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SIX in 10 car buyers are lost at the ‘meet and greet’ stage – reducing this could make up for the end of scrappage. That’s the claim of training firm Autavis, which has just launched a new initiative.

Car dealers, it says, often express an interest in training, but find the out-of-dealer time costs too onerous. When dealers are busier than ever, letting staff out for training on work time is unmanageable. Monetary costs are also a big factor. The solution, says Autavis, is online training. Helping sales execs ‘learn while they earn’. This is at the execs’ pace, so they can return at any time and pick up where they left off.

The 100 percent online scheme works via interactive online tutorials and self assessments. Areas covered in the ‘Brilliant Results in Sales’ meet and greet course include: Qualifying a customer; building a rapport; asking and responding to questions; outstanding sales techniques; negotiations; and closing the sale.

There’s so much to it, the scheme has taken half a decade to develop. MD Nick Wright said they’d done so because of the importance of team skills to a car dealer’s bottom line.

‘So, we’ve taken a wide cross-section of feedback and experience in building this new programme, which represents a quantum leap in sales training. ‘Use of technology to deliver learning was highlighted by the vast majority of businesses and individuals we spoke to as the favoured and most cost-effective approach. ‘With all costs under the microscope, dealers want to see a return from any investment, and e-learning provides a means of measuring training effectively – as well as delivering it in an engaging format.’

One car dealer already keen is Cambria Automotive’s Mark Lavery. ‘Selling cars, products and services is a series of simple steps that, when executed properly, should lead to outstanding results,’ he said. ‘On-line multimedia training is probably the most lean, convenient and cost effective way of inducting new and keeping existing associates focused and sharp.’