MONTEREY, CA -- the Cardinale-Group of companies is pleased to announce that Jennifer Briggs has been named Director | Dealer Strategy of ZMOT Auto, effective immediately. In this role, Ms. Briggs will provide ‘Dealer to Dealer’ leadership of digital retail integration and performance management to ZMOT dealer clients within the United States, Canada and Mexico.

With more than 13 years of professional leadership experience in retail sales, marketing, operations and finance, Jennifer is sure to provide ZMOT Auto dealer clients with remarkable guidance and success throughout their entire digital strategy.

“On behalf of our entire group, we are very pleased that Jennifer has chosen to join our ZMOT Auto team. We have watched her career flourish over the past many years, and we appreciate her tenacity, decisiveness and bold vision of continuous improvement within the automotive retail industry”, said Erich K. Gail, COO of the Cardinale-Group of companies and CEO of ZMOT Auto. “We know Jennifer to be a visionary and proactive leader with our fellow dealers, and we are confident she will lend outstanding guidance and support to ZMOT Auto’s integrated retail solutions.”

As a featured member of the automotive sales, marketing and performance improvement community in the United States, Jennifer’s passion for excellence and commitment to precision have earned her repeated awards and acknowledgements, including most recently being named to the Automotive News ’40 under 40’ class of 2015.

“With a career built and fueled on the showroom floor, I am thrilled to join the Cardinale-Group and ZMOT Auto family team.  Because I keep my eye on all things progressive, I have had the opportunity to witness the evolution of the Cardinale-Group companies over the last few years.  I was impressed by both the automotive group’s rise to now #4 on the WardsAuto eDealer 100 as well as the creation of ZMOT.  Their family-team culture and commitment to ‘Outstanding Relationships’ is something I admire and find inspiring”, Briggs said. “I’m proud to be a part of this group and excited to serve and support our internal and external dealers.”

About Cardinale-Group of companies

The Cardinale-Group of companies consist of: the Cardinale Automotive Group (http://www.CardinaleWay.com), with 17 retail automotive locations throughout California and Arizona; ZMOT Automotive Digital Velocity (http://www.ZMOTauto.com ), integrated and weaponized digital retail performance solutions for automotive dealers within the United States, Canada and Mexico; and Cardinale AG Vehicle Supply – North America (http://www.CardinaleAG.com ), providing vehicle supply, acquisition, transportation and risk management services to automotive manufacturers for use in sales training ride & drive events, consumer marketing campaigns, engineering and product development initiatives.

For more information, visit http://www.Cardinale-Group.com

About ZMOT Auto

ZMOT Auto (a member of the Cardinale-Group of companies) was created by dealers for dealers and is recognized as the only digital-partner managed by active dealers. ZMOT is best known for providing tailor-designed digital sales solutions, 1:1 sales attribution and regional exclusivity for automotive dealerships within the United Stated, Canada and Mexico. ZMOT targets and delivers a buyer direct to the client-dealership through an integrated digital strategy focused on a ‘zero moment’ buyer action.  To learn more about a ‘zero moment’ solution, visit www.ZMOTauto.com.

LA CROSSE, WI – DealerVault is proud to announce the newest members of its Premier Network – Dealer Addendums, Friendemic, ROITrak, and Spiffit.

DealerVault’s Premier Network allows third-party solution providers to actively support dealerships’ desire to take back control of their data. This platform creates a win-win for vendors and dealerships alike. Dealerships are empowered with control over their data while utilizing the DealerVault tool at no charge, and Premier Vendors are able to actively support this desired effort. DealerVault is excited to have Dealer Addendums, Friendemic, ROITrak, and Spiffit join them in their endeavor to revolutionize the automotive industry by putting dealerships back in control of their data.

“I would like to personally welcome Dealer Addendums, Friendemic, ROITrak, and Spiffit to the DealerVault Premier Network, and highly commend their courage in embracing transparency and dealer control in data movement. We thank these industry leaders for joining in the industry revolution, and we anticipate the support these optimal partnerships will provide for the industry as a whole. Welcome to the DealerVault Premier Network!” commented Stephen Cottrell, President and CEO of DealerVault.

About Dealer Addendums: DealerAddendums.com is an online subscription based service that allows car dealerships to easily and affordably print customized, accurate and professionally branded New Vehicle Addendums and used Vehicle Buyers Guides and Info Sheets. Addendums are automatically stored online so that dealers can link directly to them from their website. Integrating with DealerVault provides clients with faster and more accurate inventory data which enhances value to dealership clients. 

About Friendemic: Friendemic provides social media marketing and reputation management software and services for hundreds of automotive clients across the nation. Their focus on engagement helps build the brands of their clients and promote conversations that drive their clients’ bottom line. Integrating Friendemic with DealerVault will provide social engagement through daily emails to solicit positive reviews for their clients’ customers. 

About ROITrak: ROITrak is a cutting-edge software-as-a-service which provides automobile dealerships the ability to analyze, measure, and optimize all of their marketing efforts to derive a true return on investment for every dollar spent. Integrating ROITrak with DealerVault will give dealers a tool to allow them to see which advertising sources are working, which aren’t, and which need modification.

About Spiffit: Spiffit – The Incentive Dashboard. Use Spiffit to build, launch, manage, measure, report-on and fulfill Spiff programs for Sales, Service and F&I. Integrating with DealerVault enables automatic updates and reporting. Drive your people to focus on profitable products and services to reach a higher level of performance!

About DealerVault:

DealerVault is the first cloud-based system designed to empower dealerships with control over the syndication and distribution of their DMS data. Its’ easy to use, web-based platform allows dealerships to quickly setup, view, and modify DMS data feeds. DealerVault provides dealerships with a solution to all pressing issues including security, compliance, and the indemnification of a $20 million cyber liability policy. For more information, visit http://www.dealervault.com or call 877-834-2451.

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Media Contact

Kelly Flint, Marketing Manager

608.793.1282

marketing@authenticom.com

Creative investment opportunities recognized at auto industry’s first innovation and investor conference; SRO conference, packed with investors, dealerships & PE firms, reviewed over 20 start-ups representing the best of the auto industry’s future

Salt Lake City, UT –November 3, 2015 – Twenty-two of the top young companies shaping the future of the automotive industry came together last month to compete for investment dollars at the AutoVentures conference in Las Vegas.  Friendemic’s innovative dealership social media strategies; Nuve’s anti-fuel and cargo theft device, and PartPic’s visual-recognition parts-finding app took conference top honors for most innovative and likely to succeed ideas as voted on by the standing room-only audience of automotive private equity firms, automotive vendor business development teams and progressive dealers and groups.  AutoVentures was co-produced by DrivingSales and Fraser McCombs Capital.

Additional companies earning recognition were DealerHQ, DealerSync, Mechanic Advisor, NuPark, and Showroom Logic.

“Rapidly changing consumer behavior, accelerating technology change and an explosion of investor interest in Automotive have created huge opportunities for positive disruption in our industry…and nowhere was this more evident than in the compelling businesses who took the floor at the first ever AutoVentures conference,” said DrivingSales Founder and CEO Jared Hamilton.  “We firmly believe that innovation is best advanced by collaboration between entrepreneurs and the existing automotive community, which is what the AutoVentures conference is all about.”

Tony Rimas, managing partner of Fraser McCombs Capital, sees automotive investing at a turning point.  “Historically, the automotive sector has both been under-funded and has lacked mentors for young companies to help them navigate the structural and regulatory peculiarities of the industry,” said Rimas.  “AutoVentures was designed to fill this void.”

Co-presented by DrivingSales with Fraser McCombs Capital, AutoVentures offers a focus on automotive, with guidance and expertise from industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs; access to capital, as well as influential early adopter customers, and unique investment opportunities through a companion angel fund managed by crowd funder MicroVentures. 

Businesses presented included models that uniquely leverage the sharing economy in automotive - from car rental to roadside assistance to taxis; mobile-based on-demand innovations - from car parking to auto parts purchasing; and dealership-focused models from streamlining the trade-in process, non-OEM vehicle certification, and monitoring driving behavior for spot-on risk management, to new social media strategies and inventive ways for auto dealerships to improve supply chain management, the customer experience and dealer management processes.

“We could not be more excited about helping connect these exciting businesses with the dollars that will nurture them into the future,” continued Hamilton.  “It was challenging to pick the top idea as every single presenter offered something fresh and compelling. Congratulations to each of our AutoVentures innovators and especially to the winners and runners up.”

Twenty-two companies were selected to present from 160 candidates.  The presenting companies were divided into three groups – Early, Mid and Late Stage - and had five minutes to share their business case, followed by questions from a panel of auto/investment industry experts. The audience of investors and auto industry leaders voted for the companies they believed offered the most innovative ideas with the greatest potential for success.

The AutoVentures Start-Up Competition Winners and Runner’s Up are as follows:

Early Stage

Winner:

PartPic: Simplifies the search and purchase of replacement parts using visual recognition technology

Runners Up:

RedCap: Delivers a seamless and branded experience to customers who prefer to work with you off-site, from test drives to service

DealerHQ: Provides dealers with a single customizable portal for the dozens of web applications used on a daily basis and provides real-time oversight of vendors

Mid-Stage

Winner:

Nuve: Utilizes sensors and anti-siphoning devices to prevent fuel and cargo theft across fleets

Runners Up:

DealerSync: One-stop solution for dynamic websites designed around the process and daily needs of independent dealers

NuPark: Leverages license plate recognition (LPR) technology to revolutionize the everyday management of parking operations

Late-Stage

Winner:

Friendemic: Social engagement & brand building, reputation management, and social analytics for the dealer audience

Runners Up:

Mechanic Advisor: Full service marketing platform built for repair shops

Showroom Logic: Market share optimization tool that allows dealers drive efficiency

As part of the AutoVentures program, MicroVentures is administering an angel fund portfolio investors can participate in, as well as enabling investors to build their own portfolio with investments in any of the companies participating in the program. 

Sponsors:

Charter sponsors included Autobytel, CDK Global, DealerSocket, and Reynolds & Reynolds. Program sponsors included Cars.com, Autotrader, Edmunds, Gubagoo and Truecar.

AutoVentures Presenting Companies:

Bandwagon, Carbuyer, CFS, DealerHQ, DealerSync, eSupply, FlexDrive, Friendemic,  Ivox,  Mechanic Advisor, NuPark, Nuve, PartPic, Redcap,  Reviver, Showroom Logic , Silvercar, SureSale, , TheAppraisalLane, and The Zebra

For more information about AutoVentures go to http://autoventures.drivingsales.com

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales serves automotive retailers with an integrated suite of technology, knowledge, community and performance insight designed to advance the success of retail professionals and their dealerships. Founded by a third-generation car dealer in 2008, today DrivingSales is utilized by two-thirds of franchised dealerships in North America as a resource to improve their business performance. 

To learn more about the DrivingSales community, news, dealer education or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com,

About Fraser McCombs Capital

Fraser McCombs Capital (FMC) is a leading, automotive focused venture capital firm.  Founded in 2012, by an automotive entrepreneur and a longtime automotive investor, FMC has roots in the automotive sector going back decades across all three tiers of the industry.  FMC was created to bring capital and mentorship to the underserved automotive startup marketplace, where traditional venture capital firms refused to participate. 

FMC looks to invest in new technologies and business models within the automotive vertical.  By leveraging their deep knowledge base, they are able to find connections between key players in the sector on behalf of their portfolio of companies.  To learn more about Fraser McCombs Capital and their portfolio, please visit fmcap.com.  

DrivingSales Media Relations:
Melanie Webber (melanie(at)mwebbcom(dot)com), mWEBB Communications, 424.603.4340
Crystal Hartwell (crystal(at)mwebbcom(dot)com), mWEBB Communications, 714.987.1016

PALO ALTO, CA, November 2, 2015 – The most productive reconditioning department runs like an assembly line, using defined processes, timed steps, and streamlined communications to produce more output, eliminate waste, and get buyers looking at cars online and on the lot five to 10 days sooner, notes Dennis McGinn, CEO of Rapid Recon time-to-market reconditioning workflow software. 

Cutting even five days from this process flows directly to gross, according to NCM Associates, who through its 20 Group clients and moderator experts cites average dealership daily holding cost at $32 per vehicle, based on franchise and market area, says Paul Faletti, Jr. president and CEO of NCM Associates. 

In other words, if a dealer’s average recon cycle is eight to 10 days, reducing it to a five-day cycle adds $96 to $160 in gross margin per vehicle retailed. 

“Holding costs erode used car margins, so a faster time to market means more profitable used car operations,” McGinn says. 

He offered these five tips to help used car and fixed operations managers work together more productively and shorten time-to-market: 

1. Speed repair approvals: Improving communication between recon and the used car manager can reduce bottlenecks. Inability to get a work order approved by the used car manager can delay start of work from a few minutes to a few hours or more.
2. Set spend preapprovals: Giving recon some level of authority to proceed with needed work without used car manager approval can keep work flowing uninterrupted. Consider assigning repair dollar “buckets” for vehicles of varying mileage – low, medium, high -- based on the mileage and repair averages of the vehicles you recon.
3. Structure phase times: Set a time frame for accomplishing specific types of work. Vary times based on the condition of the vehicle. Monitor times and hold staff accountable for adhering to them.
4. Compensate for vehicle completion time, not per vehicle: Focus compensation on a production-based measurement. A specified completion time window per vehicle will stimulate parties involved to work smarter and harder to move units through recon in fewer days. Consider spiffs for meeting goals; when considering spiffs, remember the larger picture – reducing holding costs, and turns that improve gross.
5. Equip for quality and manage by clock: Make no allowance for less quality work, but beware of tendencies to over-condition. The additional recon cost is rarely recouped and often contributes little to the vehicle’s sales-ability. Pay attention to visuals such as dings and dents, scuffed wheels, glass and other elements that attract buyers’ notice before any mechanical issues might. 

In any market, time to market is critical. Dealership managers ignore time’s impact on profitability at a high price to the dealership. 

Rapid Recon is the leading time-to-market reconditioning software for new and used car dealerships. Rapid Recon benchmarks and best practices help GMs, used car managers and service managers fine-tune their reconditioning practices to achieve faster time to market that helps retain vehicle gross. www.rapidrecon.com

Timonium, MD -- November 2nd, 2015-- Helion Automotive Technologies, a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions for auto dealers, announced today the release of a free eBook for auto dealers, titled: Don't Get Cyber-Clobbered! Cyber Crimes Happen to Auto Dealerships Without Warning. Are You Prepared? The eBook shares recent data and examples of the growing number of "hack attacks" that threaten customer data at auto dealerships nationwide. The eBook also presents a series of "good, better and best" security defenses that auto dealers can implement to ensure their data--and money--stay safe.

"One cyber attack that successfully steals customer information from a DMS database can cost a dealership anywhere from one hundred thousand up to a couple million dollars," said Erik Nachbahr, President and CEO of Helion Automotive Technologies. "Dealers are struggling with security because the type of threats that exist are so numerous and change so rapidly that it's almost impossible to keep up."

Most cyber attacks occur when an outside entity hacks through the dealership's perimeter network. Outdated equipment, insufficient firewall protection and weak connections all contribute to an increased likelihood that a dealership will be targeted. Cyber attacks also occur when a dealership employee grants access to to a cyber thief; most times unwittingly, but an estimated 11 percent of insider attacks are committed by malicious employees. 

Once network access is granted, cyber thieves target the following:

• Information contained in deal jackets
• Service Repair Orders (ROs)
• Access to customers' credit reports, credit card numbers, social security numbers, copies of drivers' licenses and vehicle insurance cards
• Customer bank account and routing numbers
• Dealership bank account and routing numbers
• Access to copiers and scanners that contain thousands of stored digital documents

“It’s not a matter of if we’ll get hacked, but when,” said Chip Doetsch, President of Apple Ford-Lincoln in Columbia, Maryland. “If that happens without something to stop the loss of my customers’ personal data, that’s a multimillion-dollar problem I can’t predict."

Helion's eBook presents "good, better and best" security defenses that auto dealers can implement to ensure the protection of their customers' data.

"Many dealers have not made security a top priority; it's one of those things that isn't a problem until it's a problem...and then quickly becomes a nightmare," said Nachbahr. "The goal of this eBook is to convey what a serious and growing threat this is, and to help dealers prevent the nightmare."

Click here to download a copy of Helion's free eBook, Don't Get Cyber-Clobbered! Cyber Crimes Happen to Auto Dealerships Without Warning. Are You Prepared?

About Helion Automotive Technologies

Helion...Putting Your Dealership in the FAST LANE! Helion Automotive Technologies is a leading IT solutions provider, providing auto dealers with faster, more efficient networks and secure data protection. From managed services to IT assistance and service desk help, Helion offers both short-term IT fixes and long-term planning so dealers can focus on what matters most: selling more cars. Helion has specialized in IT for more than ten years and works with 650+ auto dealers nationwide. Dealers can request a free assessment of their IT needs at www.heliontechnologies.com.

VirtualDeal from DealerSuccess selected by auto dealers as Most Innovative Dealership Solution at seventh annual DrivingSales Executive Summit

Vancouver, WA and Salt Lake City, UT – October 28, 2015 – VirtualDeal has been named the winner of the 2015 DrivingSales Innovation Cup Award for the Most Innovative Dealership Solution of 2015.  VirtualDeal was selected by a panel of dealers from a competitive field of dealership solutions from over 60 applications, marking it the most competitive year-to-date. The award was presented in Las Vegas on October 20th at the sold-out DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES) attended by over 1,000 dealers and industry professionals

“I am very fortunate to work with such a great team at VirtualDeal and delighted that dealers have chosen VirtualDeal as the Most Innovative Dealership Solution,” said Joe Orr, DealerSuccess CEO. “I have seen firsthand that this technology produces results like nothing else and mainly because of massive consumer demand. I know all of the questions. Will I lose profit on the front-end or the back-end? Can a deal really be finalized – payment perfect – online so that all that remains is the test drive? How does this benefit my dealership? Well, with VirtualDeal, our dealer partners enjoy a nice increase in website leads without any additional traffic and a much higher percent of shown appointments close -- I have never seen any customer adoption like this in my 35-year career. Working a deal with a customer at home is definitely a new skillset – but after you really look at it and look at our training offering, I think you will agree that you will pick up market share by using VirtualDeal. It is a vital tool in building consumer confidence and trust. VirtualDeal also helps build that human relationship that, in our opinion, will never be replaced by cold mechanical solutions.”

VirtualDeal is an Online Deal Creator for the consumer that uses an innovative perfect payment DMS-integrated technology. Auto dealers are currently getting up to an additional 46 percent of website leads with VirtualDeal and closing a much higher percentage of the shown appointments. It is a simple plug-in to an auto dealership’s existing website and works as follows:  A customer can select a vehicle, click the VirtualDeal button and complete their entire deal from home. Customers are able to get multiple lease/payment options, trade value, financing and fees, and reserve their vehicle for up to 24 hours. VirtualDeal creates perfect payments that both the dealer and consumer can get behind and has an integrated customer follow-up system with full accountability reporting. Direct DMS integration allows for deal push and accurate ROI.

“I feel that some OEMs may be moving towards a mechanical online buying solution; taking the dealer out of the selling equation and making them just a delivery business --  to the point where the consumer  may just show up for the delivery. Whereas, VirtualDeal builds and supports the dealer/consumer relationship while giving the consumers/dealers/OEM’s exactly what they want. Built by dealers for dealers. That’s the beauty of the balance that VirtualDeal provides,” Orr added.

Quietly pilot tested, enhanced and improved over the past 8 years, VirtualDeal has been found to produce profit margins on the front and back that are better than Internet web leads, with a significantly higher closing ratio. With VirtualDeal, customers can engage in a private message conversation with a dealership’s deal manager and it’s so mobile friendly that both the customer and the deal manager can work the entire deal from home -- risk free. Customers can receive up to 9 payment and down payment options on a buy or a lease, trade in offers, and a full disclosure. Perfect payment retail and lease proposals allow dealers to work a real deal with the customer. All that’s left is the test drive. Then, the customer bypasses the showroom and simply completes the finance offerings and signs, greatly reducing their time at the dealership.                    

“Each year the Innovation Cup Award identifies the dealership solutions that are destined to push our industry forward -- and by those who understand what our industry needs the most, its progressive auto dealers,” said DrivingSales Founder and CEO Jared Hamilton.  “We congratulate DealerSuccess for winning the 2015 Innovation Cup Award in a tough competition among an excellent field of solutions.”

VirtualDeal was one of five innovative solutions selected by dealers to present onstage at the 2015 DrivingSales Executive Summit. A panel of dealer judges asked questions of each presenter and then scored each product. VirtualDeal received the highest score to win the DrivingSales Innovation Cup Award for “Most Innovative Solution of 2015.”

The DrivingSales Executive Summit is where the most progressive dealers gather to collaborate and learn forward-thinking trends in automotive operations. DSES features world-renowned experts on marketing, technology and retail operations from inside and outside the industry, who provide the most valuable and actionable insights for today’s dealership professionals.  The DSES agenda is dealer-driven, ensuring the content is 100 percent focused on the needs of progressive dealers. 

For more information about the DrivingSales Executive Summit, visit: www.DrivingSalesExecutiveSummit.com or contact christina.devore@drivingsales.com.

About DealerSuccess:

DealerSuccess is a team of inspired and passionate automotive executives, dealership Internet directors and professional marketers that seek out, research, test and launch revolutionary automotive products that have the potential to evolve and disrupt automotive for both the consumer and DealerSuccess’ auto dealer partners.

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is the industry’s leading resource for automotive dealership professionals to obtain actionable insight, education and connections to advance their careers and grow their businesses in a time of unprecedented market change.  Founded by a third-generation car dealer in 2008, today DrivingSales is utilized by two thirds of franchised dealerships in North America as a resource to improve their business performance. 

To learn more about the DrivingSales community, news, dealer education or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesNews.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

LA CROSSE, WI – Authenticom is pleased to announce the hiring of Jeffrey D. Brown, Senior Sales Executive. A long-time resident of the La Crosse Coulee Region, Jeff brings a wealth of sales experience in the automotive industry to the Authenticom Solutions Group. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Jeff Brown has been working in and outside of the automotive sales capacity for over 12 years. Brown spent over five years with AutoTrader.com as a Senior Advertising Sales Consultant, where he provided expert-level insights to dealer principals to help boost sales and improve ROI. He has also worked in roles calling on automotive and auction customers for industry giants such as Manheim, Cox Automotive and Cars.com to manage all aspects of dealer relationships and consult with decision-makers to analyze needs and effectively deliver value-added technology solutions.

Brad Korner, Vice President of Sales stated, “The Authenticom Solutions Group is elated to have Jeff join our team.  Jeff has a breadth of experience working with dealerships to improve their digital presence through inventory and display advertising as well as the streamlining of dealership DMS data for supporting additional applications.  Jeff’s background with these vendor partners and his understanding of the dealership retail business is a benefit to both our DealerVault Premier Delegates as well as our automotive dealership clients.”

About the Authenticom Solutions Group

The Authenticom Solutions Group is the leading essential source for dealer management system integration and enterprise-level data enhancement solutions for automotive marketing agencies, CRM systems, and third-party service providers. The company integrates with 200 dealer management systems and connects with over 20,000 automotive dealerships across North America to process over one billion records annually through a full suite of comprehensive Data Solutions. Authenticom is a privately-held corporation founded by Stephen Cottrell in 2002, and is headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin. (www.authenticom.com).

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Media Contact:
Kelly Flint - Marketing Manager
608.793.1282
marketing@authenticom.com

Albany, N.Y. – October 26th, 2015 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today the release of a free eBook titled "The Auto Dealer's Ten Step Guide to Hiring the Best Employees." The eBook reveals the bottom line costs associated with a bad hiring decision, and shares best practices to help auto dealers avoid common hiring mistakes so they can hire long-lasting, loyal employees.

In 2014 the average turnover rate for sales consultants in dealerships was 72 percent, while the average turnover rate for all employees in dealerships was 39 percent. In non-luxury dealerships, the average sales turnover rate skyrockets to 80 percent, according to the 2015 NADA Dealership Workforce Study. Additionally, 28 percent of all terminations happened within the first 90 days and 41 percent of sales turnover happened within 90 days.

"These statistics tell us that many dealers are making common hiring mistakes such as hiring too quickly, not having an established hiring process and not vetting candidates properly," said Dave Druzynski, Director of Human Resources with Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. "Many dealerships don't have a dedicated human resources professional on staff so they are not familiar with the techniques and tools available to help them establish a successful hiring process. Using this eBook as a guide, dealers can avoid making bad hiring decisions."

The eBook walks dealers through the following recommended steps to ensure better hiring decisions:

1) Create a detailed job description for each position

2) Define qualities necessary for a culture fit

3) Develop an exciting job advertisement

4) Have a marketing plan for your job openings

5) Source candidates

6) Create and stick to a hiring process

7) Hone your interviewing techniques

8) Set realistic expectations for candidates

9) Set realistic expectations internally

10) Vet all candidates (even if they seem perfect!)

In 2015 Auto/Mate ranked number one on the "Top Workplaces" list in the mid-size business category for the greater New York capital region. The list is compiled annually by Workplace Dynamics and the Times-Union, and this is the fourth year Auto/Mate has made the list. Additionally, Auto/Mate has been voted a "Best Place to Work" five years running by the Albany Business Review.

For more information or to download the free eBook "The Auto Dealer's Ten Step Guide to Hiring the Best Employees," visit http://www.automate.com/resources/ebooks/

About Auto/Mate

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is a leading provider of dealership management system (DMS) software to retail automotive dealerships, typically saving dealers thousands of dollars per month from their current provider. Our Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) is a user-friendly, feature-rich DMS in use by more than 1,100 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate has received the DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Award in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Auto/Mate’s employees have more than 940 years of combined experience working in franchised auto dealerships, the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car People^TM” slogan. Auto/Mate is committed to winning its customers’ business each and every month with no long-term contracts and free software upgrades. For more information follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS

Timonium, MD -- October 26th, 2015-- Helion Automotive Technologies, a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions for auto dealers, announced today that its president and CEO, Erik Nachbahr, will be presenting at the 11th annual Kain Automotive Clients & Friends Digital Success Workshop. In his session, "Invest Now, Save Later: Your I.T. Game Plan" Nachbahr will share the technologies that auto dealers should be prioritizing to ensure their IT networks are efficient and secure. The session is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10th at 4:25 p.m. EST.

"Dealerships conduct so much of their business on the Internet; from following up on Internet leads to OEM communications to banking, that any network downtime has a direct and negative impact on the bottom line," said Nachbahr. "When we visit dealerships we frequently encounter outdated equipment and switches, insufficient bandwidth and carriers that are overcharging for their services. In this session attendees will learn the most common IT spending mistakes and how to fix them."

Session attendees will take away the following:

• How to assess your current IT infrastructure; learn whether your corporate platform, wireless and security networks are adequate for your needs
• How to identify if you are overspending; learn how to analyze your carrier bills and learn the latest recommendations for continuous up-time
• How to assess whether your current IT network is secure against the growing threat of cyber-attacks

The Kain Automotive Client & Friends Digital Success Workshop showcases advanced processes, tactics, technology, digital marketing strategies and solutions for Internet/BDC operations. Workshop attendees will learn how to accelerate their Internet sales performance and build an Internet/ BDC operations blueprint.

The 11th annual Kain Automotive Clients & Friends Digital Success Workshop is being held Tuesday, November 10th through Thursday, November 12th in Lexington, Kentucky. For more information, contact Helion Technologies at 443.541.1500, or click here to register and use the promo code "Helion" to get a $200 discount.

About Helion Automotive Technologies

Helion...Putting Your Dealership in the FAST LANE! Helion Automotive Technologies is a leading IT solutions provider, providing auto dealers with faster, more efficient networks and secure data protection. From managed services to IT assistance and service desk help, Helion offers both short-term IT fixes and long-term planning so dealers can focus on what matters most: selling more cars. Helion has specialized in IT for more than ten years and works with 650+ auto dealers nationwide. Dealers can request a free assessment of their IT needs at www.heliontechnologies.com.

Downers Grove, IL, October 26, 2015 -- CreditMiner™, a cutting-edge data base company with unique credit focused capabilities, is pleased to announce a partnership with Flick Fusion, a provider of leading automotive video marketing solutions.

Flick Fusion will incorporate CreditMiner’s real-time soft credit pull technology into its dynamic online and mobile video platform. Flick Fusion’s video marketing platform will enable automotive dealerships who utilize CreditMiner’s products to dynamically engage a shopper directly from a Flick Fusion video. Thus creating additional exposure for CreditMiner’s application on the dealership’s website and potentially across additional touch-points, resulting in increased sales and ROI.

“Credit Miner’s complementary technology and non- intrusive credit capabilities are a great fit for our video solutions. The result will be impactful from the end customer’s perspective and will deliver more sales and profitability to our clients,” said Tim James, COO of Flick Fusion.

Ken Luna, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at CreditMiner concurred, “Our services go hand in hand,” he said. “A large portion of all internet traffic is video and we’re extremely excited to be partners with such a great company in this space."
 

About Flick Fusion:

Flick Fusion specializes in creating, managing, and distributing dynamic and cost-effective online and mobile video products to the Automotive Industry. Through its automated video marketing platforms, Flick Fusion offers the automotive industry's only “completely integrated” video solution that incorporates real-time rule/behavior based content, based upon a car shopper's activity and/or geo-location, dynamically through their video player.  Each video is designed to help dealerships reach, engage, and re-engage with customers, delivering increased sales and ROI. Flick Fusion produces video content for more than 3,000 dealerships and more than a dozen reseller partners. For more information, visit www.flickfusion.com.

About CreditMiner:

CreditMiner is the only vendor in the automotive space to offer true, real time soft credit pulls, that do not require a Social Security Number or Date of Birth. They also do not impact the prospect’s credit score. The new eBasis2 offering takes the prospect all the way from initial contact through financing without the SSN or DOB. Through its extensive partner base CreditMiner has over 9,000 dealers with access to its system.

For more information visit: www.ecreditminer.com .