Automotive Sales Training by Paul Hauke, BA,MBA,ICMP,ICCSP,ICCDP,ICCDMP

Automotive Sales Training leader PAUL RICHARDthe internet to sell the franchisees products for them
HAUKE, BA, MBA, ICMP. ICCSP, ICCDP, ICCDMP,for a referral fee or a listing fee. These internet sites
President of IFFPF Inc., the # 1 sales training companyoperate both inside and outside each individual
worldwide, announces the addition of new anddealer’s area. The promise of the lowest price
improved sales training and recruiting programs for thedrives many of these sites. Dealers find themselves
Automotive, Marine, RV and Motorcycle industriesfighting over deals worth a few hundred dollars. It’s
worldwide. IFFPF Inc. now has the most professionalironic that dealers operate in a retail environment
and current Sales Training, Leadership Training,where when a $30,000. vehicle is sold the state
Management Training, Marketing, Advertising, andcollects a sales tax around $2,000.00 for doing nothing
Customer Satisfaction Indexing available. IFFPF Inc. is(depending on state) and the dealer who has stocked
more than just the Nation’s # 1 Sales Recruitingthis vehicle, maintained it, and paid the overhead to
and Training Company: We are the cutting edge ofoperate the sales organization many times makes less,
market trends, products and services. IFFPF Inc. clientsboth on the gross side and the net side.
get all the newest techniques , products, and servicesOk , so what’s the answer? Well the first thing is
first worldwide.that the manufacturers must do a better job with
As the marketing in this industry changes so must theproduct mix. There have been many management
marketers. The marketing techniques, products anderrors in this area. It seems that all manufacturers are
services change daily. New technology is always onaware of this. How well and how quickly they can and
the horizon. Today in the consumer retail environmentwill make the necessary changes remains to be seen.
there is change everywhere. Much of this change isEither way it has been and will be a very costly lesson
necessitated by the ever increasing number of outletsfor domestic manufacturers. Many dealers will be
selling the same products. As it has been often quoted,better off with leaving the business. Those who, for
“the piece of the pie is getting smaller.” Retailwhatever reason have not kept up the rapidly
neighborhood storefronts of years ago had only tochanging times. The factories and these dealers have
compete with other retail neighborhood store fronts,got to work the details out between themselves. For
and only those in the same neighborhood. Then withthe survivors it is imperative that they know and
the advent of shopping malls and centers , largeimplement the newest products, services and
retailers moved from the neighborhoods to thetechniques available today and tomorrow and the next
shopping malls. The competition then became centeredday, etc. As the old saying goes; “only the strong
on shopping malls and centers. Eventuallywill survive.” Actually, the new saying is that only
neighborhood stores began to make a comeback bythose dealers that are “ knowledgeable, prepared
being more customer friendly and service conscious.and willing to change will survive”.
Automotive, Marine, RV and Motorcycle dealers wereSales training in the Automobile, Marine, RV and
no different. Many neighborhood dealers moved toMotorcycle dealership is more important today then
better highway locations, and thus began the auto mallever. Training that shows sales personnel how to
building. Some did this voluntarily and some wereprospect on their own, how the dealer can maximize
forced by the factories. Either way all retailers movingthe internet to his or her own benefit, how to cut
to “bigger and better” facilities also took on a lotadvertising expenses, how to maximize return on
more debt to do so. So the question is did taking oninvestment not only with the fixed assets of the
more debt to be “bigger and better” really makecompany but with the human assets of the company.
sense. To many it worked very well. However, I haveAs with both they must be developed. Too many
been involved in working closely withdealerships are not maximizing the potential of the
“dealerships” that over spent and had tohuman assets. Unskilled owners and mangers are the
restructure, sell off parts of their business, orproblem. An owner, manager and salesperson today is
completely sell out. The buyers were almost alwaysdramatically different than an owner, manager or
large and very well capitalized dealer groups. Manysalesperson of twenty year sago. Just ask any
were publicly financed. And of those public companiesdealership owner, manager, or staff of the dealers and
many of them have also had to eventually restructuredealer groups that have gone out of business and
and/or sell.those who will fail in the future. Cutting edge products
Now today it’s no secret that there are manyand services for the dealership of the future is the
dealerships in trouble. The competition between theanswer.
dealerships is phenomenal due to the amount ofPaul Hauke, the President of IFFPF Inc. has over
makes and models available , with more coming. Manytwenty five years of professional experience in these
domestic manufacturers are making there moneyareas. He is an expert and has written many articles
overseas. However, here in the USA manyand books on the subject matter. IFFPF Inc. was the
dealerships are struggling to stay alive. Manyfirst and is still the only company to offer Professional
dealerships, mostly domestics, have not been able toCertification Programs in Marketing, Customer
find buyers for their franchises and have just closed.Satisfaction, Customer Development, Retail Sales,
Domestic manufacturers have been planning for yearsHospitality Sales, and Professional Auctioneering. Paul
to close many operating franchises, so to increase theHauke , himself has over fifteen professional
“share of the pie” for the remaining dealerships.Certifications. He is a pioneer in the development of
Franchised dealerships, such as auto dealers, marineweb based marketing and has developed many
dealers, and motorcycle dealers do have an edgesuccessful strategies for search engine optimization
over the non franchised business.. The edge is thatfor clients.
you must be a franchise to sell and service thePaul Hauke and IFFPF Inc. are the INNOVATORS.
product, unlike a clothing store , a restaurant, a foodPAUL HAUKE , BA, MBA, ICMP, ICCSP, ICCDP,
store, etc. With the manufacturers understanding theICCDMP is the President of IFFPF Inc. and an expert in
need to reduce the number of dealers , the futureSales and Marketing. His expertise is in the retailing of
should improve. However , while this is happeningconsumer products. He is a pioneer in the development
another challenge is developing. The internet hasof web based marketing and has developed many
brought about an onslaught of non franchisedsuccessful strategies for search engine optimization
“brokers” for cars, trucks, boats, RVs andfor clients worldwide.
motorcycles that compete with franchised dealers on