Selling In The Motor Trade

Simon Bowkett, from Symco Training, shares tips and ideas on selling in the motor trade from a sales and aftersales perspective, as well as interviews with industry leaders sharing some of their best practices. To find out more visit www.symcotraining.co.uk

The General Manager Who Could Not Find His Own Parts Department 06/11/2026

The General Manager Who Could Not Find His Own Parts Department Here is a question worth sitting with. When you walk into your own business, does everyone know who you are? Graeme from Eden Motor Group once acquired a large Ford dealership and asked the general manager to take him on a tour. The GM opened a broom cupboard looking for the stairs to his own parts department. He had never been down there. When Graeme finally got into the parts office, the young woman behind the desk asked which one of you is the new guy. She had never spoken to the GM in her life. That is not an operations problem. That is a culture problem. And Graeme has spent a career learning to spot exactly that kind of failure within minutes of walking through a door. What's covered: • Why will cannot be bred and how to spot it fast in a candidate or a first conversation • The physical and social signals that tell you someone is genuinely people-orientated • What a healthy business feels like when you walk it and what a broken one reveals • Why having a hierarchy is not the same as behaving hierarchically • How corporate pride became the motivator that drove Eden's recovery from a bruising 2023 • Why the best leaders ask their teams questions instead of performing certainty • The specific advice Graeme would give to anyone taking their first management role • Why IMI accreditation is starting to move the needle in front-line recruitment decisions Graeme is the principal and sole shareholder of Eden Motor Group in the North East of England, a franchise business spanning volume and premium brands. He chairs the IMI and spent years on the board of Ben, the automotive industry charity. Before crossing into the motor trade, he built his thinking about people at Marks and Spencer, and you can hear it in every answer he gives. If you run a dealership, lead a team, or are about to take your first management role, Graeme's thinking on will over skill, recovery culture, and what great leadership actually looks like is worth the full hour. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/41596240

96 Chinese Car Brands Coming. Eden's CEO on How to Decide Which Ones Are Worth Your Time 06/04/2026

96 Chinese Car Brands Coming. Eden's CEO on How to Decide Which Ones Are Worth Your Time The UK has made itself the most attractive market in Europe for Chinese car manufacturers, and most dealers have not fully thought through what that means yet. Graeme, CEO of Eden Motor Group, has. He has been in the trade for over 40 years and built a multi-franchise group across Vauxhall, MG, Leap Motor, Mazda, Hyundai and Peugeot. He is direct about the dynamic: aggressive BEV targets and a relatively open import policy are pulling manufacturers toward the UK in a way that France and Germany, with their fiscal management and tariffs, simply are not seeing. That matters for anyone trying to decide which Chinese brands to take on, which to leave alone, and whether the ones arriving now will still be here in five years. This episode is worth your time before you make that call. What's covered: • Why UK BEV mandates are creating a different competitive landscape to the rest of Europe, and what that means for dealer margins • The specific reasons Eden backed MG and Leap Motor, and what made those two decisions straightforward when others were not • How Eden's early Vauxhall joint venture worked, including the golden share, the accounting rules and the buyout strategy • The workwear question: what Eden's exec committee decided after consulting front-of-house colleagues, and why it still divides opinion • Why Graeme talks to every waiting customer before his morning management meeting, and what he heard this week • The deliberate decision not to grow Eden beyond a certain size, even when the funding and the franchise opportunities were both available • What keeps a 40-year industry veteran fully engaged: the honest version, not the polished one Graeme is CEO of Eden Motor Group, a UK franchise group representing Vauxhall, MG, Leap Motor, Mazda, Hyundai and Peugeot. He built the business from a single Vauxhall joint venture, chose quality over scale at every growth stage, and now advises the IMI, a French motor retail business and an American investment bank alongside his full-time CEO role. He has been doing this for over 40 years and still walks the service reception floor before his meetings start. If you are a dealer principal or franchise director trying to make sense of the Chinese brand wave before it makes the decisions for you, this is the episode to start with. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/41524935

Graeme Potts of Eden Automotive on Numbers, Culture and 40 Years in Motor Retail Graeme Potts of Eden Automotive on Numbers, Culture and 40 Years in Motor Retail Graeme Potts of Eden Automotive on Numbers, Culture and 40 Years in Motor Retail Graeme Potts has run motor retail at every level worth running. He joined Sir Peter Vardy in 1983 when Reg Vardy was three dealerships, and was still there when it had grown to 85 and was turning over 900 million pounds. He then led the RAC turnaround with 10,000 people and a 765 million pound price tag, ran 1.6 billion of turnover at Inchcape, and then walked away from all of it to start Eden Automotive with five dealerships in 2008. In this episode, he talks through what he learned at each stage and what still holds true in 2026. What's covered: • Why knowing your numbers separates good operators from great ones, and what that looks like at the sales consultant level • What Sir Peter Vardy built at Reg Vardy and the attitude that drove the growth • Why there is always business to be done, regardless of weather, economics or what is on television • How Eden bans the phrases time-wasters and tyre-kickers, and why that matters • The infrastructure shock of leaving a PLC and building a dealership group from scratch • Whether standalone dealerships can realistically stack up in 2026 • Why culture is the hardest thing to change in any acquisition, and the most important • What changes in how people respond when you become the owner rather than the executive Graeme Potts is CEO of Eden Automotive Investments, a group he co-founded after senior roles at Reg Vardy, the RAC and Inchcape. He has spent more than four decades in motor retail, across every scale from a three-site family business to a multinational PLC. His perspective covers both the corporate and the independent sides of the trade, and he has the track record to back it. If you are a dealer principal, general manager or anyone building or running a dealership group, this one is worth blocking out proper time for. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/41443545

Why 'How Are You Funding the Car?' Is the Wrong Question 05/21/2026

Why 'How Are You Funding the Car?' Is the Wrong Question Customers say cash for a reason. It is not usually because they are cash buyers. It is because they have been conditioned from the day, they first paid a plumber to believe that saying cash gets them a better deal. In this episode, Simon breaks down exactly why your team keeps hearing that answer in 2026, the assumptions that kill finance deals before they even get started, and the specific questions and phrases that open customers up instead of closing them down. What's covered: • Why customers say 'cash' and the psychology driving it • Why asking 'how are you funding the car?' is the wrong question for your sales team to use • Assumptive payment questions that presuppose finance and get better answers • How to use inflation framing to anchor monthly payment expectations before presenting a deal • Why salespeople believe your dealership is expensive on finance rates, and how to fix that belief • Neil Carrahar's approach to the cash objection: working with the grain, not against it • The 'savings or external lender' technique that strokes ego without starting an argument • What information to gather early so your business manager can stack the deal properly About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/41330425

The One Question That Sells GAP at Pickup, Every Time 05/14/2026

The One Question That Sells GAP at Pickup, Every Time Most salespeople ask about GAP insurance once, get a no, and move on. This episode is about what happens when you go back. Simon runs through a single sweep-up technique, one cheeky question asked at the point of collection, that consistently turns previous rejections into policies sold. The logic is simple: by the time the customer arrives to collect their car, the mental pain of the purchase price has already passed. When you frame a GAP premium against what they already pay for comprehensive cover, the numbers do the work for you. This is a short, direct episode aimed at business managers and salespeople who are still selling GAP and want something practical they can use today. What's covered: • The cheeky question opener that gets permission to probe on price without putting the customer on guard • How to use the customer's own insurance premium as the comparison point for GAP cost • Annual and monthly framing options for cash buyers and finance customers • Why collection day is the right psychological moment to revisit GAP with someone who previously said no • A clean response to the I am a safe driver objection • Why business managers should personally introduce themselves to cash customers at pickup • How the sweep up works alongside earlier GAP presentations rather than replacing them • Why customers who dismissed GAP before are genuinely more open once they are collecting their car If you are a business manager or sales manager who wants one more GAP sale this week, this episode is worth ten minutes of your time. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/41283450

The One Thing in Your Dealership AI Will Never Replace 05/07/2026

The One Thing in Your Dealership AI Will Never Replace AI is not magic. It is not going to replace your sales team. And it is almost certainly not going to save a broken process. What it will do, if you use it properly, is give your people time back, cover your leads after hours, and flag the problems your managers are too busy to catch. Will Benedicks and Brent Wees have been doing this at dealership level, not in a conference presentation, in real stores with real results. This is what that looks like. What's covered: • The single most important thing to do before buying any AI tool • RIPE: the prompting framework that makes AI output actually usable • Why uploading customer data into a personal ChatGPT account is a data protection problem waiting to happen • How after-hours AI lead response generated an extra four and a half car sales per month from 1.7 percent uplift • The catfishing trap: why your AI-powered website can make your showroom look incompetent by comparison • How one dealer built an overnight AI agent to audit ROs, catch discount patterns and brief the team before they hit the floor • Why people who cannot use AI will be replaced by people who can, even if AI itself does not take the job • What AI will never replicate in a dealership: the relationship that closes a sixty-thousand-pound car Will Benedicks runs a dealership group that has put AI to work across the customer journey, from lead response to showroom handoffs. Brent Wees consults with dealer groups on AI implementation and publishes a no-hype weekly newsletter on what the platforms have actually added and how automotive teams can use it. Both know what these tools look like when they work and when they do not. If you are still waiting for the right moment to get serious about AI in your dealership, this episode will tell you where to start and, more usefully, what not to waste your time on. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/41146950

Your AI Prompts Are Lazy. Here Is How to Fix That 04/30/2026

Your AI Prompts Are Lazy. Here Is How to Fix That Most dealers are using AI like a glorified Google search. Type something in, get something back, move on. That is not wrong exactly, but it is leaving a lot on the table. Brent Wees and Will Benedicks have a sharper way of thinking about it. Knowledge is now scalable through AI. An agent scales the execution of that knowledge. Most people are only using the first half. In this episode, they walk through the RIPE framework for writing prompts that actually do what you need them to do, explain what separates a basic prompt from a working AI agent, and describe how they got eight countries worth of dealers to build a vendor evaluation agent live at NADA in under 35 minutes. There are quick wins in here for sales, service and marketing. The kind you can actually go back and use today. What's covered: • The difference between using AI for an answer and building an agent that automates the execution • RIPE framework in full: Role, Instructions, Parameters and Exceptions, with real dealership examples • The NADA hackathon: how a vendor evaluation agent was built live with dealers in 32 minutes • Why lazy prompts waste time and how to brief AI the same way you would brief a new sales consultant • Sales quick win: washing customer communications through AI to turn a six out of ten into an eight • Service quick win: using AI to translate fault codes and technical findings into plain customer language • Marketing quick win: using AI to plan quarters ahead instead of waiting to be told what to put in market • How to prompt for the prompt, and why this is the fastest way to build your AI literacy Brent Wees is a certified AI trainer with 25 years in automotive marketing, including agency work with Toyota and Lexus. He builds hands-on AI hackathons at dealer conferences specifically because he knows that dealers learn by doing, not by watching slide decks. Will Benedicks is Operations Director at Proctor dealerships, with a career that started on the showroom floor and spans sales, finance, compliance and multi-site operations. He is also the kind of person who puts his hand up in a room full of senior operators and asks the question everyone else was too embarrassed to ask. If you have ever typed a lazy prompt and wondered why AI is not delivering for your business, Brent and Will fix that in this episode. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/41048190

Why Retail Down Wins: The Former Voice of CAP on How Dealers Should Be Valuing Stock 04/23/2026

Why Retail Down Wins: The Former Voice of CAP on How Dealers Should Be Valuing Stock Most dealers are still valuing used cars the way they did ten years ago. Buy it at auction, add a margin, put it on the forecourt and hope the price holds. That approach does not work in a market where Chinese brands have no residual history, EV prices have swung dramatically, and live data can tell you within minutes what a car will actually sell for in your postcode. Derren Martin spent years as one of the key voices at CAP and now consults for Cazana, a retail-down pricing platform that gives dealers a transparent look at what comparable stock is doing in their area right now. This episode is for the used car manager who wants to know exactly how to value stock in 2025, not how it was done in 2015. What's covered: • The donor vehicle method for valuing Chinese EV brands that have no UK pricing history to work from • Why retail down beats trade up, and why relying on what you paid at auction first is the old way of doing it • What Cazana surfaces that CAP and Autotrader do not, including full vehicle history and MOT advisories • Why used EVs still sell at the right price and why the dealers avoiding them entirely are taking the bigger risk • The 30 to 40 day speed-to-sell benchmark, and the signals that tell you it is time to adjust • Why a used EV always has a floor value, because the battery pack holds secondary-use worth even at end of life • How Chinese brands are reshaping dealer footprints and what a mixed stock strategy looks like in this market • Where AI is already being used in valuations and the limits it still runs into with low-volume or new-to-market vehicles Derren Martin was the voice of CAP's used car valuation operation for a number of years, working with dealers, leasing companies and OEMs across the UK market. He now consults for Cazana, which was rebuilt after Cazoo collapsed and is competing with CAP and Autotrader on both data depth and price. If you are a used car manager trying to stay ahead of EV pricing shifts and the Chinese brand wave, this is the episode to put on. Darren Martin spent 12 years at CAP HPI, eventually directing the full valuations and forecasts operation across all vehicle types. Before that, 17 years at Vauxhall across fleet, van sales and residual value management. He now consults independently through Black and Gold Consulting, with clients including Chinese brands, legacy OEMs and large retail groups. If you are responsible for used car buying, stock policy or forecasting in any form, Darren's view on where the market is heading is the kind of context that is hard to get anywhere else. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/40959620

The PCP Timebomb in Chinese Brands: Former CAP HPI Director on What Is Coming for Used Car Values 04/16/2026

The PCP Timebomb in Chinese Brands: Former CAP HPI Director on What Is Coming for Used Car Values There is a number that should get every used car manager's attention. The OMODA J5 7 was the biggest selling car in March. The deal was around £299 down, £299 a month. That is an extraordinary amount of car for that payment, and it is working. The problem is that car becomes a used car in three years, and the used car market for Chinese brands does not really exist yet. Derren Martin ran the entire forecast and valuation portfolio at CAP HPI for several years. He knows better than most what happens when new car volumes are not matched by a credible used car strategy. He is not predicting disaster. But he is clear that the residual value risk is already being built in, and most people in the trade are not thinking about it yet. What's covered: • How CAP HPI valuations are built and why human editors, not algorithms, are still making the calls • Why Chinese brands have grown at a speed the legacy manufacturers genuinely did not expect • What happens to residual values when PCP deals are driven by interest rates rather than real demand • The channel management decisions, daily rental, Motability, fleet, that either protect or destroy used car values • Why Stellantis carrying too many brands in the same market segment is a long-term structural problem • Which smaller Japanese brands face the biggest risk of losing UK relevance • What a dealer should be doing right now to think ahead on used Chinese brand stock • Darren's prostate cancer diagnosis at 48, how a locum nearly turned him away, and why men in the trade should ask for the test rather than wait Darren Martin spent 12 years at CAP HPI, eventually directing the full valuations and forecasts operation across all vehicle types. Before that, 17 years at Vauxhall across fleet, van sales and residual value management. He now consults independently through Black and Gold Consulting, with clients including Chinese brands, legacy OEMs and large retail groups. If you are responsible for used car buying, stock policy or forecasting in any form, Darren's view on where the market is heading is the kind of context that is hard to get anywhere else. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/40886375

The Central London Dealer Who Can't Sell EVs, No Matter How He Prices Them 04/09/2026

The Central London Dealer Who Can't Sell EVs, No Matter How He Prices Them You'd back central London as prime EV territory. Josh Apps from V12 can't move them. He'll sell a red-on-red Range Rover faster than a well-specced Tesla every time. That counterintuitive reality is one of several sharp observations from a dealer who built a credible high-end business in one of the most expensive places in the UK to operate, with no forecourt, no showroom, appointment only, and overheads that would make your eyes water. On top of that, why the Auto Trader Deal Builder rollout felt like a bully move, what Google entering the market actually changes, and practical advice for any sales manager weighing up whether to leave the main dealer world behind. What's covered: • The Deal Builder rollout, why dealers felt steamrolled and what Auto Trader got wrong • Auto Trader's data play: why the transactional data is the real long-term asset • Google entering car retail and why it could give dealers genuine leverage for the first time in years • Why used EVs still do not move in central London, even at low price points • Social media targeting as an emerging channel for specialist stock • The honest advice Josh gives anyone thinking about going independent • The V12 model, appointment-only, no showroom, high-end stock, central London overheads • Why starting small with cheap, easy-selling stock is still the right move for new independents Josh is the founder of V12, a central London independent operation built from nothing in 2022. He runs it appointment-only with no glass box, high overheads, and a reputation built entirely on relationships and knowing what to buy. He came into the trade from outside the main dealer world and has grown the business into something talked about well beyond where it sits geographically. If you want an honest view of where independent retailing is heading, the platforms, the EVs, the overheads, and the margins, this is the episode to listen to. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/40760430

Josh Apps, Founder of V12 Automobil | From Pro Football to Selling £1.5m Cars in Central London 04/02/2026

Josh Apps, Founder of V12 Automobil | From Pro Football to Selling £1.5m Cars in Central London What happens when a former professional footballer and football agent walks into the motor trade… and decides to build a dealership with “more care, more style, and a lot less ego”? In this episode, I’m joined by Josh Apps, founder of V12 Automobil in Central London. Josh didn’t grow up in the trade. He’s built V12 from scratch since 2022, and he’s straight-talking about what actually works when you’re buying and selling everything from a £20k GLC to a £1m+ hypercar. We get into the real mechanics of his business, like underwriting stock, consignment done properly, why some dealers go bust with SOR, what he’s seeing on Carwow and Motorway, and how he thinks about margin, risk, and stock turn in a market where plenty of people are trying to make £5k the easy way instead of £9k the stressful way. Episode highlights: The mindset shift from football + agency life into running a dealership, and what skills actually transfer. Josh’s take on consignment/SOR: why it can work, why it often blows up, and the process that stops you “playing with other people’s money”. How he sources stock day-to-day (dealers, auctions, Carwow/Motorway, LinkedIn, banks) and why access to stock is both easier and messier now. The uncomfortable truth about online buying platforms: inflated offers, knock-backs, cars reappearing, and how it creates friction for customers and dealers. A proper “car dealer war story”: the Range Rover that turned into an engine rebuild, a transport job, and a stress test in customer service. The simple but rare philosophy that’s kept his reviews and referrals strong: do the right thing even when it costs. Finding this useful? About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/40699585

Ali Reda, 100-Car-a-Month Salesman | Stop Waiting for Walk-Ins - Build a “Business Within the Dealership” 03/26/2026

Ali Reda, 100-Car-a-Month Salesman | Stop Waiting for Walk-Ins - Build a “Business Within the Dealership” Most salespeople wait for the dealership to hand them customers… then wonder why they’re stuck at “average”. In this episode, I’m joined by Ali Reda, one of the highest-volume salespeople I’ve ever spoken to, to break down the mindset shift that changes everything: you don’t “work for the dealership”, you run your own business inside it. Ali explains how he builds trust through community work (so customers come looking for him, not “a price”), why he refuses to sell from panic, and how he’s built a small team that generates its own customers without touching dealer-provided walk-ins, phone-ups, or internet leads. We also get into what dealers and managers need to change if they actually want elite performers to flourish. Episode highlights: Why “30-day thinking” kills long-term growth, and what to focus on instead. The community-first approach that makes customers loyal to the salesperson, not just the brand. How Ali built a team under him and trained them to generate their own business. What to measure when you’re building a career, not chasing this month’s number. Why managers should give top performers more autonomy (and how to trial it properly). A simple way to “post-mortem” every deal. What went right, what went wrong, and what to fix next time. If you’re a salesperson who wants more repeat and referral, or a manager who wants your best people to stop getting boxed in by process… this is for you. Finding this useful? About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/40616105

Ali Reda, Record-Breaking Car Salesperson | 1582 Cars In 12 Months - “If You’re Exceptional, You Get Exceptions” 03/19/2026

Ali Reda, Record-Breaking Car Salesperson | 1582 Cars In 12 Months - “If You’re Exceptional, You Get Exceptions” Ali Reda is the car salesperson who sold 1,582 cars in 12 months, hit 32 cars in a day (twice), and talks through the exact model behind it, without living at the dealership. He works Monday-Friday, doesn’t do weekends, and built a “business within a business” by going all-in on relationship selling, community presence, and a delivery process that removes bottlenecks. Episode highlights: How Ali went from “hair on fire” chasing fresh ups to having customers queue to see him. The mentors and moments that changed his ceiling: Jerry Turfe, then Damien Boudreau, and the shift from “30 is elite” to bigger numbers. What he had to unlearn to scale. Things like demo drives, manager back-and-forth, and that admin shouldn’t sit on the salesperson. The “doctor’s office” process that lets him deliver cars fast, stay calm, and keep the customer experience steady. Why social media only works if it stays local, and why “being present where you advertise” is the whole point. Finding this useful? About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/40394785

Neil Carrahar, Operations Director | Why Top Salespeople Fail as Managers (and How to Fix It) 03/12/2026

Neil Carrahar, Operations Director | Why Top Salespeople Fail as Managers (and How to Fix It) Most dealerships still do the same thing. They take the top salesperson, give them a title, and hope they become a great leader. In this episode, I’m joined by Neil Carrahar to talk about why that move often backfires, what to do instead, and how to build a leadership pipeline that actually works. We get into the real issues that show up on the floor, like high performers who poison the culture, managers who slip into micromanaging, and teams that drop their heads the moment targets feel out of reach. Neil shares what “good” looks like day-to-day, including the non-negotiables that keep standards high without turning the place into a prison camp. We also talk about the difference between leadership and management, how to keep accountability without blame, and why a strong morning meeting can change the whole day. We break down the common mistake of promoting great sellers into leadership roles with no development, and why that turns into performance management within a year. We talk about how to handle a “toxic high performer” without letting fear of losing volume run the dealership. Neil explains simple non-negotiables like second facing before a test drive, signposting every customer towards a drive while the numbers are being worked, and building offers properly instead of rushing them. We also get into how to spot when a team’s belief has dropped, how to rebuild energy fast, and how to deal with pressure from above without dumping it on your team. If you run a sales team, this one’s worth sharing. Finding this useful? About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/40382900

How Do I Get Into the 200 Club? The Mindset That Creates 200-Car Salespeople 02/26/2026

How Do I Get Into the 200 Club? The Mindset That Creates 200-Car Salespeople In this episode, I’m joined by Neil Carrahar to talk about the bit most dealerships get wrong: motivation and mindset. Neil shares a real story from a sales training program, where a new starter put his hand up on day one and asked, “How do I get into the 200 Club?” That one question told Neil everything he needed to know. We break down what that kind of hunger looks like in the real world, and the simple behaviours Neil told him to focus on if he wanted 200 sold and delivered. We also get into leadership. Not the fluffy “culture” chat. The practical stuff like how a proper one-to-one works, what you look for before you go anywhere near performance, and what you do when someone’s not performing and everyone’s tempted to write them off as “lazy”. Neil explains how you find the real cause, what to check first, and how to coach it before it becomes a resignation. If you manage salespeople, train new starters, or you’re trying to build a team that actually hits targets without burning out, this one’s worth your time. Finding this useful? About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/40225955

OKRs | Why Your Team “Didn’t Do It” (And How to Fix It) 02/19/2026

OKRs | Why Your Team “Didn’t Do It” (And How to Fix It) You’ve told the team what needs doing. You check in later. Nothing’s happened. Your blood boils… then you realise you might not have been clear enough in the first place. In this episode, I’m joined by Stuart to break down OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) in plain English. It’s a simple way to set a clear goal, define 3 to 4 measurable checkpoints, and keep everyone pulling in the same direction without turning into a micromanaging nightmare. We cover the difference between “good intentions” and real alignment, why teams still drift even with high effort, and how OKRs stop chaos like the classic “let’s refresh the pitch” situation, where everyone does something different, and the whole thing goes sideways. What you’ll get from listening: What OKRs actually are, and why they’re so popular in high-performance businesses. How to turn vague goals like “improve customer experience” into clear outcomes and measurable results. Examples you can use in a dealership (NPS/CSI improvement, response times, reviews, complaints handling). How OKRs reduce emotion in performance conversations, because the numbers don’t argue back. How to keep autonomy in the team while still checking progress properly. Listen and then use it to set sharper goals with your sales or service teams this month. Finding this useful? About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/40151505

Neil Carrahar, Operations Director at Symco Training | High standards on a Tuesday afternoon (Part 2) 02/12/2026

Neil Carrahar, Operations Director at Symco Training | What good dealerships do when no one’s watching 02/05/2026

Jason Cranswick, Ex Dealer Principal | 3 Books That Will Make Your Dealership Better in 2026 01/29/2026

Jason Cranswick, Ex Dealer Principal | 3 Books That Will Make Your Dealership Better in 2026 This one’s another Book Club episode with Jason Cranswick, talking about the books that actually change how you think (and how you run a dealership). We recover The Chimp Paradox (Steve Peters) and how your “chimp mind” shows up on the forecourt, The Mindset Workbook (Carol Dweck) and why fixed vs growth thinking changes performance, and A Path Through the Jungle (Steve Peters) for handling pressure and staying consistent. If you manage people, sell cars, or you’re trying to stop the same problems from repeating every month, this episode will give you a few simple ideas you can put into your next morning meeting. Finding this useful? About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/39911165

Jason Cranswick, Executive Coach | Why the Best Dealer Leaders Stop “Doing” and Start Coaching 01/22/2026

Jason Cranswick, Executive Coach | Why the Best Dealer Leaders Stop “Doing” and Start Coaching Jason Cranswick is back on the pod. Last time we spoke it was book club stuff, but a lot’s changed since then. Jason stepped out of his C-suite role and now runs Cranswick Consulting, working as an executive coach and board advisor. In this episode we get into what that move actually looks like, what he had to learn (and qualify for), and why so many motor trade leaders struggle to let go of the day-to-day. We talk about the real line between being a non-exec, a board advisor, and a coach. Jason explains why leaders “step onto the pitch” when pressure hits, and how that limits team development. We also cover what he sees again and again with senior managers right now: feeling isolated, chasing validation, imposter syndrome, and having no space to think. We finish on AI, generational change, and a simple way to approach new tools: treat AI like a 16-year-old intern — useful, fast, but you still check the work Finding this useful? About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/39800085

Jeremy Evans, Founder of Marketing Delivery | Lost Leads Aren’t Dead Leads: How Dealers Win Customers Back (Without Spamming Them) 01/15/2026

Jeremy Evans, Founder of Marketing Delivery | Lost Leads Aren’t Dead Leads: How Dealers Win Customers Back (Without Spamming Them) Most “lost” leads aren’t lost because the car sold. They drop out because something went wrong in the follow-up, the numbers didn’t stack up, or they quietly went and bought a different brand. In Part 2 of my chat with Jeremy from Marketing Delivery, we get practical about how dealers can pull people back into the funnel, keep aftersales communication relevant, and stop annoying customers into hitting unsubscribe. We cover how Jeremy’s team follows up “lost” prospects with simple, well-timed messages, what dealers should do when customers say affordability killed the deal, and why missed call-backs still cost more sales than most teams want to admit. We also talk about how aftersales can run a proper contact plan (without peppering customers with separate emails for service, MOT, and maintenance) and why good data beats shiny tech every time. Episode highlights: We break down the most common reasons dealers lose sales, beyond “the car was sold”. Jeremy explains what a sensible lost-lead follow-up looks like and how it pulls customers back in. We talk about affordability, part-exchange, finance, and the very real problem of customers not getting a call back. We get into how new entrant brands are changing buying behaviour and why that matters for traditional dealer groups. You’ll hear how to run aftersales contact in a way customers actually welcome, including combining service + MOT + maintenance into one message. We cover why “AI” isn’t a plan, and why clean, measurable data comes first. If you run sales, aftersales, or marketing in a dealer group, you’ll nick at least one idea you can use this week. Finding this useful? Follow the show About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/39729710

Jeremy Evans, Founder of Marketing Delivery | From Dot-Matrix to AI 01/08/2026

Jeremy Evans, Founder of Marketing Delivery | From Dot-Matrix to AI Jeremy Evans built Marketing Delivery after years inside dealer groups, OEMs and contact centres. He shares how “reward the lead, not the lag” thinking, plus stock-alert automation tied to your CRM, turns missed enquiries into sold cars. What we cover How a cross-department start at Bristol Street and Nissan shaped a no-nonsense view of dealer ops, from dot-matrix “walk-in” sheets to today’s AI-assisted follow-ups. Setting up Marketing Delivery in 2007 and sending automated emails by 2009, and why the business shifted from “agency” to product. “Reward the lead, not the lag”: get the data right, then let tech keep the conversation warm until intent spikes again. Stock alerts that scan group inventory and price drops, email customers, and ping sales when they click, with around 10% of recipients going on to buy. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/39642430

Oliver Phillpott, Co-Founder of Generational | Fast Stock Turn on EVs 12/18/2025

Oliver Phillpott, Co-Founder of Generational | Battery Health Beats Mileage (Part 1) 12/11/2025

Oliver Phillpott, Co-Founder of Generational | Battery Health Beats Mileage (Part 1) Battery health now beats mileage for used EVs. I sit down with Oliver Phillpott (Generational) to cut the noise and show you how state of health (SOH) drives value, trust, and stock turn. What you’ll learn The battery factors that actually move price, and how to explain them simply to buyers. Practical SOH thresholds dealers use to retail vs trade. PHEV vs EV: different degradation patterns and what they mean on appraisal. Warranty basics, servicing pitfalls, and when to test anyway. The battery health report: the one-pager that reduces returns and speeds up the sale. If you’re a dealer principal, used-car manager, buyer, or seller of EVs and looking to tighten your EV process. Press play and share this with your sales and buying teams. Finding this useful? Follow the show About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/39353370

Wendy Harbutt, Leadership Coach | Why Your Team Don’t Run to the Phone (and How to Fix It) 12/04/2025

Wendy Harbutt, Leadership Coach | Why Your Team Don’t Run to the Phone (and How to Fix It) Leadership isn’t about shouting “be more driven”. It’s about creating the conditions where people choose the right behaviours. In this episode, I talk with leadership coach Wendy Harbutt about practical management strategies you can use today: getting beyond “carrot and stick”, setting agreements that people actually keep, and replacing lazy money fixes with recognition, growth, and clear processes. What we cover Nature vs nurture: you can encourage drive, you can’t inject it. Focus on the outcome and design better routes to it. “Why won’t they answer the phone?” Get past labels like “lazy”; find the real blocker and change the environment so the right choice is the easy one. Accountability that works: co-create clear, timed agreements; agree the check-ins; coach the “how” before you judge the result. Motivation beyond money: belonging, progress, recognition, development, and why cash alone is a blunt tool that can backfire. Induction and process: lock down the non-negotiables early, then keep performance interesting so it sustains. Teams vs lone wolves: decide what you actually want, then design incentives for that, not the opposite. First-time manager playbook: daily reflection, get a mentor, learn core skills (delegation, feedback), believe you can, and build from there. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/39249520

Wendy Harbutt – Dramatic Improvement | Our Strengths When Overdone Become Our Problems 11/27/2025

Daksh Gupta & Andrew Wakelin | The playbook that took a Peugeot site from 168th to #1 11/20/2025

Autotrader’s Deal Builder | Leads Down, Fees Up, and Dealers Revolting 11/13/2025

Autotrader’s Deal Builder | Leads Down, Fees Up, and Dealers Revolting In this episode, I unpack Auto Trader’s move to make Deal Builder mandatory and ask the question dealers care about: who owns the customer and the deal? You’ll hear: What Deal Builder actually does (reserve for £99, PX, finance) and why Auto Trader says those journeys convert better and often happen after hours. The real-world headaches dealers are reporting: reservation timeframes, cars marked “reserved”, and customers vanishing over a weekend. Why “omni-channel” is right in principle—but the line blurs when a marketplace inserts itself between you and the buyer. Data control worries when PX and finance run through a third party—and what happens at renewal. The money question: it’s free until end of 2025… so how will it be monetised next? Plus the background noise on rising platform costs. Practical alternatives and diversification routes so you’re not over-exposed to a single source of demand. If you’re pro, anti, or just unsure, this one gives you the questions to take back to your team. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/39006005

(Part 2) Steven J. Whitton, Founder of Menable | Fix your sales culture with five words 11/06/2025

Signs you’re losing people: the workhorse, the class clown, the quiet exit | Stephen J. Whitton, Founder of Menable 10/30/2025

Signs you’re losing people: the workhorse, the class clown, the quiet exit | Stephen J. Whitton, Founder of Menable A straight-talking chat on culture, leadership, and mental health in the motor trade. Stephen explains what a “psychologically safe” dealership looks like in practice — people performing best when they can be 100% themselves — and why that starts with managers realising they manage people, not just the sales sheet. He shares the origin of Menable (the “Men-Able” idea and that bracketed M) and how the brand widened to mean enabling open conversations across the trade. We cover early warning signs on the showroom floor — the ever-present workhorse, or the class clown masking things — and what curious, present leadership looks like day-to-day. About Symco Training: Symco Training was founded in 2000 by Simon Bowkett and it was his belief that the business had to offer its clients something different. That difference was clear to Simon from his days in the dealership when he experienced many sales trainers who had all the answers, but were unable, unwilling or both to actually show the delegate how they could be implemented. It remains the ethos of the business today. You see, Symco only employ trainers that are committed to delivering not only in spiring and insightful training, but are equally as happy to demonstrate these skills and techniques with real customers in your own showroom. We believe in order for sales training to be effective and in Simon’s words ‘real world’, it needs to be tried and tested in the only place it matters the showroom floor. There is no room for theory when your goals are for your team to sell more cars, hours or parts and retain more profit. In dealerships around the world the focus applied by many of the sales executives is to try and sell a deal. Symco specialise in getting your teams to focus on selling themselves, the product and then supporting this with the deal. To find out more visit: /episode/index/show/symcotraining/id/38822440

Selling In The Motor Trade

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