What made you want to do the work you do? Please share the full story.
I worked throughout my teenage years as a lifeguard while still in school. As I entered college, I decided I wanted a more serious job to build discipline and dress appropriately for opportunities. During my second year of college, I took a job selling cars. Immediately after training, I sold two cars on my first day. I got hooked and slowly made it a career. I dropped out of school twice because the automotive industry became my passion. By 24 years old, I was a director managing a sales department. By 28, I started Dealer eTraining because I saw a need for most auto dealerships to improve their sales and marketing operations. Years later, I was the general manager of an independent dealership, and I took from selling eight cars per month to over 80 vehicles per month, with a six-figure monthly increase in revenue in our service department. My career also allowed me to be a retail performance coach and facilitator representing the Hyundai Motors America brand. Recently, Dealer eTraining started our outsourced call center division, Dealer eBDC. I love fixing businesses and bringing results to the automotive industry.
Tell us 3 surprisingly easy and 3 surprisingly difficult things about your job.
Easy:
1. Mapping out processes and setting them both internally and for the client.
2. Delivering training material and motivating teams.
3. Putting myself and my business out there to be seen.
Difficult:
1. Prospecting for business is tough because we are selling a high-ticket item to business leaders who are pitched multiple times daily.
2. Finding people with the proper work ethic who can commit to becoming successful.
3. Sometimes, I travel a lot, which can become challenging.
What are the 3 things you like best about your work and why?
1. I love that I can develop people into top producers, and they can grow.
2. I enjoy seeing clients grow their sales operations and see financial increases.
3. I have met some fantastic people in this business and developed a network.
What are your greatest 3 skills and how have they helped you succeed?
1. Creativity: I always consider improving ourselves to deliver more for our clients. This forces me to constantly create new training curricula or even work on communicating better. This comes from associating with other successful people. Our style is different and very direct as a result.
2. Leadership: By learning from other successful and failed leaders, I have developed a style that my teams appreciate. They want to do more for the cause because they know I have their back. Dealer eTraining has grown because I focus on guiding and mentoring people. I am not a boss—I am a leader!
3. Networking: I learned a long time ago about the importance of being seen on social media. I learned what content to post and what to hold back on. My business and brand got noticed when I stopped worrying about what people would think. Attention is the key to being noticed, appreciated, and also criticized. Drop the fear and put yourself out there. Privacy no longer exists, and big brother is always watching, so go for it!
Tell us about a time you were dead wrong about something.
I was the BDC & Marketing director at a more prominent Nissan dealership. A rep working for me was continuing to make the same error. I told her we would work on it and help her fix it. I got swamped and forgot to check back in with her. Later that day, I snapped up and got upset with her. She stood up and quit her job. I went home and realized I was dead wrong with how I reacted. I called the next day and apologized. We reconnected, and within a week, she returned to work on my team again.
How do you get yourself out of a funk? Please share the details.
Good question. As we are doing this interview, I would typically be in a funk. The most challenging days for me are the birthdays and dates that both of my parents passed away. I get depressed on those days. Today is my father’s birthday; twelve days ago, it was my mother’s. What is different at this moment is that I am buried with work. Dealer eBDC is a new division, and having been around for only about three weeks, I am focused on improving my team’s skills. I am also working on growing the business and signing on more auto dealer partners for our business development services or coaching needs. I am in a good place in my life with incredible friends and family as well. I guess the way to get out of a funk is to keep building momentum and be active!
What do you value most and why?
I value my relationships more than anything. I wear my heart on my sleeve and always try to do right by others. On three occasions throughout my life, I have had colleagues going through rough times who lived with me. These are some of my closest friends, and they are always there for me in return. I once went so broke I could not pay my bills, and my car got repossessed. I asked five people for help, and four lent me money. In less than ninety days, I paid everyone back and was rebuilding! I value relationships because without them, we remain alone in this life, and our businesses cannot thrive.
What achievement are you the proudest of and why?
I wrote and released my first book, “Social Sher’s The Skills That Pay The Bills,” a few years ago. My goal was to let people know that you can fall apart many times and that the struggle is real. But I want people to know that they need to take every opportunity in life to develop skills that can come to their benefit one day. I left the automotive industry briefly and worked in two other sectors. This helped me develop skills and also survive when times were tough. Later I used those skills in the automotive sector as Dealer eTraining was regrowing and now as Dealer eBDC is coming together. I want people to have the work ethic to lock themselves in a room for ten hours and apply to fifty jobs a day as soon as they get laid off. We live in the most fantastic country where we can succeed or fail. I believe that movement is the key to growth, and setbacks create opportunity.
What is your favorite movie and why?
I love “The Godfather” because it teaches lessons about business and the importance of understanding people. Politics is involved in everything we do. We have to struggle to know who has our back and who wants to see us fail. We have to handle things accordingly. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” is an incredible line.
What advice would you give to your younger self and why?
If you are going to take advice and look for guidance, make sure you follow people who are doing more than you are. Learn from their mistakes and copy their patterns to become successful. Never let someone who has never tried to grow give you advice. You will also develop haters and jealous people along the way. Just remember that this journey is yours, not theirs!
Are you willing to be a mentor? If yes, what is the best way to reach you?
I am always happy to be a mentor. I recommend contacting me on my social media links or email me at stan@dealeretraining.com
Just for fun, what is your favorite food?
I am a foodie. I love different varieties of food. Italian and any Asian cuisine are my ultimate favorites!