Unbounce co-founder and 2018 DSES keynote Oli Gardner discusses the importance of look and feel to your website's credibility. And it's not black and white. He mentions words like "feel" and "trust".

How does your website feel? Do you have items on your homepage that build trust?

Company now counts 30 patents in its portfolio, with latest patent covering Kahu connected car solution for dealers

 IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 27, 2018—The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Spireon, the vehicle intelligence company, a patent for its technology approach to managing an automotive dealership’s vehicle inventory by pairing a tracking device to a vehicle. Patent number 10,089,598, “Methods and Apparatus for Monitoring and Control of Electronic Devices,” covers the technology used in Kahu, Spireon’s connected car solution built for dealers. This is the 30th patent secured by Spireon for advanced connected vehicle technologies.

“As a technology leader, our intellectual property is critically important to protect, not just for Spireon but also for the many customers who rely on our solutions to run their businesses,” said Kevin Weiss, Spireon CEO. “With this patent, dealers and dealer groups who choose Kahu can be assured they are getting leading-edge technology from an innovative company who will be a long-term partner.”

Kahu’s patented technology allows franchise auto dealers to improve operational efficiency, sales effectiveness, service retention and customer satisfaction scores. By connecting vehicles to Spireon’s award-winning NSpire platform, Kahu gives dealers and dealer groups the visibility they need to effectively manage lots, service customers and improve the bottom line. Specific use cases supported by the patented technology include:

·Providing location and battery health information for every vehicle across one or more dealerships, including monitoring and reporting of vehicles with low battery charge

·The ability to search and find vehicles using a partial vehicle identification number (VIN), across multiple dealer inventories

·Managing low power behavior of a device

·Device tamper detection and disconnected battery alerts

·Managing lifecycle and inventory of tracking devices

·Integration with a Dealer Management System (DMS) to transfer a device from a dealer to a consumer account

“Innovation, coupled with reliability, ease of use and a flexible architecture to evolve as our customers’ needs change, is what sets Spireon apart,” said Rick Gruenhagen, chief technology officer at Spireon. “We’re extremely proud of our growing patent portfolio, which also includes 16 pending patent applications, as it demonstrates our team’s focus on bringing cutting edge solutions to every market we serve.”

To see the full list of Spireon’s patented products, please visit: https://www.spireon.com/spireon-patents/.

To learn more about Kahu, visit: https://www.spireon.com/kahu/

About Spireon

Spireon, Inc. is North America’s leading connected vehicle intelligence company, providing businesses and consumers with powerful insights to track, manage and protect their most valuable mobile assets. The award-winning Spireon NSpire platform supports nearly 4 million active subscribers across the company’s growing suite of products for new and used car dealers, lenders and financial institutions, rental car agencies, commercial and local fleet operators, and consumers. Learn more at www.spireon.com.  

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (November 26, 2018) – Chatham Parkway Toyota and Subaru recently raised more than $7,100 throughout the month of October to benefit American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. 

“We are proud to rally behind this cause that effects so many women – and men – in our community,” said Kurtis Johnson, General Manager of Chatham Parkway Toyota.  “We are thankful to our customers, those who donated, and all who contributed by signing our Wall of Hope to inspire those fighting this disease.”

The Wall of Hope, filled with messages of hope to those fighting breast cancer signed at the dealership, will be donated to the Greater Savannah Area Breast Cancer Support Group.  The Wall of Hope will travel to locations of their monthly meetings to lend added support. 

The month-long campaign included a sales drive, whereby a portion of sales benefitted the charity, pink themes and décor throughout each dealership, the opportunity to sign the Wall of Hope, a presence at the Making Strides Walk and a Spooktacular Trunk or Treat event. 

For more information visit www.CPToyota.com or www.CPSubaru.com.

Where is local search headed? 2018 DSES keynote Darren Shaw discusses how Google is approaching local search and how it may be a good opportunity for Fixed Ops.

Conference Educates Real Estate, Auto, Insurance & Mortgage Professionals on Social Media and Digital Marketing Innovation; Takes Place Jan. 17, 2019 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL

 Miami, Fla. — Nov. 16, 2018 — Highly successful serial entrepreneur and VaynerX Chairman Gary Vaynerchuk, along with his digital agency VaynerMedia, have just announced an impressive lineup of speakers for the second annual Agent2021, a one-day conference educating real estate, auto, insurance and mortgage agents and brokers about social media and digital marketing innovation.

The list of initial speakers includes Matt Higgins, investor on the ABC show “Shark Tank,” Miami Dolphins vice chairman, and co-founder/CEO of RSE Ventures, a private investment firm that incubates and invests in companies across sports and entertainment, food and lifestyle, media and marketing, and technology. Higgins will participate in the event’s opening fireside chat with Vaynerchuk on Jan. 17 at 8:30 a.m. on the field of Hard Rock Stadium.

Additional speakers include Patty Arvielo, president and co-founder of New American Funding, Gabrielle Garrison, client solutions manager with Facebook; Brad Auerbach, head of Industry, Insurance with Facebook; Ryan Huff, research analyst with Twitter; John Fitzpatrick, president & CEO of Force Marketing & Helix Technologies; Molly McKinley, VP of Marketing, First; Dave Dickman, CEO of Tagger Media; Nicolle Lamb, VP of Production, Dealer Inspire; Pat Kinsel, CEO of Notarize; Denise Casagrande, VP of Marketing, PCG Companies; Dan Moore, president of VistaDash; Andrew Tai, CEO of MotoInsight; Marina Kitgor, regional vice president, Factual; Ace Watanasuparp, VP of Residential Lending, Citizens Bank; Raj Qasar, CEO/owner of the Boutique Real Estate Group; Douglas Jones, managing partner of JAG Insurance Group; Chelsea Peitz, national director of social sales for FNF; Jason Frazier, founder & CEO of The Agent Marketer; Darin Lynch, founder & CEO, Irish Titan; and Bradley Flowers, co-host of the Insurance Guys Podcast.

Speakers from VaynerMedia include Vaynerchuk; Justine Bloome, chief strategy officer; Steve Babcock, chief creative officer; Jeff Nicholson, chief media officer; Lindsay Blum, VP of VaynerTalent; Matt Guerin, VP of Partnerships; Avery Durnan, VP of Media; Jon Morgenstern, VP of Paid Media; David Cortes, VP of Integrated Strategy; and Robbie Deeks, director of Ecommerce Revenue.

The one-of-a-kind conference, which attracts attendees from across the U.S., will feature in-depth information about digital media’s most powerful tools, platforms and tactics. Ticket holders will attend keynotes, panels, and networking sessions focused around actionable advice to grow their businesses, presented by some of the real estate, auto, insurance, and mortgage industries’ most innovative business leaders and brands. Industry panel topics have been released on the event website and include sessions on personal branding, content marketing, digital lead generation, influencer marketing, and much more.

“Having Matt Higgins on board for year two is super fun for me,” said Vaynerchuk. “As a CEO and entrepreneur, Matt has walked the walk and it will be fun to hear him share his successes and challenges to a group of like-minded business executives that love the grind as much as he does. He will drop a ton of knowledge ― I’m excited.”

“We’ve just announced a rock-star lineup of speakers from Facebook, Twitter, RSE Ventures, Citizens Bank, Tagger Media, New American Funding, Notarize, Factual, JAG Insurance Group, and Fidelity National Financial,” adds Kim Garcia, senior vice president of VaynerExperience. “Attendees will benefit immensely from their deep industry knowledge and success in the space. We’ll also have a significant presence from VaynerMedia’s leadership team, who will teach attendees many of the same strategies and tactics we deploy for our Fortune 500 clients.”

VaynerMedia is also proud to announce a partnership with Cole Information, which will engage event attendees through a cabana on the main field of the stadium. Cole Information is a market leader in hyper-local marketing solutions for small to medium sized businesses, specializing in industries including insurance, real estate and mortgage. At the event, attendees will learn how Cole Information’s data technology and integration partnerships are invaluable tools for filling their sales lead channels.

General Admission ticket holders will kick off the conference with a welcome reception on the evening of Jan. 16, while VIP buyers will have access to a private Q&A-style dinner with Vaynerchuk. The conference on Jan. 17 will open with a fireside chat featuring Vaynerchuk and Higgins, and then segue into industry breakout panel discussions led by notable speakers. Those who purchase videographer passes in addition to their general admission or VIP tickets will have the ability to bring a videographer to shadow them throughout the day and capture their experience.

Agent2021 will take place on Jan. 17, 2019, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. on the field of Hard Rock Stadium. Hard Rock Stadium is located at 347 Don Shula Drive, Miami Gardens, FL 33056. Partner hotels for the event are located in Hollywood, and include CIRC Hotel in Hollywood; Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (attendees can use discount code “GAGE19”); and theMargaritaville Beach Resort.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://agent2021.com/. For press inquiries, please email agent2021@dureeandcompany.com.

Editor’s Note: Media interested in attending Agent2021 can submit a formal request to agent2021@dureeandcompany.com for consideration by Monday, Dec. 3. Press badges are limited and all requests are subject to verification. Approved media will be notified no later than Monday, Dec. 17.

About VaynerExperience

Agent2021 is developed and produced by VaynerExperience. Launched in 2017, VaynerExperience is the live events and brand partnerships division of VaynerMedia. We specialize in finding underpriced attention, understanding emerging trends, and capitalizing on cultural moments through owned-and-operated events (including Agent2021 and VoiceCon), built-for-social experiences and B2B activations at industry conferences. For more information, visit vaynermedia.com/service/vaynerexperience/. Follow the conversation on Instagram@vaynerexperience, at Facebook @VaynerExperience and on Twitter @VaynerExperience.

About VaynerMedia

VaynerMedia is a full-service digital agency built for the now. We partner with clients to drive business outcomes with best-in-class modern video production, media planning & distribution, influencer marketing, Google & Alexa voice services, and everything in between.

Curate and compare a selection of vehicles to further enhance the car buying experience

LOS ANGELES (November 13, 2018) – Today, RelayCars, the virtual reality automotive research experience that puts consumers in the driver’s seat of thousands of vehicles, announced the launch of RelayCars 8. RelayCars 8, features the new RelayCars Garage, an immersive showroom which allows car shoppers and car dealers to select, save and compare a personally curated selection of vehicles.

“With the incorporation of RelayCars Garage, we aim to further enhance the car buying experience by allowing customers to compare their car selection side-by-side and make better informed purchase decisions,” said David Falstrup, RelayCars CEO. “This newest addition to our app is bringing us one step closer to providing users the ability to complete their entire market research virtually, before ever entering a dealership.”

The newly added ‘Saved Search’ allows users to find the vehicles they are looking for quickly and easily, backed by significant enhancements to app performance and stability.

The new RelayCars Garage update will run alongside all of the great features that RelayCars users have come to know.  The RelayCars VR library includes top-of-the-line technology and almost every car and truck on the market since 2015, including exotics, sedans, full-size trucks, hybrids and more. Users have the most up-to-date views of the latest cars in a realistic environment. Models can be viewed by interiors and exteriors and in full 360° stereo.

RelayCars is also able to aid dealers and OEM product managers with the selling process, product design, training and more. The application is available for free now on iOS, Android, Oculus Go, Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR, Microsoft VR and soon-to-be Magic Leap.

About RelayCars®

Featuring the most expansive and high-quality VR automotive library on the market, RelayCars is a virtual reality suite of apps that allow both enterprise and general consumer users to explore the interior and exterior of thousands of different vehicles via smart phone, tablet, web or VR headset. The app is available for free on iOS, Android, Oculus Go, Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR and Microsoft MR. RelayCars is the sister-company of EVOX Images, a company best known for providing rapid, large-scale global image creation solutions on demand with a focus on automotive VR and 360 images. For more information on RelayCars, please visit www.relaycars.com or follow RelayCars on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.

2018 DSES keynote speaker Oli Gardner discussed the importance of clarity on your website. 

How can you make sure your website is organized clearly? What are some tips you have to make sure a web visitor gets what they're looking for?

2018 DSES keynote Jay Acunzo sat down with us and discussed effective marketing in a noise world.

This is a guest post from Brian Finkelmeyer, Senior Director of Business Development of vAuto.  He'll be speaking at the 2018 DrivingSales Executive Summit on Winning the Zero Sum Game in New Cars.

Today’s retail new car business is beginning to look more like a game of poker than the actual car business.

In 2016, Automotive News reported that the collective annual sales objectives for every manufacture in the US was 21M, but the actual SAAR was only 17.5M.  I once heard the annual sales objective-setting process referred to as “smoking the drapes” inside the corporate office.

I don’t entirely blame the car companies; their job is to impress shareholders by growing market share. They accomplish this by enticing their Dealer body to stretch for higher and higher sales volumes.

The problem is, often these objectives are calculated in a financial fantasy world and not based on the realities of the marketplace.

Over the last five years, New Car Dealers have become increasingly reliant upon manufactures for their financial success.  According to NADA this year, 90 percent of the income captured in the Net Adds account on a Dealer’s financial statement is factory bonus money.  To win this pot of gold, Dealers have no choice but to literally “go for broke” to achieve their aggressive monthly sales targets.

Polk data highlights that on average, approximately 40 percent of a Dealer’s monthly sales comes from their owner base, which means the other 60 percent is generated with conquest sales. 

In my workshop at the DrivingSales Executive Summit, Dealers will learn key conquesting tactics for attracting customers from outside their local market area.  A Dealer’s ability to effectively conquest will have a very strong correlation to the number of “Pots and Size of the Pots” they win.  This will remain true, as long as the new car game is being played out like the World Series of Poker.

Media Contact

Brian Spittler

Communications Director, Podium

brian.spittler@podium.com