Whether true or not, one bad experience with an aggressive salesperson over the phone or through a text is all it takes to forever sour the car-buying experience for a consumer.

As a dealer, how do you change this perception? Try sending a personal video instead of a faceless text or email. When a consumer watches a video, it’s not as easy to tune out the message. Videos offer a multimedia experience with live action, sounds and sights, so the entire message is absorbed. Retention rises too. Video viewers retain 80% of what they hear and see in videos, versus just 10% of what they hear and 20% of what they see. This is partly due to the fact that so much of our communication is non-verbal.

Think about your own experiences. Have you ever had a customer service experience and were put off by the customer service rep, even though they were saying all the right things? Perhaps you believed the person wasn’t truly sincere. Or perhaps their tone started getting defensive, leaving you with the impression that they didn’t care about your problem.

Watch as Doug Thompson explains how the power of video gets your message across.

Try creating the following videos if you are looking to improve customer perception and communications at your dealership:

• A value proposition video that features a dealer or other company spokesperson showing, not telling, what your dealership has to offer
• Vehicle walkaround videos that generate emotion and excitement about your inventory
• Customer testimonial videos that feature real customers saying nice things about your staff; these do a lot to alleviate car shoppers’ fears about a bad experience
• Lead follow-up videos from salespeople that engage car shoppers; if the salesperson comes across as likeable, these greatly increase the probability of response
• Service videos that feature service staff help to build trust and the perception of honesty

Video communication is powerful, so use it wisely. Don’t get emotionally attached to the videos you’ve created, and don’t get defensive if the feedback from others isn’t what you want to hear. The last thing you want to do is spend time and money creating videos that turn prospective customers off.

For more information on using video at your dealership, please reach out to Doug Thompson at VehiclesTEST.com (954-629-2242), or set up a demo with him.