Pub. 8 2019-2020 Issue 1

22 San Diego Dealer CHRIS BOONE Chris Boone, a former CSTA student, is now the new car sales manager at Lexus San Diego. How did you get into the auto industry? I have been in the auto industry for about five years. Before this, I was going to college and studying physical therapy, which is completely different than what I amdoing now. Private institution schools are pretty expensive, though. I took a break to earn money. Friends and family recommended selling cars so I went into a dealership that my aunt had a connection to. That was Mazda Escondido. What do you like about it? What makes this a career choice? I like that this is a people business. In the end there are a lot of business platforms that deal with people, but this is especially forward facing. What I mean by “forward facing” is that it is a positive field to be in. You are the direct connection between a customer who is looking to purchase something and the car they want to buy. You are the person who can build the value of that car for them and show them why the product is superior. It is pretty cool to have the ability to do that. I like the human aspect of this industry, learning to work with people in different ways. Who suggested the CSTA to you? Gary, who was my general manager at the time, wanted me to attend the course just to get my feet wet. It provides a really good baseline for peoplewho have never been in the business before. That was certainlyme. Tell us a little about the training, the process, and the time commitment? It was about two or three days of training, from 8 a.m. to almost 4 p.m. Bob was always there first thing and he led us through the platform that the car industry is built from, and then he taught us the lingo for the car business, such as what an up is. Bob also taught us what the business models are, and how to approach people. He really gave us just a good base platform for understanding the car business. For example, he taught us how to introduce ourselves to customers. He also taught us super basic questions to ask. People who have been in the industry a long time know it can get frustrating. Bob’s approach was humble and simple; you are there to help the customer find out if the product is right for them and then convince them (if it is a good fit) that they should make the purchase. Bob also taught us how to thrive or succeed inside the dealership and how to understand its dynamics. Was there an “aha” moment about a topic, or learn- ing something new, that you didn’t know before? There are a lot of aha moments in our industry. When you do your first write-up with a customer, you sit down with them and then you talk with your manager. Themanager teaches youwhat to do and say. Once you are done talking with your manager, you go back out to the customer and do the best you can to repeat what was said to you. While you may not say exactly what youwere told, you get the general message across. You learn to say things in your ownway and begin to create your own routine. Then, before you know it, you are using these word tracks you have developed with customers and insteadof having togoback to yourmanager to repeat it, the customer understands what you are telling them right on the spot. Those aha moments don’t ever really stop, because people’s logic and what they will do always surprises you. As a new person, your managers teach you the right language to use that will overcome a customer’s objections. You begin to trust that approach and understand why it would make sense to the customer, so you say things and it works. When you start, you don’t knowhow to build value. Bob and thesemanag- ers teach you basic phrases and later you discover why those phrases work. Would you recommend the CSTA? Why? I would recommend it a hundred percent. First, it is free for most of those whoare sent by adealer as longas they are local. This is the casebecause the CSTA is connected to somany dealerships. Second, it has a huge network of dealerswhocouldhireyou. It helps youunderstandmoreabout the industry, whichmeans you can decide if you want to try this kind of work. There is a huge market in San Diego, and dealerships are always looking for people. If you decide to take the class, you can be looking for a job within a week. After I went to the class, I stayed at Mazda. In fact, I kept working for them for five years. I’ve changed dealerships, but I work for the same automotive company, the Penske Automotive Group. I’ve stayed local to the SanDiego market and havemoved fromsales, to finance, and tomy current position. How has this training impacted your career? I took the class and then I got into the business. Everything took off from there. I was unclear about some of the things Bob talked about, but I began to understand everything he said as I began working. That process was reassuring because he gave me a map of what to expect. The class helpedme understand what my role was in the dealership. The tools that Bob gave us in that class are fundamentals that go throughout the industry. At the time, I wasn’t sure how those fundamentals would benefit me, but as I began my career it quickly became clear.