Aug 03, 2026 Future Skills Development, (FSD), Gerhard Lourens, Skills Development Specialist, retail automotive sales
Automotive sales: new opportunities for training and development
Underpinned by the industry-expressed need for training on superior levels of sales skills and professionalism in the automotive sales environment, Future Skills Development (FSD) was established as a non-profit company to address this much-needed gap in this oft-neglected sector of the retail motor industry.
Spearheaded by Gerhard Lourens, Skills Development Specialist at FSD, the Company achieved operational status on 1 July 2026 and is in full swing with its training offering to the industry at its fully equipped operations and training centre in Northcliff, Johannesburg.
Autoforum met with Gerhard to learn more about this unique development and were surprised by the giant steps that had been taken in a very short time to establish FSD and commence with operations. The immediate support received from employers in the automotive retail industry can only be described as astounding.
Gerhard is a seasoned sales expert in the automotive retail industry with 30 years of experience in the sector, having started at entry level and working his way up to senior management level. During his career, he underwent extensive training both locally as well as in the USA and China, and is a qualified facilitator and trainer to boot. Asked why he is involved in this quest, he indicated that, during his career in the automotive sales field, he noted huge gaps in levels of knowledge and sales skills, and a general lack of appreciation for the need to maintain the highest levels of professional conduct. “The need for absolute professionalism in the retail automotive sales environment is imperative”, he says, “as it not only serves to elevate the image of an individual, but of the profession as a whole and the dealership where these professionals are operating. This in turn also reflects positively on the vehicle brands being sold, so having a trained, motivated and professional vehicle sales force as the first point of contact for customers and through the whole buying experience is an existential principle for a dealership. A truly professional and well-trained sales executive is worth his or her weight in gold for any dealership,” he says.
Hot off the press is a newly published book authored by Gerhard titled “The Automotive Sales Professional: Mastering the DNA of Sales in South African Dealers” which imparts essential knowledge of sales skills and principles of professional conduct in the retail automotive sales environment. The work is undoubtedly a pioneer publication in its field and focuses strongly on the South African sales environment. “The book is designed to serve as a continual source of reference, refreshment and motivation for sales executives who are serious about their profession,” he says.
FSD offers training for new entrants into the automotive retail sales environment (a rookie course) stretching over 8 days of training. It also offers corrective training to struggling sales executives to enrich their skills and ingest motivation. There are a variety of crucially important subjects which are also taught by FSD.
Thanks to technology, training activities are not limited to FSD’s base in Johannesburg, but can also be conducted online as well, except for the rookie course which is only offered on a face to face basis but could be conducted anywhere in South Africa provided attendee numbers make this viable. Face to face training can be conducted on site at dealership premises or a neutral venue in loco for sufficiently viable groups of trainees. “A minimum of 8 trainees could be viable for offering training on site”, Gerhard remarked.
There is no doubt that the establishment of FSD has come as a breath of fresh air in the automotive retail sector, addressing a real need for upskilling and professionalism in this environment and assisting sales executives to earn the respect they deserve and build lucrative and satisfying careers in the industry. This will, without question, benefit employers and the vehicle brands they represent. Truly a win-win situation for the retail automotive industry!
For more information, please contact Gerhard Lourens at info@futureskills.org.za or gerhard.lourens@futureskills,org,za
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