Say Goodbye to Old School Sales: Personalized Video for Dealership Salespeople

The old school follow-up is a voicemail that says "just checking in" and an email that could have gone to anyone. The customer who stood next to a side-by-side on Saturday hears nothing that reminds them of that machine, or of you.

When this post first ran in 2020, it told dealers to drop the old school mindset because shoppers now do their research before they talk to a salesperson. That is still true. This version is about one new school habit that any salesperson can start this week with the phone in their pocket: a short personal video, made for one customer, about one unit or one question.

It is written for salespeople, sales managers and BDC leads. It covers which videos to send, what to film, how long, how to get light and sound right, what to say, how to send with consent, and how to tell whether it is working. For the wider shift in how the sale itself has changed, read our comparison of the traditional vs modern dealership sales process.

Old school follow-up vs a personal video

The video does what text cannot: it proves the unit is real and on your lot, shows its condition, and puts a face and voice to the name in the customer's inbox.

The three videos every salesperson should send

You do not need a video for every message. These three cover most of the value:

Keep the walk-around personal. A pre-recorded model video is useful, and our guide to sales enablement content for dealership salespeople covers building that library. This article is about the one-to-one video, recorded for one customer.

What to film on a powersports unit

Shoot the unit the customer asked about, not a similar one. Our recommended order for a walk-around:

1. Open on you for two or three seconds, then turn the camera to the unit.
2. The full unit from the front three-quarter angle, so the customer sees the whole machine.
3. The walk-around, slowly, in one direction, around the whole unit.
4. The proof points: the hour meter or odometer, tires, and on a pre-owned unit the honest wear points: scratches, seat wear, plastics, any damage.
5. What the customer asked about: the cargo bed and hitch on a side-by-side, the seat height on a cruiser, the storage on a pontoon, the accessories on the unit.
6. The sound, if it matters to this buyer and your store allows starting the unit for video.
7. Close on you with one next step.

For the still photos on your listing, use a separate standard. Our guide to powersports inventory photos has the walkaround shot list.

Length, light and sound

Length. Keep it short. Customers often watch on a phone between other tasks, and a five-minute tour asks too much. Cover what they asked about and leave a reason to come in.

Light. Film in open shade or even overcast light, not in harsh midday sun. Stand so the light is on the unit, not behind it. Indoors, move the unit near the showroom doors or under even lighting, away from mixed colored lights. Wipe the phone lens first; a smudged lens makes the whole video look hazy.

Sound. Get the sound right first; a customer who cannot hear you stops watching. Film away from the service drive, compressors, wash bays and wind. Hold the phone closer when you talk, or use a small clip-on microphone. Do a ten-second test clip and listen with headphones before recording the real one.

Framing. Shoot landscape for walk-arounds, so the whole unit fits. Hold the phone steady with both hands and walk slowly. If your store uses a phone gimbal, fine, but a steady hand and a slow pace do most of the work.

Scripts you can adapt

Scripts keep a video short. Do not read them word for word; learn the shape and speak naturally.

Walk-around: "Hi Sam, it's Jordan from the dealership. You asked about the gray side-by-side we have in stock, so here it is, stock number on the windshield. Let me show you the cargo bed and the winch you asked about. [Show.] It has 112 hours, and here are the tires. [Show.] I've got it set aside until Thursday. Want to come ride it Wednesday after work?"

Thank-you: "Hi Pat, Jordan here. Thanks for coming in today and riding the cruiser. You asked about a lower seat. I'll have the accessory price for you tomorrow morning. Talk soon."

Answer: "Hi Alex, you asked whether the rack fits a cooler. Here's the rack, and here's a cooler on it. [Show.] Any other questions, just reply here."

Each script names the customer, names the unit, shows one thing, and asks for one next step. Keep prices, payments and credit terms out of the video unless your manager has approved the exact wording; our sales enablement guide explains why and covers approved templates.

Sending by text or email, with consent

A personal video is still a message, so the same rules apply as for any text or email from your store.

• Send where the customer agreed. If the customer asked for the video by text, you are answering them. Marketing texts are different: under 47 CFR 64.1200, marketing texts sent with an autodialer to a wireless number need the customer's prior express written consent, and a customer can revoke consent "by using any reasonable method". Some states add stricter rules.
• Stop when asked. If a customer says "no more texts" in any words, stop and record it so the whole store knows. The federal rule requires a revocation to be honored "within a reasonable time not to exceed ten business days".
• Email has its own rules. The FTC says CAN-SPAM covers all commercial email, not only bulk email, and opt-outs must be honored within 10 business days.
• Send from the store's system, not a personal phone number, so the conversation is on the customer record and stays with the store if you move on.
• Say what it is. A short line with the link: "Sam, here's a 60-second video of the side-by-side you asked about." Unexpected links look like spam.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check with your counsel how these rules apply to your store and state. Our article on texting powersports customers the right way covers consent wording and opt-outs in detail.

Track replies, not views

Most guides to dealership video come from companies that sell video tools, and they measure what their tools report: views and watch time. A view tells you the link was opened. It does not tell you whether the video moved the customer toward a visit.

Track what a sales manager cares about, on the customer record:

1. Log every video you send: type (walk-around, thank-you, answer), unit, date.
2. Note the reply, and how soon it came.
3. Record the outcome: appointment set, appointment kept, sold, or lost with a reason.
4. Review once a week for ten minutes: which salespeople send videos, which videos get replies, and which replies turn into appointments.
5. Compare customers who got a video with similar customers who did not, over a month or a season.

That turns "videos seem to work" into an answer you can act on. It also fits the PSX Ascend view that quality notes and accurate dispositions come first: a video that is not logged did not happen as far as the next salesperson or manager can tell.

What is in the background

One more thing almost every guide leaves out: what else the camera sees. A walk-around filmed on the showroom floor can capture another customer's face, a deal jacket on a desk, a credit application on a screen or another customer's trade with its plate showing. Before you record, look at what is behind the unit. Film other customers only with their permission. And keep personal videos personal: a clip that names a customer is not for the store's social media.

For phones and tablets used in front of the customer, see our guide to using tablets and phones on the showroom floor.

Checklist before you hit send

• It is the exact unit the customer asked about
• The customer's name is in the first sentence
• Under two minutes (thank-you under 30 seconds)
• Light on the unit, lens clean, sound tested
• Pre-owned wear shown honestly
• No prices, payments or credit terms unless approved
• No other customers, paperwork or screens in frame
• One next step at the end
• Sent from the store's system to a channel the customer agreed to
• Logged on the customer record

Do and don't

Where PSX Ascend fits

PSX Ascend's product pages do not describe a video recording tool, so record with whatever app your store approves. The conversation a video starts is what matters. PSX Ascend's AI-powered powersports CRM connects shoppers across phone, text and email, and keeps communication preferences and customer context in one view so the next person knows what was sent and what the customer said back.

For marketing messages that run before and after the salesperson's work, PSX describes its AMP marketing automation platform as a managed service with campaign setup, proven email templates and monitored touchpoints. A personal video belongs alongside that, not inside a blast. If you are adding video to a follow-up program, our guide to the marketing automation mistakes dealerships make covers the stop rules and consent problems to avoid first.

You can also see the same AI-powered powersports CRM on our sister site, PSXDigital's AI-powered powersports CRM page.

Sources

• Cornell Legal Information Institute, 47 CFR 64.1200, Delivery restrictions (FCC rules on prior express written consent and revocation of consent for calls and texts)
• Federal Trade Commission, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business (CAN-SPAM covers all commercial email; opt-outs honored within 10 business days)