Infiniti EX Launch

Challenge:
Take luxury to new places

When Infiniti EX entered the crossover vehicle market, it brought a trunk full of questions with it. What makes Infiniti EX standout in this crowded segment? How would sales consultants identify the new buyers and effectively communicate with them? And how would sales consultants learn about all the new technology EX has to offer?

Infiniti EX is coupe-like, but there was nothing small about the launch task.

Solution:
Get up close and personal with 1,300 sales consultants

To get sales consultants steered in the right direction, we developed comprehensive training for 1,300 participants across eight cities nationwide. The training was a full day — 8 1/2 hours — with classroom and dynamic modules, including a ride-and-drive.

Who new? New market segment and buyers

The crossover segment is on the rise in the automotive industry, so we focused on what sets the category apart and what distinguishes Infiniti EX as a personal luxury crossover within it. We brought along primary competitors BMW X3, Acura RDX, and Lexus RX 350 so sales consultants could experience EX's distinguishing characteristics first-hand through discovery activities.

The new vehicle's design, interior, and features were sure to draw new buyers and were expected to appeal greatly to female buyers. With this in mind, we included an in-depth look at buyer attitudes, wants, and needs, and we devoted one full module to effective ways to work with female customers.

The nitty-gritty on thingamajigs

Infiniti EX is not only an elegant personal luxury crossover — it's also a techno marvel, offering a host of cutting-edge features. These include the AroundView Monitor, with cameras on all four sides of the vehicle to assist in parking, and Scratch Shield paint, which has an advanced clear coat layer that "gels" together to repair fine swirl marks.

We knew sales consultants would face questions about these new technologies, so we let them "get their hands dirty" in ways they probably couldn't at their dealerships. They had the opportunity to parallel park using the AroundView Monitor — looking out the rear window was optional. And in a live demonstration we used a wire brush on a paint panel so they could see just how effective the Scratch Shield healing process is.

These interactive modules reinforced the training in ways mere technical data couldn't.

Today the U.S., tomorrow the world

Infiniti EX represents the first vehicle designed by Infiniti for the global market. The materials we created were adapted by Infiniti for use in other countries. During our Train-the-Trainer sessions in Atlanta, representatives from five countries participated. It's not every day that Infiniti launches a new vehicle, let alone entering a new market segment with new buyers and technology. We used the launch event to introduce all these topics and to reinforce strong sales skills.

We developed:

• Train-the-Trainer event
• Full-day training sessions (for 1,300 sales consultants in 8 cities)
• Facilitator Guide
• Participant Workbook

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