There, Chevrolet dealers are taught to act like theater actors: When they meet customers at the dealership, they’re onstage playing the gracious host. Through this process, Chevy dealers learn the finer points of focusing on the customer, an art the Mouse House has perfected over the years.
At $2700-$2800 per participant, this training doesn’t come cheap and don’t expect to by greeted by sales staff in a costumes, though that may make for an interesting test drive. What Chevrolet is trying to do is move away from the stereotypes of slick salespeople, and more towards a model of assisting someone with their purchase. Of course when you have commissioned salespeople that make their money from each sale, this is very different than paying someone a flat wage regardless on how many iPads or cappuccinos they sell within a day.
For many years dealerships have done things their own way with minimal influence from the automakers, but Chevrolet has realized the need for a more consistent buyer experience regardless of location. However, doing complete overhauls to dealerships is expensive and some long-standing locations can be resistant to change.