Three Must-Have Gadgets For The Automotive Professional

I am always on the lookout for technology that will enable my clients to be more efficient and effective in selling to and servicing their customers. I am excited to share with you three of my current favorites, which will seriously enhance the way you and your dealership engage, intrigue, convey, articulate, excite, support and stand apart from your competitors to your customers and prospects.

1. Looxcie (http://looxcie.com/) – The world’s first “wear and share” video camera. Basically, the Looxcie device is a video recorder the size and shape of a bluetooth earpiece, and is my No. 1 pick right now. It’s like a Flip camera on steroids. I currently have clients who are issuing these to not only their Internet departments, but also to their showroom sales professionals. Try to imagine the ability to instantaneously respond to an Internet lead or a phone up by streaming a live, custom walk around. For example, you receive an Internet lead or a phone up and, after you complete the initial greeting, you ask if your prospect has access to the Internet — from a desk top, laptop or their cell phone. If they say “yes,” tell them that you are excited to share with them a live video walk around of the vehicle that they were interested in. You can literally “flick” one button on the Looxcie device and you are live streaming a custom video walk around, or even a walk through of the dealership — whatever you want!

By the way, similar to the Looxcie is Qik (http://qik.com/) — a mobile video capturing and sharing app for iPhone and Android. Basically, it is like the Looxcie device without the hands-free camera. You can use your iPhone or Android to stream live video content to someone’s Website, desktop, laptop, tablet or cell phone device.

The purpose of this technology is twofold. First, if I was a sales consultant or an Internet/BDC representative, my goal would be to be able to communicate with my prospect and build value as quickly as possible. Remember, the science of communication states that the strongest forms of communication are visual perception and body language. You do not have that over a phone call or e-mail. Having options like Looxcie or Qik, however, can seriously enhance your communication and clarity with your prospect, allowing you to build more value more quickly. The other reason I think this is a tremendous tool is that it will differentiate you from the competition. You are using state-of-the-art technology, not in a wasteful or useless way but in a powerful way. You will be seen as a cutting-edge business — a place that your prospect wants to do business.

2. The Turtleback iPhone SLR Mount (http://turtleback.hk) – With this device, you can mount a Cannon EOS or Nikon SLR lenses to your iPhone. Basically, you can have telephoto, wide angle, macro or fixed 50mm lenses attach to this mount. What this means is that you can turn your iPhone into a state-of-the-art photographer’s camera. This is important because, even though video is so dominant and important, images are also important for the dealership, such as: new and pre-owned inventory, pictures with your clients and their new (or pre-owned) vehicles, dealership photos, employee pictures, special events and sales, community and current affairs, social media content, blog content, Website and focus site content, reputation management content and search engine optimization (all images can and should be optimized).

They say a picture is worth a thousand words — I say it’s worth thousands of dollars. There is a huge difference in image quality. You can have bad pictures in bad lighting, or you can have professional studio-quality photos via an iPhone.

3. iSupport iPhone Stabilizer (http://www.isupport.tv) – This “steadicam” device is surreal. This is like what the people in Hollywood use on set, but you can use this technology at your dealership for amazing quality videos. You do not need to waste money on expensive video production companies or expensive video production equipment. You can produce high-quality looking and sounding video footage with this device. Imagine how beautiful your video testimonials and walk arounds can be now.

These devices are going to seriously change the way you engage and interact with your clients and prospects. Be the first dealership in your market to be on the cutting edge of technology and communication — and not just because it’s “cool,” but because it is useful. If you have any questions about this article or if you would like some free ideas of how to utilize these devices to have an unfair competitive edge, please feel free to call me or e-mail me.

Sean V. Bradley is the founder and CEO of Dealer Synergy, a nationally recognized training and consulting company in the automotive industry. He can be contacted at 866.648.7400, or by e-mail at sbradley@autosuccessonline.com.