Mark Gilbert has an extensive history in the automotive industry, as well as handling and managing the staff in his dealerships. He places great importance on training his staff, as he believes the people running the dealership can make or break it.
Making or closing the sale, coming up with better marketing strategies, and more: all of these rely on the minds and skills of the people in the dealership. A highly skilled team is a competent, capable team, so they need to gain all these skills through training.
Here are some of his tips:
Build through job shadowing
Having been mentored and becoming a mentor himself, Mark Gilbert recommends management to promote “job shadowing.” This is because every employee on the dealership has the potential to become a leader. They need the opportunity to learn it. And how better to do that than being allowed to follow the footsteps of star employees and leaders?
Developing hires
The hiring also doesn’t just end when the new employee signs on the dotted line. They need to be adequately trained in how the dealership operates, how they do things, and what the new hire can do to maintain the standard in the dealership. In fact, 72% of employees say that one-on-one time with their managers is the most crucial part of the process. Mark Gilbert adds that this is the management’s chance to train them.
A culture of learning
It’s also through training that employees get a feel of the company culture. The culture is what separates a dealership from every other. Excellent employees who stay in a dealership without good company culture won’t thrive. This is why it’s essential to start getting employees acclimated in good company culture starting from their training days. As they thrive within it, they’ll continue spreading the company culture to new hires.
Mark Gilbert says that success is achievable if employees are adequately prepared. That is why training matters, as it’s a stepping stone to great things in the long run.
Mark Gilbert ATN 