How can I get more (real) phone numbers in my leads?

[Elise Kephart]

Welcome to the forum's Elise..been long overdue. Your insight turned this thread into a goldmine for dealers. Really looking forward to learning more from you.

Thanks Ryan! Lets get together for an article for Dealer Geek.

 

[Elise Kephart]

Or peeps who wear purple ties!

Haha

 

[Elise Kephart]

Welcome Elise! I have been viewing your Youtube videos for some time now. The approach that you took at Sunset should be considered "best practice" at all forward thinking dealers. Quick question, what did you use to create and edit your video responses?

Hi Grant,

Depending what computer I was working from I would use Windows Movie Maker or iMovie. Learning to make videos in an efficient manner it is the tricky part-but it does wonder's when its done.

 

[Elise Kephart]

Video is absolutely something I want to get into. I use Autobase and the outdated-ness of it makes including Youtube videos in a 1st response email very difficult. I'm not sure there's even a solution.

I took over the BDC department at this dealership a year ago and have increased its units and gross about 50-60%. This dealership has had an established BDC for years now but it was never run correctly. Of all the veteran reps that were in here when I started, only 1 is left. Things are going well, but I'm never satisfied. So I wouldn't say that I'm not happy with the results, the results are good, but I am just always trying to improve and improve.

Sean,

Video is a technology we need to embrace in this business. I continue to always be learning and improving myself as well.

 

[john.quinn]

Haha

HEY NOW -- you need at least 10 posts before you have the chops to deride the Purple Tie!

 

[GrantG]

Hi Grant,

Depending what computer I was working from I would use Windows Movie Maker or iMovie. Learning to make videos in an efficient manner it is the tricky part-but it does wonder's when its done.

Thanks Elise. Does Windows Movie Maker allow for adding voiceovers to a silent picture? For example, I want to shoot a Video walk around of a vehicle with no audio. I then want to edit it and layer an edited audio script over it. Is Movie Maker the best way to do so?

 

[SeanWoodruff]

Sean,

Video is a technology we need to embrace in this business. I continue to always be learning and improving myself as well.

I am DEFINITELY embracing video. Well, starting to. I am buying a flipshare shortly. But this brings up another great subject - video ideas. I've been writing down ideas for when I have my camera, so far I have:

How to set up Ford Sync
Cool stuff you can do with Sync
setting up your clock.... etc.
Walkarounds
-F-150 lariat
-Fiesta
-Focus
-Fusion
videos for pages and forms
"Meet Autofair Ford"
-BDC staff
-salespeople
-managers
Customer testimonials
1st responses

I just started that list so I am looking for more ideas. The 1st response video is a really really really good idea, but I don't see us changing CRMs anytime soon, and Autobase is not equipped to handle embedded videos as far as I know. I'm going to have to do some research on this pretty soon. Does anybody have any great ideas for videos that work well for them?

 

[Elise Kephart]

Thanks Elise. Does Windows Movie Maker allow for adding voiceovers to a silent picture? For example, I want to shoot a Video walk around of a vehicle with no audio. I then want to edit it and layer an edited audio script over it. Is Movie Maker the best way to do so?

I would use Windows Movie Maker for this, you can "mute" your video track audio and lay over/voicerecord a new audio file over the video.

OR, on a MAC with iMovie you can do the same thing.

Both programs work easily.

 

[Elise Kephart]

I am DEFINITELY embracing video. Well, starting to. I am buying a flipshare shortly. But this brings up another great subject - video ideas. I've been writing down ideas for when I have my camera, so far I have:

How to set up Ford Sync
Cool stuff you can do with Sync
setting up your clock.... etc.
Walkarounds
-F-150 lariat
-Fiesta
-Focus
-Fusion
videos for pages and forms
"Meet Autofair Ford"
-BDC staff
-salespeople
-managers
Customer testimonials
1st responses

I just started that list so I am looking for more ideas. The 1st response video is a really really really good idea, but I don't see us changing CRMs anytime soon, and Autobase is not equipped to handle embedded videos as far as I know. I'm going to have to do some research on this pretty soon. Does anybody have any great ideas for videos that work well for them?

The CRM program used when I was at Sunset Honda was iMagiclab. You could embed video, or you can just insert a .jpg image that is linked to a youtube or vimeo video.

Jerry has shared this one before, but imagine putting a funny viral like video together like this one

 

[ryanabbott]

Video is something I started doing 5 years ago when I worked for Saturn. While I enjoyed doing it, and believe that while it is best practice, it is very hard to clone yourself as you advance! As I advanced in my career I found it very difficult to get the Internet Managers that are now under me to perform the same things I did when I was in their position. Their number of leads have increased to the point where doing videos for every lead is becoming difficult. A generic auto response video comes off as generic as a generic email response. It's just more "hi-tech"! If you are good and creative with this job then you will get promoted. The constant struggle to try and make the employees you have below you act as you/I did is my most difficult challenge. I know some peoples response on here would be to just get rid of them and hire someone that can do it. The reality is, they have good skills and are an asset in many other areas. You have to want to be great. That's what got myself and others on this board where we are today. So few people have that drive now-a-days though. Especially in a job where the starting pay is what it is.