Customers still walk into used car dealerships expecting to get stitched up. Craig Walker decided to let them in before they arrive. In this episode, Craig talks to Simon Bowkett about Dealership Diaries, the YouTube channel where the whole team films behind the scenes, mistakes included. Craig explains how pointing out every mark on a car calms a nervous buyer, how a customer flew up from Kent to buy an F-Type after watching the channel, and how a £24.99 a month service plan brings buyers back to the workshop. Craig puts take-up at around 40%. The conversation also covers using the workshop to buy stock, treating the appointment as the new sale, hiring for personality and running KPIs through Claude straight from a DMS export. Craig finishes with the challenge still to crack: finding a number two. What's covered: • Why Craig puts 'disarming the customer' in the brand book and how the team does it on every car • How Dealership Diaries got the whole team on camera and what it has done for sales • The difference between active and passive customers, and how to stay in front of both • Running a £24.99 a month service plan at break-even, and the take-up of around 40% that Craig reports • Using the workshop and service advisers to spot cars worth buying in • Why Craig sees the appointment as the new sale, and why trial closes matter after the test drive • Hiring salespeople for personality and training everything else • Dropping a DMS CSV into Claude to track KPIs and stock turn, plus Simon's tip for recording sales meetings with Wispr Flow Craig Walker runs The Walker Motor Group, which owns Culloden Cars on the outskirts of Inverness, and co-owns the Top Car Services workshop with business partner Liam Grant. Craig says the group employs 17 people, and that the workshop, which started with three ramps, is moving up to seven with an MOT testing station. Craig still loves being in the weeds of the business. If you run an independent or manage a used car or service department and want more repeat business out of every customer you sell to, give this one a listen. 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: <a title="www.symcotraining.co.uk" href= "https://www.symcotraining.co.uk" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">www.symcotraining.co.uk</a>

Customers still walk into used car dealerships expecting to get stitched up. Craig Walker decided to let them in before they arrive. In this episode, Craig talks to Simon Bowkett about Dealership Diaries, the YouTube channel where the whole team films behind the scenes, mistakes included. Craig explains how pointing out every mark on a car calms a nervous buyer, how a customer flew up from Kent to buy an F-Type after watching the channel, and how a £24.99 a month service plan brings buyers back to the workshop. Craig puts take-up at around 40%. The conversation also covers using the workshop to buy stock, treating the appointment as the new sale, hiring for personality and running KPIs through Claude straight from a DMS export. Craig finishes with the challenge still to crack: finding a number two. What's covered: • Why Craig puts 'disarming the customer' in the brand book and how the team does it on every car • How Dealership Diaries got the whole team on camera and what it has done for sales • The difference between active and passive customers, and how to stay in front of both • Running a £24.99 a month service plan at break-even, and the take-up of around 40% that Craig reports • Using the workshop and service advisers to spot cars worth buying in • Why Craig sees the appointment as the new sale, and why trial closes matter after the test drive • Hiring salespeople for personality and training everything else • Dropping a DMS CSV into Claude to track KPIs and stock turn, plus Simon's tip for recording sales meetings with Wispr Flow Craig Walker runs The Walker Motor Group, which owns Culloden Cars on the outskirts of Inverness, and co-owns the Top Car Services workshop with business partner Liam Grant. Craig says the group employs 17 people, and that the workshop, which started with three ramps, is moving up to seven with an MOT testing station. Craig still loves being in the weeds of the business. If you run an independent or manage a used car or service department and want more repeat business out of every customer you sell to, give this one a listen. 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: www.symcotraining.co.uk

Customers still walk into used car dealerships expecting to get stitched up. Craig Walker decided to let them in before they arrive. In this episode, Craig talks to Simon Bowkett about Dealership Diaries, the YouTube channel where the whole team films behind the scenes, mistakes included. Craig explains how pointing out every mark on a car calms a nervous buyer, how a customer flew up from Kent to buy an F-Type after watching the channel, and how a £24.99 a month service plan brings buyers back to the workshop. Craig puts take-up at around 40%. The conversation also covers using the workshop to buy stock, treating the appointment as the new sale, hiring for personality and running KPIs through Claude straight from a DMS export. Craig finishes with the challenge still to crack: finding a number two. What's covered: • Why Craig puts 'disarming the customer' in the brand book and how the team does it on every car • How Dealership Diaries got the whole team on camera and what it has done for sales • The difference between active and passive customers, and how to stay in front of both • Running a £24.99 a month service plan at break-even, and the take-up of around 40% that Craig reports • Using the workshop and service advisers to spot cars worth buying in • Why Craig sees the appointment as the new sale, and why trial closes matter after the test drive • Hiring salespeople for personality and training everything else • Dropping a DMS CSV into Claude to track KPIs and stock turn, plus Simon's tip for recording sales meetings with Wispr Flow Craig Walker runs The Walker Motor Group, which owns Culloden Cars on the outskirts of Inverness, and co-owns the Top Car Services workshop with business partner Liam Grant. Craig says the group employs 17 people, and that the workshop, which started with three ramps, is moving up to seven with an MOT testing station. Craig still loves being in the weeds of the business. If you run an independent or manage a used car or service department and want more repeat business out of every customer you sell to, give this one a listen. 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: <a title="www.symcotraining.co.uk" href="https://www.symcotraining.co.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.symcotraining.co.uk</a>

How Craig Walker Uses His Workshop to Buy Stock

Sales people know that a hot lead either emails or phones first. We discuss the quality of digital responses versus the time of digital responses. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

Sales people know that a hot lead either emails or phones first. We discuss the quality of digital responses versus the time of digital responses. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT108: Customer's First Contact

Something new, a Bitesize poadcast idea on closing when you just need a quick burst of enthusiasm. A short little closing tip, to give your team a boost. We need to uncover the buyers objections. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

Something new, a Bitesize poadcast idea on closing when you just need a quick burst of enthusiasm. A short little closing tip, to give your team a boost. We need to uncover the buyers objections. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

Something new, a Bitesize poadcast idea on closing when you just need a quick burst of enthusiasm. A short little closing tip, to give your team a boost. We need to uncover the buyers objections. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT107: Bitesize - Next Steps

SMT106: Closing

With electric vehicles we need to be the person ready to serve up options, not just the car, but charging, tariffs, range etc. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

With electric vehicles we need to be the person ready to serve up options, not just the car, but charging, tariffs, range etc. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT105: Jennifer Suzuki (Part 2)

You have to have a process if you want to be successful and part of that process is goal planning. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

You have to have a process if you want to be successful and part of that process is goal planning. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT104: Jennifer Suzuki (Part 1)

We continue our discussion with James Voortman, CEO of Australian Automotive Dealer Association about the goals of the agency model. <a href= "https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

We continue our discussion with James Voortman, CEO of Australian Automotive Dealer Association about the goals of the agency model. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT103: James Voortman - What Impact Is the Agency Model Going To Have In Your Business (Part 2)

James Voortman, CEO of Australian Automotive Dealer Association, talks about impact of the agency model on the Australian market. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT102: James Voortman - What Impact Is the Agency Model Going To Have In Your Business (Part 1)

Get your sales footwork right! Sales people have been selling in an easier environment of late, but is now becoming apparent that we need to get back to basics? https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

Get your sales footwork right! Sales people have been selling in an easier environment of late, but is now becoming apparent that we need to get back to basics? https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT101: 101 in Sales

Will the UK's target for EV's of 2030 be extended? We discuss with Steve if the long term effects of the pandemic on the motor trade have been under estimated and his experience in different markets. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

Will the UK's target for EV's of 2030 be extended? We discuss with Steve if the long term effects of the pandemic on the motor trade have been under estimated and his experience in different markets. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

Will the UK's target for EV's of 2030 be extended? We discuss with Steve if the long term effects of the pandemic on the motor trade have been under estimated and his experience in different markets. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT910: Steve Faulkner (Part 2)

We discuss with Steve if the long term effects of the pandemic on the motor trade have been under estimated and his experience in different markets. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

We discuss with Steve if the long term effects of the pandemic on the motor trade have been under estimated and his experience in different markets. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

We discuss with Steve if the long term effects of the pandemic on the motor trade have been under estimated and his experience in different markets. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2022 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT909: Steve Faulkner (Part 1)

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

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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

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