The car dealer who will tell you not to buy the car
We've Been Doing This for 30 Years. A Podcast Finally Put It Into Words.
It wasn't a boardroom meeting that sparked this blog post. It wasn't a business strategy session or a training course.
It was Caroline, on a ride-on mower, somewhere in Suffolk, with earphones in, while the rest of the country was melting in a record-breaking 35 degree bank holiday weekend.
She was listening to Ten Percent Happier, Dan Harris's brilliant podcast, and his conversation with journalist and author Kate Murphy, whose book You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters had been on her radar for a while.
And somewhere between the first and second pass of the lawn, something Kate said stopped her completely.
What Kate Murphy Said
Kate Murphy's central argument is simple but quietly devastating - that in a world of constant noise, notifications and half-conversations, most of us have genuinely lost the ability to truly listen.
Not just to hear. But to listen.
To notice tone. To sit with a pause. To pick up on what someone is almost saying but hasn't quite found the words for yet. To understand what a person actually needs — rather than waiting for your turn to speak.
It's a book about human connection. About trust. About what happens when someone feels genuinely heard.
And for Caroline, running a used car dealership near Ipswich with her husband Simon since 1996, it resonated in the most personal and professional way imaginable.
Why It Matters in a Car Dealership
Here is the honest truth about how Simon and Caroline sell cars.
When you call Simon Shield Cars, nobody is thinking about targets. Nobody is eyeing up the forecourt wondering which car needs to move this week. Nobody is steering you towards a particular vehicle because the margin is better.
What actually happens is this - we listen.
We ask about your life. Your commute. Your family. Whether you've got a dog that comes everywhere with you, or teenagers who'll be borrowing it at weekends, or a long motorway run every Monday morning that means fuel economy actually matters.
We listen for hesitation. We listen for what lights someone up when they talk about what they really want. And sometimes - quite often, in fact - we gently suggest that the car someone called about isn't actually the right one for them.
That might sound like bad business. We'd argue it's the only way to do business.
The Difference Between Selling a Car and Finding the Right One
There's a version of car sales that's entirely transactional. Car on forecourt. Customer wants a car. Sale made. Everyone moves along.
And then there's what we do.
Which is to have a proper conversation - to actually listen and arrive at the right answer together. Sometimes that means a customer drives away in something completely different from what they originally had in mind. Almost always, they thank us for it later.
Kate Murphy writes that being truly listened to is one of the rarest and most valuable human experiences. We think buying the right car should feel exactly like that - like someone genuinely understood what you needed and helped you find it.
That's not a technique. It's just how Simon and Caroline have always done things. For thirty years.
A Recommendation From the Mower 😄
If you haven't come across You're Not Listening by Kate Murphy, we'd genuinely recommend it. And if you prefer to start with the podcast, search for Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris and look for his episode with Kate Murphy. It's well worth an hour of your time.
Even if you're not mowing a Suffolk garden at the time. 🌿
Thinking About Your Next Car?
If you're looking for a quality used car in Suffolk - whether that's a family car, an SUV, a hybrid or something for a first-time driver - give Simon or Caroline a call. We promise you'll be heard.
📲 Simon: 07702 410254 📲 Caroline: 07776 141837
Call, text or WhatsApp — whichever suits you best. We're always happy to have a proper conversation.
Simon Shield Cars — quality used cars, personal service, Ipswich Suffolk. Est. 1996.