Selling In The Motor Trade

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-as...

We are back with Oliver Phillpott from Generational to discuss used EV values and stock turn. What you'll learn Battery health needs to linked to used EV values The need for a healthy used EV market How to improve stock turn in used EV's Customer confidence in EV buying process Include battery health in your whole sales funnel If you're a dealer principal, used-car manager, buyer, or seller of EVs...

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 w...

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 processe...

We are joined by Wendy Harbutt from Dramatic Improvement, who specialises in leadership and management coaching.  You'll hear: -    How role play is a powerful learning tool -    Ensure you build relationships for your next step -    Stop reading and start putting things into place -    Try to catch people doing things well and talk about it We are delighted that Wendy will be back in the next epi...

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...

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 "r...

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 h...

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...

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 b...

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 saf...

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 & piz...

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...

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...

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-t...

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...

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 pre...

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....

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: Th...

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...

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 th...

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 a...

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,...

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 jo...

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...