How to Sell More Cars at a Dealership with Video
Looking for ideas on how to sell more cars at your dealership? You’ve come to the right place.
Adding video to your sales process is a quick and easy solution that drives more engagement, in-store traffic, and ultimately, car sales. From introductions to appointment reminders and vehicle walk-arounds – video for dealerships is the best way to convert online traffic into in-store opportunities.
In this article, we’ll cover some dealer strategies and video tactics on how to sell more cars month after month.
Why Use Video to Sell More Cars?
Industry trends show buyers are spending more time online and less time in-person at the dealership. On average, 41% of car buyers only visit one dealership. This means the battle for business is happening online.
In order to convert online traffic into dealership visits, you need a digital car sales strategy that engages buyers and moves them through the funnel. Video messaging for dealerships is a simple, effective, and affordable solution that combines convenience with personalization. With video, you offer a personalized car buying experience – delivering relevant, custom content that is both beneficial and effective.
From introductions to appointment reminders, and walk-arounds – adding video to your sales outreach increases your open rates, boosts engagement, and most importantly, increases your responses from customers.
A few of the benefits dealerships see when using personalized video include:
- Differentiate your dealership from the competition
- Increase engagement (opens, clicks, and responses)
- Set/show rates for appointments
- Build trust and rapport
What is video messaging?
With video messaging, car salespeople record, send, and track personalized videos to customers via email, text, or social media. The idea is to replace traditional plain-text emails with a more engaging, personalized message. Video messages are easy to create; you can do it from your computer or mobile phone. Likewise, car salespeople can introduce themselves, show vehicles, and start building rapport from the first point of contact.
See how dealerships are selling more cars with video email.
How to sell more cars with video
Internet Leads & BDC
Convert online inquiries into showroom traffic by responding to internet leads with a video email or text introducing yourself and your dealership. Record and send on desktop or mobile. You can answer FAQs, showcase inventory, or share walk-arounds – all in just 60 seconds from start to finish.
The key to a strong and successful first response video is to add personalization. Hold up a whiteboard or sign with the lead’s name on it, and tailor the video based on their inquiry. Include a strong call to action so that they know exactly what to do next, and most importantly, make your subject line specific with the recipient’s name and the word “video” to increase open rates by 19%.
72% of customers prefer video to reading text when researching their next vehicle purchase. Wyzowl
Vehicle and Car Walkarounds
Since customers are spending less time in the store and more time online, bring your inventory directly to your customer in an engaging way. Then, entice them to come in for a test drive. This is a great opportunity to build rapport before the customer visits the dealership.
Vehicle walk-around videos offer customers a 360 view of a specific vehicle, highlighting special features, answering any specific questions the customer may have, and showing off the overall condition. Recording car walkarounds is one of the best car sales tips on how to sell more cars at a dealership.
In the past two years, the watch time of “test drive” videos on YouTube has grown by more than 65%. Google
Appointment Confirmations
Appointment confirmations are one of the easiest ways to increase your show rate. People feel accountable to people, not automated emails. So when your customer sees your face and that you’re a real person, they’re a lot more likely to show up.
These videos should be incredibly short – 15 seconds max. For even better success, hold the keys in front of the car they’re coming to see. This shows it’s available and on the lot. Personalize your message by adding the recipient’s first name to the subject line (ie. “Video for Elizabeth – Appointment Reminder at Covideo Dealership”).
Increase Inventory with Buy Back and Trade-In Videos
Grow inventory by highlighting buyback and trade-in campaigns, and encourage owners to record a walk-around of their own with Covideo’s video reply feature. In today’s climate, the first step of how to increase sales in car dealerships starts with gaining inventory.
Video is a great way to let your customers know about any buyback or trade-in campaigns. Send a video encouraging vehicle owners to trade in their current vehicle and highlight incentives. To take it a step further, request them to send a video back of their vehicle, like a reverse vehicle walk-around, to give you a good idea of its condition.
Thank You and Referrals
Thank you videos are some of the easiest videos to record. You’ve done your job, you’ve closed the deal, so now it’s time to thank those customers for their business and increase the chances you get their recurring business in the future. Continue generating leads beyond the sale by requesting reviews and referrals.
This is a great opportunity as a manager to notify buyers if you offer rewards for customers they send your way.
Referrals convert 30% better than leads from other marketing channels and have a 16% higher lifetime value.
Extra Car Sales Strategies for Your Dealership
Personalization
Our best car sales tip: personalization, personalization, personalization. Nowadays, customers want a personalized experience from the brands they interact with – and this holds true when buying a car. When it comes to how to sell more cars, personalization should be your primary focus. Personalize the experience for the buyer as much as you can, and really focus on developing a relationship and building rapport between the buyer and salesperson. The buyer should feel you understand their needs, the features they’re looking for in a vehicle, and their budget. Ideally, every interaction should be personalized and tailored to the buyer. By communicating on a 1:1 level with car buyers, you’ll naturally win their trust, which not only leads to another sold car, but a potential referral.
Master Your Automotive Lead Response
Another car salesperson tip on how to sell more cars is to send a quality first response. Your dealership’s lead response is one of the most important touchpoints with a car buyer – it’s what moves the buyer from online into in-store. A powerful automotive lead response engages your leads, drives in-store traffic, improves set-to-show ratios, and best of all sells more cars. Here are some car dealer strategies to master your automotive lead response to drive more car sales:
- Respond quickly – Buyers are 3x more likely to visit your dealership if you respond within 10-30 minutes. However, don’t sacrifice the quality of response for speed.
- Make subject lines compelling – Add the buyer’s name, vehicle make/model, dealership name and the word “video” (if applicable) to your subject lines to increase open rates.
- Include photos and videos – Photos and videos give buyers a real-time look into the vehicle they’re interested in. Attach photos or a vehicle walkaround to highlight the car’s condition and features.
- Conclude with a strong CTA – The most effective CTAs are straightforward, specific and use strong language like “Schedule a Test Drive”. Remember to align your CTA with the stage of the buyer’s journey.
Sell More Cars By Providing the Best Car-Buying Experience
Buyers have endless options, and nowadays, they could even purchase entirely online if they wanted. So when they step foot on your lot, there’s a reason – and that reason is you! Showcase your knowledge, be open to help, and stay patient as the buyer comes to a decision.
Using personalized video throughout the car sales process is one of the most valuable ways you can continue building a relationship with your customers and provide the best possible car buying experience that will leave a lasting impression. Ultimately, if each customer has a positive experience, that’s the first step to sell more cars and how to get more customers as a car salesperson.
54% of car buyers would pay more for a better buying experience.
Sell More Cars with Covideo – Start Today
Using a video messaging platform like Covideo makes selling cars easier than ever. Record videos from your desktop, or while you’re out on the lot using your smartphone. Customize your video so your message sends alongside your branding. Instantly share your video via email or text straight from your device. Track your videos and gain insight and analytics to see who watched your videos and how often. Covideo’s simple video solution makes it easy to learn how to sell a car as a car salesperson and how to sell cars at a dealership.
Learn how to start using personalized video for your dealership today by speaking with one of our automotive experts on a demo. In this quick 10-minute call, we’ll learn a little about your dealership, strategize on how your team can win more with video, and show you how other dealerships are using video in their sales process. Contact Covideo today and sell more cars today.
