Paul Johnson, a recognized automotive Internet visionary, brings strategic, operational and brand-building expertise to the recently launched LotLinx; joins Board line-up that includes former AOL, Google Automotive, Dealix and Autobytel executives

SAN FRANCISCO, November 4, 2013   -- LotLinx today announced the appointment of Paul Johnson to its board of directors. Johnson spent 13 years at Kelley Blue Book (KBB), leading the company’s transition from a traditional trade-publishing guide to a diversified technology-based information, media and market research company. Under Johnson’s leadership, KBB experienced nearly 700 percent growth in revenue and profits.

“No one in our industry understands what both consumers and dealers want in the automotive shopping process better than Paul – and delivering that experience is at the core of LotLinx’s mission,” said LotLinx Founder Len Short.  “Plus, Paul’s extensive background in building businesses and brands - including one of the best known and most trusted brands, anywhere online - across digital media, software and hardware services makes him an invaluable addition to our board.”

LotLinx launched this October with a mission to tear down the third-party wall between auto dealers and their customers by replacing lead forms on third-party sites with direct links that send consumers to a vehicle’s detail page (VDP) on the dealer’s website. LotLinx already powers 125+ automotive search sites, reaching over 85% of all auto shoppers.

“I’m thrilled to be working with a team that is dedicated to improving the online shopping experience for both dealers and consumers,” said Johnson. “I believe LotLinx’s goal of driving in-market shoppers directly to the dealer’s site, with no lead form in the middle, improves the user experience.  This results in greater conversion to sales, and it’s clear that LotLinx is already delivering increased ROI for dealers.” Johnson notes that dealerships using LotLinx have reported cost per unique shopper at $4 on average versus $25 or more for SEM.

The founder of Paul Conrad LLC, a private investment fund and advisory service for fast growth companies both on and offline, Johnson sits on the board or acts as an advisor for several companies, including Intellectual Technology, Inc., a developer of software and hardware solutions for state motor vehicle agencies, and Evox Images, supplier of digital imagery to auto manufacturers and dealers.

Johnson joins a prestigious Board of Directors for LotLinx, all of whom are automotive Internet visionaries in the search and lead space.  The board includes Len Short, Founder of LotLinx and former CMO of AOL; Mark Boyd, Co-founder of Chrome, who also played a key role in the acquisition of Dealix by Cobalt; Denise Chudy, former GM of the automotive group at Google; and Jim Riesenbach, former CEO of Autobytel Inc. and GM of AOL Search. 

About LotLinx

LotLinx is the auto industry's first direct-linking technology platform and connects over 6.5 million consumers searching vehicle inventory online every month directly to the dealership websites where that inventory resides. Founded by a team of veteran automotive and digital innovators, the company's mission is to tear down the third-party wall between dealers and their customers, and provide a more positive and efficient experience for dealerships and consumers alike. LotLinx's patent-pending technology replaces lead forms on third-party sites with direct links that transport consumers searching for inventory directly to the dealer's Vehicle Detail Page (VDP), all at a higher conversion rate and fraction of the cost of other online options. Powering 125+ automotive search sites, Lotlinx reaches over 85% of all auto shoppers. LotLinx is based in San Francisco, CA.

Media Contacts

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, 949-307-1723 / melanie@mwebbcom.com

Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, 714-987-1016 / crystal@mwebbcom.com

ALBANY, N.Y. – November 4th 2013 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today it was named one of the 2013 “Best Places to Work” in New York State’s Capital region by the Albany Business Review. This is the fourth year in a row that Auto/Mate has received the honor.

“I believe that taking care of employees and ensuring they are happy is just as important as taking care of our customers,” said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. "Part of our culture is to encourage employees to be the best they can be, and we want to provide the opportunities for them to achieve their goals."

Auto/Mate provides world-class customer service to its customers and hires people who share in that mindset. Understanding that a team needs to have core values, Auto/Mate's employees have articulated the company's core values to be adhered to by all Auto/Mate employees:

• Be passionate and enjoy what you do
• Customer centricity
• Honesty & integrity
• Humility
• Family
• Loyalty & commitment

"Auto/Mate has an open door policy when it comes to employee communications, and we offer employees a casual and fun work environment," said Dave Druzynski, Director of Human Resources. "Of course, that's all within a very productive, innovative work environment that fosters a 'whatever it takes' attitude to get the work done and make the customers happy."

A celebratory luncheon will be held to honor "Best Places to Work" award recipients on December 6th at the Hilton Albany. The top companies will also be profiled in a special supplement of the Albany Business Review to be issued on the same date.

Every year the Albany Business Review honors just 30 companies with the “Best Places to Work” distinction. The business journal partners with Quantum Workplace, a Nebraska based research firm, to conduct anonymous employee surveys.  The companies with the highest scores were recognized and ranked on team effectiveness, retention, employee alignment with company goals, trust with co-workers, individual contribution, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued, work engagement and people practices.

For information on career opportunities with Auto/Mate, contact David Druzynski at (877) 340-2677 or visit www.automate.com/careers 

About Auto/Mate (www.automate.com)

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is a leading provider of dealership management system (DMS) software to retail automotive dealerships. Its Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) is a user-friendly, feature-rich DMS in use by more than 900 auto dealers nationwide. In 2013 Auto/Mate received the “Highest Rated” DMS award in the fourth annual Driving Sales Dealer Satisfaction Awards.

Auto/Mate’s employees have more than 800 years of combined experience working in auto dealerships – the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car People^TM” slogan. For more information visit our website, follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to our blog at http://blog.automate.com

Free webinar on Thursday, October 31^st at 2 p.m. EST is designed to teach dealers effective strategies for targeting consumers where they are most – on their mobile devices.

Daytona Beach, FL– October 24, 2013 – DMEautomotive (DMEa), the science-inspired, results-based automotive marketing leader, announces the eighth in a series of webinars the company is hosting with Automotive News. The sixty-minute webinar, “The Mobile Consumer: From Sales to Service, Adapting Automotive to the New Normal,” provides innovative best practices which empower dealerships to hone mobile based advertising and customer retention strategies. The webinar takes place on Thursday, October 31^st at 2 p.m. EST.

“Hundreds of millions of marketing dollars are spent each year attempting to reach the automotive customer – unfortunately, traditional marketing approaches no longer cut it, as the majority of consumers spend valuable time on their mobile devices,” said Mike Walther, president and CEO of DMEautomotive. “DMEa’s “The Mobile Consumer: From Sales to Service, Adapting Automotive to the New Normal” utilizes data from consumers engaging in auto shopping and service across the nation to provide hard evidence on how mobile devices are influencing consumer decisions, and offering critical, data-driven, proven strategies to help marketers embrace and integrate mobile into their day-to-day marketing.”

Jim Treece, News Editor at Automotive News, will moderate “The Mobile Consumer: From Sales to Service, Adapting Automotive to the New Normal”, which also features DMEautomotive’s Director of Strategy Chris Zobel, and Director of Customer Engagement – Driver Connect, Kelly Krause.

The webinar will include the following:

• How to develop an effective mobile marketing and communication strategy
• Consumer preferences and experiences, from DMEautomotive’s latest research on the mobile consumer
• Best practices for mobile email design, mobile passes, and text notifications
• Step-by-step tactics to dramatically increase mobile app downloads

For more information, or to register for the “The Mobile Consumer: From Sales to Service, Adapting Automotive to the New Normal” webinar, click here.

DMEautomotive / Automotive News webinars have received strong attendance that has

generated exceptional feedback. Visit http://www.autonews.com/section/WEBINAR to

download previous webinars in this series.

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa) is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. 

DMEa does not take marketing performance on faith, and each product and service is measured by a simple, precise scientific approach: Is it true? Prove it. Will it work? Test it. Does it generate results? Show it! Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Contact: 
Media Relations 
Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com 
Elizabeth Johnson, mWEBB Communications, (213) 713-4865, elizabeth@mwebbcom.com

DMEautomotive honored in the “Innovation” category for cutting-edge mobile app Driver Connect ^TM

Daytona Beach, FL  – October 22, 2013 – DMEautomotive received the 2013 BizTech Innovation Award® in the “Innovation” category for the company’s Driver Connect ^TM - a smart and engaging mobile app, which helps auto dealers to connect with their customers where they are most, on their mobile devices.

The BizTech Innovation Awards identify and acknowledge the substantive gains Jacksonville area businesses are making by developing, employing, and utilizing technology for their own companies and/or clients. Driver Connect ^TM has been adopted by hundreds of dealerships across America, and tens of thousands of consumers with thousands more coming every week.  As a result, the Jacksonville based team of software, technology, product management, and customer service experts continues to grow.

“DMEa is proud to be recognized within the “Innovation” category for this year’s BizTech Innovation Awards®,” said DMEautomotive CEO Mike Walther. “Driver Connect ^TM was developed to help auto dealers communicate where their customers are interacting – on their mobile devices - and to maintain a solid connection with each of them, all while driving retention, loyalty, and sales.  And it was developed right here in Jacksonville, which is becoming a true technology corridor. We are honored to be recognized in the company of other innovative area businesses.”

Driver Connect empowers dealers to bring their increasingly mobile audience even closer by enabling owners to easily manage their family fleet by providing easy access to their vehicle’s complete service history, recalls, and real time notifications when their vehicle is ready for pick up from a service visit. In turn, Driver Connect ^TM makes it easy for auto dealers to send out hyper-targeted communications to their customers, down to their exact moment in their ownership lifecycle, helping build a positive and trusted relationship.

The award was presented at a special luncheon on Oct. 18, at The Hyatt Riverfront in Jacksonville.   

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa) is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. 

DMEa does not take marketing performance on faith, and each product and service is measured by a simple, precise scientific approach: Is it true? Prove it. Will it work? Test it. Does it generate results? Show it! Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Contact: 
Media Relations 
Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com 
Elizabeth Johnson, mWEBB Communications, (213) 713-4865, elizabeth@mwebbcom.com

ALBANY, N.Y. – October 21st, 2013 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that Scott Volkswagen, the largest Volkswagen dealership in New England, has saved more than half a million dollars since switching to Auto/Mate's dealership management system (DMS) in 2006. Scott Volkswagen's employees enjoy Auto/Mate's premier customer service while using the DMS system to streamline processes within their dealership; most recently the F&I desking process and the special orders parts process in their fixed ops department.

The East Providence, RI based dealership focuses on creating an exceptional experience for its own customers, and has received the Volkswagen Gold Pin award from VW headquarters in Germany for outstanding performance in sales and customer satisfaction, as well as Volkswagen's prestigious "Customer First Club" award for customer satisfaction. Scott Volkswagen's large showroom is decorated with murals and features a collection of vintage Volkswagens from the 1950s and 1960s. "We strive to re-create that fun time in history with that peace and love sort of vibe, and really want to create a destination for our customers," said Brad Scott, General Manager of Scott Volkswagen.

Seven years ago, Scott decided to switch from his legacy DMS provider when his dealership was on the receiving end of a poor customer experience. "We found a lot of highly unethical charges on our bill and when we asked about them, the company became threatening towards us. It was a terrible experience," he said.

Scott heard about Auto/Mate from another dealer and eventually chose Auto/Mate's DMS because of the value of the system and reputation of the company. "The cost savings and the customer service were the most significant reasons for the switch," he said. "Since 2006 we have saved more than $75,000 per year, which adds up to over half a million dollars. I had also been told and it has been proven to me the customer service is excellent."

When Scott decided to switch DMS systems, some employees were resistant to the change. "They grumbled a bit, but within two weeks they had pretty much adapted to the new system and agreed it was the right decision," said Scott. "Auto/Mate's DMS is much more intuitive and simpler to work with."

He also credits the adaptation to Auto/Mate's renowned technical support. "Everyone on the phone at Auto/Mate is friendly and extremely helpful," said Scott. "They get us answers to questions we have the same day, and if one person doesn't know the answer they'll go out of their way to find someone who does."

To maintain his own dealership's high levels of customer satisfaction, Scott consistently reviews processes to see where there is room for improvement. "Technology plays an increasingly important role in our processes, because it allows us to inspect what we expect and focus on areas of improvement as opposed to collecting data," he said.

This includes using Auto/Mate's DMS to streamline processes. In fixed ops, Scott was aware of inefficiencies in their special orders parts process. When employees in the parts department ordered a special part for a customer's vehicle, they hand-wrote the RO number on a slip of paper and gave it to the service advisor. When the part came in, sometimes the parts department wouldn't call, or the service advisor forgot to include it on the RO when the customer came in to get their vehicle serviced.

"We contacted Auto/Mate and they told us about their special parts feature," said Scott. "Now when parts orders a part, it generates an electronic order and attaches itself to the customer file." With the hand-written system, Scott estimates that ten to fifteen percent of special orders were not getting billed out appropriately, but since implementing the system through the DMS, that percentage has dropped to virtually zero percent.

Scott is also in the process of implementing a desking solution through Auto/Mate's Desk/Mate, and will soon be generating sales worksheets from the system. "It should save a lot of time as far as pre-loading customer information, and it will create a more streamlined and professional look for the customer," he said.

Scott's father had a saying: "Well done is better than well said." Scott's focus on customer satisfaction and implementing technology solutions to support that focus helps him streamline processes while continuing to add to Scott Volkswagen's bottom line.

About Auto/Mate

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is a leading provider of dealership management system (DMS) software to retail automotive dealerships. Its Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) is a user-friendly, feature-rich DMS in use by more than 900 auto dealers nationwide. In 2013 Auto/Mate received the “Highest Rated” DMS award in the fourth annual Driving Sales Dealer Satisfaction Awards.

Auto/Mate’s employees have more than 800 years of combined experience working in auto dealerships – the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car People^TM” slogan. For more information visit our website, follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to our blog at http://blog.automate.com

“Market Beyond the Ordinary with Accessories” presented by auto industry veteran and expert Sidney Haider provides new strategies for leveraging accessories as a retention lure while honing social media strategies

San Francisco, CA – October 21, 2013 –Sidney Haider, president of AddOnAuto (AOA), has been selected by the National Automobile Dealer Association (NADA) to present a workshop on new strategies for leveraging accessories sales to retain dealership customers, at the New Orleans, LA Convention Center, January 24 -26, 2014. Haider’s presentation, based on proven best practices implemented in hundreds of dealerships, will help dealerships solve the communication gap between vehicle purchase and first service visit through targeted accessories communications.  

“Utilizing accessories as a retention tool in the six-month window when a customer’s love affair with his/her car is still in bloom, but the dealership has nothing to message other than standard service reminders, is working in dealerships across the country,” said Haider. “The strong appeal of accessories is a perfect driver for staying in touch and expanding customer outreach. With accessories sales, dealers can truly market beyond the ordinary to ramp up loyalty and profits!”

In addition to basic truths on how dealerships can increase accessories revenue, the workshop offers new strategies for retaining customers after they have purchased their vehicle, but before the standard six-month service reminder.  Plus, the workshop includes a proven primer on how to turn customers into dealership evangelists on social media and how smart accessories marketing can help dealerships leap up the Google results ladder and keep customers coming back.

Haider’s workshop will also cover the following:

• How to time and implement effective retention e-mails and mailers using accessories. 
• How to prepare accessory scripts to re-engage “just purchased” customers.
• Identifying the best, most relevant, and most popular accessories to capture customers.
• Formulating an accessories strategy that differentiates a given dealership from online accessory retailors.
• How to  ‘accessorize’ a given dealerships brand to stand out in the online marketplace
• Key strategies for helping dealerships compete with Amazon, e-Bay, and others leading in the search engines.

Haider has over 22 years of broad-based experience in retail automotive Internet sales, dealership management, marketing, and business development. He is renowned for his revolutionary processes and practices for increasing accessories sales in dealerships, and has traveled the country helping hundreds of dealerships diversify revenues and increase profits with his streamlined approach to accessories sales that improves, integrates and streamlines the entire process across dealership departments and sales teams. For many dealerships that have used these best practices, accessories sales at least doubled, tripled, and even grew thirteen-fold. In fact, the most recent report issued by AOA showed that dealers implementing Haider’s practices and accessories technology increase accessories revenue by an average of $500 per copy with average gross profits of 53.5%.

The 75-minute workshop titled “Market Beyond the Ordinary with Accessories,” will be presented at the New Orleans, LA Convention Center. The workshop will be presented on the following dates and times:

First Session:                Friday, January 24 at 2:00 pm (Room 224)

Second Session:           Saturday, January 25 at 10:30 am (Room 281-282)

Third Session:              Sunday, January 26 at 3:30 pm (Room 281-282)

Sponsored by NADA University, the workshop is part of the NADA Parts track. Attendees will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis, and requires no additional registration. To learn more about this workshop, and to register for NADA 2014, please visit http://www.nadaconvention.org/nada2014/public/Content.aspx?ID=6300&sortMenu=104002.

About AddOnAuto

AddOnAuto (AOA) is an in-store accessories sales technology that helps dealerships effortlessly sell accessories within their dealership, and streamlines what was once a cumbersome, arduous (and unprofitable) task for dealers, producing significant results for hundreds of dealers across the country over the past 3 years. AOA has demonstrated that accessories sales are an excellent source of added – and diversified – dealer income: dealers using the AOA product average $500 in accessories sales per new vehicle sold, and closed over 50% of the customers who were presented with accessories, reaping an average gross profit of 53.5%.

To learn more about the AddOnAuto Digital Dashboard, please visit: http://www.addonautos.com

CONTACT: mWEBB Communications for izmocars, Melanie Webber, +1-424-603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com

“Appointment Boarding Pass” from Robert Karbaum E-Commerce Manager, Weins Canada Inc./Don Valley North Lexus wins the 2013 Dealer Best Idea Award; PureCars’ Smart Advertising wins 2013 Innovation Cup Award; presented at 2013 DrivingSales Executive Summit

Salt Lake City, Utah – October 17, 2013 – DrivingSales today announced the winners of the 2013 DrivingSales Innovation Cup and Dealer Best Idea Awards. Robert Karbaum, E-Commerce Manager, Weins Canada Inc. / Don Valley North Lexus won The Dealer Best Idea Award for “Appointment Boarding Pass,” and PureCars’ “Smart Advertising” won The Innovation Cup Award for the most innovative dealership solution of the year. The awards were presented in Las Vegas on October 15^th at the sold-out DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES). Over 1,000 dealers and industry professionals attended the three-day event, which concluded on Tuesday.

“This year’s winners represent the best of innovation and strategy in our industry. And, because the winners were judged and selected by dealers, their focused ideas - boosted by technology - are sure to be adopted and make a difference in showrooms across the country,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. “Each year, our Innovation Cup and Dealer Best Idea Awards are a source of inspiration to our team and to our attendees, and this year was no exception, rounding out our best-ever summit.  We congratulate PureCars and Robert Karbaum for offering the kind of creative thinking that will help move our industry forward.”

Selected by dealers from a competitive group of applicants, five finalists for each award presented onstage at this year’s DrivingSales Executive Summit. A panel of dealer judges asked questions of each presenter and scored each solution / strategy. The solution with the highest score was presented with the 2013 Innovation Cup Award. The dealership strategy with the highest score won the 2013 Dealer Best Idea Award. This year’s Dealer Best Idea Award was sponsored by Cobalt and included $10,000 in cash and prizes.

Robert Karbaum E-Commerce Manager, Weins Canada Inc. / Don Valley North Lexus, who took home the Dealer Best Idea Award, received the highest score for “Appointment Boarding Pass,” which leverages the airline boarding information email model, takes it mobile and applies it to dealership appointments across New, Used, Service and BDC departments. First runner up was Zack Freed, E Commerce Director, McCombs Automotive Team for ‘Sell My Car”.

Other Dealer Best Idea finalists were (alphabetically): Picture Perfect Reputation Management” – Megan Barto, Marketing Director, Ciocca Honda; “True Internet ROI” - Mark Brady, CTO/CMO, Fisher Honda-Kia, and “How to Visualize Big Data in the Dealership” – Jason Stum, Digital Marketing Manager, LaFontaine Automotive Group.

PureCars’ “SmartAdvertising,” which delivers dynamic online advertisements based on a dealer’s in-stock inventory, received the highest score in The Innovation Cup Award competition. DealerSocket’s Enterprise Dashboard Reporting was the runner up.

Other Innovation Cup finalists were (alphabetically): CarWoo’s CarWoo! Connect, Flick Fusion’s Live Video App with Sales Overlay System, and RedBumper’s SmartPrice™.

The DrivingSales Innovation Cup and Dealer Best Idea Awards were part of an exciting line up at this year’s sold-out DSES, which included high-profile keynotes from former U.S. Navy SEAL Officer and decorated combat veteran, Leif Babin; global search marketing authority Danny Sullivan, and The Walt Disney Company®, as well as twenty-one dealer-selected breakout sessions from industry experts and dealers on topics ranging from CRM, digital marketing, fixed ops, hiring, creating a culture of success, selling pre-owned vehicles, leveraging ‘big data’, video, and more.

Focused on providing the most relevant profit-building information to help auto dealers formulate their business plans for the following year, the DrivingSales Executive Summit included three days of collaboration and fresh, leading-edge information from special-topic breakouts, expert panels, dealer and vendor contests, and world-renowned speakers.  Each year, the DSES is 100% dealer driven and designed specifically for the most advanced dealer principals and dealership executives in the industry. The summit has a vendor-neutral policy, meaning no vendor influence on presentation selection and adherence to a strict dealer-to-vendor ratio. 

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

 About The DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES)

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. 

To protect the quality of the event, seating is limited and always held at a 5-diamond venue.  DSES has sold out every year.  For those interested in attending, securing seating as early as possible is recommended.  For more information, visit DSES.com

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training, and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships.  DrivingSales’ mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success.  Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has registered users in over 50% of new car dealerships in the US and is active in several other countries around the globe.  To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

DrivingSales Media Relations:
Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 424.603.4340

Elizabeth Johnson (Elizabeth@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 213.713.4865

Webinar Invitation: Leveraging Your Dealership's CPR™ Score
Date: November 13, 2013
Time: 10AM PST / 1PM EST

Did you know every franchised Dealership has a Consumer Perception Rating™?  Do you know your Dealership's CPR™ Score?  How can you best leverage a good score? How can you improve a poor one?

For the answers to these and other frequently asked Dealer questions, join us for a complimentary webinar. Here are a few of the topics we'll cover:

•    What is a CPR™ Score

•    What factors impact your score

•    Tips to improve a poor CPR™ Score

•    How to stand out from your competitors

Learn everything you need to know directly from the CEO of eXtéres Corporation, the parent company of Consumer Perception Rating™. This session will provide you with an action plan to fully leverage and share your Dealership's CPR™ Score with car shoppers in your market.

Reserve your seat for this informative webinar.

Why register if you can't attend live?
Everyone that registers will receive the webinar recording to view at a later time or to share with friends and colleagues.

Patent-pending technology enables dealership websites to accurately predict visitor preferences and then matches in-stock vehicles, ramping up conversion -- all while helping move aged inventory

West Palm Beach, FL – October 16, 2013 – Gubagoo Inc. today announced the launch of Vehicle Matching^sm (VM), a patent-pending predictive technology that makes dealership websites more intelligent and able to increase lead volume and sales. Using its predictive technology to analyze a visitor’s click patterns, Vehicle Matching automatically aligns the right cars/offers/pricing to the visitor’s vehicle choices instantly. In addition, VM helps dealerships move aged inventory by putting relevant aged vehicles first in line for each match.

“In many ways, this is Match.com for dealerships and their inventory – because Vehicle Matching knows the right vehicles to match with what each website visitor wants – 24/7 and in real time,” said Brad Title, CEO of Gubagoo, Inc. “It is much easier to build a good relationship when you know what someone really wants – and that is what Vehicle Matching does.  We track and analyze every inventory click and decode the URLs so we can build a dynamic profiles on each unique visitor and engage via all channels, including chat, publishing, sharing.  Vehicle Matching is all about converting website visitors to leads, and leads to sales – all by making dealership websites more intelligent!  And as that intelligence grows, so do conversion rates.”

Merchandizing online becomes super smart

Vehicle Matching radically improves dealership website, chat, publishing and lead effectiveness, because visitors are no longer interrupted with generic chats or presented with random offers for the wrong cars. With Vehicle Matching, dealership websites simply become too intelligent to interact without relevance.  And, while VM is critical to the increased chat conversion dealers are seeing, it is also much more than chat, because it engages visitors pre-chat and also integrates test drives, trade incentives, and more.  So while a visitor may never chat, he/she can still be transformed into a solid lead through real-time VM website messaging.

Dealership results

The latest technology weapon in Gubagoo's mission to make once-anonymous dealer website traffic totally visible and actionable, Vehicle Matching has already been adopted by hundreds of dealers nationwide and is generating significant increases in conversion and sales.  Savannah Toyota is just one dealership whose website is already benefitting from Gubagoo’s vehicle matching: 

“Vehicle Matching has been a game-changer for our website because it enables us to build a great relationship with each visitor.  The VM technology paints a much clearer picture of what each visitor wants than a phone call ever would, because it tracks their decision-making process,” said Brian Lollie, Internet sales and digital marketing director for Savannah Toyota.  “This means our engagement is super relevant which leads to a much better consumer experience and, importantly, more car sales. Without question, Gubagoo’s Vehicle Matching has led to an increase in sales at Savannah Toyota.”

About Gubagoo

Based in West Palm Beach, Florida, and staffed by a team of veteran technologists and innovators in lead conversion, Gubagoo offers revolutionary behavioral engagement and scoring technologies for automotive websites. With a mission to provide a smarter, more cost-effective alternative to the old lead generation model, Gubagoo is the first dealership website solution that successfully makes anonymous traffic identifiable, and converts the 95% of dealer site traffic that traditionally defects. Incorporating smart predictive matching and the best chat technology available - and powered by its proprietary behavioral engagement and scoring engine, ‘B.E.A.S.T.’ - Gubagoo engages new and repeat dealer site visitors with unprecedented relevance. Over 700 dealerships, including some of the nation’s largest dealer groups, as well as OEM-certified programs, already have adopted Gubagoo-powered websites.

Gubagoo Media Relations:

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (949) 307-1723, melanie@mwebbcom.com 
Elizabeth Johnson, mWEBB Communications, (213) 713-4865, elizabeth@mwebbcom.com

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL, Oct. 15, 2013 – Automotive Compliance Consultants said today that given the era’s new focus on F&I practices, its DealersEdge webinar Oct. 24 is designed to provide auto dealers with tips for ensuring compliant F&I practices.

The dealership F&I department is regulated by 10 different federal requirements. The dealership must comply with each of these. They regulate everything from cost of credit disclosure to how dealerships report large cash purchases to how they are to protect consumer information.

This webinar by Automotive Compliance Consultants CEO Terry Dortch, How to Self- Audit Your Own F&I Process and Compliance, will help auto dealers learn:

• Why written F&I policies are important and what they should include
• Why the F&I menu tool is more than a selling tool
• What F&I documents have to be retained and for how long
• Plus, a review of 10 federal regulations that every F&I office must comply with to protect consumer information and the dealership from misuse

“Given regulators’, auditors’ and plaintiff attorneys’ focus on car dealer practices, keeping the F&I practice in compliance is a must – and absolutely one of the areas where what a dealer doesn’t know about or think is important can hurt them badly,” Dortch notes.

Click here for more information and to sign up.

Automotive Compliance Consultants specializes in dealership compliance, providing in-dealership consultations and analysis, compliance audits and training, and offers solutions for all compliance needs. The Automotive Compliance Consultants staff has extensive experience in the retail automotive industry and focuses exclusively on dealership compliance issues.

For more information, contact Terry Dortch at terry_dortch@compliantnow.com or visit www.compliantnow.com.