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PODCAST

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

education how to

All Episodes

29:19

Daksh Gupta & Andrew Wakelin | The playbook that...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/11/20

In this episode, you get two motor trade veterans' perspectives on leading teams and fixing underperforming sites. Daksh discusses imposter syndrome, making your ambitions visible, and why you start with the numbers, not vibes. Andrew breaks down the turnaround that took a Peugeot site from 168th to 1st in two years. Daily basics, visible metrics, relentless follow-up, and genuine appreciation for the team (yes, even fish-and-chip vans). If you run a department or you've just stepped into

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21:12

Autotrader's Deal Builder | Leads Down, Fees Up, and...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/11/13

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

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32:39

(Part 2) Steven J. Whitton, Founder of Menable | Fix...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/11/06

Part 2 with Steven J. Whitton (Menable) goes deeper into performance, burnout and fixing sales culture without fluff. We unpack why living in the red burns people out and how leaders can make honest conversations the norm. You'll get the exact word tracks to open a room fast ("What had your attention before you walked in?"), the shift from mental health box-ticking to mental wealth with mental health champions, and the metrics that tell the truth. Attrition, absence, honest absences. If you want

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42:14

Signs you're losing people: the workhorse, the class...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/10/30

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

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31:07

Part 2: Chris Cormier, Mercedes-Benz Head of Sales |...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/10/23

Our 250th episode! For over 5 years, we've been the No.1 podcast for automotive sales and management training. In total, we’ve delivered 5 days, 3 hours, 55 minutes and 33 seconds of advice, news and stories from some of the biggest names in automotive. Today, we’re back for part 2 of my conversation with Chris Cormier, Mercedes-Benz Head of Sales. We’re talking about what keeps customers coming back for their 2nd, 3rd and 4th car, and how to lead a veteran team without burning them out. We

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31:49

Mercedes-Benz Head of Sales | “What You Tolerate, You...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/10/16

Inside Mercedes-Benz Brooklands. Test tracks, heritage floors, AMG experiences and all. Chris Cormier breaks down the leadership techniques he uses to keep a prestigious site performing. From apprentice technician to head of sales, Chris shares the non-negotiables (effort, accountability, humility), why “what you tolerate, you condone,” and how to create a culture where performance feedback is safe, specific and data-led. We dig into hiring for attributes over CVs, the difference between motivation

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35:50

Fixing Your Used-Stock Shortage: How to Buy...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/10/09

I sit down with Symco Training’s Operations Director, Andrew Clark, to tackle the question every dealer is asking… Where do we find clean, well-specced 3–4-year-old cars when auctions are thin and prices are high? We unpack the post-COVID supply hangover and share a simple, repeatable playbook to source the right cars from your service lane, without burning your database or relying on “beer & pizza” events. You’ll get the exact word tracks, the timing that doubles pickup rates, and the incentives

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14:11

The “Dilution Effect”

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/10/02

When we firehose customers with features, we don’t add value, we average it down. In this short solo episode, I break down the Dilution Effect (hat-tip to Cialdini) and show how “less but better” wins car deals. I unpack real-world examples, from the broken dinner-set paradox to why listing every safety acronym backfires, and turn them into practical word-tracks you can use today. You’ll hear how to find a buyer’s 3-4 hot buttons, present to value (not volume), and stop feature-dumping on

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16:11

The #1 Reason New Salespeople Fail

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/09/25

New starters don’t wash out for lack of process or product. It's fear of rejection. In this solo episode, I explain how to toughen that muscle. • Why “shy salespeople raise skinny kids,” • How to use trial closes and mental-ownership questions to stack “little yeses” • A simple habit that desensitises you to “no.” • I also unpack the viral Krispy Kreme “Olympic rings” story and the “burger refill” ask to show why one word - “Why?” - turns brush-offs into conversations. You’ll leave

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40:49

Selling Lessons from Hollywood: What Movies Get Wrong...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/09/18

I break down the most-quoted sales scenes from The Wolf of Wall Street and Boiler Room to Jerry Maguire, Joy and Rocky. “Sell me this pen” “ABC: Always Be Closing” “Show me the money” I’m separating cinematic hype from practices that actually build long-term repeat and referral business in the motor trade. In this solo episode, I unpack the ethics line (influence vs. manipulation), why short-term “smash and grab” tactics burn your brand in a Google-reviews world, and the fundamental skills that

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24:42

Stuart Wallbanks, Sales Trainer & Former Sales...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/08/28

When should a manager step in, what should they say, and how do you do it without burning trust? In this episode I sit down with trainer (and ex-sales manager) Stuart Wallbanks to break down “second-facing” the right way - why it must feel organic (never “before I can let you leave”), the quick “first-face” intro that makes later manager conversations effortless, and the exact language that keeps deals (and relationships) intact. We cover praising your salesperson in front of the customer, using

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45:05

Stuart Wallbanks, Trainer | Stop Feature-Dumping -...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/08/21

I sit down with I sit down with one of our lead trainers, Stuart Wallbanks, to fix the dealership walk-around. We unpack why the best presentation starts after qualification, swap “it’s got…” for the simple has–which–so framework, and show how to pick 3–5 customer-specific hot buttons that create real desire before numbers. We talk Apple-Store-level questioning, when a demo drive should do the presenting, how to make videos entice (not replace) the visit, and the one manager check that upgrades

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44:30

Harry Bott, Call-Tracking Expert| Plug Your “Leaky...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/08/14

In Part 2, I sit down with Harry Bott, the co-founder of the industry's leading call-tracking software, to audit the holes in your sales process you can’t see. 20% of sales calls never reach a salesperson on the first attempt, and around half of the calls that do get through never make it into the CRM, so you’re losing up to three quarters of your phone opportunities before follow-up even begins. We walk through exactly how to plug those holes. The language that saves a “sold car” enquiry,

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42:21

Harry Bott, Co-founder of the #1 Call-Tracking...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/08/07

Before your first sip of coffee, 75 % of Auto-Trader shoppers have already picked their dealer - will it be you? In this episode, Harry Bott - Co-founder of the industry’s #1 call-tracking platform, Mediahawk - breaks down the “48-hour window” that decides 75 % of your digital leads. I ask Harry exactly how top dealerships capture, coach and convert those calls. In this episode you’ll learn: The single objection-handling phrase Harry’s AI flagged as a “profit killer” (and what to say

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38:48

Is Your Fleet About to Miss the 285-Mile,...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/07/31

I sit down for part 2 of my conversation with Paul Kirby - better known as the Electric Van Man - to unpack the eyebrow-raising data and low-risk actions that are already letting smart dealers and fleets slash costs, win new contracts and keep drivers happy today. If you’re still thinking “maybe later” on e-vans, I really recommend you hit play. Episode highlights The four headline numbers Paul says every sales manager should memorise before the next fleet pitch. How he turned one

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42:20

Paul Kirby - ‘The Electric Van Man’ | Your Diesel...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/07/24

Eight out of every ten vans you sell today still burn diesel, but the numbers say they don’t have to. Paul Kirby, founder of EV Essentials and host of the EV Café, breaks down the REAL cost equation that’s pushing giants like BT, British Gas and the AA to flip their fleets. Listen and learn: 00:45 Why that “range-anxiety” line is five years out-of-date 06:30 The charging-at-home problem - and the simple tariff hack that slashes running costs to 7 pence per mile 14:10 How one OEM

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28:35

Stuart Wallbanks: "Every Missed Email Could’ve Been a...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/07/17

Slow replies, templated scripts, zero urgency. But in 2025, that’s where the buyers are hiding. In part two of this session with Stuart Wallbanks, we dig deeper into the one channel most dealers underuse: the email enquiry. You'll learn: • Why customers ghost when you treat email like admin (03:10) • How to get commitment before the phone call (11:05) • The word-for-word responses that actually convert (16:42) • A smarter script for price objections (23:15) • What your team should

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28:44

The 5-Word Mistake Killing Your Closing Rate (and the...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/07/10

Still asking “What do you think?” after you quote a payment? Still apologising when a car fails its MOT? Simon and Stuart reveal how those tiny verbal habits shape customer mood, trust and spend – and how flipping them from negative to neutral (or better, positive) lifts conversions across sales and aftersales. This episode tells you exactly which words are costing you deals, how to swap them out, and why your brain is wired to default to the negative in the first place. Key moments: {02:00} – Why

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29:04

Most Salespeople Miss This - But It’s What Puts You...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/07/03

What if the difference between missing your targets and joining the top 1% of car salespeople came down to one simple trait? Today, I’m revealing what truly separates the top 1% from everyone else. In this episode, you'll discover: The single ‘hunger’ trait that determines whether you’ll reach the top 1% or struggle to hit targets Why staying in one dealership long-term creates more wealth than job hopping every 18 months The 5-step sales process every successful car salesperson follows (even when

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30:19

[Replay] Revisiting Our 2020 Conversation with Peter...

Selling In The Motor Trade ·

2025/06/26

In this special re-release, we revisit our enlightening conversation from September 2020 with Peter Smyth, Swansway Group Director. We delved into the history of the group and their values of caring, honest and proud. The insights shared remain remarkably pertinent today, offering valuable perspectives on retailing and the importance of culture Episode Highlights: {02:15} - Born in the motor trade {06:01} – Deal with a customer complaint straight away {14:41} – Coats on chairs {28:05} – Retail is in

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