We are delighted to welcome Jono O’Byrne, Sales Director for Endeavour Automotive. Jono tells us about his journey in the motor trade, experiences and mantras. Simon trained Jono when he was first starting out, so it was lovely catch up again.
There such a lot to discuss, and so much inspiration given, that we have had to split this interview into two episodes. In this part we look at Jono’s background, how to manage 23 sites, points to assess when looking at your business and his mentors.
Here are the highlights:
{03:57} Working at George Corbett Motors
{06:51} Moving to the UK
{10:10} Working for Marshalls
{11:20} Difference in the Irish Market
{19:30} Sweat the Small Stuff
{20:45} Communication
{27:25} Priorities
{32.05} George Corbett and Daksh Gupta
{39:25} Ask Why
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 visitwww.symcotraining.co.uk
Time, welcome to the Selling and the Motor Trade podcast in Association of Car Without. The online car-changing destination. Together we share tips and ideas on how to sell more cars, improve your service department, and generally put more profit into your department, dealership or dealer group. I'm your host, Simon Bowkett, or some of you might already know me as Skippy. First thing, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to listen to this podcast. Hi, welcome to another episode of Selling and the Motor Trade. Today it is my pleasure to welcome aboard Jono O'Bern. Now Jono O'Bern, as a tongue twister when I say that, Jono O'Bern, I first met. It must be in 2010, something like that, and we'll get that in a second.
He was a salesperson in a Mazda and the Say It dealership in Waterford Island. And I just hit it off with him. His career since then has gone through the roof. Now I was reintroduced to Jono when we've been talking about the book cup, and Jono got involved and said, guys, you need to have a look at this book. Okay, you need to actually review this book. So people who listen to the podcast, you'll know that Jono recommended a book, and we're going to talk about that as well. And we've just got to get him on the podcast. So I'm so excited to have Jono here. Jono, welcome aboard. Hi Simon. How are you doing?
Very good. Great to be here. So Jono, people who might not know you, okay, and they're not familiar with your journey. Can you just share with me how you started the motor trade? How you progressed from George Corbett Motors to where you are now? Yeah, no problem at all. I think it's been a, it seems to me like it's gone in a flash. But when you think back, you just said 2010, I can't believe it was that long ago, you know, where's the time gone? And I started off, I originally, I think everyone used that cliche word, I fell into the motor trade. So I was doing, I was doing a university degree. I was doing marketing back in Ireland.
And I got my, I suppose I'd always had exposure. My dad had a garage back in Ireland, an independent garage, he had a body shop, a couple of technicians, and he did some selling on the side. And I always joked when I was younger. And this is true as God. I said, that you'll fix them, I'll sell them when we're older. Never really thought too much. I signed up, did my university after school. And during the university, I had a friend of mine who worked in a four garage. And he asked Jono, look, we're looking for somebody during the summer holidays to take the cars in and out, maybe do a bit of driving. I thought, yeah, great, you know what, I had my holidays from university.
I thought, yeah, let's do it. So I did that. And I kind of got a bit of a bite for the motor trade. And they asked me when the kind of holiday season ended, they said, would you like to to stay on and maybe sell some cars? I said, look, I'd love that. So I was going into my, I think was my final year, my second, second to last year in university. So I had no lectures on a Friday, and I used to finish in the morning on a Tuesday and a Thursday. So I used, I had my demo. I was sort of going to university, bring my suit in the, in my demo car, and then head up and sell a couple of cars.
But unfortunately, that 2008 came and everyone's aware of the financial crisis of 2008. And everybody had to have a look at their own businesses and share it and said, it was, it was your share. And Ireland was hit hard. 2009, it was hard work. Yeah, so tough. And there was redundancies, there was shutdowns, there was a lot, a lot of hardship going across. So they said to me, we can't really sustain a channel. So I thought fine, I went back and I just continued my, my degree. So I don't finish my degree in 2009. And my dad said to me, John, the market is on its, it's on its knees, you know, there's no point in coming out.
Can you, can you do something else? So I did the master's degree in marketing. So I did another year of a master's. And I was handed in my thesis in 2010, literally just about to submit it. And my dad had been out in George Corbett's collecting some parts. And George had said, how's your young lad getting on? What's what's he doing now? And dad said, look, he's actually finishing university. He said, well, look, we're looking for a sales exec. Would he be interested? And it's almost that whole bike, you know, no one knows how it happens, where it comes from. A week later, I handed my thesis and I started with George Corbett selling cars.
And that's where I first came across Simcoe training. Because you obviously, Simon will come over. I think it might have been some objection handling or sales process training you were doing, which was a nut yoke. And it stands to me today. And I'll probably, we'll talk later on about the importance of the training piece in with any sales exec, you know, I feel it's critical. And I urge everyone to get involved and to make sure your team are trained. I always use the analogy. If you look at a football team, they train every day, every single day, twice a day, they go and train in our careers in salespeople. When do we train? How often do we train?
Because that's what I need everybody to think about, you know, we, we often tend in the motor trade to give people a desk, give them a phone and let them talk customers, you know, and hope, hope that they pick up some good habits along with the bad. But we need to really focus on the training piece. I can't believe it's 2010. I was right those dates there. And it's George Corbett. What a gentleman. You know, a gentleman in the motor trade is just such a nice guy. And we're in the dealership there. And I remember you. Because there's a guy who was a firefighter, had a per show, 406 a state or something like that.
And we're out there together, selling the car. Now, the reason why I remember it, I still talk about because he's tires. The tires were like racing slicks. Okay, they were so slow. And we use that to close him. Okay, because we actually turned around and said, hold on, do you know what the fine is that in Ireland? If it's illegal, he said, Oh, my goodness, I didn't realize it. And George, I think it was George itself. He said, it's so nice to see a trainer that actually speaks to a customer. And again, I still love it. Okay, I still love it. So this really separates the real motor traders. Do you remember the first car you sold?
Oh, God, you know what? I absolutely do. And I think everyone, everyone always remembers it because when I started sales, when I was getting into sales, I had that whole part of what if I don't sell a car? What if I can't sell a car? You know, so it's almost that anticipation to building up. So I remember it was it was a Ford Fiesta. I would like to think I don't remember the range. So sorry about that. But it was to a lender couple. They came in and we had a non franchise Ford Fiesta. And yeah, I always remember the panic. And then you sell the car, you do the deal, you take the deposit.
And then you almost think, Oh God, what do I do now? What do I do? You know, so it was a great time. And that was that was back in Ireland 2010. And I always I always loved that the motor trader loved the selling piece. And in 2014, I was I knew there was more to it. And my other half had just finished her university degree. And she said she did fashion design. And as you can imagine, Ireland doesn't have the biggest fashion industry in in in Ireland. So she said, look, we need to maybe look at the UK. So I thought, you know what, why not? Let's do it. I reached out to John O'Hannell.
I dropped a drop, I dropped John O'Hannell and an email. It was actually after a recommendation of one of your previous guests, Ashley Wilcher. I had a chat with Ashley and I was actually on another training course. And I said to him, I'm thinking about looking at the UK, anyone you'd recommend or where would you recommend? And he said, look, Ridgeway, great business, John O'Hannell and CEO, drop him an email. So lo and behold, I did, I dropped John an email, I flew over to Southampton the next week to meet John Head, who was the operations director. And a real funny story is that I went to Southampton Mercedes. I had the interview and you know, like all interviews, you're nervous, you're clammy, you're sweating.
So I the interview finished and he said, look, we have a position. It's for a Volkswagen sales manager, but our franchise director is actually with Volkswagen today. So you'll have to come back next week. And I'm thinking, I flew along again. So I went back to Southampton into the West Key because my flight wasn't until later on that day. I bundled the suit off, stuck it in my hand luggage. It was wrinkly. The show had to ring it out. I then got a phone call in the afternoon saying, look, Andrew Lee, who's the franchise director, can come and meet you? Can you come back out? So I'm looking at the silicone, it's in a ball of wrinkles.
So I went back into next in the in the West Key and I said, hi, have you got a white shirt? Said, look, the only one we have is one that's in the package. So I took the shirt down. It's still the pins on it. Yeah. Yeah. I spent the whole day covering up so nobody could see the brand new shirt. But the rest is history. Because they offered me a job. And that was August 2014. I then flew over and we started on, it was the September 11, 2014 with Ridgway. And I was a sales manager in one of our Volkswagen businesses. I then proceeded to... John, I'll go stop. You just say, it just shows the dedication there.
I actually, did Andrew know that you went through all that sort of stuff there until afterwards? I think it was after because it was almost like you come back next week. And the crazy Southampton airport didn't have a Ryanair. It didn't have a low so I think the flight was like 400 pounds. So I was thinking, hang on, I have to go. Because I remember my mom saying to me, I don't pay in for this. I was like, no, I pay in for myself. And she said, that's crazy. But do you know what? It's one of those things and you take the chance. And it was one of those chances that that's paid off because I started with Ridgway.
We were obviously a port by Marshall in 2016. I was sales manager at South Oxford Volkswagen. I was then made head of business at party. I was head of business at Newbury Volkswagen. I was there for two, two and a bit nearly three years. It was Milton Keynes Volkswagen. Then we acquired the Jardine businesses in 2019 and Milton Keynes Volkswagen, which was one of the largest Volkswagen retailers in the country. And I've always had ambition. I've always wanted to proceed and to keep moving. And I said to my other half, I said, look, if I'm going to be seen as big player credible, I need to do a big business. So I put my hat in the ring for the Milton Keynes role.
And I got it. And I was there for a year in a bit. And we took it from a last make into profit, which is actually something that that business had never seen because it's got such a high over and it's a really challenge. And then from I was there for a year and the head of sales position, which is like a sales director with Marshall. So the head of sales position for Volkswagen came up, which was looking after 2023 dealerships. And that came up just in 2022. And again, I was delighted to get the role. And yeah, the rest is history up until when was it October, October 2024, just gone. I finished up with Marshall and I took on new role of sales director for Endeavour Automotive, which I'm delighted with.
I'm here today. It's a great role with a great forward thinking business. So we have moved from Volkswagen to Volvo. So big changes there from a wholesale to an agency model, which we'll probably speak about. But I'd love to. I'm really enjoying it. But I think back, like you said, 14 years from first meeting when I first started selling to 10 years in the UK. And yeah, it's moved really quick. And I'm delighted at where I am. It's moved very quick. Now, listen, I want to go back to Ireland, reflecting your time with George Corbett. And maybe when you're still at university. How do you think your time in the Irish motor trade has really shaped your perspective?
Is there anything that you learned there that has really helped you in the UK industry? Definitely in Ireland. Because we've such a smaller market, Simon, its service element is paramount, because Irish people, because you look at the scale of the UK, we got 65 million people to just over 5 million people. So it's very, what's the word? If you don't look after somebody, they'll tell all their friends and it'll quickly get around. Because it's so concentrated, you have to work that bit harder. The key to manufacturing and looking after those relationships is ever so paramount. In the UK, we are blessed. And I always say to sales people that work for me or work with me.
If you think it's tough here, try going to Ireland where for every one customer, you've got 10 in the UK. And the problem is in the UK, if you're looking at the volume brands, you're dealing with a volume brand, you don't have that focus on the customer, because you know you've got another one commoner, you'll have another telephone call common. In Ireland, you have to cultivate that inquiry, you have to really nourish it. So that's something that I've taken across Ireland to the UK, the power of looking after your customers, because you don't have the big customer base that the UK has. Yeah, and so, Trean, I'm finding, kind of in this market at the moment, and last year, that sometimes our salespeople are giving up on the customer.
Before the customer is given up on the car, Simon, COVID, COVID, unfortunately, has given us that, because you think about the sales execs pre-COVID, where they've had to work, they've had to deal with negativity, they've had to deal with challenges up, oh, do you know what, I don't know if I can get the monthly payments to work. You then take salespeople who only know the post-COVID times, where manufacturers really supported, we had low interest rates, we had low finance rate, we've had the highest part exchange prices we've ever seen. Somebody said, if you can sell cars, then you'll never be able to do it. So, Trean, you know, where interest rates have gone back up, the finance rates have been challenging.
You've got used finance rates of 10, 11, 12%, where cash conversion that we would have done previously is really hard, because the lower APRs aren't there to subsidize it. So, you have to sell, you have to talk about the benefits, you have to explain and really get and understand that customer qualification is key. Where is that money? I've got cash, okay, great. Where is that cash, Mr. Customer? Because let's talk about it, don't just, because we don't have the upgrade we can put you on a 4.9 APR, because that everyone signs up to, because why wouldn't you, you know? Now, selling and billing the value, and I always say to my guys, right, you have to sell three things.
You have to sell the car, you have to sell yourself, and you have to sell the business. And then you have to earn the right to ask for the business. I say, there's no point in jumping from A to Z and go, oh, they want to buy the car, let's, no, slow it down and earn the right to ask those questions. But also, like I said, those sales people have never known a tough time, because they've had people coming in with 4 grand of equity. It was, you know, your last car was 350 great news. This one is 299. Who wouldn't buy a car then? So now, more so never, the train, and like we talked about earlier on, and the slowing it down, and speaking, talking, and listening to our customer is paramount.
Yeah, and again, for Ireland for me, stay in touch with people till they buy or die is the phrase that I hear banned around all the time. But listen, if you're a salesperson in the UK, you're a sales manager in the UK, listen to this. Okay, we know that you guys have puncture above your weight, and you want to get on, that's why you listen to this. I promise you, get your team to stay in touch with everyone. Okay, because I promise you in this market, so many times salespeople are giving up too early, far too early on the customer before that customer's given up on the car. I say to my guys, right, that I will never, ever, ever give out to you.
If somebody emails me saying, can you please get them to stop calling me? Can you please get them to stop emailing me? I will give out to them if they say, I'm waiting for a quote, somebody hasn't come back to me, because that's just really poor. But the other way, I would much prefer somebody to go John, can you please tell Mr. Whoever it is to stop emailing me? I said, you know what, great job. Well done, you did a great thing. Princess John, I, people who listened to the podcast, I talked about this last year, I changed my car last year. Couldn't be, it's hard work to buy a car. And one of those things that so many times I buy through a client or so forth, okay, this one I had a brand I want to deal with, someone else, okay, and it was really hard work.
And it was an eye opener for me going into buy a car from a retail customer's perspective, because we just haven't done it for so many years there. And I promise you, it's hard, hard work. And it's just the basics, just being brilliant at the simple basics. Absolutely. The people buy from people think doesn't change, you know, that doesn't change. And for me, I see the best executives that I've had and I've come across in my career are the ones that just care. And it's the ones that, you know, they put the customer first, they, if there's a handover, it's all planned, the car is ready, you know, it's if they've appointment, the car is ready.
If it's a cold day, like we have today, the car has been heated up, the seat heaters are on, the windscreen is not fogged. It's the ones that, oh, I've got an appointment, oh, he's here, oh God, oh God, I wasn't ready for that. There's the ones where, and you know, it's that level of customer service that you wouldn't buy a car from them, because after your house, we always say it's the second biggest purchase. So you want someone who's listening to you, someone who's responsive and someone who you feel is caring, you know, I think that's the most important key. Listen, you've had lots of leadership roles in that last 14 or coming into 15 years now.
What's been one of your proudest moments in your career? One of my proudest moments, I think, look, there's probably been a couple, and I think one personally is the biggest thing for me and proud is to see somebody come along with me on a journey, and to see somebody who you take on as a sales tech, progress, progress, and become a sales manager ahead of business or whatever it might be. I think that's the key, because it shows that one, from day one, you've invested in them, they've listened, and they're doing the right thing, and they're reaping the rewards and that. So I think that's key, because in every business, you need to have people who are on your side, you need to have people who you trust, and to see somebody come through a journey with you is really, really empowering.
But also for me, if you just talk about a career highlight, last year we were looking off in the Volkswagen commercial vehicle division to win the sustainability dealer group in a year. So we did some really great things in the division from when somebody came in to have their car washed, our car serviced, we asked them that they want to sacrifice a wash to plant a tree. We also got our team to... Well, it cost effective as well, I'm guessing. Cost effective, and we did an offset piece on it, it's really good, because sustainability now more so than ever has come into the fold. But I look at our Northwest Volvo retailer here with Endeavour, it's the most sustainable dealership in the UK.
We've got a harvesting system on the roof, which basically, how reharvest the rainwater to allow us to wash over 300 more cars a year. We have a solar power system on the roof also, which allows us to, I think it's electrifying nearly 3,000 cars a year with the electricity we're generating from the sun. So it's things like this and our sustainability is so important going forward. And I think it's one thing for me that in my new role that I really want to carry on, because I know Volvo as a retailer, sustainability is really high in their agenda and similar with Endeavour automotive. So I want to make sure I'm continuing that journey into my new role too.
Yeah, look, I love the simplicity of that plant a tree, not wash a car there. It is so simple, isn't it? But it's got such a strong, strong message from the consumer. I don't like that, you know, because I think now more so people are getting a bit more aware of the sustainability piece. And even small things, you know, we've moved our retailers to paperless and something I did back a couple of years back in a previous role. I stopped on the paper and it's small little efforts because look, we're not going to change the world individually. But I always, I always talk about 1%. When I'm talking to my team, I'm talking about, because you've often heard the phrase, oh, don't sweat the small stuff.
I sweat the small stuff because the collection of the small stuff make a big thing. And all those 1% that we change, if it's, you know, the weeds out in the front are another thing in a previous role, I change on our prices to QR codes, because we were having lots of ways to pay for changing the prices every week and they were getting changed and someone would misplace the price, we'd have to do it again. So the small 1% we can make have such a big impact across all our business. So my advice and I'm probably shooting the gun here, because you might ask me later, I'm going to say sweat the small stuff.
Because if you're not sweating the small stuff, you're not caring. Yeah, love it. And listen, help me out here, because a lot of people are listening to this and they want the next step to be a regional director or managing more than one place. Jon, I've only been a general sales manager, so I'm not done what you've done. And when you're at Marshall's Group, for example, your leather division with a turnover, I think 650 million, something like that, 20, 23 sites, 23 sites. Okay. What strategies? How do you go from dealing with a team where you've gone on site to try and split yourself up and manage it? How do you take that mindset change?
Do you know, for me, and it wasn't mindset change, because when you're appealing to the masses, you have to make sure your communication is key, because you can't just have to deliver something, because you'll get 23 interpretations of it. And anything you're going to, you have to be sure that you are clear, concise, and you're communicating your vision, your strategy to the team, because you need to be aware that the people in Barnstable, the people in Scontorpe, the people in Loudon, Coolston, Newbury, wherever it might be, are all on the same page, and it's not left to interpretation. So I always say be clear and concise. I always say to everyone, do not manage, do not assume people are aware.
And then people probably get bored of me, because before we do anything, I kind of make sure everyone is aware. I'll do a team's call. I'll talk to you. Any questions? Okay, brilliant. No, now everyone's aware, there should be no reason why you can't go through. So I would always say be concise with your communication. The technology that's come post-COVID with teams with Zoom and things like that has really allowed for you to tap into cover geographical boundaries easier, because you're not in the counter-habitment drive. You can jump on a call like we're doing today, and it's easier to get your message across. I would say it's concise and clear communication is the key. And especially with your people as well, don't leave it too long about catching up, because when it's so big like that, people can get lost.
So make sure you're talking to your team. Make sure there's constant reviews. If it's sales execs, have you reviewed them? It's something to look I either call today with my team. I wanted to make sure and roll out sales exec reviews, because all too often people say to me, oh, well, you know what, I've only just done the bad ones, because they're the ones that we need to talk. And I said, no, don't just do the bad ones. The good ones are even more important, because the bad ones who have given you five cars last month, right? And you're going to review them and talk about what you want. They're them. What about the person who's given you 24 deals last month?
How are they the ones that you can leave? Because I'd much prefer to have five deals, leave our dealership than to have somebody who's delivered you 24 deals, leave our dealership. I'm probably giving away my secrets. But the one thing I said to my guys, all you need to do with the good ones, grab them for a coffee, bring them in, structure it, document it, because just because they're a good operator doesn't mean they should feel any less important or less on their on the review. But just asking this one question. What is the one thing that would make you want to leave this job today? Because if you know the answer to that, everything else is irrelevant.
Because what's the one thing that's got in their head? What's the one thing that's stopping them from wanting to be here? Because and it might be something like, well, you know what? Every time I come to get my car handed over, the validers aren't clean that are, I'm always checking for a question, whatever it might be. And it might be something or it might be, oh, you know what, I want to be paid more. And that's that's a bigger thing. But if you can solve that one thing, yeah, on a high performer and knowing what that one thing is, exactly that, not finding out when you're a competitor as employed. That's it. And it might be something so small and trivial of, well, you know what, you asked me to change my day off to Wednesdays now.
And you might have done it because it's something else happened. But it's not a big thing to you, but actually, it's a big thing to them. So what is the one thing that would make you want to leave this business? And reds are we because we call reds, greens, ambers, different levels of performers. So if it's a red, like I said, everyone focuses on the reds because they think that's your biggest opportunity. Don't forget those greens. Because if 24 deals are 30 deals, leaves your dealership, it's a lot harder to replace that than it is to have someone who's delivering your five deals a month. It's so true. Even from a training perspective, okay, so many times we'll go into a dealership and we'll call them the five car friends.
Okay, so Dave Anderson from the Stacy calls in five car friends and said, let's improve five car friends. But I always say that, hold on, if you improve five car Fred by 10%, you got half an extra unit. You get the guy that's doing 25 units a year improve. Sorry, yeah, that would be an issue. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, 25 a month, improve them by 10%, impact does that have on your business? And also the five car Fred, I can tell you, they might not be cut out for selling cars. It might be, and by the way, we're brutal sometimes, and I always think it's better for five car Fred. Fred, this might not be the right job for you.
Let's look at Jobin, different parts of the business. Good guy. Okay. And we have so many and that is the great thing about the motor trains. You know, I've often seen a lot of people on your podcast talk about, you know, when they say what is it that drives you about the motor train? It's so varied from marketing to service to technicians to cleaners, receptionist, whatever it might be, you've got a role in the business because I've often had this chat with some people and we look at people who are leaders in the motor train and you almost feel, oh God, I can't do another role in another industry because I'm pigeonholed in the motor train.
Well, let's take a step back. You run a multi-million-pound dealership. You deal with the HR difficulties of hiring, firing, performance reviews. You look at what are you talking to customers, you do profit loss, you look at cost management, you look at all those factors that are so transferable across different industries. So the motor train is such a great platform because it is so very important. But I always say to people, it's great that it is varied because if one area is working, great, let's look somewhere else and we've often seen that. We've had a lot of people who sales isn't foreign because don't get me wrong. It's, you know, George Corbett actually used to say, it's the hardest, easiest industry.
And I said, what's your mean by that? He said, it's the hardest, easiest, it's the hardest, easiest job you'll ever do. I said, what do you mean by that? He said, John, it's easy because you're sat here, you're wearing a lovely suit, you're in a lovely dealership, you've got great product around you, you've got a lovely demo, but it's hard because you have to go and find the customers, you have to look after your customers, you have to compete with other cars they might be looking at, you have to look at compete with other dealer groups down the road that, you know, might be selling the same product. And it's frustration, you know, it's going to be a bit of frustration.
But my God, is it rewarding? Yeah, listen to your career. So you've gone to so many new places. Okay, so Marshalls from Newbury, and then you were Milton Keynes, and you're always going into new places. Okay, so the advice I'm looking for now is that sales manager, that's going to get their first job as a sales manager, okay, or sales managers for their first head of business or general manager, dealer principal role, whatever. When you first turn up to a business, in fact, I should ask you, because you're doing the same thing again now, and and ever automotive, what's your first priorities in your first, so 90 days, first 12 months, what do you look for when you turn up to a new department?
So my first thing is, is your inquiries, right? So I look at two things. I look at your inquiries, I look at your stock. Okay, so what stock do we have at the front? How is it looking? Is it cleaned? Is it prepped? Is it online? Is it photographed? Is it price right? So if you've got that bit nails, okay, excellent, you're going to get your inquiries. Second part is your inquiries. So who's looking after them? How are they tracked? How are they managed? How are they followed up? Are they been dealt with correctly? Are they been dealt with from some way that we'd like? Has the customer got to see it now? Have they got a video?
Have they had an introduction on a face? Is somebody coming back to them with grammatical errors? Is somebody coming back to them full stop? You know, so that's your thing. Those are my two fundamental stock and inquiries, but then I would look at the whole piece of sales process, because it's all well and good having your stock looking lovely, having your inquiries coming in, your sales process from your team. Is it tight and is it managed? So from inquiry to meet and greet to qualification, have we got that bit nailed? When somebody comes to our showroom, are they getting a good experience with with your sales deck? Is there a strategy break? Is the managers involved in finding the right car for your customer?
Are they getting the figures on time after your test drive? Is the done assisted? Is the part exchange appraisal been done with the customer? Have you hooked it? Have you talked about it with the customer? Don't be sitting at the customer at the desk, twiddling with thumbs on a car. Wow, looking at your best price. Exactly. It's like, oh, we always forget the customer is buying a car, but they're also selling a car. And what happens when people sell a car? Because we always used to say as well, customers sell their cars for two reasons. One, because they want a lovely brand shiny new car and they're on a PCP contract. Great, we love those customers.
But two, it's because there's something wrong with our current one. So let's get out. Let's talk to them with it. Because whatever the odds perfect, lovely car, great car, have it serviced all the time. Let's come out and see it. Let's go in and let's look at our own history. We've enough information. If it's in our own brand, we've enough information about service history, we've enough information at our fingertips. Make sure we're doing it right because the customer will go out and when you touch that scratch, when you, you know, all those bits and all that happened. That was my wife that was in the car. Oh, brilliant. But what you're setting up for is you're setting up for the reconditioning cost.
And it's not going to be a shock when you say, well, I know your car is worked 12 grand, Mr. Customer, but X, Y and Z is that we have because that's the problem. And that is me. I'd say to all our guys, we have to earn the right and to earn the right to talk about our car and talk about the figures, but earn the right to give him the price for his car. And if he's not there or she is not there, you have to, you have to want get some equipment. So I always ask for videos. Let's get a distance appraisal. Let's get something because the customer will love telling you about that car.
And like I said, 90% of the time, it's because they looked after and they wanted. But there is those times where there can be something a bit of miss and we have to make sure we, we buy our cars. But the easiest way to open people up, we talk about the three sales in any sale. You go sell yourself first, the product second, and then the deal, the numbers inside of it. When we look at their car, you see the child seats in the back of the car. What age are the kids? Jon, let's talk about the safety on it. It's again, we're patronizing lots of people listening to this, but it just doesn't happen in a car dealership, modern car dealership.
So many times I see a sales person out there looking at a car by themselves, it makes my blood boil because the customer's out at the desk with the phone in the hands, cooling down, cooling out. And the other thing you said, please, management team, when the customer comes back from a demonstration drive, however you're presenting the numbers, if it's on your four square on your, if you're doing it through inquiry max, whatever you're doing, get the deal to people when their emotions are high. Too often I've got people coming back from a demonstration drive and they're sitting there, cooling down, cooling down, cooling down. You did your trial clothes podcast a couple of weeks back Simon, you know, and it's so relevant.
When they come back from their test drive, there should have been two or three trial trial clothes at that stage. It's not just that, so do you see your car using up in this car? Does this tick the box that you're looking for? How about the black whatever it might be? Get those yes questions and yes answers like you spoke about, you know? Yeah. So listen, I won't talk about some of the mentors. Friends of the podcast, that group, you mentioned Jon Hamlin before George Corbett. Okay. If you don't have the podcast, maybe I should get George on. Okay. Tell me in your time, are there any mentors that really stood out for you? Yeah.
Do you know what? I definitely have three that stand out and I think you're named to, I'll put Andrew Lean, he's my previous Volkswagen, Frances, he gave me that start back in 2010, sorry, 2014, back in Volkswagen. And I've been with him for the last 10 years. So I've learned so much from Andrew, but you did kind of there. So what are those three there? I'm really keen. Why were they mentors? What did you learn from each of them that you still use day in day out there? So I'd love to really dive into those mentors. So George Corbett showed me the power of customer service. And I think what people in big dealer groups forget about is that so George Corbett's name was over the door.
So everything that happened to that business was a representation of him. So if we, you, so you couldn't dare not call a customer back, you couldn't dare not, you know, not give a 100% terrific experience. And it really showed me the power of looking after your customer. And unfortunately, when you have big dealer groups in the country, that same care level sometimes doesn't get to the people on the ground. So I think we really need to drive that home because no more so than ever with such a saturated marketplace, the customer has so many options. You know, they can literally go online and click on reserve, contact multiple dealer groups with the click of a button.
But the one thing that sets us apart is how we look after them and how we made them feel. And I really learned that with George Corbett because he did an Australia, he had been a sales manager in Australia and then came back and set up on his own. But he really, he really cared for the customer. And that was the one thing that really stood out to me is looking after your customer with Dash Gupta, it was the people piece. And Dash will always talk about the people he will have spoke. Because I know he's a friend of the podcast, he will spoke so much about how people are important and a great place to work survey things like that.
That was held in such high esteem and Martian that we really cared how the people working in the business felt. You know, we use a Christmas we get. And that's not just a marketing ploy. That is that there's really something behind that, you know, and what came off that survey, I get back to what I spoke about with the sales ex asking what would make you want to leave. That was a platform for people to come back with some feedback. And all the general managers used to get the feedback. It was anonymous, but you get the feedback from your side. And it could be stuff like the kettle doesn't work in the kitchen. And you know what, brilliant, quick win, let's do it, let's act on it.
But it shows a one you're listening to and no one's going to kind of walk in and go, Oh, can you please change that kettle or something that's really stopped me doing my job as a kettle because it would be dismissed. But with Dash, those small things were really focused on and we had to act on them and take it take it serious because if someone has gone to the trouble to put that down, it's it is affecting them. So we have to act on it. So Dash was really good. And Dash, Dash used to use the send me books. And his first book he ever sent me was Unleashing the Power Within. It was Tony Robbins.
And I actually, it was a great, it was a real eye over for me, but something small as well. And when I talked about the power of people with Dash, right, I had my first child, my partner, my first child on the 10th of March 2020. And obviously our family are back in Ireland. So my half is from Ireland as well. So we don't have that big support network and family unit that we'd have that other people would have when a new baby is born. And also coupled with that, it was the 10th of March 2020. My other half's mother was over. And I was kind of going, I think this thing called COVID is getting pretty serious.
You might need to think about going back Susan. So family weren't able to travel over. But I'd arrived home. I had a weird bunny on the 10th of March and on the 11th of March, the first bouquet of flowers that arrived were from Dash Gupta. And it said, from all your family in Marsha. And you know what, I still, I still think about it. And I remember I said it to you, I got emotional. It's like you said, do you remember your first carry? You remember the first hours of our baby being born from Dash and the family of Marsha. And it really, but your family at Marsha's. It's the phrasing there. So really keen.
It always stood out. And likewise, look, I don't know. It's something back in the day when I talked about Tony Robbins, me and Dash were at dinner. We were talking about Tony Robbins was coming to the UK. And all of a sudden, I had a ticket Tony Robbins arrived back in my inbox. And an experience I will never forget. And I have the Excel Center in London. And the Excel in 2019. Did the same thing? No way. What a program that was three days. Walking over fire. Yes. I got to tell you this. Okay. So the fire walking, okay. They're going to take 9,000 people, I think, was at the Excel Center. And Tony Robbins is speaking from nine in the morning to, it literally is 10 o'clock at night for three days.
Okay. And I know that sounds like a bit of a, but it absolutely is. Okay. So trainers out there. Listen, this finishing your course at 4.30. Okay. Don't be doing it. This is a full on course. And so the fire walking, John, I skipped a call. I just went, wow, listen, they're not going to take 9 people across. I don't have to say cool, moss, cool, moss. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. But the lady in front of me, she actually burns herself. Really? And I went, Oh, shit. This is real. Okay. So I go, go through it. So I'm doing the chant, the cool, muscular, I promise you, John, I walked across the hot coals.
Okay. I got the other side said, they've not turned them on. They weren't hot. I felt nothing. So I had to go back and I sat down beside the girls and go, shit, they are fucking hot. Bill in Brazil is that mental strength, you know, but I don't know about you, so I came away from that thinking I was on touch. Absolutely. And it did exactly what it was meant. It was building just that mental focus and giving you the tools to sustain it. And you know, because we all, everyone has down days, you know, don't get me wrong. And I'm similar to that. But it's turning the down days into positive days and knowing that, you know, whatever's happened yesterday is done and does today is a new day and we're blessed to have it.
And I always, I always look, I saw it on, I think it was on Instagram yesterday. And it was whenever you think your down days is the worst day, you're like, somebody is sat in the hospital bed or whatever might be wishing for that day. So don't take it for granted. And I'm big into personal development. And one thing I used to do with all the teams was send them out a thought of the day. And I used to ask the team to send me in their daughter today. And the guys used to love it. They used to send me in some, you know, stuff off of Instagram or off Instagram and whatever it is.
And it's really powerful. It is because we can all everything might not resonate with us, but some of it does. And a lot of it will do. So you know, I used to love send them and Tony Robbins absolutely terrific. And I've got dash cooked to the time for that. He really pushed me to go and go and do it. And it's things like that of him even caring and thinking about it and sending me book in the first place drove me there. Yeah, that's right. Third mentor is Andrew. Thirm enters Andrew and Andrew Andrew, Andrew, if Andrew told me, I think it's always ask why, always ask why if somebody is if somebody wants to have another sales exec, why?
And it just made me question, you know, don't say yes to everything. Think back, sit back and ask the why. He's a very smart guy. And he's just he's really, really, really great. He does so much for me and developed me over over the years. I worked very close to them. And it was always always, because I was always thinking about, yeah, that's fine. Let's do that. Let's do this next to that. But he said, John, ask why, why, why that? Do we need? He always used to have a prince, right? And he said it's someone back in the day with him used to use to talk about it. So when somebody's asking, when somebody's asking for a capex or something to spend, he said, my old boss, he said, used to ask, do we need a roof?
And the phrase is always do we need a roof? Yes, we do need a roof, right? We always need a roof. But do we need to spend that? Do so all the things that we need, but do we need to go to the expense of and do we need to and send it business? He said, always actually, do you need that roof? So when people run off to spend, they always have it on the value of do you need that roof? So it's been really good. So I've been very fortunate in my career, especially in Ireland and UK to have some really great people around me and to have some great contacts. So yeah, they're three to really stand out.
So listen, I really appreciate this. There's more I want to talk to you about though, John. So hey, listen, can you stick around? Because this is going to be two episodes because there's so much good advice here for people. Absolutely. Yeah, let's do it. That just leaves me to say that all details of this episode and other episodes on the selling in the motor trade can be found on our website simcotraining.co.uk. Go there to get a copy of our book, Words That Sell Cars. Go there to sign up to a free trial of our sales fitness online sales training program. Easiest way to get hold of me is Simon Bowkett through LinkedIn. Thank you.
