Intro
Longo Toyota of Prosper, a Penske dealership in a growing part of Texas, is a trendsetter in retail automotive sales and service. Michael Lankford, Sales Manager at Longo Toyota, has been in the automotive business since 2014. Working with dozens of apps and software vendors, he was hesitant to use another.
Challenge
Longo Toyota of Prosper was the new dealership on the block. They are in a competitive market and needed a way to stand out among the dealerships that had been there for years. They were using a video tool built into their CRM in an effort to stand out but the results weren’t great. The videos were often fuzzy or inaudible, and they didn’t include engagement prompts such as scheduling options or confirmation requests.
Finding & Using a New Solution
After a detailed overview of TradePending’s Video for Sales platform, an automotive video platform for dealerships, Michael and Longo Toyota decide to make the switch. Through a detailed onboarding process and regular training calls with their Customer Success Manager, Longo Toyota of Prosper’s sales staff launched quickly and has continued to enhance their video skills as adoption increased across their staff
Michael shared with us, “You don’t get scripted interaction; you get genuine, personalized support. That’s a big plus.”
Driving Success
In their first full month of utilizing the app, they instantly saw success in two different ways.
In the first way, the dealership does “Manager Events” where they speak with customers. Four out of 10 customers said, “We saw the video you sent; it engaged us more.” With this feedback coming directly from their customers, they knew it was creating an impact.
“Since adopting Video for Sales, engagement and customer trust have increased. Customers appreciate confirming a vehicle’s presence, which builds trust and opens communication with the dealership effectively.” Michael Lankford, Sales Manager, Longo Toyota of Prosper
The second way they measured success was in the numbers.
- Increased Sales: The dealership sold 25-30 more cars than usual in the first month of using Video for Sales.
- Higher Engagement: During manager events, 30-40% of customers said they were more engaged due to the personalized videos sent by the sales team.
- Building Trust: Sales Manager Michael Lankford sent over 1,000 videos in just one month. While he typically sold 20-25 cars monthly, that number jumped to 36-37, with 12-15 sales directly linked to customers who had seen the videos.
“Video for Sales is significantly better. We sold 25 to 30 more than usual.” – Lankford
Happier Customers = Better Results
Longo Toyota of Prosper needed to build trust and increase engagement with their local community as they competed with dealerships that had been there for years. With a video platform for dealerships, Michael recognized the value it brings both to their customers’ comfort level and their bottom line. Since adopting Video for Sales, engagement, customer trust, and sales have taken off.
Are you ready to make the switch? Let’s chat here.
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