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90-Day Onboarding Guide

A printable 90-day onboarding system for dealership leaders. Four evaluations. Three mentorship phases. One standard. Built on the LĬve Ready® HOW POWER™ culture.

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LĬve Ready®

90-Day Onboarding Guide

The Pillars of Success · Four Evaluations · One Standard

New Team Member:

Position:

Onboarding Date:

Why This Process Matters

HOW POWER dealerships do not leave onboarding to chance. They design it. They measure it. They own it.

This 90-day system is built on four evaluations — each one a decision point. Interview. Pre-start engagement. Onboarding week. Ninety-day mentorship. At each stage, leadership measures readiness and acts on what they find.

An underprepared Team Member can cost $22,500 per month in lost opportunity. HOW POWER dealerships refuse to pay that price.

Evaluation 1 — The 15³+5® Interview

Before the offer | How We Are Stuffed — The Four Types

Execute the full 15³+5® Interview Process. No shortcuts.

First 15 — You showcase the dealership. Recite your Purpose Statement. Highlight Job Standards. Describe your culture. Share who their Coach/Mentor will be.

Second 15 — The candidate showcases their skills, talents, and how they fit what you are in search of.

Third 15 — Structured interview questions. Standard. Consistent. Same questions for every candidate.

+5 — Open dialogue. “Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you wish I would have?” This is where the truth surfaces.

You are not hiring a resume. You are identifying a mindset. The Human Factor — how is this person stuffed? To Win or to Lose?

Listen for ownership versus excuses. “I chose to…” sounds different than “They didn’t give me…” Language reveals identity.

Communicate the HOW of your dealership — your culture, your process, your standards. Let them see what it means to belong here.

Classify. Document. Clarity now prevents costly mistakes later.

Pure Non-Drifter — 3%

Clear purpose. Driven by goals. Achieves extraordinary results. Has the discipline to consistently repeat the success cycle until they win.

Partial Non-Drifter — 10%

Some direction. Can develop into a Non-Drifter with guidance. Will follow the success cycle until they achieve a single goal — or tire of the process.

Natural Drifter — 60%

Drifts through life. No clear purpose. Settles for ordinary. Someone else must provide the discipline to keep them on track.

Destructive Drifter — 27%

Actively undermines culture. Negative influence on team. No amount of training overcomes a refusal to take ownership. Do not hire.

Interview Assessment

3% — Pure Non-Drifter10% — Partial Non-Drifter60% — Natural Drifter27% — Do Not Hire

Interviewer initials: ________

Evaluation 2 — The Pre-Start Assignment

After the offer, before Day 1 | Ideally within 7 days of the offer

Set the onboarding session date — ideally within 7 days. Talent is rare. When you find it, act fast.

Give them access to the Dealership Academy or give them a copy of LĬve Ready® Beyond Think & Grow Rich.

Send them on their way. What they do between now and Day 1 — when no one is watching — tells you exactly who you hired.

Pre-Start Checklist

Offer acceptedOnboarding date setAcademy access or book given

LĬve Ready®

90-Day Onboarding Guide

The Pillars of Success · Four Evaluations · One Standard

Evaluation 3 — Onboarding Week

This is the third of four evaluations | Day 1: Review the assignment. Measure engagement. Take Care of the Basics.

Day 1 — Review the Pre-Start Assignment

Before training begins, sit down with the new Team Member. Review their pre-start assignment. This will show you the new team member’s likely standing within the pyramid.

What did they do when no one was watching? That is your first real data point.

Should every team member graduate from this evaluation? Let’s discuss that.

27% or Low 60% Signal

No engagement. Excuses replace action. This is drift before Day 1. Red flag. Monitor closely.

60% Signal

Completed exactly what was assigned. Nothing more, nothing less. Direction was followed. Personal Initiative was absent.

High 60% or 10% Signal

Completed all assigned content and explored beyond it. Asks questions. Shows curiosity. Personal Initiative is visible.

3% Signal

Consumed everything — assigned and unassigned. Already speaking the language. Arrived prepared to contribute. Invest heavily.

Take Care of the Basics. Place to sit. Supplies. Email. Phone. Locker. Business cards. Employee Policy Manual. Department tour.

Clap In. Introduce the new Team Member to the Competency Team. This is not paperwork. This is positioning.

Day 1 Assessment

3% Signal10% / High 60%60% Signal27% / Low 60% ⚠

Notes for team leader:

Orientation Schedule — Days 1 through 5

Culture is not absorbed by accident. It is taught deliberately — one competency at a time.

Training Module	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Take Care of the Basics / Clap In	•
The Dealership Way (History / Mission / Theme)	•
GuestTrek® Internet Follow-Up (IFU)	•
PhoneSense® — Incoming Sales Calls	•	•
State of Mind Selling™ — The Guest Visit	•	•	•
GuestTrek® BDC	•		•
GuestTrek® Rotation System				•
Product Knowledge		•	•	•	•
ETS / DMS / CRM — Develop the Success Habit					•
Smooth Transition to Work Floor (Mentor)					•

Does Training Really Work?

The “half life” of traditional sales training is between 45 and 60 days. After which, participants forget or abandon 86% or more of content.

What makes training stick? Culture. A culture of coaching. A culture of encouragement. A culture of development. A culture of executing. A culture of accountability.

A Drifter culture creates The Trust Gap — high turnover, low productivity, high absenteeism, poor reputation, poor customer satisfaction, poor team member satisfaction, poor team member income. A Non-Drifter culture closes it.

The Modern Day Dealership — Four Pillars

Culture — Create the Non-Drifter culture of coaching, encouraging, developing, executing, and accountability.

Theme — Create a “Why Buy From Me” theme that differentiates the dealership.

People — The People Equation: Talent + Capital + Time = Success. The discipline to get things done.

Process — Execute the Five Guest Competencies. Create the Success Habit: Call, Count, Train, Develop, Time-Block.

LĬve Ready®

90-Day Onboarding Guide

The Pillars of Success · Four Evaluations · One Standard

Evaluation 4 — Smooth Transition to the Work Floor

This is the fourth of four evaluations | The new Team Member has graduated from the first three phases. Now introduce them to their mentor for the next 90 days.

Provide a training outline showing how the Team Member will learn the job role and add value.

Assign a mentor — a Non-Drifter who models the HOW. The mentor answers questions and keeps the Team Member on track.

Check in regularly. First day on the floor. Mid-week. End of first full week. Every week after. No weeks are skipped.

Document progress and communicate it to the GSM or GM. Consistency in measurement protects the Team Member, the Guest, and the culture.

Mentor Assignment

Mentor:

Team Leader:

Three Phases of Mentorship

Shoulder-to-shoulder. Measured. Intentional. The mentor does not hope. The mentor leads.

Phase 1: Do It for Them — Weeks 1–4

The mentor leads. The Team Member observes, absorbs, and learns the HOW.

The mentor executes the Guest Competencies while the Team Member watches. Every interaction is a teaching moment.

The mentor narrates decisions in real time. The Team Member sees the process — not just the result.

Daily debrief. What did you see? What questions do you have? Repeat.

Phase 2: Do It with Them — Weeks 5–8

Shared execution. The Team Member begins to lead. The mentor supports and corrects.

The Team Member takes the lead on Guest interactions. The mentor stays present — coaching, not rescuing.

The mentor identifies root causes when execution breaks down. Coaching is specific. “Here is what to adjust.”

The Success Cycle begins: Goalcard → daily actions → execute → monthly checkup → root causes → coaching commitments.

Phase 3: Observe Them — Weeks 9–12

The Team Member executes independently. The mentor observes and validates.

The Team Member owns the process. The mentor steps back and watches. Can this individual deliver the HOW without supervision?

The mentor scores the Goalcard monthly. Progress is measured — not assumed.

The mentor reports to the GSM or GM weekly. No gaps. No guessing.

The Success Cycle

1. Create a Job Role Goalcard → 2. Create daily, weekly, and monthly actions to achieve your goal → 3. Execute the Action Path → 4. Perform a monthly Checkup — Score your Goalcard → 5. Identify root causes and create actions to eliminate them → 6. Execute Coaching Commitments / Follow through

Natural 3 percenters have the discipline to repeat this cycle until they win. Everyone else needs leadership to keep them on track.

Your Dealership's Purpose Statement

The Team Member must be able to recite it

LĬve Ready®

90-Day Onboarding Guide

The Pillars of Success · Four Evaluations · One Standard

Weekly Progress Tracker

The mentor completes this tracker weekly and reports to the GSM or GM. No weeks are skipped.

Week	Phase	Total Guests	Units Sold	Close %	Mentor Notes / Observations	GSM/GM Sign-Off
Week 1	Do It for Them
Week 2	Do It for Them
Week 3	Do It for Them
Week 4	Do It for Them
Week 5	Do It with Them
Week 6	Do It with Them
Week 7	Do It with Them
Week 8	Do It with Them
Week 9	Observe Them
Week 10	Observe Them
Week 11	Observe Them
Week 12	Observe Them

Six Keys to Successful Checkups

1. Be Prepared — Pre-check the Goalcard before you meet. 2. Balance — Discuss the good. 3. Coach, Encourage, Mentor. 4. Document — Cause & Action. 5. Focus. 6. Follow Up.

Regular checkups keep Team Members in the Success Habit. Your approach will influence their level of drifting and the development of the Cycle of Success.

90-Day Final Assessment

Does this Team Member deliver the HOW consistently — without supervision?

Are Guests becoming Customers? Are Customers becoming long-term Clients?

Has this individual earned the trust of the team, the mentor, and leadership?

Fully Onboarded — Team Member continues independentlyExtended Mentorship — Needs additional timeSeparated — Not the right fit

The Purpose of This Process

This system replaces hope with structure, measurement, and intentional development.

Hiring the right Team Member is only the beginning. What happens next determines whether that hire becomes an asset — or a regret.

Not everyone will make it through. That is not failure. That is discipline. If an individual displays the behaviors of a Destructive Drifter, it is leadership’s responsibility to identify it early and act.

Your Guests deserve the HOW. Your team deserves people committed to delivering it. And the right Team Member — the one who earned their place — deserves a dealership that invested in them from the very first day.

That is how HOW POWER dealerships grow stronger. One intentional beginning at a time.

Build the Culture Behind Onboarding

LĬve Ready® 2-Day Leadership Summit

The 90-Day Onboarding Guide is one piece of the system. The Summit gives your leadership team the complete blueprint — hiring, onboarding, accountability, and the HOW POWER™ culture that makes it all stick.

Schedule a Demo →Leadership Summit →