San Clemente, CA – May 5, 2009 – Leading automotive CRM provider DealerSocket, announced today it has added a new distinction to a long list of accolades by being named as a finalist for the "Red Herring 100 North America" award, a prestigious list honoring the year’s most promising private technology ventures in North America. The Red Herring editorial team selected the most innovative companies from a pool of 1,200. The nominees are evaluated on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries.

“To be chosen as a finalist for an award of such high distinction is truly an honor,” said Jonathan Ord, DealerSocket Co-Founder and CEO. “Over the past year we have experienced incredible growth during a time when the automotive industry has been particularly hard hit. Our CRM product is helping auto...

eXteresAUTO, the leading search engine optimization provider for dealerships, today announced the launch of SAM™, a breakthrough back-office tool. SAM™ allows dealerships to understand, manage and promote all of their 'search assets,' whether that's establishing a positive online reputation at consumer review and dealer rating sites--protecting their trademark and inventory from piracy--establishing a powerful visibility at online directories--or fully understanding their website and organic search traffic and performance.



SAM™, designed within dealerships for dealerships, is the first set of tools that automates processes that auto retailers have traditionally found confusing and labor-intensive. Beta dealerships testing SAM™ report that its revolutionary combination of online reputation management, detailed analytics, piracy protection, and directory and review site set-up have allowed them to achieve in days what would have taken dedicated employees mo...

This is was given to the dealers directly from Chrysler:
Q1:  What does this new company mean to me as a Chrysler, Dodge or
Jeep customer?
A1: The partnership with Fiat transforms Chrysler into a vibrant new company
with many strategic advantages.  It enables Chrysler to better serve its
customers and dealers with a broader and more competitive line-up of
environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient high-quality vehicles. 
 
Chrysler and its dealers will continue to sell and service vehicles and
honor warranties without interruption.  Consumers can continue to
purchase our vehicles with complete confidence.
 
Q2: What is the ownership structure of the new company?
A2: When the transaction is completed, the Voluntary Employee Beneficiary
Association (VEBA) will own 55 percent of the new company and the U.S.
and Canadian governments will own proportionate shares of a 10 percent
stake.  Fiat will initially own a 20 percent stake ...

April 30, 2009 

Dear Chrysler LLC Dealer 
 
Earlier today, Chrysler LLC announced that as a result of the comprehensive restructuring plan agreed to by many of our stakeholders, we have signed an agreement in principle to establish a global strategic alliance with Fiat SpA to create a vibrant new car company.   
 
This alliance will provide the new company access to high-quality, environmentally friendly and fuel- efficient small and compact segment vehicles, as well as exciting products and platforms, technology, and a wider global distribution network.  This partnership not only will transform Chrysler into a stronger car company with many strategic advantages, it will enable us to better serve you and our customers with a broader and more competitive line-up of vehicles.  I am very pleased that with the support of the U.S. and Canadian governments, Cerberus Capital Management, LP, Daimler AG, the UAW and CAW leadership, employee...

Earlier today Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli wrote an email to the employees of Chrysler to bring everyone current on the progress of the restructuring.  I was happy and impressed that he was so complimentary to the dealers for the sacrifice they have made to support Chrysler.  OEM's often treat the dealers that pay their bills like second class citizens.  It was a well deserved compliment to the dealer body.

He also laid out what will happen with if the deal goes through with Fiat:  “Upon successful completion of the alliance, a board of directors for Chrysler will be appointed by the U.S. government and Fiat. The majority of the directors will be independent (not employees of Chrysler or Fiat). The board will have the responsibility to appoint a chairman. The board also will select a CEO with Fiat’s concurrence.”

I have two problems with this:

   1. Nardelli has done a decent job steering the broken down clunker of a company he ...

Recently I have been asked some questions about what rules we have for posting in the DrivingSales community.

Truth is we don’t really need many rules, since the community is made up of professionals it regulates itself quite well.  The couple things we do ask is that:

Vendors not write overly promotional material, or insult one another.
In the vendor ratings section, only dealers can write and review the vendors.

Since I have fielded so many questions lately, I thought it would be a good time to explain our background and answer a few specifics publically:

How DrivingSales.com got started:
DrivingSales.com was create back in 2003; I built is as a private community to network my dealer academy class so that we could share information and support each other more efficiently.   Less than one year ago we opened up the community for other professionals to share and benefit.  We knew the community was a great resource and excited to see th...

Dealer.com just announced the next installment of their online marketing webinars. The Power of 1st Party Leads!  They have a great lineup of expert web marketers and the presentation promises to be a good one.

What you will learn:


1st party leads close at a higher rate with higher profits

That not all leads are created equally

How to harness the power of your website to generate higher quality leads

How to implement a first party lead strategy at your dealership



Click here to register for free.

 
Note: This is a dealer and OEM management webinar only. 

 
 ...

I am happy to announce a new DrivingSales editorial blog called Elevator Pitch that will keep you current with the good, the bad and the ugly of new vendor products.    The blog will compliment the Vendor ratings as a way for dealers to get independent and unbiased information about a solution provider BEFORE they commit to a partnership of sorts.

Each week we will allow one new vendor to pitch our editors (all prior dealership managers) on their new product or service.  The “Elevator Pitch” blog posts will a short and to the point product review answering the four questions below.  This way you can stay on top of the new innovations that can help you better their business.
 Each post will answer four questions:

 

What problem does the solution solve for the dealer?
How is the solution used by a dealer? (the demo part)
What ROI can a dealer expect from the solution?
How does the solution differ from its comp...

Congratulations to David Swan, the $500 winner of our Car Czar contest.  David submitted what he called the “Swan Doctrine” – a type of a tax break for car buyers.  To continue in the spirit of fun giveaways, we have decided to randomly give away an Ipod to one respondant to the following hot topics:

Help your peers and add your thoughts to any of these threads for a chance to win a shuffle.  We will randomly select one respondent to one of these threads to receive a shuffle in the next Newsletter:

Lets do some problem solving together

Used Car Turn Policy & Write Down Accounts

Google Analytics, Bounce Rate?

First Party Leads - Looking out for Number 1

Internet Conversion Ratios

 
Good Luck and thanks for participating!
 
(note: the shuffle is open to any member of DrivingSales.com.  All Vendors, Dealers and OEMs are welcome to participate.)...

Interview with Eric Miltsch of Auction Direct.
Eric Miltsch is an IT & Web Director for a successful east coast dealer group called Auction Direct.  Under Eric's supervision, the company has executed one of the best social media campaigns to date by a dealer group! They have used innovative ways to create dialogue with customers, increase sales and create greater loyalty.  The DrivingSales publisher interviewed Eric about some of his vision and tactics for using "twitter" and other social media tools.  Read his comments below and feel free to ask Eric questions of your own in the comments, he will respond. 

Thanks Eric for sharing the wisdom!
DrivingSales: Eric, tell us a little about yourself, your background and Auction Direct.
Eric: As the IT | Web Director for Auction Direct USA, I get to do what I love every day: Manage the online portion of our business and oversee our store network.

I enjoy having the ability to marry both the technic...

A friend who owns a few stores on the east coast just emailed in a request for help, and since the government loaning our industry money affects everyone, we thought it made sense to share.  If you support the government helping our industry, this is particualrly for you.

There is a simple form to fill out, on Congress.org, that will publish and send your message to the Politicians in DC who are making the decisions about providing loans to our industry. Dealers around the country who support government help are soliciting as many voices as possible to send a quick 2 sentance note of encouragement to the White House.  If you support this cause, please act now.  DrivingSales members are on both sides of the argument, but one thing is certain, the governments actions (or inactions) will affect us all.
I encourage you to make your voice heard. Follow this link, complete the form (it takes about 30 seconds) and get your message to the decision makers.
http://www.congre...

General Motors announced today that it would delay incentive payments to dealers by 7-14 days to conserve cash. The move could save them quite a pretty penny, but it could also cost dealer dearly as they too are penny pinching. Its a sad day when the auto manufacturers have to say, "its them or us."
Where will it end? If they delay incentive payments 1-2 weeks, will they do the same for warranty receivables soon? Will the 2 weeks turn into 3? Its a slippery slope, who knows where it will end. In what is somewhat of a fair comparison, can you imagine if you called GMAC and told them you couldn't pay off your flooring on your next few vehicles and you needed an extra two weeks and all would be fine? They would have auditors in your dealership before you could hang up the phone to collect every downpayment check or cash receipt your store brought in. Its a sad day when you cant even trust your manufacturer. I hope this gets figured out soon.
Here is the letter GM sent to their...

Car Shoppers on innovative Web2.0 automotive website can see when dealers are available to answer questions and connect instantly, even from work.
ATLANTA, GA – November 17, 2008 – ContactAtOnce!, a leading provider of internet marketing tools that move online shoppers into live conversations with car dealers, today announced that Cox AutoTrader, one of the world’s leading providers of online and print automotive consumer information, has deployed the ContactAtOnce! dealer live chat service on CarShopSmart.com, the just-launched “web2.0” sister website of AutoMart.com. Cox AutoTrader/AutoMart online operations combined have more than 1 million new and used vehicles for sale and reach over 2 million car buyers monthly.
“Today’s online car shoppers want new types of content such as consumer-generated reviews and they also want more convenient ways to contact dealerships,” said Melanie Kovach, General Manager of Cox AutoTrader/AutoMart. “Many consumers prefer the handy...

WASHINGTON – Top Republican senators said Sunday they will oppose a Democratic plan to bail out Detroit automakers, calling the U.S. industry a "dinosaur" whose "day of reckoning" is coming. Their opposition raises serious doubts about whether the plan will pass in this week's postelection session.
Democratic leaders want to use $25 billion of the $700 billion financial industry bailout to help General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC.
Sens. Richard Shelby of Alabama and Jon Kyl of Arizona said it would be a mistake to use any of the Wall Street rescue money to prop up the automakers. They said an auto bailout would only postpone the industry's demise.
"Companies fail every day and others take their place. I think this is a road we should not go down," said Shelby, the senior Republican on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
"They're not building the right products," he said. "They've got good workers but I don't believe they've got good manageme...

As Detroit's crumbling auto industry asks Congress for a bailout, Chrysler is in the awkward position of paying about $30 million in retention bonuses to keep top executives while the company cuts thousands of jobs.

Chrysler owes the bonuses under its contracts with about 50 executives, based on a retention incentive plan crafted early last year by former German parent DaimlerChrysler, when it was preparing to sell the Chrysler unit.
Nancy Rae, Chrysler executive vice president for human resources and communications, said the move made sense at the time to ensure potential buyers that key Chrysler executives would remain in place after a sale. She acknowledged that the bonuses could be seen as controversial now.
“We all would be smarter if we knew what we know now back in February of '07,” she said. “Probably a lot of different decisions would be made.”
Chief executives of Chrysler LLC, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are expected to testify next week before a Hou...

Social media is now playing an important role in quests for employment.  The stories abound about people loosing their jobs due to blogs, myspace and face book profiles.

Google Employee fired for their blog
Top five in the world blogger fired due to her blog.
Teacher fired over myspace profile
Facebook Firings

Many companies do not have social media and blogger guidelines in place to govern online interaction but that is now changing even more notably is social media presences are coming into play in job hirings.  The president elect was able to use social media to acquire his new job now he is asking potential staffers about their social media presence as part of their background checks.
Obama wants applicants to “list all aliases or ‘handles’ you have used to communicate on the Internet,” and asks people to include any e-mail that might embarrass the president-elect, along with any blog posts and links to their Facebook.com pages.< Jax4News.com
The web is no...

LIVE X AUTO EXCHANGE™ TO LAUNCH FIRST AUTO TRADING PLATFORM
Exclusive pilot brings experiential auto retail platform to Walmart customers

PHOENIX, Ariz. – (October 7, 2008) – LIVE X Auto Exchange™, an all-new online trading platform dedicated to the automotive category, today announced the launch of its first concept stores inside select Walmart Supercenter locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area. In an exclusive pilot program with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., LIVE X Auto Exchange will begin to offer electronically enhanced auto trading services that bring an entirely new retail experience to consumers.

Patrick Dial, founder of LIVE X Auto Exchange and a 20-year veteran of the live entertainment industry, said, “Our Walmart-based Trading Floors are essentially marketing centers for pre-owned vehicles, auto-related products and services, as well as for the all-new LIVE X brand. Walmart customers who visit a LIVE X store can not only expedite the process...

Identity theft, phishing, viruses – oh my! Online users face many challenges in protecting their finances and privacy.

Q: What is identity theft? How does it happen?
Identity theft is a fraud committed or attempted using the identifying information of another person without authorization. Using someone else’s identity to make unauthorized charges or bank transfers, open new accounts, take out loans, send email, or file taxes; these are all examples of identity theft.
Q: How often does it happen?
Last year approximately 10 million people were victims of identity theft.

Q: What should I do to protect myself?
Monitor your accounts frequently - the longer a breach goes undiscovered, the more costly it can become. Check your bank and credit card balances often, and choose unique passwords for your accounts.

Q: What should I do if I think my identity has been stolen?
Close any compromised account, and contact your bank or credit card company, as well as your loca...

The social web is no longer a buzz word it is a way of life.  People from all walks of life are engaging online each other.  From grandparents keeping up with long distance grandchildren to business associates keeping tabs on each other at sites like www.linkedin.com. 
Social web applications are built to encourage communication among people.They serve one of more of the following purposes:Courtesy wikipedia.com

Identity: who are you?
Reputation: what do people think you stand for?
Presence: where are you?
Relationships: who are you connected with? who do you trust?
Groups: how do you organize your connections?
Conversations: what do you discuss with others?
Sharing: what content do you make available for others to interact with?

Using the social web as a marketing channel can be identified in two forms.  Advertising and engagement. 
Advertising can be accomplished using PPC advertising targeted at specific sites, buyi...

As Troubled Lenders Head for the Sidelines, Credit Unions are Leveraging New Strategies for Growing Market Share and Managing Portfolio Risk
 
ALAMO, Calif. and LOS ANGELES (October 14, 2008) – A new partnership announced today will make it easier for credit unions to increase the size and scope of their auto lending business and more effectively and efficiently manage portfolio risk.
 
An agreement between Global Debt Network Automotive (www.gdnauto.com) and CU Lending Solutions, LLC, (www.culendingsolutions.com) opens the door for credit unions to expand their auto loan business into fast-growing non-prime segments and extend their reach and income stream beyond their local geography by selling and buying seasoned auto loan portfolios.
 
More than 40 million used cars are sold in the U.S. each year, with some 8 million of them to low- and moderate-income car-buyers, according to the Consumer Task Force for Automotive Issues.  That numbe...

Most web based software stores data that you supply with them for your to manipulate inside of their systems. It makes life easier for the users of the software. But whose data is it?

It belongs to to the individual that caused the data to be input. Web based CRM and ILM tools are the biggest ones used in our industry. While some are client based, you have to install software on your computer to interface with their system, most of the data is stored on someone's system that you do not control.

In the event of software managed locally on your corporate mainframe you control you still need to make sure that your data is protected. We have all heard the stories of credit card processing companies, the Veteran's Administration and others having internal and external data compromises.

Not only do you need to have trusted people managing this information you must make sure that you maintain physical back ups of all of your proprietary data. Back it up and store it somewhere ...

The DrivingSales blog platform as of this date is in the top .23 of 1% of all blogs according to www.technorati.com. If you are using a blog and have not claimed it with technorati you are missing an opportunity to drive SEO benefit and additional traffic to your blog.

Technorati is one of the many blog search engines and aggregation services and claiming your blog there is as simple as creating a profile and following their steps to have your blog spidered and indexed by them.  This post will actually serve as the publishers blog claim by sending a link to our Technorati Profile.

Speaking of claiming blogs.  If you are an auto industry professional who would like to have their own blog on the platform at DrivingSales send an email to contactus@driginsales.com and our blog manager will get you set up right away....

VinSolutions is looking to help dealers cut cost and is showcasing their do it yourself inventory management software and hardware at the 5th Digital Dealer Conference. According to VinSolutions the do it yourself segment is growing and their products will help dealers cut expenses and increase ROI.

Here is the full release

Grapevine, Texas, October 7, 2008 – VinSolutions, a leading Web-based automotive software provider, is showcasing their Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and Inventory Management module at the 5th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition in Grapevine, Texas. Running from October 6th through 8th, dealers can meet VinSolutions’ upper management, salesmen and trainers for one-on-one demonstrations of the VinCamera, VinBuddy, CRM, ILM, Inventory Management and Web site design products.

“The thing I like best about coming to this conference is the chance it gives us to actually show dealers in person how great our products are,” said Mike Dullea, VinSolutions’ CS...

AAA Mid Atlantic, the fifth largest triple A chapter, has teamed up with Zag to provide shoppers with upfront pricing on new and used vehicles through a select group of auto dealers. This marks a change in the traditional AAA program that in the past only provided model specific information with an introduction to a local AAA certified dealer.

Here is the full release:

WILMINGTON, Del. and SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Oct. 6, 2008) — AAA Mid-Atlantic today unveiled an auto buying program, powered by Zag, that helps members secure great, up-front prices on new and used cars before ever walking into the dealer’s showroom.

AAA Mid-Atlantic is the fifth largest AAA-affiliated club in the nation with 3.8 million members in five mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia. The exclusive Zag (http://www.zag.com) partnership marks a new direction for AAA Mid-Atlantic and other large affinity groups seeking better value and better service for their members.

...

Overland Park, KS, September 18, 2008 – VinSolutions, a leading provider of Web-based automotive software, announced today it has completed an integration with Kelley Blue Book’s InfoDriver™. As a result, VinSolutions’ clientele now have point-and-click access to data supplied by KBB’s expanded and redesigned data syndication solution. Subscribing dealers can access the data from VinSolutions’ MotoSnap CRM or from their inventory management module.  
“The newest iteration of Kelley Blue Book’s data syndication products makes acquiring Kelley Blue Book vehicle information easier than ever before,” said Brad Prickett, Kelley Blue Book’s Director of Syndication Product Management. “The real power of this product is the combination of rich content in a flexible format. By incorporating Kelley Blue Book values in VinSolutions products, their customers now have quick access to accurate and timely vehicle values that are widely recognized by car shop...

In response to their worst ever monthly decline in sales in four decades Toyota Motor Sales USA is offering 0% financing on 11 models through November 3rd.

They will be offering 36 to 60 month terms.

This is the first time that Toyota has offered these types of incentives to "take aim" at the credit market squeeze which is slowing the US markets.

PRESS RELEASE: Toyota Announces Zero-Percent Offer TORRANCE, Calif., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today announced a zero-percent interest rate offer on eleven Toyota models for qualified buyers. Expiring November 3, 2008, the loan offer varies by model, with terms ranging from 36 to 60 months. Taking aim at the credit squeeze which has sidelined many of today's new-car buyers, the attractive offer is unprecedented for Toyota. "Not only do we have the inventory of today's sought after fuel-efficient models, but we have the capacity through Toyota Financial Services to finance or lease them," sai...

A nimble, constantly evolving online marketing strategy helps keep CarsDirect dealer partner Auction Direct USA on the cutting edge of the Internet – and on top of the competition

A drive to innovate permeates every department of Auction Direct USA. The Victor, NY-based chain of used car superstores has built a thriving business largely on being different.

The differences stood out from the first day Auction Direct USA opened its doors in 2005. Specializing in late-model, low-mileage used cars and trucks, the company offers no-haggle prices on every vehicle and a three-day, 500-mile money back satisfaction guarantee. It established an exclusive 85-point quality inspection process, operates certified service departments, and encourages a relaxed atmosphere that emphasizes personalized customer service. Early success allowed Auction Direct USA to open additional stores in Raleigh, N.C. and Jacksonville, Fla. over the next two years. More locations are in the planning stages.

F...

Blogging is something that is often misunderstood or misused.  Blog is short for "weblog" the the original premise was that of an online diary which could be shared openly with the world or only with selected individuals.  Now people use them for many different purposes.  SEO, attracting clients and customers, activism, news or anything else they want to publish.  The purposes and applications are endless.
Companies are using blogs to attract new customers.  We have even observed website vendors using them as their primary marketing portals.  They allow you to get your word out in a very permissive fashion and their ease of search engine optimizations is child's play.
Just recently one of our blogger's here at DrivingSalescom had a national media source, US News and World Report, reach out to her because her blog was easy to find and gave the reporter from this venue the information they were looking for in preperation for an article about the recent automotive credit crunch. ...

It’s an honor this week to present Eric Miltsch, IT and web director for Auction Direct USA, with a brand new iPhone 3G.  Eric’s winning strategy - “Drive Traffic, Lead Conversion and Units Sold; Guest Engagement,” strikes at the heart of what so many of us are trying to achieve every day.  Relevant, proven, tactical – Eric’s Strategy is right in the wheelhouse of what DrivingSales Strategies are all about, so it’s no wonder it got such an overwhelming response from our members. In addition to being the IT and web director at AuctionDirect, Eric is an active member and blogger on DrivingSales.  He brings a unique perspective to reaching consumers online using many forms of social media, including networking platforms, which he blogs about in his company blog - WhyBuyUsedCars.com, in addition to his Eric Miltsch Blog on DrivingSales.com. This week I caught up with Eric in between his super busy schedule at the store to notify him of his win and to learn more...

Only 25% of your of your websites search engine presence is determined by your on site efforts.  The other 75% is determined by the number of votes it gets from other sites, back links.  However the 25% factor may make a huge difference on how effective the other 75% is and how long it takes to see results.Key elements to be concerned with on site.Meta DataMeta tags tell the search engines what users will find when they arrive at your site.  Think of it as how your site is cataloged in their index.Page title: This is the most important element.  The title is what describes what your page is all about very much like a book title.  It is also what people see in the search engines in the results pages and in the browser bar.  It gets more weight than anything from the search engines when they index your sitePage description: It is a summary of your page and is what shows for a description of your site under your title in some of the search engines.  It i...