As vehicle shoppers arrive at dealerships armed with prior online research, pricing information and product comparisons, salespeople need to offer more than answers. Jeremy Raaymaker, Van and Fleet Specialist at Mercedes-Benz Country Hills, believes building rapport and understanding a customer’s needs remain critical differentiators. His return to social media as “Baddie in a Benz” reflects his approach to making the car-buying process more approachable while helping customers connect with a real person.
During today’s CBT Live segment, Raaymaker notes how social media can create meaningful sales opportunities when entertaining content gives viewers a reason to connect with the person behind the videos. His “Baddie in a Benz” clips generated calls and brought prospective buyers to the dealership, but some customers initially assumed the videos were purely a production rather than an extension of his work as a salesperson. That made it important to establish that the online personality was genuine and that he could help them buy a vehicle.
Raaymaker also believes salespeople should focus on relationship-building rather than simply processing a transaction. Customers can research vehicles, compare dealerships and identify desired features before they arrive, so he sees the salesperson’s role as understanding a shopper’s needs, budget and priorities while delivering an experience that online research cannot replicate. At Mercedes-Benz Country Hills, that approach extends beyond the vehicle itself to the dealership experience, including its indoor showroom, service team and customer amenities. In a competitive market, those personal touches can help a dealership stand apart even when competing stores sell the same models.
His advice for dealership professionals entering social media is to make content an authentic extension of their personalities rather than inventing a gimmick. A distinctive style, sense of humor or familiar personal trait can help customers remember a salesperson and create an opening for future business. Raaymaker is now applying that philosophy to his expanded van and fleet role, introducing himself to businesses across Alberta and other Canadian markets that may need Sprinter vans for construction, passenger transportation, catering and other commercial uses. He sees social media as a way to bring the same approachable energy to fleet customers while building relationships in a new part of the business.
