Road Warriors

Wonder how you can kick your training session into high gear? Then talk to the experts at Campos Creative Works (CCW) in Santa Monica, Calif., who designed the training program for the new Honda Fit.

CCW recently went on a 21-city tour for more than a month to train 7,500 Honda sales associates—65 to 70 percent of the U.S.-based sales force—from all over the country, says Dave Heath, Honda's senior manager of sales communications. "We believe in the investment of face-to-face, hands-on training."

Why was the training for this vehicle so different? The Fit, unveiled in April, is Honda's first return to the entry-level-vehicle arena since the 1970s, and younger consumers' attitudes have changed dramatically since then. "It's a new customer that we're preparing for," Heath says. Adds Greg Williams, CCW's creative director for this project: "It's really important that these sales consultants walk away with an understanding of who this buyer is."