Sunnyvale, Calif – March 10, 2010– ResponseLogix, Inc., the leading provider of automotive digital response management software for internet leads, today announced the general availability of its marketing solution suite for Kia auto dealerships.  With this software as a sevice (SaaS) technology, Kia dealers can engage customers early in the car buying process and then propel them toward purchase. Kia dealers in geographic markets throughout the country participated in the pilot program.  They used the ResponseLogix suite of software products to dramatically improve the speed and quality of their response to internet leads. From Oregon to New York, these dealers executed multi-vehicle price quotes within 10 minutes in response to their customers’ requests. “SmartQuote® has increased our sales especially during nights and weekends when we are busy and would not be able to respond to our internet leads in a timely manner.  This saves me labor, without it I’d have t...

Sean Wolfington has agreed to serve as Chairman of the Board of VinSolutions, the industry leading automotive "Dealership Marketing System" that helps retailers attract, sell and retain more customers profitably February 14, 2010 -- Sean Wolfington has agreed to serve as Chairman of the Board of VinSolutions, the industry leading automotive "Dealership Marketing System" that helps retailers attract, sell and retain more customers profitably. "We asked Sean to join our board because of his vision and his unique experience leading some of the most successful marketing and consulting companies in the industry," said Doug Kinney, CEO of VinSolutions. Wolfington co-founded and led Cyber Car and Automark (sold to Reynolds and Reynolds in 2001) and BZ Results (sold to ADP in 2006). Wolfington currently owns Tier 10 and Level 5 Marketing and serves on the board of the Lumen Institute. "After I saw the power of their all-in-one system to do everything a dealer needs I had to get in...

Award Winners Received Highest Dealer Satisfaction Ratings in 9 Categories, including Websites, CRM, SEO, 3rd Party Leads, Vehicle Classifieds/Listings Orlando, Florida - February 12th, 2010 -- DrivingSales (www.drivingsales.com), the auto industry's leading social media platform and largest online community, today announced award winners in the first annual DrivingSales Vendor Ratings Awards.  The Awards measure dealer satisfaction with vendors by allowing dealers to publically rate and review their vendors in a real-time, anonymous - yet verified - setting.  Vendors who achieve the highest rankings in dealer satisfaction, as determined by the thousands of dealers who are part of the DrivingSales community, are eligible to receive "Highest Rated" and "Top Rated" Awards. "We would like to congratulate the winners of the first annual DrivingSales Vendor Ratings Awards, all of whom have achieved a standard of excellence in satisfaction that is resonating with the nation's deale...

VISIT DEALERUPS AT NADA BOOTH: 3235 For additional information contact: Sara Callahan                                                                Stanley Parayil Thomas Carter-West Public Relations                                 Chief Executive Officer Phone: 949-742-0477                                             PMDS scallahan@carterwestpr.com                               Phone: 888-866-6999 stan.thomas@dealerups.com PMDS Announces DealerUps Mobile CRM, Enables Auto Dealers to Manage Sales Force and Customer Follow up Anytime, Anywhere Fully Functional Mobile CRM Allows Auto Dealers to Synchronize Updates on Mobile Devices with Central CRM System LEVITTOWN, New York – (Feb 12, 2009) - Parayil & Mann Dealer Services Inc. (PMDS), a leading retail automotive consulting and technology provider, t...

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoSuccess Magazine recently released the 2010 Special Edition recognizing the "Top 10 Companies to Watch in 2010" (click to view Special Edition). "The Top 10 Companies are high-growth organizations who have helped dealers dramatically improve their profitability during a difficult time in the automotive industry," said Susan Givens, the publisher of AutoSuccess Magazine. Each of the companies chosen by AutoSuccess, provide unique areas of expertise that together generated measurable profits and outstanding achievements in an otherwise difficult year for the automotive industry. AutoSuccess is pleased to shine a spotlight on the companies who, through their vision and vigor, have created enterprises that blaze trails for others to follow. Dealers from the top 1000 Automotive Retailers have been invited to attend the prestigious AutoSuccess Reception on NADA's opening day, Saturday, February 13th, honoring the Dealer of the Year, Brian Be...

Mobile management of inbound leads and integration of DealerTrackTM lease rates and residuals into DealerSocket's Desking application save time, money and increase profitability San Clemente, CA - February 10, 2010 - Leading automotive CRM provider DealerSocket announced today two significant upgrades to their core CRM solution. Beginning immediately, DealerSocket customers can now respond to inbound leads via a mobile device and "stop the clock." This important enhancement allows users to respond via mobile email or phone call and have the action automatically recorded into the DealerSocket customer record. In addition, DealerSocket has announced that it has completed integration of its CRM Desking tool with DealerTrack lease rates and residuals. Still in pilot with two DealerSocket key customers, this vital enhancement will be available to all DealerSocket Desking customers by the end of March 2010. "These two key improvements are things our customers told us they must have, a...

Orlando, Florida, February 10, 2010- ActivEngage, the automotive industry's premium live chat with business intelligence for dealer websites, today announced the release of ActivProspect, a proprietary technology that targets website visitors who are most likely to respond to chat invitations and ultimately end in sales.  Based on click paths and behavioral targeting, ActivProspect pre-qualifies site visitors as prospective chats.  This allows busy dealerships to more effectively manage their resources, and to spend the most time with site visitors who are most likely to chat, schedule appointments and make purchases.  The new tool is yet another ActivEngage advancement to help dealers with proactive chat, sending just the right message, at just the right time. ActivProspect resulted from analyzing automotive website shopper outcomes over three years on dealership sites across the nation.  ActivEngage created the new feature to assess all website visitors and identify the dealer...

(FRANKFORT, Ill.) – February 10, 2010 –Live View technology gives dealers the ability to watch traffic on their websites as it’s happening, in real time. Every dealership with a Dealer HD website can watch the traffic on their website 24/7 with Live View technology. Live View separates individual site sessions by IP Address and traces a visitor’s path on the dealership website. This information provides valuable insight for dealers, they know where visitors are going on their sites and can follow them each step of the way. “Knowing where a visitor is going is essential to Internet success for dealers” said Justin Duff, Dealer HD’s National Sales Director. “It allows dealerships to target their customers more directly, giving them exactly what they’re looking for.” Dealer HD prides itself on providing cutting edge technology to its clients, giving them a leg up in an ever-competitive market. Live View was an addition made during Dealer HD’s free quarterly ...

Planned Integration Will Help Connect Dealers with Online Shoppers, Build Consumer Confidence ATLANTA, Ga. and CENTREVILLE, Va. – February 10, 2010 – Contact At Once!, LLC, the leading provider of car dealership chat software and other internet marketing tools that move online lookers into live conversations with car dealerships, and Carfax have partnered to help dealers sell cars faster. Contact At Once! and Carfax will integrate their products, giving consumers free access to dealer-purchased Carfax Reports during chat sessions. In addition, online shoppers viewing Carfax Reports will have an easy way to initiate contact with the selling dealer. “We provide car dealership chat software that helps sell more cars,” said Marc Hayes, Executive Vice President and founder of Contact At Once!, “Sales people using our car dealership chat software are particularly effective when the right information is at their fingertips, including valuable vehicle history information fr...

BURLINGTON, VT- February 09, 2010- Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the global leader of online marketing solutions for auto dealers, today announced significant investments and returns on new initiatives for its customers including independent and franchise dealers, large dealer groups, manufacturers and major media groups.  The programs include expanded customer service, with a doubling of the number of customer-facing staff, extensive employee development and training, and a 100% increase in research and development (R&D) investment for the second consecutive year.  The results of the initiatives include achieving the company's highest Net Promoter® Score (NPS) ever, providing the industry's most highly trained workforce, and technological innovation that continues to keep Dealer.com customers years ahead of the competition. As a testament to Dealer.com's extensive service and technology investments, the company's NPS Score continues to lead the technology sector with top cust...

The automotive industry's first ever Automotive Marketing Boot Camp will be held on February 12th; the day before the official start of the NADA Convention in Orlando.  The Boot Camp will cover important elements of automotive digital marketing strategies: social media, blogging, video, microsites, link building, content creation, SEO and pay-per-click marketing. Brian Pasch is the CEO of Pasch Consulting Group, an industry leader in digital marketing and Search Engine Optimization for the automotive industry.  Pasch will be among five keynote speakers at the Boot Camp and is also one of the instructors at the Automotive Marketing Boot Camp.  The opening ceremonies for the Boot Camp are scheduled for Thursday evening February 11th with Keynote Speaker Jared Hamilton, founder of DrivingSales.com. The first class instructed by Pasch "How To Create Content To Achieve Your Online Marketing Goals" will teach dealer professionals how to create content that the search engines will re...

NADA Workshops to Provide Social Media Overview and Strategic Action Plan for Dealers Salt Lake City, UT - February 3rd, 2010 - DrivingSales (www.drivingsales.com), the auto industry's leading social media platform and largest online community, today announced that its founder and CEO Jared Hamilton will be conducting four workshops on Advanced Social Media Marketing for Dealers as part of the NADA Workshop series held at the 2010 NADA Convention and Expo in Orlando, Florida. These workshops will provide an illuminating overview of social media in the context of the overall advertising market in which dealers operate, as well as specific social media strategies and best practices to help dealers leverage social media's significant marketing opportunities. Hamilton, a third-generation auto dealer, is known for leading energetic and interactive workshops, panels and seminars on social media and online marketing for dealer groups, dealerships and OEMs across the country, as well ...

STEVE LIND JOINS AUTOBYTEL AS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT Automotive Veteran Brings Deep Experience in Online/Offline Marketing, Corporate Development and a Track Record of Strategic Growth Successes Irvine, CA - February 2, 2010 - Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq: ABTL), a leader in providing online consumer leads and marketing resources to the auto industry, today announced that Steve Lind has been named as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development. Lind brings nearly 15 years of online and offline automotive experience, a rich collection of industry contacts and a proven track record of executive leadership honed at Nissan North America, LeadPoint, Stealing Home Media -- and through nearly 10 previous years of service at Autobytel, where he led some of the company's most successful and innovative strategic partnerships with automakers. "We are very pleased to welcome Steve back to Autobytel. His highly impressive track record of leadership and corporate develo...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For additional information contact: Sara Callahan                                                                Stanley Parayil Thomas Carter-West Public Relations                                Chief Executive Officer Phone: 949-742-0477                                             PMDS Scallahan@carterwestpr.com                              Phone: 888-866-6999                                                                                            stan.thomas@dealerups.com DealerUps adds New Marketing Tool to Drive Business into Auto Dealer Service Departments; ServiceUps Powered by CIMA Systems Interactive Automated Marketing and Customer Service Solution Ensures More Service Business for Aut...

Investment Banker and Finance Expert David Stetson Joins Dealer.com's Executive Team February 1, 2010 - BURLINGTON, VT - Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the global leader of online marketing solutions for auto dealers, today announced it has named David Stetson as its new chief financial officer (CFO). Mr. Stetson brings more than 20 years of senior management experience in finance and investment banking, with a focus on growth companies in the technology sector, to Dealer.com's leadership team. In his new role, Mr. Stetson will assume responsibility for the company's financial operations. "David has a solid understanding of our business and goals, along with the necessary financial expertise to manage the rapid growth that Dealer.com has experienced," said Mark Bonfigli, Dealer.com president and CEO. "In addition, his reputation for integrity, energy and creativity indicate an ideal cultural fit with our company." "I'm honored to take on the role of CFO and I'm excited about th...

Autobytel Continues Mission of Providing Car-buyers with Access to Best-in-Class Content from Industry's Top Sources as it Refocuses Flagship Site Irvine, CA and Detroit, Michigan, January 25, 2010 - Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq: ABTL), a leader in providing online consumer leads and marketing resources to the auto industry, and Autodata Solutions Inc., a leading North American provider of automotive technology solutions and services, today announced that Autobytel will utilize Autodata Solutions' professional still image vehicle photography and comprehensive data for U.S. vehicles on its network of sites, including the Company's flagship site autobytel.com. "We have been serving online automotive consumers for fifteen years and, in that time, one thing has never changed: their desire for the industry's most accurate, timely and comprehensive vehicle data and content presented in the most user-friendly format," says Autobytel Chief Operating Officer Mark Garms.  "The addition of Autod...

Orlando, Florida, January 28, 2010- ActivEngage, the automotive industry's premium dealer chat software with business intelligence, today announced the launch of a unique program to help Toyota dealers communicate recall information to customers on dealership websites via live chat.  ActivEngage proactively compiled all relevant recall information and details, including information from their Toyota dealers.  The company then educated their virtual sales assistants and added special website graphics to all ActivEngage Toyota dealer websites, letting site visitors know that live chat is available to discuss any recall issues or questions.  As a growing number of Toyota vehicle owners seek information and answers about the safety recall, ActivEngage's Toyota dealers are now prepared to handle their customers' concerns efficiently and effectively online. ActivEngage anticipated the jump in Toyota dealers' website traffic and the increase in visitors with recall questions last week, ...

Free Auto Quotes on Affected Models Sunnyvale, Calif - January 27, 2010- ResponseLogix, Inc., the leading provider of automotive digital response management software for internet leads, today announced that it will support its Toyota customers during the recall and will not charge for quotes that contain a request for one of the affected models. "We stand ready to support our Toyota dealers through this short-term challenge," said Tom Mohr, CEO of ResponseLogix. Toyota Motor Sales yesterday announced suspension of sales on eight models involved in the recall related to accelerator pedals.  Starting today any, new or pre-owned SmartQuote for any lead which contains a request for one of the affected models will be complimentary until the suspension has been lifted. "ResponseLogix has gone far beyond being proactive. They are standing behind their Toyota customers at this challenging time; no other vendor has done that," said Scott Pettitt, Direct and Pre-owned Sales Directo...

Savvy Consumers Demand Faster Response Times for Quotes Sunnyvale, Calif - January 27, 2010- ResponseLogix, Inc., the leading provider of automotive digital response management software for internet leads, today released the results of a customer survey that shows internet sales are expected to become even more dominant in terms of the percentage of total dealership sales. Half of the dealerships surveyed expect internet sales to represent more than 30 percent of their total car sales this year. In another interesting finding, the survey revealed dealers believe that consumers are expecting ever faster response times on requests for quotes.  Whereas in 2009, 46 percent of respondents believed their customers sought a price quote in 10 minutes or less, 67 percent of respondents (an increase of 45 percent) believe consumers will have this expectation in 2010.  A whopping 96 percent of respondents say that car shoppers in 2010 will be unwilling to wait more than one hour for a quote....

(FRANKFORT, Ill.) – January 27, 2010 – Dealer HD has announced its plan for the 90-Day Test Drive promotion. The promotion, which begins during the 2010 NADA Convention, allows dealerships near contract expiration to sign on with Dealer HD at no cost for 90-Days. The promotion aims to attract dealers nearing the end of their contracts that are looking for a risk free change of pace. At no cost dealerships can get the full Dealer HD website and service experience and decide if the product is the right fit for them. The promotion starts during the 2010 NADA Convention and Expo in Orlando, Florida. “We pride ourselves on personal service and believe NADA is the perfect opportunity to demo our products in person to those interested in getting in the driver’s seat,” said Justin Duff, Vice President of Sales at Dealer HD. “We’re very confident in the DHD product and believe dealers that take the Test Drive will find Dealer HD is exactly what they need.” T...

Galpin sells 110 cars in just over two weeks leveraging DealerSocket's MoneyMaker technology San Clemente, CA - January 26, 2010 - Leading automotive CRM provider DealerSocket announced today their role in assisting Galpin Ford to retain its title as the #1 Ford dealer in the nation for the 20th straight year. Galpin utilized DealerSocket's data mining technology, MoneyMaker, an add-on to their DealerSocket CRM solution, to mine the dealership's existing customer database in order to quickly and easily find prospects most likely to buy.  In a period of just over two weeks, the MoneyMaker generated campaigns resulted in 110 cars sold, enabling Galpin Ford to narrowly edge out Bill Brown Ford and retain its #1 sales title. "It was a battle to the end for the #1 spot," said Bert Boeckmann, Owner of Galpin Motors. "Bill Brown Ford did a great job and was definitely a formidable opponent to be up against.  We pulled out all the stops and worked very hard to get our loyal customers b...

AIADA and Venture Lighting Present Free Webinar on Feb. 2 Alexandria, VA (Jan. 20) – For auto dealers, the first impression is key. Before potential customers drive onto your lot or walk through your door, the dealership serves as a symbol of your product and the pride you take in your facility. Creative, effective lighting design can make a store stand out from the competition and enhance the image of both the dealership and the brand it represents. AIADA has teamed up with its Affinity Partner, Venture Lighting, for a webinar explaining the importance of dealership lighting design. Join AIADA and Venture Lighting on Feb. 2 for this free webinar titled Lighting the Way: Effective Lighting Design for Auto Dealerships to learn more about how to create and improve dealership image simply by utilizing effective lighting design. WHAT: Rick Quinlan, general manager at EPIC Design Group, and Jennifer Link, automotive market manager at Venture Lighting International, will present this...

San Clemente, CA - January 20, 2010 - Leading automotive CRM provider DealerSocket announced today the completed acquisition of Southern California-based Carmind (www.carmind.com), a provider of online sales training tools for the automotive dealer community. Founded in 2007 by a group of automotive sales veterans, Carmind's mission has been to develop realistic sales training that would stick and where the principles taught could easily be applied by salespeople. Carmind's courses are delivered through a series of multimedia courses filmed in a dealership environment, highlighting techniques proven successful in today's marketplace and accessible to dealers 24/7. Carmind customers can choose which skills they would like their sales teams to focus on and automatically push related content to them in real-time. "Carmind's philosophy is simple, we explore real world scenarios in an entertaining and fast-paced style," said Carmind founder Napoleon Rumteen. "As 'car guys' ourselves we u...

Former AutoMart executive to join leading provider of live chat for car dealers, Contact At Once! ATLANTA, GA – January 20, 2010 – Contact At Once!, LLC, the leading provider of live chat and other internet marketing tools that move online lookers into live conversations with car dealers, announced today the hiring of Skip Dowd as Vice President, Business Development.  In this role, Dowd will be responsible for building and managing relationships with the company’s strategic partners. Dowd began his career in 1991 as an advertising sales person with Trader Publishing, calling on auto dealers in Northeast Ohio.  He rose to Vice President of Electronic Media, assembling and leading the team that launched AutoMart.com and AutoMercado.com.  After AutoTrader.com, a division of Cox Enterprises, acquired AutoMart.com in October of 2006, Dowd managed the corporate transition before leaving to pursue independent consulting engagements within the automotive industry. “Skip kn...

Year marked by expansion, industry partnerships, R&D investment and prestigious awards January 18, 2009 - BURLINGTON, VT - Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the global leader of online marketing solutions for auto dealers, today announced that 2009 saw the highest annual growth in the company's twelve year history, with a five year revenue growth rate of 675 percent.  In addition to the continued financial strength, Dealer.com extended its technology and service leadership with significant investment in research and development (R&D), expanded industry partnerships, prestigious awards and accolades, and the industry's first comprehensive online marketing platform. "As we continue to grow, we proactively expand our resources to offer all of our customers the best technology and service.  We doubled our R&D investment this year, launched comprehensive employee training and development programs, and expanded our relationships with leading industry groups.  These strategic ...

Record growth, key industry awards, product upgrades and major OEM win contribute to momentous year for auto dealer CRM provider San Clemente, CA - January 06, 2009 - Despite a tumultuous year for the auto industry, leading automotive CRM provider DealerSocket announced today the completion of another record year for the company in 2009, having achieved major milestones in sales, product development, awards, company growth and customer support. Following a stellar year in 2008, the company again met or exceeded industry standards and key performance metrics for 2009, including: Record sales growth, with largest quarter in company history reported for Q4 2009, making 35 consecutive quarters of growth for the company 46 product updates, with major product upgrades completed and set to launch in Q1 2010 Surpassing the 1000 customer milestone 325,319 outbound calls made by DealerSocket CallCenter Adding nearly 1.5 auto dealer customers every day in 2009 ...

Leading provider of dealer live chat software, Contact At Once!, reaches milestone and documents important trend in online automotive marketing Atlanta, GA - January 6, 2010 -- Contact At Once!, LLC, (contactatonce.com) the leading provider of dealer live chat software and other internet marketing tools that move online lookers into live conversations with dealerships, announced today that the ContactAtOnce! dealer live chat service powered its two millionth live chat conversation. The company also released statistics and trend data showing dramatic industry-wide growth in the use of dealer live chat for online automotive marketing. “The two millionth consumer-to-dealer live chat conversation took place on December 30th,” said Marc Hayes, Contact At Once!, LLC founder and executive vice president. “It was a happy coincidence that the conversation led to a sale for one of our dealer customers, Ken Garff Nissan in Orem, Utah.” Contact At Once! shared the celebration by p...

NADA, ATD to Launch NADA University at Convention in February; Training and Technology Designed to Boost Performance and Profits Initiative Includes Four 'Automotive Centers of Excellence' Delivered by Leading Interactive Training Systems Provider LightSpeed VT McLEAN, Va. (Dec. 22, 2009) – In February 2010, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and American Truck Dealers (ATD) will launch NADA University – an unprecedented online education and cutting-edge technology resource for NADA’s dealer members to enhance business performance in a complex marketplace. The launch, which will include substantial training and services at no charge for dealer members, will take place at NADA’s annual convention in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 13-15. Demos and member access credentials will be provided onsite at the NADA University booth (#1801) and the NADA University studio. NADA and ATD have teamed up with LightSpeed VT, a global leader in interactive-based training systems ...

OAK BROOK, IL (December 21, 2009) - Larry Beasley has been named Senior Director of Performance Management at vAuto, a provider of used-car inventory management systems for the nation's franchised and independent car dealers.  Beasley will be responsible for developing and managing best practice workshops for vAuto's over 2,000 rooftop customers. Beasley was previously with Sonic Automotive Group, working as their Eastern and Western Used Vehicle Director as well as their Regional Used Vehicle Director. Prior to his tenure at Sonic, Beasley was the Vice President of Operations at Budget Car Sales, where he managed 13 locations in the Eastern Division. "Larry's extensive experience in automotive retail as well as his ability to identify and capitalize on current market trends makes him a great addition to the vAuto Performance Management Team," said John Griffin, vAuto's vice president of performance management. "We are excited as well as honored to have the opportunity to work w...

BURLINGTON, VT - December 21, 2009 - Dealer.com, the global leader of online marketing solutions for auto dealers, is a Leader award winner in the 2009 Summit Emerging Media Award (Summit EMA) for their work with the Brandon Ford website.  "We are honored by this award and proud of our work with auto dealership Brandon Ford," commented Dealer.com creative director, Ryan Dunn.  "They are a key partner in our pioneering communication products and services, including the latest MobileSitesTM technology.  They fully leverage our online marketing platform which allows them to communicate and engage more directly with shoppers, quickly connecting them to specific vehicles of interest, no matter how consumers choose to shop for vehicles online." Brandon Ford is a full service dealership located in Tampa, Florida.  The dealership has received Ford's prestigious Presidents Award for seven consecutive years and Ford Credit's Partners In Quality Award for five consecutive years.  The deal...