We kick off November’s State of the Industry report on coaching and training with a simple theme. We asked our esteemed dealer panel if the preference for both sales and technical training is to use internal instructors or turn to manufacturers and a broad selection of third-party providers to help techs and account reps get up to speed.

The conversation boils down to a number of factors, including scheduling/availability of OEM trainers, degree of specialized knowledge required and how recently a product was released. Ultimately, many dealers would love to have enough certified experts in house, but even then some feel it’s good to have OEM and home-spun perspectives.

Fraser Advanced Information Systems relies on OEM and third-party instructors primarily for specialty products, notes Blake Bossler, vice president of service. The dealer factory-certifies all service techs via its in-house trainers, who lead week-long, hands-on classes that blend workbook instruction with real-world scenarios.

“Technicians also complete prerequisite online courses before certification, followed by shadowing and field training,” Bossler said. “To support ongoing learning, we maintain internal support groups where product specialists, trainers and experts can be accessed quickly via dedicated communication channels.”

On the sales end, the dealer follows the same course of action by bringing in third-party trainers when specialized expertise or resources are required, notes Michael Macri, vice president of service. “The decision to outsource versus keeping training in-house depends on several factors including the complexity of the subject, internal bandwidth, available expertise and the potential impact on productivity. This hybrid approach ensures sales reps get the best of both worlds: external insights when needed and consistent in-house reinforcement.”

Practicality comes into play for dealers such as Doing Better Business of Altoona, Pennsylvania. Company President Deb Dellaposta points out her in-house training unit is extremely proficient and, as she pointed out in the November issue, it can be difficult to time training sessions to align with manufacturer schedules.

“For our sales team, we do utilize third-party and OEM trainers on occasion,” she said. “This is vetted and curriculum is determined by our subject matter experts.”

Money Well Spent

Some dealers, including Prosource, regard training as a strategic investment as opposed to an expense. The Blue Ash, Ohio-based dealer engages specialized firms with industry expertise to furnish focused training and sales certifications, notes Tom Hemmelgarn, senior vice president of sales.

“On both the service and sales sides, we work closely with our manufacturers to offer hands-on simulations, periodic refresher courses on specific products, and certifications for new releases,” Hemmelgarn remarked. “Each of our key manufacturer partners provides a dedicated portal, giving our teams real-time access to evolving information. This resource is invaluable for both continuous learning and the onboarding of new associates.”

A hybrid model is the preferred approach for United Business Technologies (UBT) of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Laura Poletti, the director of marketing and senior project manager, notes OEM trainers are brought in for product certifications and updates. But for areas such as client onboarding, sales strategy and admin tools, UBT has in-house programs to address them.

“We choose third-party support when content is highly technical, frequently updated or requires certification,” she said. “In-house training is preferred for customized workflows and internal systems.”

Stay Home

Some dealers shy away from third-party instructors, among them Rhyme of Portage, Wisconsin. While the dealer has engaged them in the past, Kendall Steinhoff, director of sales and marketing, the preference is to do as much training internally as possible.

“When evaluating outside resources, we look for experience and relationship with Rhyme, their model—what a follow-up and continuation plan looks like—and overall trustworthiness and perceived value,” Steinhoff noted.

Tampa, Florida, dealer heavyweight DEX Imaging imports manufacturer trainers to certify the company’s instructors, aligning with the industry authorized training provider program. According to Service Training Director Chris Kanehl, the OEM trainers will also be summoned whenever a comprehensive tutorial on a product is necessary.

“At the same time, we quickly develop in-house courses to provide alignment with DEX processes, like warranty handling and escalation protocols,” he remarked. “This blend gives us both flexibility and consistency.”

At Pulse Technology of Schaumburg, Illinois, technical training courtesy of Sharp and Kyocera is important, and the dealer most recently added FP Mailing Solutions to its stable of offerings. The same holds true on the sales side, notes Vince Miceli, vice president of technology.

“We find it beneficial for employees to receive training from external sources as well as ourselves,” Miceli said.