You may find this post a bit odd knowing that it is being written by a sales trainer. I believe traditional selling is dead on arrival. The days of hiring and building a well trained sales staff that executes all facets of the sale, follow up, prospecting, marketing, telephone skills and building a database of repeat buyers has for the most part been dead for a while.

Some of you reading this may be shocked or even angry at such a statement and declare that it is certainly not the case at your dealership. However, it is the case for ninety-five percent of dealerships across the country. If you have been able to recruit, hire, train and retain a professional staff of salespeople who execute on an extremely high level then I say “bravo to you.” Our company has certainly helped many dealerships do the same thing. However, after almost thirty years in the business I can tell you it is not the norm.

What I see in the auto business today as an average is scary. I see lazy, untrained staffs that either cannot or will not learn the skills necessary to become a strong, professional salesperson. I see dealerships with weak or non-existent game plans to recruit, hire and train a strong professional staff. I see managers who like to sit behind their desks and wait for untrained sales staffs to bring them deals.

I continue to see dealerships moving to more and more specialization and technology. I see dealerships utilizing CRM’s, in store or external Internet departments, outsourced BDC’s and sales processes that heavily utilize managers and technology. Although technology does not sell vehicles, it surely assists you in the process. More dealerships will move towards an old school but now new school process of product specialists and managers. People will only be trained and expected to perform in certain areas of competency. F&I managers will be moved more towards the front of the sale rather than the back of the sale. Many smart dealers have moved towards this arrangement years ago.

Dealers have been beating their heads up against the wall forever trying to get salespeople not only trained, but get them actually doing it. For the most part, it has not worked. I have heard certain sales trainers cry out “It’s not an option.” That’s easy to say, but those same sales trainers went broke while owning their own dealerships. I am not writing this article to be politically correct. I am writing this article to be a witness to the truth as I see it. The average salesperson today in most stores is lucky to have a job let alone resembling anything close to a professional salesperson. Customers just won’t tolerate amateurs and old school selling anymore.

If you are fighting the same battles you have been fighting for years and not getting better results then it may be time to stop blaming your managers and look in the mirror. It may be time to try a different approach. And to all the truly professional salespeople out there that don’t fit into the ninety-five percent category I mentioned, you have my apologies as you should be held in very high esteem and not lumped in with all the rest. You are truly some of the most valuable people on earth.

If you would like to receive my free report on the new generation of selling, email me with the phrase “new generation” in the subject line

Mark Tewart, author of the best seller "How To Be A Sales Superstar"