What happens when a former professional footballer and football agent walks into the motor trade… and decides to build a dealership with "more care, more style, and a lot less ego"?

In this episode, I'm joined by Josh Apps, founder of V12 Automobil in Central London. Josh didn't grow up in the trade. He's built V12 from scratch since 2022, and he's straight-talking about what actually works when you're buying and selling everything from a £20k GLC to a £1m+ hypercar.

We get into the real mechanics of his business, like underwriting stock, consignment done properly, why some dealers go bust with SOR, what he's seeing on Carwow and Motorway, and how he thinks about margin, risk, and stock turn in a market where plenty of people are trying to make £5k the easy way instead of £9k the stressful way.

Episode highlights:

• The mindset shift from football + agency life into running a dealership, and what skills actually transfer.
  
  
• Josh's take on consignment/SOR: why it can work, why it often blows up, and the process that stops you "playing with other people's money".
  
  
• How he sources stock day-to-day (dealers, auctions, Carwow/Motorway, LinkedIn, banks) and why access to stock is both easier and messier now.
  
  
• The uncomfortable truth about online buying platforms: inflated offers, knock-backs, cars reappearing, and how it creates friction for customers and dealers.
  
  
• A proper "car dealer war story": the Range Rover that turned into an engine rebuild, a transport job, and a stress test in customer service.

The simple but rare philosophy that's kept his reviews and referrals strong: do the right thing even when it costs.

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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

Most salespeople wait for the dealership to hand them customers… then wonder why they're stuck at "average".

In this episode, I'm joined by Ali Reda, one of the highest-volume salespeople I've ever spoken to, to break down the mindset shift that changes everything: you don't "work for the dealership", you run your own business inside it.

Ali explains how he builds trust through community work (so customers come looking for him, not "a price"), why he refuses to sell from panic, and how he's built a small team that generates its own customers without touching dealer-provided walk-ins, phone-ups, or internet leads. We also get into what dealers and managers need to change if they actually want elite performers to flourish.

Episode highlights:

• Why "30-day thinking" kills long-term growth, and what to focus on instead.
• The community-first approach that makes customers loyal to the salesperson, not just the brand.
• How Ali built a team under him and trained them to generate their own business.
• What to measure when you're building a career, not chasing this month's number.
• Why managers should give top performers more autonomy (and how to trial it properly).
• A simple way to "post-mortem" every deal. What went right, what went wrong, and what to fix next time.

If you're a salesperson who wants more repeat and referral, or a manager who wants your best people to stop getting boxed in by process… this is for you.

Finding this useful? Follow the show

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

Ali Reda is the car salesperson who sold 1,582 cars in 12 months, hit 32 cars in a day (twice), and talks through the exact model behind it, without living at the dealership.

He works Monday-Friday, doesn't do weekends, and built a "business within a business" by going all-in on relationship selling, community presence, and a delivery process that removes bottlenecks.

Episode highlights:
How Ali went from "hair on fire" chasing fresh ups to having customers queue to see him.

The mentors and moments that changed his ceiling: Jerry Turfe, then Damien Boudreau, and the shift from "30 is elite" to bigger numbers.

What he had to unlearn to scale. Things like demo drives, manager back-and-forth, and that admin shouldn't sit on the salesperson.

The "doctor's office" process that lets him deliver cars fast, stay calm, and keep the customer experience steady.

Why social media only works if it stays local, and why "being present where you advertise" is the whole point.

Finding this useful? Follow the show

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