It’s cheese steaks and education May 14-16 in Philadelpha as the good folks at First Class Educators are putting on their 4th annual Automotive Boot Camp. This is going to be one a bit different for us as I get to do something I’ve been dying to do for a long time – talk advanced social media marketing with the attendees.
Summer brings an increased fire risk- both indoors and out. Fire extinguishers can save lives in an emergency situation, but only when they are properly maintained and used. Take two minutes to watch this video and brush-up on the PASS technique, how to maintain the fire extinguisher, and the best way to store the extinguisher.
Pop Quiz:
Fire extinguishers at your dealership or service center are designed to:
A. Put out the fire
B. Give you about 20 seconds to escape the area
C. Always be fully charged and ready for action
(The answer is in the video)
One of our Human Resources Management clients asked us to share this picture of a tech taking anti-harassment training at his work station. It shows how easy it is for employees to keep up with policies, training and performance management- without having to leave the service bay.
KPA is a key sponsor of the 3rd Annual Automotive Boot Camp that will be held in Las Vegas at the Monte Carlo Hotel, May 15-17th, 2012.
The Boot Camp is a hands-on skills based training program with over 30 workshops that cover the most important elements of automotive digital marketing strategies: social media, blogging, video, link building, content creation and SEO.
KPA’s Director of New Media, JD Rucker will teach attendees the ‘Ins and Outs’ of social media marketing and how to use the latest technology to attain new levels of targeted consumer interaction.
Registration is limited. Follow this link for the schedule, and a special discount on registration:
Automotive Boot Camp Conference – Las Vegas May 15-17th.
We are very pleased to announce Paul Potratz as a guest presenter for the upcoming TK Carsites webinar, Get In Front of the Smart Phone Wave at Your Dealership. Register now to reserve your space on Wednesday, December 14th at 9:00am PST/ noon EST. It will be one of the most worthwhile things you do this Month. Here’s why:
Marketing is constantly evolving and new innovative ways of reaching your prospects are emerging, most recently with the rise of marketing via smart phones and tablets.
Join Paul to learn about how to most effectively market your services and connect with your customers in the world of Mobile Marketing. Walk away from this webinar knowing how to develop a mobile “mailing” list, innovative ways to make your message stand out, as well as key components of a successful mobile marketing strategy.
Paul is a contributor to several media partners such as NY Times, NY Post, The Wall Street Journal and also speaks at a number of automotive events like JD Power, CPO Forum, NADA, Driving Sales Executive Summit, NADA 20, and NCM 20. Paul is also a partner at POTRATZ which is a full service automotive advertising agency that focuses on fully integrating a complete portfolio of services to drive results for their clients.
Register for this webinar by following this link:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/171862953
KPA’s latest project, the Bloodborne Pathogens Quiz, helps dealerships and automotive service centers decide if a bloodborne pathogens program is right for their facility. The online self-assessment tool takes into account all federal regulatory compliance mandates, interpretations, and clarifications around employer responsibilities to provide bloodborne pathogen training for their employees.
At the end of the quiz, there is an immediate result. Participants either receive a printable certificate documenting that a program is not necessary, or they are directed to information about getting a bloodborn pathogens program.
The only limitation for this self-assessment tool is that it only takes into account federal guidelines, so dealerships and automotive service centers in states where state-level regulatory agencies act independently form OSHA may still need to consult occupational safety professionals, or research state guidelines about bloodborne pathogen programs.
Thirty percent of traumatic fatalities occur from employees driving on the job. If you ever talk on your cell phone while driving, follow too closely behind the vehicle in front of you, or forget to wear your seat belt, you put your life and the lives of others at risk. Just putting your ringer on silent or turning your phone off all together can greatly reduce your chances of getting in an accident.
If you or your employees drive in any capacity as part of your job, KPA’s new online Safe Driving course will help you increase the number of safety precautions you take every time you get behind the wheel. Take it today and have all new employees complete it within 30 days of hire.
You’ve asked for it and now it’s here: The Safe Driving online training course. If you or your employees test drive vehicles that have been in for service, shuttle customers to or from your location, take customers on test drives as part of the sales process, or transport vehicles or parts from one location to another, this course will help increase the number of safety precautions you take every time you get behind the wheel.
Take the course for a spin today! Go to mykpaonline.com > Dashboard > My Online Training > and then scroll down until you see Safe Driving. When you’re finished, let us know what you think by taking the survey at the end of the course.
Also, keep an eye out for a new course on respiratory protection set to launch this fall. Have a course you’d like to see KPA develop? Let us know!
Here’s what you already know: technology is intrinsic for most Gen Y workers. Furthermore, for most of them, a day isn’t complete without texting, facebook, twitter, foursquare, or other information stream of choice.
According to a new poll from Public Policy Polling, this daily technology immersion changes the way a young person learns. You can reach them more effectively through a training program that speaks to their basic learning needs.
Trainer’s Takeaways:
These findings don’t mean that young workers don’t want to learn. The findings only indicate that a little accommodation strengthens your training program by reaching students through their preferred learning style.
The Disclaimer:
By nature, polls can only measure general trends. There are exceptions to every generalization, and some of them may be working at your dealership.
The Training Challenge:
The bottom line is that your safety programs are not effective if your students are tuning out during an important presentation. Small accommodations go a long way, especially if you’re noticing behavioral trends in your employees that mirror findings from this poll.
The complete poll, titled “Corporate Voices National Worker Surve” is available here:
http://corporatevoices.org/system/files/WPO+Survey+Analysis.pdf
Under the DOT regulations (Title 49 Part 172.702) any employee defined as a hazmat employee is required to be trained. So you ask what is a hazmat employee? The definition is found in (Title 49 Part 171.8) and includes employees that:
• Load, unload, or handle hazardous materials
• Prepare, package, label or mark hazardous materials
• Operate a vehicle used to transport hazardous materials
Now of course not all employees at your facility need to be DOT trained, but depending on who is responsible for different operations you may have to train more employees than you would like. So for an automotive service facility employees that need to be trained include:
• Parts management – they oversee the transportation of hazmat
• Parts shipping & receiving – they load & unload hazmat & might even prepare shipping papers
Additional employees that may need to be trained include:
• Parts drivers – they may transport hazmat
• Service employees – they may prepare & package hazmat (take for example a battery being returned to the manufacturer. The service employee prepares the battery for shipment and may even place it in the shipping container
• Service management – they may oversee hazmat employee operations and may sign for hazmat shipments with the disposal of their facilities wastes.
Learn more about KPA’s hazmat training at http://www.kpaonline.com/ehs/dot.html
Join the conversation: How are you providing required training in your dealership.
