little things, making small adjustments to become more successful in what you’re doing.

Bob Ruth Ford and Country Hill Motors first made the conscious decision to “Do More, Be More, and Achieve More,” and then shared that mindset from the top down. So, as the leaders of their organizations, Danny Zaslavsky (GM and partner of Country Hill Motors), and Rob Ruth (dealer principal of Bob Ruth Ford), started with a vision and desire, then shared that vision, desire, and expectations across their organization. Stephen R. Covey, author of the bestseller, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” said that true, profound, and long-term change can only come from changing paradigms. Covey developed the “See-Do-Get” concept:

Your paradigms, the way you “see” or perceive something directly influences what you “do” or your behaviors/actions, and those will correlate what you “get” or reflect in your results. So, if you do not believe that “people” are your greatest asset, and the only thing that can and will differentiate your dealership from any other, then you will never fully support your people or provide them with what they need to achieve more. This includes resources like:

1. Education/Skill Training

2. Professional Development

3. Personal Development

4. Team Building

5. Career Development & Career Path Trajectory

But once that paradigm is achieved, believed, internalized, and evangelized, you will know the value of training and what it can do for your dealership. Once you are “all in” on training, then you can unleash the full potential of your team like Bob Ruth Ford and Country Hill Motors does.

If you’re ready to inspire, change, and lead your team to become better, here are some training focus areas and methodologies to consider for your organization:

1. Management Training as a critical focus area (training programs for managers tends to fall by the wayside when it’s perhaps the most important training an organization can provide)!

2. On-site Training with subject-matter experts who not only conduct training sessions but also interact with staff and answer questions.

3. Virtual learning on a Learning Management Solution (LMS) platform is a cost-efficient way to train, track, test, and work towards certifications. You can monitor each employee’s progress, including how many tests/ courses they completed/passed, and more. Dealers can allocate training modules, daily, weekly or monthly and even tie them to core compensation or bonuses. The main value is turn-key training and accountability.

4. Social media groups (for example, “Millionaire Car Salesman”) enable dealership personnel to connect with others in the industry to ask questions, stay motivated, discuss best practices, videos, scripts, etc.

If you embrace these philosophies and implement methodologies to put them in place, you too can see profound success.

If you have questions about this article or are interested in a free strategy session, please email seanb@DealerSynergy.com.