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Adventures in the Car Business
I was working on cars before I was old enough to drive them, going "professional" with a couple of gas-station jobs and working my way through the University of Florida with a job in their motor pool. I remain fascinated with what makes cars move; especially what makes them move faster and better.

What makes cars move off the dealership floor has become of even greater interest. And I'm fortunate to have worked on projects for most of the Asian car-makers headquartered in Southern California.

Many of these projects, especially the ride & drive-type events, let me apply a full range of knowledge in both marketing and instructional design. The underlying goal is clearly to move product, while the supporting objectives are more training-related: enlightening prospective buyers on why they must have this vehicle and preparing the sales force to go forth and sell value.
Then there's Performance Strategies, Inc. Working with sales training guru Will Robertson , I helped design sales training for delivery at the dealership level. This was part pep rally, very strategic and completely effective in moving participants toward more effective and more professional selling. The "post graduate" training then equipped sales managers to reinforce and continue that training. Let me know if you would like any of this adapted for your use. I might even be able to get Will to facilitate for you.

Completed Projects
In reverse chronological order.
  • Lexus Division of Toyota Motor Sales --Write executive speeches and training-facilitator guides for brand training to support the international expansion of the Lexus brand. 10/04-11/04.
  • Performance Strategies, Inc. --Develop the Web site and all communications plus instructional design and proposal writing for this sales training business targeting the automotive market. 8/03-8/04.
  • Toyota Web Projects --Writer and manager for projects including proposal development, marketing communications for the launch of the "Dealer Daily" Business-to-business private network, the University of Toyota Web site, corporate policies and procedures for domain names, and a lead delivery Web site. 10/99-5/00.
  • Lexus-Product Knowledge Workbook and Test --This was basic product knowledge that everyone associated with Lexus, both corporate and dealership associates, had to know. Passing the test was a condition of employment. 1997.
  • Hyundai Product Introduction Videos and Seminars --Certainly at least a factor in Hyundai's current success were these videos and training breakout sessions that introduced the new vehicles and provided suggestion on how to conduct demonstration drives. 1995-1997.
  • Mazda Parts and Service Promotion Training --designed to promote cross-selling and upselling on both new vehicle sales and backend sales. Done through Carlson. 1995.
  • Mazda Truck Calls --These were a series of audio demo drives available over the phone. High-energy music and larger-than-life characters led the listener through imaginative test drives, which were all part of a Mazda truck party. The call could be stopped at any point to schedule a real demonstration drive with a local dealer. Done through Carlson. 1993.
  • Mazda Accessories Incentive Program --Written for Carlson, this proposal leveraged their incentive business to help Mazda build their accessories business. 1993.
  • Mazda RX-7 Ride & Drive --Written for Carlson, this proposal had to envision all elements of a consumer event and Skip Barber racing school that was coordinated with the Sports Car Club of America ( SCCA ). 1991.
  • Mazda American Credit --Written for Carlson, this proposal envisioned an entire dealer event, including themeing, AV segments and meeting in a box for those who could not attend. 1992.
  • Toyota PROCAP Recruitment --This glossy technician recruitment magazine that I wrote for Maritz was so effective that Lexus wanted their own version, blessing me with an additional job. 1990.
  • Nissan SalesTalk --Written for Maritz, this proposal presented a turn-key solution for outsourcing the Nissan magazine targeted to dealership salespeople. The client said that it did the best job of identifying the publication's challenges and grasping its mission, as he awarded the job to the competitor with the lowest price. 1990.
  • Nissan Parts and Service Marketing Seminar --Written for Maritz, this proposal thought through how to upgrade marketing for the dealership backend and train the respective managers in more effective marketing techniques.
    Once sold, I developed the communications package for promoting the event to both potential participants and dealership owners. 1990.
  • Isuzu Car Show Display --Write scripts for both image-surround produced presentations and a live presentation. One script presented an overview of the entire product line. A second featured the Impulse. As the Impulse rotated the three synchronized screens behind it showed running footage appropriate to the direction the car was pointing. This created an attract loop that resolved into an introduction for the live presentation. 1988.
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