Pub. 6 2017-2018 Issue 1

10 San Diego Dealer I n 1994, a group of forward-thinking dealer members of the New Car Dealers Association San Diego County (NCDA) realized that they could all benefit from a consolidated salesperson recruitment and training program rather than pursuing solutions on their own. As a result, the California Sales Training Academy (CSTA) was created to recruit, train and assist in placing qualified sales personnel in San Diego County dealerships. After more than 20 years and several thousand graduates, the program has been an unqualified success. “As I said after our first year, we are extremely pleased with the success of our innovative sales training program. It remains a benchmark within our industry,” says Dean Mansfield, president of the NCDA. “Other dealer associations have modeled their programs after ours to capture the success we’ve seen here in San Diego.” Over the past three years, the CSTA has seen a 45 percent increase in the number of graduates, helping San Diego dealers achieve record new vehicle sales. For the past five years the California Sales Training Academy has been taught and shaped by Bob Heintz, and his passion for creating qualified sales professionals has made hima favorite of students who complete the course. Bob draws from his life-long career in the automobile industry, which began at a family dealership while he was still in college. After nearly a decade in a field position for Pontiac, Bob returned to the retail business inMinnesota with a Cadillac, Pontiac and Buick store of his own. In 1987, Bobmoved to San Diego where he worked as a general manager for three dealer groups, eventually retiring from Hoehn Motors in 2009. With a mission of elevating the professionalism in retail automotive sales, the California Sales Training Academy teaches more than just how to close a sale. The curriculum places an emphasis on product knowledge, ethical behavior and customer service. During the four-day course, students participate in role-playing exercises and even mystery shop Academy-partner dealerships to get a real-world look at the process. At the conclusion of the course, students have the knowledge to present and sell a car professionally, create referral business and develop a prospect base. Additionally, graduates receive a certificate of completion and job placement assistance among the many dealer partners that support the CSTA. The four-day class is free of charge to San Diego County residents, and students are recruited through a multi-channel marketing effort, which includes digital advertising, career fairs and social media. In addition, San Diego dealers that support the program, which includes nearly half of all NCDA members, send their recently or just-hired sales recruits to the CSTA for training. “Having held upper management positions for dealerships in San Diego County over the past 25 years, I have a long history with the California “After more than 20 years and several thousand graduates, the program has been an unqualified success.”