Your CSM is the worst possible person on the planet to put in charge of selling to your customers. (If you are a CSM, keep reading – I am not advocating replacing you…just giving you one more tool to help make selling easy).
How do I know? Because I have been both a buyer and a seller. Both a CSM and a vehicle owner. Because I have studied the buying motives of vehicle owners for nearly ten years, and because I have studied sales nearly all my life. I therefore, give you one iron-clad guarantee:

Your current customers can outsell your CSM ten to one.

Customers can sell when your CSM cannot. Why? Because people are driven by the experiences and the recommendations of others. It’s why Amazon.com has a star-rating system. It’s why you would rather be referred to a dentist by a friend or neighbor than picking one at random out of the phone book. And it’s why a vehicle owner would rather have his car serviced by a shop that his friend has already used and liked. In short, I want you to hire your customers and put them on your sales team. Oh, and you don’t have to pay them a dime.
The secret is to capture the voice of your customer on video immediately after you deliver the car. Get them smiling as they turn the key in the ignition for the first time since you’ve replaced the transmission. Get them talking about their experience, their success, their faith and trust in you, and their call to action. A customer saying, “I paid AAMCO a few hundred dollars more and I am happy I did,” is the most powerful support you can give a CSM. Think about what barriers, obstacles, or objections your CSM faces. Then figure out how to get an exiting customer on record talking about how great you are. You play that video when your customer gives you an objection and you’ll win the sale infinitely more often than you do now. Here’s why:

If you say it, it’s puffery. If your customers say it, it’s proof.

The best time to use a testimonial video is as late in the sales process as possible. Use it when you smell an FTA. Use it when the customer says, “Your price is too high.” Testimonials are the most effective way to dispel doubt, reduce risk, overcome objections, and prove value.

OK, so how do you?

1. Get testimonials? Earn them and then ask. Every time you deliver a car, ask your customer to tell you on camera what they love about doing business with your shop.
2. Film them? Use an inexpensive HD camera like the Flip, or an iPhone 4. Be sure to invest a few extra dollars in a tripod (a $10 tabletop model will do).
3. Edit them? There are many easy to use and inexpensive programs. My favorite is iMovie, but it’s Mac only. If you’re a PC person, you can use Windows Movie Maker. If you don’t know how to edit, ask your kids. I’ll bet they do!
4. Display them? Upload your videos to your website, to YouTube, and have them on an iPad, computer, or TV in your lobby.
5. Use them? This in itself is an art. For my best tips on how your CSM can present your new testimonials to customers (what to say, when to say it, and how)…email me at captain@etereman.com with the subject line “Can I get a witness?” and I’ll be sure to reply.

Isn’t there an easier way to do this?

Of course! You can leverage REMAN U’s partnership with Pixability and outsource the editing, production, and even the camera purchase (they will send you one to use!) for less than your weekly advertising budget. Send an email to captain@etereman.com with “Pixability” in the subject line for full details.
So, if a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s a video worth?

You tell me.

What is it worth to you if you were able to eliminate one FTA on a major job every week in your shop?
Watch some testimonials here.