Sales Process Consultancy and Design
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About Client
Toyota New Zealand is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan and celebrates more than 30 years of vehicle market leadership in New Zealand. Toyota dominates the New Zealand market with often greater market share than the next two brands combined. Toyota New Zealand engaged Automotivaters in 2008 to implement a Toyota-branded customer sales process across the 50 retailer network. Automotivaters have supported the TNZ dealer network since 2008 with strategic consulting, ongoing in-dealership coaching, sales and management training programs, special events, and curriculum development. Since 2008, Toyota have achieved consecutive years of annual sales targets met and posted all-time sales records in the last 6 years. 2017 was also an all-time record in dealer profitability.
Toyota New Zealand Challenges
MMDA's 1999 Training Initiative:
Bridging Sales Skill Gaps with Automotivaters
In 1999, Member dealers identified gaps in skills within their salespeople and managers. They were not happy with the quality and availability of training programs offered in the Province of Manitoba. Providers from the USA did not satisfy the unique local market and manufacturer programs were great for product training but not appreciated for sales expertise. MMDA approached Automotivaters to pilot a series of management development seminars.
Toyota & Automotivaters:
Redesigning NZ's Customer Experience for Informed Shoppers
Toyota and Automotivaters identified significant changes within New Zealand buyer expectations and shopping patterns. These changes mirrored trends in other international markets served by Automotivaters and reflected the greater access to information and greater research conducted online by the Kiwi shopper. This emerging “highly researched” shopper demanded a fresh look at the customer purchase experience and a complete re-design of the processes to serve them.
The Actions done on this project were impressive
- Automotivaters was engaged in 2015-2016 to lead an extensive stakeholder consultation to define a modern and market leading customer service approach. Toyota needed dealer buy-in and so a deep, broad engagement with the network in the development was required. This new process needed to come from the experienced and skilled practitioners in the network as much as from specialists and industry experts.
- Automotivaters administered research surveys, moderated focus groups, and lead task force teams. We collected, interpreted, and collaborated to define the direction the sales process evolution required. Automotivaters authored the sales process through various iterations and refinements. Automotivaters consulted with graphic design providers to help define the look and feel of the new training and support materials.
- Launch activities were conducted to present the evolved sales process to the dealer CEOs and achieve buy-in for the implementation phases.
- Automotivaters authored learning objectives, lesson plans, and training materials for seminar programs specific to sales consultants, sales management, and finance managers. We delivered this training in regional classroom sessions. Follow-up in-branch implementation and coaching days were scheduled and delivered.
- Toyota Financial Services engaged Automotivaters to evolve Finance and Insurance sales and create better synergies between F&I and sales departments at the corporate and dealer levels. F&I sales processes were evolved and content authored for complete integration, increased product penetration rates, dealer profitability, and consistent customer experience.
- Support tools were created. Automotivaters authored a comprehensive sales process resource guide for online deployment and a sales manager resource package of 30 skills development meeting agendas.
- Throughout the development and deployment process, Automotivaters engaged TNZ executives in “work in progress” project management meetings and collaborated through a robust online project management platform.
- Automotivaters continues to provide in-branch coaching days to support the processes as trained and guide individual dealerships to higher volume, profitability and customer satisfaction.
- Automotivaters created a series of 18 Management Training Modules that were deployed sequentially over a two year period. The programs were well subscribed and the curriculum was expanded to include sales consultants, service advisors, receptionists, service managers, and advanced sales consultants. The individual programs have continuously evolved with dealership needs, Manitoba market changes, and customer shopping patterns.
- 2016 marks the 16th anniversary of the Automotivaters and MMDA partnership in producing and delivering dealer development programs. Since inception, the participants total more than 1980 individuals representing 115 member dealerships.
Market Disruption in 2018
Toyota engaged Automotivaters in further consultancy and design work to evolve the Customer Experience process in 2018. This enhancement reflects an approach designed to disrupt the market with an industry-leading approach to retailing vehicles. Toyota has reconfigured distribution to an agency model whereby the customer experience is facilitated by the dealership but the transaction is completed directly with Toyota New Zealand.
This change to Toyota Driveaway Pricing (consistent set pricing nation-wide) necessitated a complete reimagining of the customer purchase experience. Automotivaters designed and authored the complete sales process and conducted nationwide launch events to train all dealership management and staff. Ongoing in-store coaching supports the transition to the most modern and customer friendly purchase experience available.
Toyota Financial Services Contacts
Steve Prangnell - General Manager, Used Vehicle and Dealers
Neeraj Lala - General Manager, New Vehicles and Product
Debbie Pattullo - Assistant General Manager, People Development
Brent Knight - Managing Director, Toyota Financial Services
Linda Carpenter - National Manager Dealer Sales, Toyota Financial Services
Since 2000, the MMDA has provided sales and management training programs through Automotivaters.
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