David Lewis & Associates(DLA)

What David Lewis & Associates(DLA) does

David Lewis & Associates (DLA) is a privately held automotive dealership training company founded in 1986 by David Lewis and headquartered at 10 Suntree Place, Melbourne, Florida. The company sells sales, F&I, BDC, Fixed Operations, and management training services exclusively to new and used car dealerships, with field trainers conducting on-site 2–4 day visits and a parallel digital delivery layer. DLA employs between 11–50 staff and operates a global footprint despite its single US office, with field trainers absorbing all travel responsibilities.

The core product is DLA Online, a cloud-based self-serve platform containing over 3,600 training videos across 40+ courses accessible 24/7, supplemented by DLA Live Virtual Trainer (real-time Monday–Friday coaching), DLA Virtual Workshops (live classroom sessions ranging from 30-minute topics to multi-day courses), four formal certification programs (Salesperson, Sales Manager, Service Advisor, Service Manager), and a recruiting service. The technology stack is a standard video-on-demand delivery layer with management reporting and chapter-level certification testing rather than an AI-adaptive or analytics-driven platform.

DLA generates revenue through three streams: recurring monthly subscriptions at $395/user (with additional seats at $20/month and a 90-day cancellation commitment), professional services fees for in-dealership training visits, and pay-as-you-go virtual workshop pricing. Marketing is testimonial-led and content-driven (YouTube, newsletter, website, virtual workshops), while sales relies on a field team with trainers assigned to dealerships rather than prospecting new accounts. The company remains founder-controlled with no disclosed institutional investment, M&A activity, or leadership succession, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

David Lewis & Associates(DLA)

Legal name

David Lewis & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://davidlewis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

David Lewis & Associates is a privately held automotive dealership training company founded in 1986 that delivers sales, F&I, BDC, Fixed Ops, and management training to new and used car dealerships worldwide via on-site visits, a subscription video platform, and live virtual coaching.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Dealership Training & Consulting

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry & Role-Specific Sales Training (e.g., SaaS, Enterprise, Med Device) (EDABABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer Experience (CX) & Service Excellence (EDABACAB), Sales Operations, Process & CRM (Pipeline/Forecasting) (EDABABAJ), Consultative Selling & Discovery (EDABABAC), Prospecting & Lead Generation (SDR/BDR) (EDABABAB)

Keywords

• Automotive sales training
• Dealership training services
• F&I training
• Fixed operations training
• BDC training

Headquarters

HQ city

King Of Prussia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. DLA Online Subscription: Monthly subscription model at $395/month for Full Access including all certification programs, DLA Virtual Classes, and DLA Virtual Trainer. Additional users priced at $20/user/month. Ongoing agreement with 90-day cancellation notice.
2. In-Dealership Training: On-site training visits where DLA trainers visit dealerships for 2-4 day sessions. Trainers are assigned to dealerships and visit approximately 12 days monthly. Pricing structure includes a 2 Day Visit option.
3. Virtual Workshops: Interactive live virtual training sessions including 30-minute sessions ($45), 3-day entry level courses ($395), and multi-day courses ranging from 2-3 days.
4. Certification Programs: Full Access certification bundle at $395/month includes Salesperson, Sales Manager, Service Advisor, and Service Manager certification programs with weekly live Q&A sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

David Lewis & Associates provides automotive dealership sales, service, F&I, BDC, and management training through in-person dealership visits, a 24/7 online video platform, live virtual workshops, real-time coaching, and role-based certification programs. All training is built on the proprietary 'Art of Inspirational Selling' methodology and is targeted at new and used car dealerships across all franchises and brands.

Product overview

David Lewis & Associates (DLA) is an automotive dealership training company offering a unified platform combining online and in-dealership training services. The core offerings include DLA Online (an online training platform with 40 courses and over 3600 videos), DLA Certifications (four certification programs for dealership roles), DLA Virtual Workshops (live interactive sessions), and DLA Live Trainer (real-time coaching). In-Dealership Training provides on-site visits covering Sales, Fixed Ops, F&I, BDC, and Phone-Ups. The company also publishes books under the Books By David brand and offers DLA Recruiting services. All training is based on the company's "Inspirational Selling" methodology, designed to help dealerships increase profits by up to 50%.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DLA Online Cloud-based online training platform providing 40+ courses and over 3,600 videos for automotive dealership staff in Sales, Fixed Ops, F&I, BDC and Management. Accessible 24/7 across all devices with management reports and certification programs included via monthly subscription.
• DLA Certifications Four certification programs covering Salespeople, Sales Managers, Service Advisors, and Service Managers, with certification tests, weekly live Q&A sessions with David Lewis, and reporting included in the Full Access subscription.
• DLA Virtual Workshops Interactive live virtual workshop sessions covering Sales, BDC, F&I, Fixed Ops and Management topics, available as 30-minute individual sessions, 3.5-hour courses, and multi-day 4-hour courses requiring camera-enabled attendance.
• DLA Live Trainer Real-time virtual coaching included with DLA Online subscription, providing deal structuring help, sales process support, objection handling, and phone and internet lead coaching Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:30pm EST.
• In-Dealership Training Comprehensive on-site training delivered by DLA National Trainers during 2-day or 4-day dealership visits, covering Sales/Negotiations/Objections, Fixed Ops, Phone-Ups, F&I, BDC, and Recruiting.
• DLA Recruiting Recruitment services for automotive dealerships including job posting on major recruiting sites and social media, resume review, and structured video interview processes.
• Books By David Published books by David Lewis including Secrets of Inspirational Selling, Understanding Your Customer, Common Mistakes Salespeople Make, The Leadership Factor, and Winners VS Losers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Profits increase up to 50% in first few months of implementing DLA methods
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sandler Training: Sandler Training is a global, established sales training methodology franchise. It is a broader incumbent that competes with DLA for sales training budget at dealerships but lacks the automotive-vertical specialization that anchors DLA's positioning.
• Dale Carnegie & Associates: Dale Carnegie is a long-standing professional sales and leadership training organization serving corporate clients across industries. It is a broader incumbent competing for general professional development budgets that dealerships may allocate versus a vertical specialist like DLA.
• Cox Automotive: Cox Automotive is a large automotive services platform (Dealertrack, Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim) that increasingly bundles performance, training, and coaching into its dealer SaaS ecosystem. It is a broad incumbent whose embedded training could compete with DLA's standalone offering.
• Grant Cardone Enterprises: Grant Cardone is a large-scale sales training and education company offering online courses, certifications, and live events. While broader than automotive, Cardone explicitly targets auto dealerships as a key vertical and competes for the same training budget.

Direct peers

• Jim Ziegler Automotive: Jim Ziegler is a long-standing automotive dealership sales and F&I training consultant and speaker. Comparable to DLA as a founder-led automotive training brand offering in-person workshops, online content, and certification-style programs to dealerships.
• DealerSynergy: DealerSynergy provides BDC, internet lead handling, and phone training specifically for automotive dealerships. It overlaps with DLA's BDC, Phone-Ups, and Internet Lead training modules and serves the same franchise dealer customer base.
• Tom Stuker Automotive Sales Training: Tom Stuker delivers automotive-specific sales training, phone-up training, and coaching to dealerships and dealer groups. Highly comparable to DLA's sales-process and phone-handling curriculum for the same franchise dealer audience.
• Joe Verde Group (JVTN): Joe Verde Group is a leading automotive sales and management training company that sells training products, workshops, and coaching specifically to dealership sales teams. It is the closest direct peer to DLA, competing for the same dealership sales-training wallet with a similar in-person + online model.
• Brian Hopkins Automotive: Brian Hopkins is an automotive sales trainer and consultant offering workshops, keynotes, and online training for dealership salespeople and managers. Comparable niche, comparable format, comparable customer.

Others

• NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association): NADA is the U.S. auto dealer industry association that publishes training, compliance, and management programs for its dealer members. While not a direct competitor, NADA represents an alternative training channel that dealerships may select instead of or alongside DLA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@davidlewisassociates
• Xx.com/davidlewis_dla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about David Lewis & Associates(DLA)