Mazda - Car Sales

In the car sales workstream we needed to deal with selling skills of car salesmen in those dealerships around southeast England.

It was a similar programme to the delicatessen one I managed - selling skills, upselling, more-selling. We trained them, played mystery shopper, had a training film, coached them, etc...

And as usual in projects like these it was a TTT approach, where we trained the trainer (TTT) and the trainer (the local car dealership managers) trained their sales staff. The board director was part of a film where he had to "send out the message" about the project, etc.

That whole workstream was pretty successful. I was only vaguely involved as my collage Judith was responsible for that work stream.

Unfortunately, I do not have too many pictures, in fact close to none, of this project.

Salmon, Shrimps and Krautsalad (5)

So, using skills methodology we would not train the sales representatives ourselves, but we left that for the area managers to do. We trained those area managers though in how to train their employees.

So, staying within the methodology, the TTTs were for us to train the area managers as trainers (Train the Trainer), whereas the area managers trained their staff in TTE sessions (Train the Employee).

After the training we designed coaching sessions where the area sales managers were tasked to go randomly on tour with their staff and give coaching. TTCs were the Train the Coaches sessions in which we trained the area managers in how to coach, and in CTCs we coached them in their coaching effort. This system was waterproof.

Skills Training

Before I describe the next project I ought to explain the other package, which I mentioned already, and which can be sold to clients, too - skills training.

As opposed to management training, which is for all management (as the name indicates), skills training is for operators and in general all concerned work force that does not manage.

Skills training has 2 main areas where it can be applied: either it is sales training, where sales staff is trained how to sell (more detail in a later entry), or it is some sort of throughput optimisation training, where operators are trained to improve the "yield" rate (explanation in the next blog entry).

Skills programmes can have the following features:
- A mascot can be created for the training programme and material. It makes it easier for employees to recognise the theme and remind them of the newly trained skills,
- Employees are not trained by consultants but by their own line management.
- In TTT seminars (Train-the-trainer) line management is being trained what and how to train the employees, coaching skills are also trained, as line management will act as coach afterwards,
- In TTE seminars (Train-the-employee) employees are being trained by line management,
- In CTC sessions (Coach-the-coach) feedback is being given to line management about their training and coaching sessions in which a consultant should be present (at least initially),
- In CTE sessions (Coach-the-employee) employees are coached by their line managers,
- Using the mascot, special training material must be developed by the consultancy company.