Community Kia, in Bloomington, Indiana, now has a 100% video response process for internet leads.
And Bryan Gelfand, the store’s general sales manager, says the process is giving the group a leg up on other dealers who don’t do the same.
What they’re saying: "I believe it probably, at a minimum, has doubled the success we've had on internet leads," Gelfand told Daily Dealer Live host Sam D'Arc. "We have stores, and I've seen stores that aren't doing videos, or aren't a hundred percent, and they're closing half the internet leads we are."
For context, Gelfand mystery-shopped dealers across Indiana, Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina to benchmark his own process. But he says he came away empty-handed.
"I didn't get one video in the seven, eight, nine, ten leads I sent out," Gelfand said. "Not one video."
At his store: The process was a company-wide decision made about a year or two ago across Community Cars' seven stores.
Now, at least four of those stores are at 100% compliance.
Every internet lead gets a personalized video response that includes:
The customer's name and a thank-you for their inquiry
Confirmation that the vehicle is on the lot
A walk-around of the exterior and interior, running 60 seconds to two minutes
A face-to-name introduction from the salesperson
"We personalize the video. You know, we say the customer's name in the video, thanking [them] for the inquiry," Gelfand said. "We do a walk around of the vehicle on the outside and on the inside."
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The results: Community aims to contact at least 75% of its internet leads. Gelfand said they’re now ranging between 65% and 75%, depending on the store.
Gelfand credits the video process as a primary driver.
Between the lines: Gelfand said he was fortunate when introducing the idea to staff because the dealership opened in a new building and location about 15 months ago.
"I was kind of blessed that I didn't have to wrestle with anybody that had the bad habits for 20 years," Gelfand said.
Once salespeople started seeing results, such as closing 30% of their internet leads, the rest bought in fast.
Bottom line: Gelfand thinks the results of his mystery shopping trip show that many dealers are missing this opportunity, despite years of industry conversation around video best practices. Which is why, for Community Kia, making it a non-negotiable standard from day one is paying off.
"You set the standard, set the process,” Gelfand said. “You let them see the benefits of what you think is going to accumulate to, and they want to start seeing some benefits.”
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