What is more important to making a sale: trust or respect?
Amy Cuddy argues in her latest book, “Presence”, that within seconds of meeting a new person, you automatically begin measuring their level of warmth and competence. Basically, this means that you are asking yourself two questions:
- Can I trust this person?
- Can I respect this person?
Many car salespeople would argue that competence is the most important trait to possess. Which on the surface makes sense. Who would want to purchase a vehicle from someone who doesn’t know anything about the car? This is one of the biggest purchasing decisions of your life. You want to make sure you are making an informed decision.
However, Amy argues that although competence is important, warmth (or trustworthiness) is the first thing that a person looks for upon a first encounter. In fact, if a salesperson does not pass this “trust test” then a customer will not get far enough to hear their extensive knowledge on the vehicle.
Video has become one of the most effective and quickest methods to building a foundation of trust. A walk-around video of a vehicle not only highlights the features of the car, but it introduces the sales agent and the dealership to the customer. Before even arriving on site, the sales agent has created an emotional connection with the customer, and the customer has a familiar face as soon as they walk through the door.
Nothing builds trust like transparency. And video is the most effective communication method to demonstrate transparency to the customer.