Almost Licensed

I took my Vehicle Sales Authority (VSA) Level I Salesperson Course and Exam last week. In a few long weeks I will find out if I passed and will therefore receive my license to sell.

The VSA was legislated into existence back in 2004. Since then they have instituted a rigorous licensing process for dealerships and over the last few years have implemented training and examinations for salespeople to acquire their license. Next year will be the deadline for all sales people hired before the process came into place to take the course and pass the exam.

I had two days to learn umpteen laws and how they are applied to the industry.

Now I have been in a lot of classes in my time, everything from traditional university style classroom to conferences, workshops and employer lead training sessions but this was the first class I've been in wherein the following cel phone announcement was made at the beginning of class (to paraphrase) "we realize your income is tied to your phone, please set on vibrate and feel free to leave the room should you receive a call." It's very true, very considerate (most of the people in the room are in their first months of sales where they can't afford to miss a single call - day or night) - but also kind of odd.

I was one of four women in the class of about 30 people. Two women who held responsible but purely administrative positions, one was a salesperson - after having done her time as a dealership hostess (not sure what that is) and me. This ratio is no different than expected given my observations at the auctions and by walking on to any dealer lot.

There was a lot to learn and remember. Consumer protection laws have changed significantly and it is no longer a case of buyer beware. The legislation has been changed to force the the seller to prove the negative. An impossible task. I don't believe a buyer beware attitude is the right way to go - but it made me really nervous as a new business owner to think that I was going to have to prove that I didn't say something.

For the most part, the salespeople in the room didn't seem too phased by the amount of legislation beyond making sure they did their own thing correctly. As a new dealer owner I was furiously taking notes and hi-lighting my book to make sure I forgot none of this new found knowledge and it's application in our business.

Despite the "scary scenarios" they kept painting, I had a great two days. I met lots of fantastic people and learned a whole lot more about this industry I've just jumped into.

Until next time, happy driving!