Rockets learn keys of car sales through interactive project

December 12, 2025

Northeast High School students fine-tuned their educational engines this fall by gaining firsthand perspectives about the car sales industry.
 
Automotive students in Northeast’s Skilled and Technical Sciences (STS) Academy partnered with Sid Dillon Automotive on a project that covered all aspects of car sales. They learned about sales and marketing processes, communication strategies, vehicle inspection techniques and fundamentals of financing through the weeklong activity.
 
Northeast student Cesar felt the project would help him become more confident when he buys a car in the future. He also discovered valuable information about the wide range of careers found in the automotive industry.
 
“I feel a lot more informed about what to do,” Cesar said. “I found out how important it is to build a rapport with a customer and to get to know them. It was really useful what I learned in here today.”
 
LPS Career and Technical Education Curriculum Specialist Jason Thomsen said one of the project’s goals was to help students become more familiar with foundational car sales skills.
 
“The partnership is intended to teach students the process of selling a used car, everything from when it comes into the shop and gets inspected to how it is marketed, sales techniques and then learning the financial side of the car business,” Thomsen said. “But to be clear, LPS is not selling the car. The students are helping in the process of inspection and marketing and gaining practice at sales techniques.”
 
Northeast STS teacher Andy Christensen said he was pleased with the project’s outcome. He felt students like Cesar emerged from the lesson with a broader range of communication and financial tools.
 
“This is a great opportunity to learn the ins and outs of car selling,” Christensen said. “However, the most important aspect is the knowledge the students gain, for they will also have buying power by understanding the process.”

 
Sid Dillon representatives Bill Siefker and Jon Lanik mentored students throughout the week. Siefker, a 32-year veteran of the car industry, has worked at Sid Dillon for 15 years and is now a sales manager. Lanik, a new and pre-owned sales consultant, has been with the business for five years.
 
The car professionals began the opening class by giving students a detailed description of their jobs. Siefker graduated from Northeast in 1986 and has helped hundreds of people purchase vehicles throughout his career. He told students that honesty, respect and trust are among a car salesperson’s most important character attributes.
 
“We want to make sure that our reputation is that we put the customer first,” Siefker said. “It’s all about taking care of our customers. It’s the main thing. Establishing that trusting relationship is absolutely key.”
 
Siefker said that customers first determine if they can trust a car salesperson before moving on to the emotional and logical portions of their decision-making process. He told students that a salesperson’s job is to answer questions about items like safety, performance and price in a straightforward and friendly fashion. Those conversations can help customers decide whether they want to buy that particular car or consider another vehicle.
 
Siefker then provided students with tips on how to approach the car-buying process. He told them it was essential to research both the car itself and potential car dealerships to visit. He also said establishing a good credit score and understanding the overall car market were both vital steps to take.

 
Lanik, Siefker and Christensen wrapped up the opening session by leading students on a practice sales walk-through of a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. They explained how to speak to customers, display the vehicle and answer questions about the car.
 
The Rockets inspected the vehicle on day two and completed a second sales practice session on the third day. Sid Dillon's sales staff gave them details about the financial process of purchasing a car on the fourth day.
 
Christensen said the project provided students with an important networking opportunity. He said many people have sources they can turn to for questions about topics like real estate, and the same logic applies to buying and selling a car. Siefker and Lanik gave the Rockets their business cards and told them they would be happy to help them with any future car concerns.
 
“It’s good that the kids will know both Bill and Jon now,” Christensen said. “If they ever have any questions, it’s nice that they can call them up and say, ‘Hey, I have a question,’ because now they’re someone they can trust.”
 
Siefker said he was happy to help the Northeast classes throughout the week. Not only did the project introduce students to potential careers, but it also handed them the keys of car knowledge that they can use for the rest of their lives.
 
“This is a good opportunity for them,” Siefker said. “If they decide later on to get into the industry, then they have that experience, and it also educates them on what the process looks like for buying a vehicle. They’re going to be educated when they go out in the real world and buy a car for themselves.”
 
Career and technical education (CTE) courses are helping LPS students learn a wide range of important life lessons. Visit home.lps.org/cte to discover details about nearly 100 CTE courses available in our school district.
 
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