The newsLINK Group recently chatted with Craig Bickmore, the executive director of NCDU, about a class he developed and teaches for dealership staff members called Thought Performance Training. Craig has worked with the association for almost 35 years and has been a director for the last 26 years. He earned an MBA from Utah State University and a bachelor’s degree from Southern Utah State College (now called Southern Utah University) in Cedar City, where he grew up.

Thought Performance Training is something he is passionate about. He has personally witnessed impressive outcomes from people who attended the training and committed to use the techniques taught in the class in their personal and professional lives.

Below are some highlights from Craig about the training.

How did NCDU come up with the idea of an NCDU training series? Is there a story behind it?
We wanted to create a training program with a unique twist. I went to the board about 11 years ago with a training program I thought would be helpful to dealers. We had 175 people take variations of the class initially. They came in very early, and over a period of six months, we came up with a very good training model and have honed it since then.

Where is it taught? Is it taught online or in a class?
I teach the class in the training room at the association; it’s something that I am passionate about, and this is something that I really enjoy doing.

How long does it last?
It is one class that lasts three hours and is very interactive. We start at 9 a.m. and finish at noon.

How long has it been offered?
We’ve done it for years. We experimented with it when we first started and made some adaptations, but it has probably been the same for most of the last 10 years.

Please tell us a little about the series.
We’ve honed the Thought Performance Training class so anybody can attend, whether they are a dealer, a receptionist, work in the parts center, or anywhere else in the dealership. Everyone can benefit from the class.

What’s unique about it is that it is the critical training before other training is done; it sets the stage for success, regardless of position, by building confidence and helping each person identify with their own personal goals and motivation for their success. Confident and motivated employees are engaged employees, which makes for positive outcomes all the way around.

During class, we identify each person’s incorrect core beliefs that interfere with what they want to do. We figure out their mindsets. Then we work together to figure out what corrections need to be made to their core beliefs, and we help them make the corrections at the subconscious level. You know, we all have about 50,000 thoughts a day, and sadly for many, the majority of those thoughts are negative or create roadblocks to success.

In short, we help people align their beliefs with what they want to accomplish, which in turn sets the stage for success opportunities. Imagine if all employees came to work without any negative beliefs that kept them from achieving their personal best. What would that look like for the bottom line of a dealership?

Who should attend?
Anyone can attend. We’ve had hundreds participate in this class, but we, like most others, took a break when everything shut down because of the pandemic. Anyone can benefit if their subconscious is preventing and limiting their performance.

I think it’s also something that is incredibly team-building, especially if an entire department takes the class at the same time. Obviously, you can’t close an entire department down for everyone to attend at once, but, you could have half of the employees attend one class, and the other half another.
In the car business, we see a lot of families working together from different generations, which, interestingly enough, can bring differing perspectives into the workplace. Due to the pandemic, the workplace has seen so much shift in demographics that I think this type of training is invaluable for getting all those different perspectives and viewpoints on the same page.

Plus, anything that can be used for team building these days is invaluable for making employees feel valued.

How expensive is it?
It costs under $200.

How has the series benefited you?
The first time I used some of these principles was 30 years ago, and I continue to use them all the time. It has been really good. It has helped me move in more positive directions and overcome incorrect beliefs that were barriers to my own performance.

What would you say if you had to give someone a summary of what they will learn in the class?
Students in the class learn to identify limiting or incorrect beliefs that have created barriers to performance and goal achievement. They have to change their beliefs before they can change their performance. The change can be accelerated if it occurs at the subconscious level.

What is the general long-term benefit of taking the series?
When somebody really wants to improve their performance permanently, and they come to the class, they find out what the error is in their beliefs and correct it. They make a pattern of what to do going forward and establish a new behavior that comes from the corrected belief. It’s incredibly powerful; call it subconscious goal-setting.

How has the series benefited those who have taken it?
I have many stories from former students. People have told me their performance accelerated, and they broke records in sales and personal performance. This approach can benefit everything from dealing with cranky co-workers, to increasing sales numbers, to helping those employees who may be reticent to answer phones, speak in public, approach people looking at cars or even learn new technology.

For instance, you could have an incredible older salesperson, who connects with people and can sell cars like none other, yet they have a limiting belief that they can’t learn the new DMS program because they are not “tech savvy.” It would be a shame to lose that employee. Training like this can help that employee become more confident in their abilities to learn new technology and thereby more open to the actual training on the DMS itself. This is just one example of many.

Have you adjusted the series over time?
It’s been pretty much the same for the last several years. We know what to say and do and how to help people identify incorrect beliefs. We also know how to find the errors in people’s beliefs that have prevented them from achieving what they want.

Why is the series relevant now?
People are dealing with all kinds of distractions and different motivations. It’s a game-changer if you can identify the barriers and correct them.

Since the pandemic, so many people have given in to negative thoughts and limiting beliefs about what they can and can’t do. It’s very sad. It’s like we’re afraid to get out of our comfort zones.

How can students prepare for the series?
They just have to show up and be ready to learn.

What would you recommend as a follow-up after taking the series? How can students continue to benefit and grow after taking the class?
People in the class find their own solutions. We go through a three-page work sheet during the class, and attendees will write their own prescription on it during the training. We ask that they pay attention to the work sheet after they finish the class and follow the guidelines they have written for themselves. It’s not hard, but it does take some practice and it’s something you have to continue to work on.

Once you learn the skill set, though, I believe it will become a technique that the class participants will use for the rest of their lives.

Do you have any last words? What would you like readers to remember when they finish reading this article?
If you don’t sign up for the class and experience it yourself, you will miss out on the time, energy, money and personal growth you could have had. I know that’s a bold statement, but I’ve had people say it’s the best course they’ve ever taken.

I would encourage every manager to send their people to this class. In many dealerships, there are fewer employees that are doing more than they have in the past because the worker pool is stretched so tight. I think every tool that we can give employees for their personal success will come back and positively affect the bottom line of the business.

Employees who are engaged and focused on successful outcomes are empowered, and empowered people are happier and much more productive. Investing in your people is a great retention strategy.