The best car selling techniques for dealerships

Car Selling Techniques

With the pandemic, safety guidelines, and today’s technology the automotive industry has forever been changed. We will talk about car selling techniques, strategies to include in your auto sales process, using video to drive engagement and in-store traffic, and overall some car sales tips/best practices to sell more cars and help out your car salespeople. Here is what to expect:

• Tips on becoming a car salesman
• How to succeed in auto sales
• Car dealer strategies using video
• Car selling tips and tricks

How to become a car salesman

Car salesmen are the backbone of every dealership. They are there to help educate car buyers, help them find the right car for their needs, and provide excellent customer service while doing so. A successful car salesman must be highly knowledgeable in the vehicle make, model, features, and mileage rates. The requirements to be a car salesman are typically quite simple, it’s more about developing those car salesman skills while on the job. However, here are the common requirements:

1. Proper schooling/education – A high school diploma or GED is the minimum, but higher education may be required to move into management positions.
2. Work experience – Experience in either sales, customer service, or automotive is a plus and can set you apart from other candidates.
3. Get licensed – If required in your state, you may need to get a license or take an exam. Research your state requirements.
4. Go through your dealership’s car salesman training program – This will look different for each dealership. They could teach you about their store or the specific vehicles they sell.

This job takes skill and training. Again, something to keep in mind is that car salesman training is going to look a bit different for each dealership, but should still have the main focus on how to sell cars at a dealership. In the next section, we will go through some tips and best practices to becoming a better car salesman.

How to be a successful car salesman

The global pandemic caused a herd of new challenges for the automotive industry and has left it forever changed. With consumers having the convenience of searching and buying a vehicle straight from their home, there has been a continual shift in consumer behavior for buying online. Not only is it convenient, but consumers can avoid dealing with salespeople they think are untrustworthy, feeling pressured, or being constantly bothered – these are some of the most common complaints. Buying a car is a big deal and is an emotional purchase, and so the best strategy starts with improving the car buying experience and tailoring it to each buyer. Whether you’re looking to learn how to succeed in car sales, marketing ideas for a car salesman, some creative ways to sell more cars, or how to get more customers as a car salesman, video is the answer to each of these concerns/interests.

Covideo is a video email platform designed for the auto industry that allows you to record, send, and track personalized videos. We have been a market leader starting back in 2004. With a strong footing in the auto world, we can help your dealership build trust from the start, keep the buyer engaged, and provide superior customer service across all departments. Send an introduction video to introduce yourself and your dealership, put a face to a name to start building that trust. No one likes getting stood up, so eliminate no-shows or “be-backs” by sending appointment reminders. Be transparent and provide top-notch service even after the sale is closed by sending thank you videos or any other personal videos that relate to the recipient. It’s all about the details. Invest in an effective, affordable video tool like Covideo, it pays off in the long run. Next, we will cover the best video car salesman tips to get customers and keep them!

5 car selling strategies with video

Incorporating video into the outreach process has proven to increase customer engagement, improve the customer experience, and separate you from your competition. It’s one of the top car sales strategies. Here are a few ways on how to sell more cars by using video in the sales process:

• First Response to Internet Leads – Send a video Introducing yourself and your dealership to make a lasting first impression. This is a key step in how to be successful in internet car sales.

• Vehicle Walkarounds – Record and send a 360 walk around of a particular vehicle or additional inventory highlighting features, conditions, color, etc.

• Appointment Reminders – Decrease no shows and increase show rates by sending video reminders of an upcoming appointment. Relay any additional information that may be important for their visit. This could be documents they need to bring or safety precautions they will need to follow.

• Unsold Follow Up – Try to earn the prospect’s business by sending a personal follow-up video email asking if they are still searching for a vehicle or if things have changed. Don’t be scared to follow up more than twice (the average). Here is where you can beat out the competition.

• Customer Thank Yous – Just because the deal is closed doesn’t mean your work is finished. Continue building the relationship after the transaction by sending a personalized thank you message. Now is the time to ask for referrals. Referrals are a huge part in car selling techniques.

Now you know what type of videos to send, next are the tips on selling cars for a salesman with video.

Best car selling techniques and tips when using video

No matter if you are a veteran or a first time car salesman, tips, best practices, and new car sales techniques are always useful. Video for the sales process is one of the newest car selling techniques out there to drive engagement and traffic. Here are a few video sales tips for car salesman to use when recording:

• Personalize your message: Say the person’s name and make sure to answer questions they had. Talk about the specific vehicle or any other necessary information relevant to the recipient`s situation.
• Include the word “video” in the email subject line: You can boost open rates by 19% just by adding this word.
• Keep videos short: Attention spans are short and only getting shorter. You should keep vehicle walkarounds under 2 minutes and non-walk arounds under 1 minute.
• Record horizontally: When recording vehicle walkarounds, flip your phone and record horizontally to get more of the car in the frame.
• Make eye contact: Look at the camera and not your screen to make it look like you are looking at the recipient as if you were talking in person.
• Don’t read word-for-word off a script: The video should not sound rehearsed. Try not to read directly from a script and power through your mistakes. Make it sound normal and humanized.
• Include calls to action: End with strong CTA like schedule a test drive, or visit the dealership rather than something passive like “contact me.” Be direct and specific.

Get started with video and car selling techniques today!

Starting your career in the auto industry is fairly simple. There is a lot of room for growth, but everyone starts out as a car salesman. Make sure you meet the requirements and have the passion for it – you will be using your knowledge about vehicle makes, models, features, mileage rates, etc most of your day. When you work in a customer service-focused field, it’s all about improving the experience. Video is the answer to this. Video allows you to effectively communicate to your customers while increasing open rates, show rates, and leads. With the industry seeing a significant shift to online purchasing, video can help you stay in front and beat out the competition, along with how to sell more used cars, or new vehicles as well.

Covideo is a video messaging tool designed for dealerships to record and send videos at ease. Use it to send first responses/introductions, vehicle walkarounds / inventory updates, appointment reminders, follow-ups, customer thank-yous, and more. Like we mentioned before, personalization is key. Covideo specializes in allowing you to personalize your video to meet every customer where they are, all from within your account. Keep it short, smile, wave, say the recipient’s name, and end with a call-to-action using our available features. To see how to build clientele as a car salesman or how to sell more cars at a dealership using video, request a demo here from an automotive expert.