Showroom 101

The New Car Dealers Association of San Diego County sponsors a sales training program to bring new talent — from recent high school graduates to retirees — into the showroom, says Dean Mansfield, president.

Called the California Sales Training Academy when held in Orange County, San Jose or San Diego — and the Sales Training Academy for Automotive Retailers when taught in Philadelphia — the effort to recruit and train new sales personnel is heavily dealer supported and used, Mr. Mansfield says.

Free to salespeople wannabes, the five-day sessions typically attract 20 to 25 people twice a month.

“The people who attend this course to become car sales people are committed to career change,” Mr. Mansfield says. “I would say 95% to 98% who complete it become sales people, many recruited by our sponsoring dealerships.”