Pub. 8 2019-2020 Issue 1

SUMMER 2019 25 going to be someonewho has learned the basic skills, not someonewhogot thrown into thedeep end after ten inadequateminutes of instruction. If you don’t train the people you hire, they are probably going to flounder. Many of themwill quit, and your dealership will let others go after a short trial period, meaning you have to hire replacements for them. Some experts have estimated that hiring a new sales person costs dealerships approximately $45,000 per person; that money includes the cost of recruiting a potential employee, giving them whatever training you have available, and losing the time that could have been spent on actually selling cars. The bigger the turnover a dealership has, obviously, the more expensive it is for that dealership to keep finding replacements and getting them up to speed. Although it is certainly possible to find new people to hire, do you really want to let $45,000 walk out the door every time someone fails because you didn’t give them the tools they needed to succeed? By investing in a good training program, employees are better prepared to do their jobs. They are more satisfied and engaged with their work because they are more likely to succeed. And because they are happier than their untrained peers, they are alsomore likely to be loyal to the dealership that hired them. Even though it is tempting for a dealership to focus on moving cars, parts, and labor, the reality is that dealerships are more likely to prosper if they take the time to train their employees. If you decide (correctly) that you want to train your new employees so they can be more successful and productive, what’s the best way to do that? Some of the trainingmay need to bewithin your own dealership, of course, but it makes a great deal of sense for dealerships to combine efforts through their local association and put together training programs. Why does it make sense? It makes for a more efficient use of resources. • Dealerships do have to focus on selling cars and making money. If they don’t, they are going to go out of business. By delegating the training to other organizations, they can have all the benefits of having trained employees without having to actually go through the process themselves as a dealership. • Duplicated effort is wasted effort. If you have a number of dealerships in the same area, you are all going to be dealing with the same problems. Why not increase the reach of your training programs by opening it up to everyone within your geographical area? • Since so many sales people have never worked in the industry before, the time to train them how to do things right is right before or right after they’ve been hired. People who have been in the industry for a while are harder to teach because they don’t think you can tell themanything they don’t already know. By creating a culture where employees are expected to learn and to continue growing after they’ve been hired, you are automatically creating a culture where people are more likely to be receptive to learning new things. Dealership associations can set the standard for trainingby providingdealershipswith employee training classes. That way, the sales people will have a more accurate understanding of their role in the sales process, will have the tools and knowledge they need to succeed, and will have gained that knowledge in themost economical and efficient way possible. Auto dealers often must draw the line: in court, with employees and unions, and with competitors. As one of the largest labor and employment firms, Fisher Phillips has the experience and tenacity to help you get the results you need. That’s why some of the savviest employers come to us to handle their toughest workplace issues. fisherphillips.com | 4747 Executive Drive, Suite 1000 | San Diego, CA 92121 | 858.597.9600 Atlanta Baltimore Boston Charlotte Chicago Cleveland Columbia Columbus Dallas Denver Fort Lauderdale Gulfport Houston Irvine Kansas City Las Vegas Los Angeles Louisville Memphis New Jersey New Orleans New York Orlando Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh Portland Sacramento San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tampa Washington, DC Metro FISHER PHILLIPS. ON THE FRONT LINES OF WORKPLACE LAW TM