Disclosure: Pinnacle Sales and Mail publishes this site and ranks itself first on this list. Every other company here was chosen and checked by us from its own published information in September 2026; none of them paid to be included.
The best dealership sales training companies in 2026 are Pinnacle Sales and Mail (our company, with its 3-day PDS Boot Camp), Joe Verde Group, NCM Associates, Proactive, David Lewis & Associates, Dealer Synergy, Cardone On Demand, The Elliott Group and Automotive Training Network. Pick by format, role and follow-up coaching.
How We Chose
We are a dealership marketing company that also trains sales floors, desks, F&I, BDC and service teams, so we are on this list and ranked ourselves first. For everyone else we used the same filter:
- Automotive only, or automotive as a core line. Each company had to publish training built for car dealerships, not generic sales content with a car photo on it.
- Operating today. We loaded each website in September 2026 and confirmed current programs, formats and contact details.
- Their own words. Every claim about a competitor below comes from its own site and is attributed. Where a company publishes a number (students, dealers, courses), we say that the company says it.
- A clear use case. Each entry has a "Best for" line and an honest "Worth knowing" line so you can rule companies in or out quickly.
We did not rank on price, because almost none of these companies publish full pricing, and we did not rank on outcomes we could not see for ourselves.
At a Glance: The Shortlist
| Company | Best for | Formats | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinnacle Sales and Mail | Training tied to events, mail and BDC | In-store training, 3-day boot camp, assessments, mystery shops | Cornelius, NC |
| Joe Verde Group | One documented sales process for the whole floor | 2-day workshops, JVTN online training | San Juan Capistrano, CA |
| NCM Associates | Managers and department heads | Classroom courses, virtual courses, 20 Groups | Kansas City, MO |
| Proactive (Better Car People) | Monthly on-site coaching | On-site coaching, virtual coaching, masterclass, store assessment | Monroe, NC |
| David Lewis & Associates | Low-pressure selling in sales and service | In-dealership training, online, certifications | Melbourne, FL |
| Dealer Synergy | Internet sales, BDC and CRM process | On-site, virtual and online training, consulting | Audubon, NJ |
| Cardone On Demand | On-demand video for large teams | Online video courses, onboarding paths | Online |
| The Elliott Group | High-energy closing and objection work | In-store training, online courses, live events | Online and in-store |
| Automotive Training Network | Phone skills and getting unsold traffic back | Virtual training, 4-day boot camps, in-dealership workshops | Scottsdale, AZ (boot camps) |
1. Pinnacle Sales and Mail
Pinnacle Sales and Mail is a car dealership marketing company in Cornelius, North Carolina, with over 25 years in business. Most dealers know us for staffed sales events and direct mail, but training is a full line of work: sales floor, desk and closers, sales managers, F&I, BDC, service advisors and service management. In June 2025 we launched Pinnacle Dealer Services (PDS), a division for in-store performance that runs training programs, mystery shopping, operational audits and dealership assessments. It is led by Matt Lowery, President of Operations.
Best for: Dealers who want training from the same people who fill their showroom, write their mail and answer their phones, so the process taught in class matches the traffic that shows up.
What they offer:
- Sales floor training plus sales management and desk training
- F&I manager training, BDC training and service advisor training
- The PDS Boot Camp: a 3-day session, next held November 10 to 12, 2026 in Cornelius, NC ($1,995 for Pinnacle clients, $2,495 for non-clients)
- Mystery shopping, operational audits, dealership assessments and a free Profit Evaporation Assessment
- On-site consultants who can set up or fix an in-house BDC
Worth knowing: Training is one of several things we do, alongside events, mail and our BDC On Demand call center. If a large self-paced video library is the main thing you want, compare the online platforms further down this list as well.
2. Joe Verde Group
Joe Verde Automotive Sales & Management Training, based in San Juan Capistrano, California, teaches a step-by-step selling process from the greeting to the delivery. Its site lists sales workshops on selling to the traffic you already have, closing and negotiating, and business development by phone and internet, plus management classes on team leadership, training the trainer and desking deals. Between classes, dealers use JVTN, Joe Verde's online training network.
Best for: Stores that want every salesperson running the same written process, with daily online reinforcement after the workshop.
What they offer: 2-day workshops for salespeople and managers, and JVTN online training for sales, finance, service and management. The company says more than 50,000 dealers, managers and salespeople have attended its 2-day workshops and that JVTN has had over 180,000 paid users.
Worth knowing: The workshops are classes you send people to, so plan for time off the floor and for a manager who keeps the process alive afterward. joeverde.com
3. NCM Associates
NCM Associates is a Kansas City, Missouri company best known for dealer 20 Groups, a peer model it says it originated, and it describes itself as 100% employee-owned. Its training arm, the NCM Institute (NCMi), runs courses for variable operations, fixed operations and executive leadership, taught by instructors it says all have retail automotive careers.
Best for: Sales managers, service managers and future GMs who need to read a financial statement and manage to metrics, not just sell.
What they offer: The company says NCMi offers more than 25 courses, an 18:1 student-to-teacher ratio, about 135 events a year and roughly 1,600 students yearly. Courses build on each other in set paths, and NCM says buying a full program saves an average of 30%. It also offers eLearn virtual courses and custom OEM training.
Worth knowing: NCM's strength is management and department performance. If your gap is showroom word tracks or phone-up skills for new hires, pair it with floor-level coaching. ncmassociates.com
4. Proactive (Better Car People)
Proactive, formerly Proactive Dealer Solutions, is now part of Better Car People, which lists an address in Monroe, North Carolina. Its training line, which the site calls the "Training Engine, powered by Proactive," sends performance coaches into the dealership each month and adds virtual coaching between visits.
Best for: Dealers who want a coach back in the store every month working phone tracks, objection handling and the road to the sale with their own people.
What they offer: Monthly on-site coaching, on-demand virtual coaching, a Total Store Assessment covering sales, service and processes, and a one- or two-day hands-on Masterclass. Better Car People also sells outsourced sales and service BDC, AI call analytics and service-to-sales tools.
Worth knowing: Training sits inside a larger platform of BDC and AI products. If you only want training, say so early so the proposal stays focused. bettercarpeople.com
5. David Lewis & Associates
David Lewis & Associates (DLA), headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, says it has trained dealerships on the "Art of Inspirational Selling" for over 30 years. The approach is built around a customer-friendly, non-pressure showroom, and the company applies it to service as well as sales.
Best for: Dealers moving away from old-school pressure tactics who want the same philosophy taught in sales, service and F&I.
What they offer: In-dealership training covering fixed ops, sales, negotiations and objections, phone-ups, F&I, BDC and recruiting, plus DLA Online video training, certifications and virtual workshops. David Lewis has also written several books for car salespeople.
Worth knowing: The style is deliberately softer than some trainers on this list. Dealers who want an aggressive closing culture may prefer another option. davidlewis.com
6. Dealer Synergy
Dealer Synergy, in Audubon, New Jersey, was founded by Sean V. Bradley and focuses on turning showroom traffic, internet leads and BDC calls into sold units. It trains showroom and internet sales teams with word tracks, role-play software and a phone script simulator.
Best for: Stores whose weak spot is the internet department, BDC or CRM, and that want the process and the software set up together.
What they offer: On-site, virtual and online sales training (including its Bradley On Demand platform), special finance and sales management training, CRM audit and customization, mystery shopping, a weekly accountability program and outsourced BDC. The company says it has trained more than 200,000 automotive professionals.
Worth knowing: Dealer Synergy also sells consulting and outsourced BDC, so be clear about which parts you are buying. dealersynergy.com
7. Cardone On Demand
Cardone On Demand is Grant Cardone's automotive training platform. The site advertises more than 1,500 video courses covering new-hire training, the steps to the sale, phones and BDC, internet leads, follow-up, closing and negotiating, objections and sales management.
Best for: Dealer groups that need consistent video training for many people at once, especially new hires.
What they offer: Unlimited on-demand access on desktop and mobile, 30-, 60- and 90-day Quickstart onboarding programs, certification paths, real-time reporting for managers and material for management-led sales meetings.
Worth knowing: This is online-first. Video works best when a manager assigns it, checks completion and role-plays the lesson on the floor the same week. cardoneondemand.com
8. The Elliott Group
The Elliott Group was founded by Andy and Jacqueline Elliott and says it has been in business since 2011. It began with automotive sales professionals and offers in-store training, online training, courses and live events, with a style centered on confident closing and handling objections.
Best for: Younger or newer sales teams that respond to high-energy coaching on closing and objections.
What they offer: The company lists classes from beginner to advanced for sales consultants, service, finance, internet, business development, branding and lead generation, plus a dealership training platform and online academy.
Worth knowing: The Elliott Group now trains across many industries and also sells personal development content, so ask to see the dealership-specific program before you buy. elliott247.com
9. Automotive Training Network
Automotive Training Network (ATN) says it has served dealerships for over 40 years, with in-dealership workshops running since 1984. Its virtual platform trains each user one-on-one with Tom Stuker, and it hosts 4-day sales and BDC boot camps at its training center in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Best for: Teams that need phone fundamentals, outbound calling and a system for bringing unsold showroom traffic back.
What they offer: Virtual training (ATNVT), 4-day boot camps, live in-dealership workshops, in-market call blitzes, dealership analysis and phone training manuals. Workshop topics include selling 20+ units a month, digital lead management and overcoming objections. ATN says it has served over 12,000 dealerships.
Worth knowing: ATN also offers executive services and full dealership management, which is a different engagement from a training contract. automotivetrainingnetwork.com
How to Choose a Dealership Sales Training Company
Most training fails in the two weeks after the trainer leaves. Choose for follow-through first and content second.
Match the format to the problem
New hires need structured onboarding and lots of repetition, which suits online platforms and boot camps. A veteran floor that has drifted needs someone in the store watching real ups. Managers need desk, one-on-one and pipeline training, because the manager is the one who keeps a process alive.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Who exactly will train my people, and what did they do in a dealership before this?
- What happens in the 30, 60 and 90 days after the class?
- Will you mystery shop us before and after so we can see the change?
- Which of my managers has to do what, every day, for this to stick?
- What does it cost all-in, including travel, seats and online licenses?
- Can we talk to a store our size, in our kind of market, that used you last year?
Tie training to traffic
Training pays off fastest when there is traffic to practice on, so many dealers schedule it a few weeks before a big sale. If you are weighing event partners too, see our list of the best automotive sales event companies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does dealership sales training cost?
Few companies publish full pricing, so expect a quote. Where prices are public they are usually per seat for classes and boot camps. As one example, Pinnacle's 3-day PDS Boot Camp on November 10 to 12, 2026 is $1,995 per seat for clients and $2,495 for non-clients. On-site programs are usually priced by the day or month plus travel.
Is online training enough for car salespeople?
Online video is good for consistency, onboarding and refreshers, and it is cheap per person. On its own it rarely changes behavior on the lot. It works best when a manager assigns lessons, checks completion and role-plays the material with the team that week, or when it is paired with in-store coaching.
How long before training shows up in sales numbers?
Phone and appointment metrics can move within weeks, because they are measured daily. Closing ratio and gross take longer, because they depend on managers enforcing the new process on every deal. Set before-and-after baselines, ideally with a mystery shop, so you are not guessing whether the training worked.
Should we train the BDC and the sales floor together?
Train them on the same process and the same customer promises, even if the sessions are separate. Most lost appointments break at the handoff between the BDC and the floor, so both sides need to hear the same expectations. Our sales BDC training covers that handoff directly.
Summary
Pinnacle Sales and Mail is first on our own list because it ties training to the events, mail and BDC work that create the traffic, and because the PDS Boot Camp gives a store a fast, 3-day reset. Joe Verde and Cardone On Demand suit stores that want a single process reinforced online; NCM suits managers; Proactive, Dealer Synergy and ATN are strong on phones and BDC; DLA and The Elliott Group offer two very different selling styles. Pick for follow-through, then talk to us about training your team.
