Oftentimes, when dealers begin cutting costs, they reduce their training budget. This tendency was reflected by the decrease in the overall number of respondents rating trainers this year. However, many dealers recognize the value of consistent training and are still making room for it in their budgets. The only question is what types of training do they deem important enough to spend their money on.

The average score in this category was down from last year, a reflection of dealers’ opinions about the value of their dollars spent for sales training in today’s market. After winning Diamond status in 2005 and 2007, the Joe Verde Group moved up from last year’s Platinum finish to reclaim the Diamond Award. “In today's environment, educating and training your employees plus improving processes in every department is vital to protect your dealership and increase market share,” commented President Joe Verde.

The Cardone Group was able to retain a top position with the Platinum Award, and newcomer Mark Tewart scored the Gold Award only trailing by two-tenths of a point.