Aftermarket Insider Issue 83 - (Page Cover3)

What new techniques have you employed for 2013? We hope to transition to more web-based delivery and content and initiate a sales-focused web meeting for all sales personnel in addition to the monthly web-based store operations training that we currently have in place for managers. What do you think your training will look like in five years? We hope to see and plan to implement more of a collective online learning experience. Our plans include using social media to enable sharing of ideas and information among learners. We would like to incorporate interactive e-learning offerings, which actively involve the participant in learning activities rather than simply listening, reading or watching video. What are a few of the tangibles from training? We see sales increases, especially as a result of our hands-on classes. Our activity-based training gives employees the ability to practice and exemplify a progression in skills. They identify potential sales opportunities and build call lists in class and are ready to make those calls when they return to their home store. Accountability and demonstration of skills is maintained through structured follow-up processes such as supervisor mentoring or a more advanced training. What are some of the intangibles? Reinforcement of the company’s values and culture and a better understanding of our business model and systems are the primary intangibles. Our training builds cooperative relationships with peers; they get to know each other in the context of a training session, build good relationships, stay in touch, and provide solid resources for each other. One of the most important things is the understanding of being part of something bigger than just a single store. Would the company be where it is today without the investment in training? No, absolutely not. A big part of our company’s growth throughout our history (especially recently) has been through acquisition and raising store count. If we didn’t have a legacy of training and utilizing employees in coaching new store teams, we wouldn’t have been able to do that on the scale in which we have done. Our training provides the foundation for current employees to mentor new employees coming on board. We foster a culture of training and share our successful business model with and through our employees. At Crow-Burlingame, employees build a set of skills (i.e., learning about a particular product, or learning how to sell). An extension that comes from those skills is a cultivation of an entrepreneurial spirit. This opens windows and creates opportunities to be successful. Our most successful employees are the ones to take those new ideas and skills and put them to work within our business model. AFTERMARKET INSIDER | VOLUME 83 | 21 http://www.aftermarket.org/headoftheclass

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aftermarket Insider Issue 83

Health Care Help:industry News
Millennials:The Aftermarket Generation
Talking Telematics:INSIDE TECHNOLOGY
Dress for Success
Workplace Wear:TOOLBOX
Conflict Minerals
Facts and Feedback:MARKET INTELLIGENCE
Words from a Winner:HEAD OF THE CLASS

Aftermarket Insider Issue 83