Selling In The Motor Trade

This episode is as relevant to your sales team and it is to your service department. We focus on not prejudging customers, all based round another popular story about Stanford University and how it came to fruition. Whether we like it or not we all make assumptions about people, their finances and their buying habits. This is a trap that can cost you sales of vehicles, upsales in service and some...

We are back again with Jeff Cowan from Pro Talk, he is a partner of the NADA and has spoken at more Dealer20 Groups, than all the other speakers combined.  Losing customers after warranty is an issue for every business, and in some cases, customers leave after their 3rd or 4th visit. Why, we didn't help the customer with what they needed. So, in this the second instalment, of a two part interview,...

The motor trade is ever changing, like most markets.   Simon started selling cars when he was 17,   he's now 49 and obviously the way he sell cars and trains people to sell has evolved in that time For your sales meeting this week,    we examine some the practices that haven't actually changed since the Romans.   Or have they!   The danger is,   if we don't continually strive for improvement and d...

We are delighted to talk to Jeff Cowan from Pro Talk, he is a partner of the NADA and has spoken at more Dealer20 Groups, than all the other speakers combined. Jeff is also a big fan of the Indianapolis 500, and his book looks at life lessons that can be learnt from the drivers, teams and personalities within the sport. This is a two part interview, and in the first instalment,   we look at the im...

This quick bite episode is ideal to play at your morning sales meeting, to help get your team motivated for the day. We look at a story about the US Navy, which has been denied, and also claimed that it wasn't the US Navy but the British Navy.   However, although its probably not true, the morals and principals behind the story make it worth telling. No matter how long you've been selling, we can...

This is the final part of our discussion with Steve Curran the CEO of Total Selling Solutions, looking at top sales people and the key attributes of top performing teams. Steve explains that communication is essential when selling, starting from the customer's initial contact and beyond. The key is to use open questions and once rapport has been established invite the customer to the dealership. ...

Attitude is very important in selling, and so often selling starts in our heads. An example of this is Henry Ford. He never gave up, even when he was repeatedly told something wasn't possible, he almost took it as a challenge.   We look at the story round Ford's development of the V8 engine and see how it inspires us today, whether it's the truth or not! Here are the highlights: {01:00} If you thi...

Changes within the automotive industry is something we have focussed on with a lot of our guests. Upheaval throughout the pandemic, and issues with parts and electronics certainly took their toll. So in this week's episode, Simon talks to another fellow Aussie , Steve Curran about where the industry is going and how it has changed over the years. Now Steve is considered one of Australia's   automo...

This is the second and final part of Simon's interview with Joni Stuke r. Joni has spent 36 years as an Automotive Consultant and Trainer and is one of the people who Simon met early on in his career and has been a huge influence on how he trains . She is a TED Talk presenter and has spoken several times at both the NADA and RVDA. It's fair to say that Joni is the expert on dealing with Call Centr...

It was my absolute pleasure to have the brilliant Joni Stuker on the podcast this week. Joni has spent 36 years as an Automotive Consultant and Trainer and is one of the people who I met early on in my career and has molded the way I train. She is a TED Talk presenter and has spoken several times at both the NADA and RVDA. It's fair to say that Joni is the expert on dealing with Call Centres or Bu...

In this episode we speak again to The YouTube Diva herself, Elise Kephart, in the last of this four part series. Elise now runs her own sales training organisation in the United States, and in this episode, she offers some inspiring tips on closing sales , earning customer trust , avoiding being ghosted by the customer and much more! There are some real gems in here from someone at the absolute to...

This week we are joined by Jack Allman who is the co founder and  the Chief Commercial Officer for Bumper - a company that's really helping service departments maximise every single result. I think this is so important because everyone knows we're going into tough economic times.  So we will be chatting all about how to maximise upsell and everything in the after sales department. Here are the hig...

In this week's episode I am chatting again with Elise Kephart (if you've not listened to episodes 1&2 then please check them out!) We discuss how Elise got started, how becoming a mum changed her outlook, and how the concept of TEAM is so important in this business.   Here are the highlights: (01:43) Ok,now I'm going to be a mum! (04:32) Its not a cake-walk (07:08) A real eye-opener (10:01) That t...

In this week's episode I am chatting again with Ian Parker - Ian began in the motor Industry in 1983 at Central West Ford selling new Fords and Used Cars in Orange NSW Australia. By 1989 Ian had established Ian Parker Motors in Orange, starting with only 9 used cars on 800sqm block, and 2 staff.  Ian Parker Motors grew into a leading dealership in the Central West where everyone shopped for a qual...

In this episode we continue our conversation with The YouTube Diva herself, Elise Kephart. Elise now runs her own sales training organisation in the United States, and in this episode, she talks about how video has always been in her arsenal , right back to her first sales positions in the industry. She talks us through how video has evolved from cumbersome cam-corders to hi-tech smartphones and h...

I'm joined today by Darren Bedford and Andrew Clark and we've been looking at what's happening in the future and asking questions such as: Where's the motor trade going? Used car stock - what's happening there? And we've got to talking about the disruptors out there. Who are these disruptors? Are the still "disrupting" or are they on the way out? And where does that leave the rest of us? Join us a...

In this episode we speak to The YouTube Diva herself, Elise Kephart. Elise now runs her own sales training organization in the United States, and in this episode, she talks us through her very first car sale while still working unsociable shifts at Starbucks, and the long road to success that followed from that first paycheck. She talks us through her competitive nature and how it has absolutely b...

SPACER is an acronym often used in the auto-trade to gauge what a customer's priorities are when looking for a car. In today's episode Simon talks you through what each letter stands for, and how it can help you cater to  the needs of each individual client who walks into your showroom, because different people have different needs. Here are the highlights: (01:47) Not everyone fits in one box (03...

In this week's episode I am chatting again with Ian Parker. This is the second part of a two part interview. If you've not caught the first episode then have a listen to that first! In this episode we continue our chat about how the motor trade had changed over the years, but also how everything changed pre-pandemic - and whether or not normality has now resumed. Ian again offers some fantastic ti...

What's your memory like? Hermann Ebbinghaus first introduced the idea of the Forgetting Curve over 100 years ago. This theory states that we are lucky to remember or retain 10% of knowledge taught. Now that's not good if you run a sales training company ! Our job is to get as much stuff into the people who are training for you as possible. Now as a company, we've been told that we have an 82% rete...

In this week's episode I am chatting with Ian Parker - Ian began in the motor Industry in 1983 at Central West Ford selling new Fords and Used Cars in Orange NSW Australia. By 1989 Ian had established Ian Parker Motors in Orange starting with only 9 used cars on 800sqm block, and 2  staff. Ian Parker Motors grew into a leading dealership in the Central West where everyone shopped for a quality use...

This week, we're going to be talking about the objections your service providers get. I want to keep this short and to the point and focus specifically on the objections. And I'll tell you why, I've just done some work with one of our clients, one of our dealer groups, and we're talking about upselling the red and amber work, you know, the tires, the air conditioner, brake fluid, timing belts, and...

In this week's episode, I'm going to be telling the fantastic story about FedEx and more specifically a guy called Fred Smith. Now, this is a story I heard maybe 10, 15 years ago from Tony Robbins. I'm not sure how accurate it is but it describes how Fred struggled to start his business, how he overcame technical and financial issues and I'm going to reveal how his story can help you and your serv...

Comparing EVs in UK, Europe and the States. Jim discusses EVs with us and it looks like things are certainly moving a bit faster in the UK and Europe with EV's, than in America. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

There are 20 things a General Manager needs to do every week. Another discussion with Jim about what makes a good manger and how the agency model is progressing in the States. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.