DAIMLERCRYSLER QUANTIFIES TRAINING QUALI
Weary of being the “fall guy” for failed marketing initiatives, the company’s training unit, DaimlerChrysler Academy (DCA), is in the fourth year of a long-term initiative to identify the ways in which it is contributing to the business results of thousands of its dealers.
So far, so good. While Pat Kittle, DCA’s director of dealership training, expected that training was having a positive effect, he was happily surprised when the research revealed that dealers’ success is directly tied to the academy’s dealer certification program.
In addition, the training function is receiving new respect at DaimlerChrysler. DCA is now able to identify which classes are delivering value and are worthy of investment by the company and its dealers.
DCA, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, provides a wide range of educational services, including training for 4,000 dealerships employing approximately 100,000 people. The academy delivers its training at dozens of regional sites across the country, in dealerships worldwide, and, most recently, online.
DCA established a dealership certification program that required candidates to take courses related to product knowledge, selling techniques, and related topics. The academy also established key performance indicators and scorecards for the dealerships.
“The results showed that our certification program was having a 20.3 percent impact on dealer sales. That was just incredible,” says Bonnie Beresford, a retail performance consultant with BBDO Detroit, who works under contract with DCA.
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