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.

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

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

Most dealerships still do the same thing. They take the top salesperson, give them a title, and hope they become a great leader.

In this episode, I'm joined by Neil Carrahar to talk about why that move often backfires, what to do instead, and how to build a leadership pipeline that actually works.

We get into the real issues that show up on the floor, like high performers who poison the culture, managers who slip into micromanaging, and teams that drop their heads the moment targets feel out of reach.

Neil shares what "good" looks like day-to-day, including the non-negotiables that keep standards high without turning the place into a prison camp. We also talk about the difference between leadership and management, how to keep accountability without blame, and why a strong morning meeting can change the whole day.

We break down the common mistake of promoting great sellers into leadership roles with no development, and why that turns into performance management within a year.
We talk about how to handle a "toxic high performer" without letting fear of losing volume run the dealership.

Neil explains simple non-negotiables like second facing before a test drive, signposting every customer towards a drive while the numbers are being worked, and building offers properly instead of rushing them.

We also get into how to spot when a team's belief has dropped, how to rebuild energy fast, and how to deal with pressure from above without dumping it on your team.

If you run a sales team, this one's worth sharing.

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

In this episode, I'm joined by Neil Carrahar to talk about the bit most dealerships get wrong: motivation and mindset.

Neil shares a real story from a sales training program, where a new starter put his hand up on day one and asked, "How do I get into the 200 Club?"

That one question told Neil everything he needed to know. We break down what that kind of hunger looks like in the real world, and the simple behaviours Neil told him to focus on if he wanted 200 sold and delivered.

We also get into leadership. Not the fluffy "culture" chat. The practical stuff like how a proper one-to-one works, what you look for before you go anywhere near performance, and what you do when someone's not performing and everyone's tempted to write them off as "lazy".

Neil explains how you find the real cause, what to check first, and how to coach it before it becomes a resignation.

If you manage salespeople, train new starters, or you're trying to build a team that actually hits targets without burning out, this one's worth your time.

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

You've told the team what needs doing. You check in later. Nothing's happened. Your blood boils… then you realise you might not have been clear enough in the first place.

In this episode, I'm joined by Stuart to break down OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) in plain English. It's a simple way to set a clear goal, define 3 to 4 measurable checkpoints, and keep everyone pulling in the same direction without turning into a micromanaging nightmare.

We cover the difference between "good intentions" and real alignment, why teams still drift even with high effort, and how OKRs stop chaos like the classic "let's refresh the pitch" situation, where everyone does something different, and the whole thing goes sideways.

What you'll get from listening:

• What OKRs actually are, and why they're so popular in high-performance businesses.
• How to turn vague goals like "improve customer experience" into clear outcomes and measurable results.
• Examples you can use in a dealership (NPS/CSI improvement, response times, reviews, complaints handling).
• How OKRs reduce emotion in performance conversations, because the numbers don't argue back.
• How to keep autonomy in the team while still checking progress properly.

Listen and then use it to set sharper goals with your sales or service teams this month.

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

Neil Carrahar is back for Part 2.

This one goes deeper on what high standards actually look like in practice, especially on the "nothing special happening" days that quietly define your dealership. We talk about consistency, manager behaviours, and why customer confidence depends on the process you run every single day.

If you lead a team, manage used cars, or sell day in day out, this episode will give you a sharper way to think about standards and performance.

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

I'm joined by Neil Carrahar, Operations Director at Symco Training. This is a straight talk episode about standards, culture, and the day-to-day operational stuff that drives results in a dealership.

We cover what "good" looks like in the real world, why teams drift over time, and how managers can set expectations that actually stick.

If you're a dealer principal, sales manager, or anyone trying to lift performance without turning the place into a misery factory, press play.

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