Recruiting is NOT a Dirty Word

When a dealer hears the term, “recruit” they cringe. The word scares them. Yet, the largest and most powerfull and successful companies recruit all the time. Sports teams recruit. Colleges recruit. Law firm recruit. So why not car dealers?

Going after the best talent possible and training them in the processes of selling is a winning combination. Companies, such as AutoMax/Ziegler Supersystems, who are at the top, give their dealers the best talent in the area and train them to be their best.

We all have comfort zones, we all can make excuses, we all can “Think” we can do it better. Well, let’s break this down.

When going after new hires, one needs to advertise. The typical dealer will place an ad in the local newspaper or perhaps they will use a job board, such as Careerbuilder.  They may draw a half dozen or so candidates and then what?

Well, how about being in 64 job boards using state of the art advertising techniques? Go ahead, ask me about the new ads that are about to come out? Spectacular.  Using the best ads, draw a higher talent level in greater numbers.

Next, when you get an interested candidate, what do you do? Call them for an interview, correct?  The typical interview normally consists of one or two, perhaps three managers talking with the applicant and really not knowing what questions to ask. What do the managers say, I like this guy, he seemed aggressive, and looks the part.

When a trainer comes to the dealer to interview, it allows the managers to do what they do best, sell cars.  All the interviews have been prescheduled by professional recruiter. Then, the trainer uses a psychologically based personality profile to determine the potential candidates who have the greatest chance for success. This is not a guessing game.

When the dealer finishes with all their “interviews” and chooses his/her candidates, what then? They may spend an hour or two, because really that is all they can afford to spend to “train them, they have a business to run, and then the applicant may follow another salesperson around to see what they do. Their training is no real training.  Here are the keys and there are the jumper cables if the car doesn’t start… Go get them tiger!

When a trainer selects their candidates, they, depending on the agreement with their dealer, charge the candidate a tuition for the training they are about to receive.* Think about it.  Why should the dealer train the students, with no guarantee that they will even work at the dealer? Once the student commits for a specified period, the dealer will refund that tuition. What does the applicant get? They get one heck of an education. They get an attitude adjustment, they learn respect and truthfulness, they learn how to professionally treat a client. They get three days of solid uninterrupted training. They learn how to sell a car.  Having an AutoMax education, means dealing with clients in a responsible, professional way.  I firmly believe, if you do what you do, better than anyone else, the clients will pay you for it.

So, how does the dealer know that these applicants know what to do?  We demonstrate what they have learned.  Typically the dealer who only wanted, four or five, end up taking more. Why, because the well trained student we train is better than what they have now and they don’t want them going to the competition.

So, here is my question?  For the initial cost of properly advertising, why would you rather do this yourself?

My name is Bob Gaber. I am a professional trainer with AutoMax...