Houston, Texas, May 14, 2012 -- CAR-Research XRM, a single-source CRM solution uniquely branded as; “XRM, Exceeding CRM”, today announced the addition of a new “Prospecting the Household” feature to its CRM that helps auto dealers unearth a potential goldmine of prospective vehicle buyers and capture more sales through their CRM.   The new “Prospecting the Household” scripts, built right into the CRM, are designed to farm the database for Repeats, Referrals (family members/co-workers), Service Customers, as well as Orphans Owners, to find the 2% of customers that are in the market to buy a new or used vehicle this month. The scripts prompt the sales person to “prospect the household” with a word track that walks the salesperson through a professional, courteous conversation. The feature guides the salesperson to make an introduction as the point of contact at the dealership, find out if the customer still owns the v...

Cars.com, the premier online resource for buying and selling new and used vehicles, announced today that it has introduced BaseDrive™, an evolution of its online advertising package helping franchise dealers better promote their brand, reputation and new-car inventory on Cars.com.  The introduction coincides with the first wave of planned site enhancements designed to better align the new-car shopping experience on Cars.com with the needs of today’s consumers.  “New-car sales are back, and more shoppers than ever are taking to the internet to make the best choices, not only about what car to buy, but where to buy it,” said Mitch Golub, president, Cars.com.  “BaseDrive introduces new-car features to our online advertising package that help franchise dealers promote the value of their dealership, not just their inventory, and it’s all designed to drive more new-car business with Cars.com’s audience of in-market car shoppers....

  Recently our industry was rocked by a vendor update that just about shut down the inventory update process for dealers, 3rd party inventory sites, and website providers a like.  If we’re being honest, some of us are still reeling from the effects. I’ve worked on the digital side of the automotive industry for five years and in that time things have not always gone as planned.  It happens and sometimes no amount of preparation can anticipate the end result. The game changer when things go wrong is how you handle that imperfect scenario.  Having a crisis management plan in place can be the difference between strengthening a client relationship and killing it. Take a second and imagine the worst-case scenario for your business.  If this happened tomorrow are you prepared for it? If your answer is no then its time to build a game plan.  If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few pointers for a successful crisis management p...

Write your post hereLAS VEGAS, NV – May 7, 2012 -- MPi (www.mpiworldclass.com), a leading provider of revenue and retention solutions for automotive dealership service departments, today announced that Infiniti of South Atlanta has increased its service department  average gross profit by approximately 10-15%, since implementing EDGE WorldClass™, a proven solution that powers automotive dealerships with the knowledge to increase their parts and labor gross profits by creating a well organized, practiced and consistent vehicle inspection program.   “Since inception we have seen consistent improvement in our service sales, respective gross profit and CSI.  One of the best results is retaining client’s service business long term and return service visits on declined service,” stated John Abate, Infiniti of South Atlanta President/Owner.  “The program identifies client’s immediate needs, near future needs, in addition to n...

Write your post hereHouston, Texas, May 7, 2012 -- Many auto dealers grossly underuse their CRM and in some cases have no idea of its full capabilities. CAR-Research XRM, a single-source CRM solution uniquely branded as; “XRM, Exceeding CRM”, today announced a new system of holding their Client Relationship Specialists accountable to new benchmark reports that ensure all auto dealer clients reap maximum benefits from the CRM.  The Client Relationship Specialists are compensated based upon how well auto dealerships under their care use the CRM, improve their processes, capture more sales and increase profitability.   The benchmark reports monitor key statistics and processes that ensure that the dealership sales team is making optimum use of the CRM; logging showroom customers, promptly following up with customers and leads, setting appointments and closing a good percentage. The new system takes a crawl, walk, run, fly approach. The dealership star...

  Dallas, TX –May 7, 2012 – RedBumper, (http://redbumper.com/) a new breed automotive inventory management company, today announced it has solved a major pain point for auto dealer groups with the release of a complete suite of inventory analytic and management tools for auto dealer groups. Key features include powerful enterprise reporting, group trading, group appraisal optimization, group buying tools, and mobile group tools. This first comprehensive mobile inventory management solution for auto dealer groups works in real-time on a Smartphone mobile platform, providing the ultimate in flexibility for auto dealer groups; an inventory management tool in the palm of the hand.     RedBumper’s enterprise solution includes intergroup trading tools that optimize trades across the entire group. Any manager at any store can view inventory for their own store, or for the entire group, all on their Smartphone or desktop. If a buyer is out at auction bu...

    Most Comprehensive Online Reputation Management And Social Monitoring Platform for Auto Dealers Hits the Market     WALTHAM, Mass.  - May 2, 2012 - DealerRater®, the world’s premier car dealer review web site, today announced national availability of its new comprehensive online reputation and social monitoring platform, 360Certified™. The premium platform is now available to new dealership customers as well as an upgrade for existing Certified Dealers.  360Certi­fied is the premium level of DealerRater’s popular Certi­fied Dealer Program. In addition to the full suite of review-gathering and leveraging tools, 360Certified offers car dealerships a comprehensive online reputation and social monitoring platform. The new 360Certified expanded tool kit, featuring DealerRater’s proprietary 360 Dashboard, enables car dealers to efficiently monitor reviews across the Web, improve their dealership’s on...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   For Further Information Contact: Nate Sieveking / 952-224-8003   Nate@remembergroup.com                      re:member group Loyalty Marketing Solutions announces two promotions in key positions MINNEAPOLIS (April 30, 2012) – Nate Sieveking, former Vice President of Marketing, is now President of re:member group.  He joined re:member group in 2004 and has 8 years loyalty marketing experience and 11 years of management experience.  Nate has been key in implementing new technologies that has re:member group leading the way in the industry.  As President, Nate brings new vision to re:member group.    “This promotion of Nate Sieveking to President is well-deserved.  His 8-year track record has shown his tremendous value to our organization,” Said Randy McPherson, CEO of re:member group. “ Nate is responsible for many of the...

  Houston, Texas, April 30, 2012, CAR-Research XRM,  a single-source CRM solution uniquely branded as; “XRM, Exceeding CRM”, today announced that President and COO, Patrick Kelly,  will be a featured speaker at the 3rd Annual Automotive Boot Camp, to be held in Las Vegas, NV, at the Monte Carlo hotel, May 15-17th, 2012. Kelly’s speech, titled “Lombardi, Landry, and Wooden…Great Coaches, Great Managers”, will offer attendees clues to how these great coaches would manage a dealership team in today’s economic environment, including many new tips on how to increase sales with 60 percent closing percentages instead of the average 18 percent that many dealerships accept. Kelly will give a hands-on presentation that will detail the steps necessary to pattern any dealership management team after the greatest coaches that ever lived, and why these tools will transform that team into a championship...

  Waltham, Mass. – April 30, 2012 - DealerRater, the world’s premier car dealer review web site, today announced that its vice president of sales, Heather MacKinnon, will be a featured speaker at Chicago DigitalCON, to be held at the Chicago Automobile Trade Association, May 9-10. MacKinnon’s presentation entitled, “The Do’s & Don’ts of Building and Leveraging an Online Reputation,” will be held Thursday, May 10th at 4:15 PM. Attendees will learn about the myths vs. the realities involving online reputation management and the “do’s and don’ts” of building credible, third-party reviews.  “One in five consumers change their original dealership choice based on the reviews they read online, and reviews trump both dealer location and past dealer loyalty,” said MacKinnon. “Dealers know they need to pay attention to reviews, but what should they be doing to build more reviews and effectivel...

Company continues nationwide expansion; over $100 million in loan fundings in first year; over 1,500 dealership customers   Irvine, CA –  April 24, 2012 – CarFinance Capital LLC (http://www.carfinancecapital.com), a specialized provider of non-prime financing services for auto dealers, today announced the opening of a new office in Fort Worth, Texas, which is expected to eventually house up to an additional 125 employees.  The Company, which has been rapidly expanding its lending services to auto dealers across the country, has funded over $100 million in auto loans in its first ten months of business, and is helping over 1,500 auto dealers serve the growing ranks of non-prime consumers, who now account for over one-third of U.S. car buyers.   “Reaching over $100 million of loan fundings in ten months -- coupled with the opening of our new Texas office -- represents significant milestones for CarFinance Capital as we continue the national...

  CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. – April 23, 2012 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that the company has been recognized with a “Top Workplaces in the Capital Region” award by the Albany Times-Union newspaper. Auto/Mate was featured in a write-up announcing the awards in the Sunday, April 22nd edition of the Times-Union.  “Our goal is to create an environment where employees are excited to come to work every day,” said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. “Competition for technically skilled individuals is fierce and we do everything possible to attract the best and the brightest, so that our customers will always benefit from a superior product and excellent customer service.” This is the first year that the Times-Union has awarded companies in the New York Capital Region with a “Top Workplaces” distinction. Companies with more than 50 employees were eligible to be nomina...

I'm so excited to be a sponsor and a part of an upcoming Digital Dealer Webinar. DealerOn co-founder, Amir Amirrezvani, will be presenting with Jason Ezell from Dataium on Website Conversion Rate Optimization best practices used by dealerships like Ideal Nissan (the 2012 Digital Dealer Website Excellence Overall Award Winner and DealerOn customer). A typical dealer implementing the full spectrum of these best practices, if they are not already using them, can expect to more than double their website lead volumes IMMEDIATELY, without spending any additional online advertising dollars.  Jason and Amir will not only walk through specific website optimization best practices, they will also detail why the practice works, what sort of impact your dealership can expect, and how to accurately measure your results. Join Jason and Amir for a FREE Digital Dealer Webinar on Thursday, May 24 at 11:30 a.m. EST to learn more about how to optimize your website conversion. Quick Facts:...

Free webinar April 26th at 2pm EDT; provides key strategies for battling market share loss to aftermarket chains and for growing customer loyalty Daytona Beach, FL– April 20, 2012 – DMEautomotive (DMEa), the science-inspired, results-based automotive marketing leader, joins with WardsAuto to host a free webinar on April 26th at 2pm EDT. Based on dramatic new findings from DMEautomotive’s latest white papers, The Changing Service Loyalty Landscape and Marketing Success in a Changing Service Loyalty Landscape, the webinar helps dealerships target service customers lost to Aftermarket chains.  The webinar will also provide key strategies for increasing service customer loyalty based on new information about how the service customer behaves across generations, from wired 20-somethings -- and onwards. Moderated by WardsAuto Editor Steve Finlay, the webinar features Mark Conner, Lithia Motors Assistant V.P. of Marketing, and Mike Martinez, DMEa’s Chie...

A discussion at NADA led the Digital Dealership System to consider an opportunity in custom digital signage that was originally not considered - XTIME Signage. XTIME (as with Time Highway) offers the service department a way for customers to visually see who is working on their car, how long it has been in service and approximate the total amount of waiting time. XTIME includes a system that can display this content on a monitor and even supports a ticker and marketing. One thought from the corporate office was that customers were already using this system and our developmental energy should be focused elsewhere. Until NADA 2012. Several XTIME customers approached the Digital Dealership System booth looking for a solution to show XTIME that had more functionality and "looked better" then the canned system offered by XTIME. They also wanted to add their own look and feel to the system, incorporating news tickers and our other offerings. ...

  WALTHAM, Mass.  - April 16, 2012 - DealerRater, the world’s premier car dealer review web site, today announced that the sneak preview of its new comprehensive online reputation management and social monitoring platform, 360Certified™, at Digital Dealer 12, was a huge success, with over 150 car dealers signing up for the product at the conference.  360Certi­fied introduces a premium level of DealerRater’s popular Certi­fied Dealer Program. In addition to the full suite of review-gathering and leveraging tools, as well as placement of a dealership’s display ad included in the basic level of the Certi­fied Dealer Program, 360Certified offers car dealerships a comprehensive online reputation management and social monitoring platform. The new expanded tool kit features DealerRater’s proprietary 360 Dashboard, enabling 360Certified Dealers to efficiently monitor reviews across the Web, improve their dealership’s online v...

  Chat solution provides real-time connection between auto dealers and shoppers on a pay-per-chat-lead basis   HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL. April 12, 2012 – The Dealer Services Group of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP) today announced that its Dealix business unit has implemented a live dealer chat solution for its UsedCars.com website. Live Dealer Chat powered by Contact At Once! gives dealerships which list their pre-owned inventory on UsedCars.com another option to interact with car buyers in real-time - in addition to phone and email. “UsedCars.com is the first to offer chat as part of our advertising service on a per-qualified-chat lead basis,” said Dealix Vice President, Egon Smola.  “As with our phone and email lead features, dealers who list their pre-owned inventory on UsedCars.com will only pay for the highest quality leads generated from live dealer chat. And, of course, live dealer chat leads are backed by the Dealix Q...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For Further Information Contact: Paul Long / 952-224-8001                              Jon Miles/ 423-586-1441 Paul@remembergroup.com                          Jon@Rustywallaceautogroup.com   Rusty Wallace Auto Group Selects re:member group to Implement Customer Loyalty Program MINNEAPOLIS (April 12, 2012) – To better serve customers in their service department, Morristown, Tennessee-based Rusty Wallace Auto Group turned to re:member group to create a customized points program for their GMC/Buick/Cadillac/KIA stores, geared to reward customers for servicing their vehicles at the mentioned dealerships. “Rusty Wallace Cadillac GMC Kia cares about its customers’ experience and building customer loyalty,” said Paul Lon...

Service Scheduler and Automated Customer Follow-up solutions are among the new innovative products launched in a pilot program to the VinSolutions’ Dealer Advisory Board    Overland Park, KS – April 12, 2012- VinSolutions, an industry-leading developer of Internet-based Customer Relations Management (CRM) and Internet Lead Management (ILM) software, has today released two highly anticipated product integrations to their full suite of automotive solutions; Auto Process and an Automated Service CRM that includes an easy-to-use service department setup wizard with an automated service scheduler. With VinSolutions’ Auto Process, the task of making sure customer follow-up mailings are processed and delivered is   automated with full flexibility and integration with the CRM.    Top features include: -        Processes supported include birthdays, sold delivered vehicles, end of financing and leas...

The Digital Dealership System was founded on the premise of Concierge Signage. This concept sells customers on the idea that they have too many things on their plate to worry about updating their digital sign platform, learn new software, and memorize another login. And this still holds true today. While the company has grown, our customers have continually asked us about their own ability to update the systems when they want to. As a company we have struggled with the balance of concierge vs. self-managed and the technology hurdles with making a system easy to learn and use. And now we have a solution! When a dealership signs up for our services their account representative will be their one and only contact. The system will be customized to meet the look and feel of the location and message they are looking for. We offer a variety of profile examples in our gallery online. Each system will be created with the dealership logos, still images, videos, and rotating news feeds -...

Reynolds Offers Free Webinar to Help Dealers Effectively Integrate Contact Management Schedules into Sales Processes; Complimentary Webinar Series from Reynolds Consulting Services Helps Dealers Improve Contact Management Utilization and Business Results. DAYTON, Ohio – April 3, 2012 – The Reynolds and Reynolds Company today announced the availability of a complimentary webinar for dealerships using the Contact Management tool. During the webinar titled “3 Problems Contact Management Schedules Can Fix”, dealers will take a critical look at the connection between their dealership sales processes and their use of Contact Management schedules. Dealers also will learn how to analyze their current Contact Management schedules, pinpoint issues that may be impacting sales and profits, and identify next steps to improve the integration of Contact Management schedules with the dealership’s sales processes. The “3 Problems Contact Management Schedules Ca...

First-of-its-kind platform streamlines accessories sales communications across dealership departments and supplier network; enhances processes currently generating $475+ in sales per vehicle sold San Francisco, CA -- April 03, 2012 -- izmocars (http://www.izmocars.com) today announced the launch of its AddOnAuto (AOA) Digital Dashboard platform for dealers who currently use the AOA Point of Sale software to sell accessories in their dealership. An enhancement to AddOnAuto, the accessories sales solution that is currently generating an average of over $475 in accessories sales per new vehicle sold, Digital Dashboard further streamlines accessories coordination across all departments in the dealership and supplier networks. “Dealerships using AddOnAuto are already seeing significant increases in accessories sales, but we knew that with even better communication between dealership departments throughout the accessories sales journey – from presentation to sale to parts o...

    Phil Smith Auto Group Chooses Successful New Inventory Management Company RedBumper, LLC   Dallas, TX – April 2, 2012 – RedBumper LLC, (http://redbumper.com/) a new breed automotive inventory management company, today announced that Phil Smith Auto Group has  switched inventory management systems to RedBumper, the first true mobile inventory management system. RedBumper will begin installing its products in the Phil Smith Automotive Group next week.   Commenting on the new installation, Phil Smith, Founder and CEO of Phil Smith Auto Group, stated, "RedBumper simplifies the entire process of inventory management and brings it into the 21st century. My staff doesn’t have to be tied to their desks to access reports or buy lists, but can be anywhere scanning, appraising, bidding and pricing cars.  It's like having the dealership in your pocket, wherever the day takes you! We believe we can be much more productiv...

KETTERING, Ohio – March 30, 2012 – Naked Lime Marketing, which offers full-service marketing, advertising, and web products and services for automobile dealerships, today announced that Chad Haas, a digital marketing expert from Naked Lime, will be a featured speaker at the 12th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition in Orlando, Fla., April 3-5, 2012. In addition, during the exposition, Naked Lime Marketing (Booth #1015) will be spotlighting their automotive marketing and advertising solutions that help dealers break through the online clutter, get noticed, and spark action in consumers. (www.digitaldealerconference.com) Chad Haas, a product planning manager at Naked Lime Marketing, will present reasons why “Your Website Isn’t Just a Sales Tool,” with a special emphasis on how dealership websites help generate business in the service department. Dealers will learn more about best practices for service advertising and follow-up communication, incent...

SOCIALDEALER and CAR-MERCIAL will be publishing the results of their joint case study on the use of video and social media, at the upcoming Digital Dealer Conference at the Rosen Shingle Resort in Orlando. The viral potential of using video in social media has long been seen with the success of sites like YouTube, but many businesses do not realize that in addition to using video to start conversations and engage consumers, it also has powerful SEO benefits. The case study examines the use of videos for automotive dealers as a means to increase search engine rankings and content engagement on social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube. The study was conducted in 2011-2012, using data from SOCIALDEALER and CAR-MERCIAL’s client data combined with dealership’s website analytics.  The results make a powerful case for the increase in exposure a dealer can generate through the use of videos online. “We added the ability to manage and upload videos to our...

Dealers United Announces First Deal for Members: SEO Services from KPA   KPA beat out more than 30 other SEO vendors to be given the opportunity to present their best offer to Dealers United members. Sarasota, FLA – March 28, 2012 - Dealers United, the first service to truly leverage the buying power of individual dealerships, introduced their first deal to members today, search engine optimization (SEO) services offered by winning vendor KPA. Dealers United, which launched in October of last year and is free for dealers to join, put 35 different SEO vendors through a rigorous testing process that included surveys, interviews, reference checks, verification of white hat SEO practices and testing before naming KPA the selected vendor. The result is an unprecedented discount for the SEO services, only revealed to Dealers United members, along with industry leading terms and conditions.  “This launch represents the fulfillment of a promise we made to...

DMEa’s “Marketing Success in a Changing Service Loyalty Landscape” findings include:   Loyalty programs are not just for loyalists: Over 25% of “swing loyalists” and disloyalists would participate Communicate! Most customers want to hear from service providers AT LEAST once every 3 months, including 70%+ of dealer and aftermarket chain loyalists 2 in 3 dealer loyalists prefer email communications - more than any service customer, even young aftermarket chain loyalists   Daytona Beach, FL – March 28, 2012 – DMEautomotive (DMEa), the science-inspired, results-based automotive marketing leader, today released the second in a series of white papers, “Marketing Success in a Changing Service Loyalty Landscape.” This new report analyzes the complexities behind service center selection today; consumer communications preferences (by frequency, platform, and service outlet type); and the role that l...

      SAN RAMON, CA, March 26, 2012 – MediaTrac today announced the results of a new comprehensive study of 72 automotive dealerships and over 6 million repair order transactions from December 1, 2010 through February 29, 2012, which proves that customers choose to stay longer, spend more and repurchase more often at dealerships that reward their patronage. The results are covered in a new eBook: “The Hard Facts & Financial Impact Report – Auto Dealership Loyalty Programs & the Effects They Have on Profitability.” Visit www.media-trac.com to download a free copy.   The study shows that auto dealership customers enrolled in rewards-based loyalty programs visit their dealership every 4.26 months versus every 6.82 months for non-members. Average annual member spend mirrors the increase in visitation with a 97% increase in overall retail spend. Furthermore, according to the study, retention of members is nearly 60% – ...

  Houston, Texas, March 27, 2012 -- CAR-Research XRM a single-source CRM solution uniquely branded as; “XRM, Exceeding CRM”, today announced the company has experienced strong growth through February, 2012 and is on track for 40% expansion by year’s end. In March the company added 6 new District Managers to help support and continue its growth.   The company attributes its steady growth to increasing demand for its web-based, comprehensive CRM solution, the recent release of MobileXRM  and a strong focus on customer service and retention, with a current retention rate of 98%. CAR-Research XRM was a recent recipient of a “Top Rated” CRM-Sales Department award in the third annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards, presented in conjunction with the 2012 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Expo.  The company maintains a 4.9 star average with a 98% recommendation from its dealers.   &ld...

  CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. – March 26, 2012 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (www.automate.com) today announced the launch of a new blog site called DMS Central, (http://blog.automate.com) a dealership management system resource for auto dealers.  The blog site will offer content targeted towards dealership personnel who are current users of Auto/Mate’s DMS, and for those who are considering switching DMS providers and want to learn more about Auto/Mate’s products, customer service and company culture.    “A DMS is the lifeblood of a dealership, and the more users can connect with their vendor, the more productive they will be,” said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. “Our customers know that we are always easily accessible, but customer service consists of more than just technical help. We’re excited to have a platform that can showcase the superior technology we offer in our DMS as well as who we are as a...