Training The Next Generation of Automotive Leaders on Modern Marketing Strategies

The last two years have been an amazing time to be in consumer retailing, as long as you have a stomach for rapid change. My clients, who are primarily franchise automotive, RV, and motorsports dealers, have shown their ability to pivot their marketing and sales processes to meet shifting consumer needs and buying habits. For most of my clients, the last two years have been the most profitable in company history, but what about the next two years?

As dealership owners and public dealer groups plan for the year ahead, I believe that organizations should redouble their efforts in employee training, especially for candidates identified as their next-generation managers. While many automotive dealers are already investing in educating their staff of EV technology and modern selling strategies, I would submit that next generation leaders need an updated course on marketing and customer retention.

Outsourcing Without Accountability Didn't Work

After 10+ years of OEM managed digital marketing programs, I believe that auto dealership managers are less informed and most lack the skills to inspect the outcomes from their OEM approved marketing campaigns. Those who have the skills are often overwhelmed with other tasks which make it hard to inspect their marketing return on ad spend (ROAS) each month.

It's time for dealership owners to recognize that more managers need to understand the fundamentals of modern online marketing and digital retailing strategy.

Your "Go To Person" Is Likely Burned Out

It's very common for a dealership or dealer group to have their "expert" on staff, which might be called their Marketing Director or Internet Manager. However, anyone who has been in this role knows how hard their job becomes when each store manager is on a different page. Chaos (and burnout) is common when store managers are investing in marketing strategies that no longer work, cannot be measured, or driven by ego and not data.

When dealer groups develop a common vocabulary regarding marketing and have taken the time to educate their leaders on marketing measurement, progress can be achieved. In fact, dealer groups that involve their General Managers in marketing discussions and planning find that sales and service campaigns work better when dealership stakeholders and marketing leaders/vendors are in the same room.

Let me be clear: General Managers do not have to become marketing experts.

They do however, need to inspect all areas of their operating budget and be able to identify waste. They need to know what marketing strategies are available for their local market. It's hard for store managers to inspect marketing campaigns when there is so much smoke-and-mirrors campaign reporting in our industry. General Managers also have to lead the way for greater sales and profits, and marketing is a key piece to achieve that goal.

Nine Weeks To Modern Marketing Literacy

Back by popular demand, I am now offering a 9-week marketing mentorship program for dealership employees who want to build a greater knowledge in automotive marketing and modern sales strategies. I will be teaching the course along with my partner Glenn Pasch and key marketing executives from our agency.

You can learn more about the mentoring program by watching the video below. After authoring nine books on automotive marketing and sales process, I'm prepared and eager to invest in the next generation of automotive leaders through this unique program.

Each week we will cover a different topic and all sessions will be recorded. Each student that enrolls will also get online coaching and support during the course, between our weekly sessions. The course starts on January 26th so candidates should register as soon as possible, before we close admission.

Note: This is a perfect course for your Fixed Operations Director who is often left out of all marketing meetings or encouraged to attend digital conferences.

Additional details and registration information can be found here: https://www.brianpasch.com/mentoring-2022/

Your Feedback Please

If you had to list three topics/subjects that would be included in this course, please list them in the comments below. I want to make sure that the 2022 curriculum is the best in the industry and your ideas can help direct my preparations.

If you like live training, don't forget to mark your calendars for the 2022 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference (DMSC) in the Napa Valley this May. Details on the conference can be found here: https://digitalmarketingstrategies.org/