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 says every sales manager should memorise before the next fleet pitch.
  
  
• How he turned one “range-anxious” driver into an overnight EV evangelist (and the exact email template).
  
  
• Why payload panic is largely a myth - and the models that now carry 1.6 t with ease.
  
  
• The simple tariff tweak saving contractors up to £3.5k a year on energy alone.
  
  
• What the looming 2027 ZEV quota really means for stocking decisions this quarter.

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

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• 00:45 Why that “range-anxiety” line is five years out-of-date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 the simple tariff hack that slashes running costs to 7 pence per mile
  
  
• 14:10 How one OEM priced an e-van LOWER than its diesel twin (and what it means for residuals)
  
  
• 24:40 Total-Cost-of-Ownership for dummies: the 4 levers every sales manager must show business buyers
  
  
• 31:15 Drivers can kill any deal—Paul’s playbook for getting “bums on seats” and turning sceptics into EV lifers
  
  
• 38:20 What the 2030 ZEV mandate really means for dealerships, leasing companies and front-line sales staff

Perfect for dealer principals, sales teams and anyone who’s still hearing “I’ll wait till the tech’s ready.”

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

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 actually convert (16:42)
• A smarter script for price objections (23:15)
• What your team should say when they hear: “Just email me” (27:20)

Enjoy.

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