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

Patrick discusses his thoughts on the OEM Agency Model. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

Patrick discusses his thoughts on the OEM Agency Model. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT409: Patrick Tessier

SMT408: Colin McAllister - How To Get The Best Out Of Your Sales Team

Let's look at the key points that will help you maximise your digital enquiries and get more engagement for your customers. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT407: Digital Enquiries

How to deal with 'What your best price?" on a used car distance sale. <a href= "https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

How to deal with 'What your best price?" on a used car distance sale. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT406: Distance Sales Part 2

A very interesting interview with Paul de Vries from DCDW based in the Netherlands. Paul discusses how he has improved his dealers conversion of digital enquiries in the current pandemic. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

A very interesting interview with Paul de Vries from DCDW based in the Netherlands. Paul discusses how he has improved his dealers conversion of digital enquiries in the current pandemic. https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/ (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT405: Paul de Vries

SMT404: Distance Sales - Part 1

Find out what selling your customer has done to themselves. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

Find out what selling your customer has done to themselves. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT403: Advanced Qualification Part 2

We need to understand what the gap is in the customer's current situation to secure a sale. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

We need to understand what the gap is in the customer's current situation to secure a sale. <a href="https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://symcotraining.co.uk/podcast/</a> (c) 2021 Symco Training Ltd.

SMT402 : Advanced Qualification Part 1

We a look at conditioning a bit more and discuss the differences between men and women.

We a look at conditioning a bit more and discuss the differences between men and women.

SMT401: Psychology of a Sale - Part 2

Darren discusses his journey in the motor trade, and of course his top tips!

Darren discusses his journey in the motor trade, and of course his top tips!

SMT310: Darren Bedford

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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