Houston, Texas, July 29, 2013, CAR-Research XRM, the most complete, seamlessly integrated full Service and Sales CRM and Marketing Solution for auto dealers, today announced that Jeff Loos has been hired as Vice President of Sales. He is responsible for all sales and marketing functions of the company. He will be based out of Kansas City, Missouri and report directly to President and COO Patrick Kelly.

Mr. Loos brings a proven sales record and leadership to CAR-Research XRM with extensive experience at several top retail automotive vendors. He previously served as Executive Vice President, Sales, at industry-leading CRM VinSolutions. While there he had several record-setting months for revenue and roof top growth and helped achieve sales growth of 439 percent over a three-year period.  Mr. Loos was also in national sales with AutoUSA, an AutoNation company, and AutoTrader.com. He most recently served as Chief Sales Officer at Service Dynamics.

With his proven and extensive hands-on industry sales experience, Mr. Loos now provides CAR-Research with new marketing and advertising strategies. His innovative ideas will enhance and modernize CAR-Research XRM’s already robust CRM and dealer marketing system.  With a focus on exemplary customer service; and a consistency for seeking new ways to increase auto dealer’s success; Mr. Loos brings many great advantages to CAR-Research. Mr. Loos is also a Dale Carnegie Graduate Assistant and Quincy University Alumni with a BA in Political Science.
 

“We are tremendously excited about Jeff’s plans for our sales and marketing,” said Patrick Kelly, CAR-Research XRM President and COO. Jeff was my number one choice for this job long before he came on board. He is a proven industry leader and brings extensive knowledge and contacts to our sales team.   He will be an integral part of our company and our growth across the nation as we continue to develop one of the most comprehensive and innovative CRMs for auto dealers on the market. He will also help increase sales of our innovative products such as our new service Showroom WatchDog™, the #1 way to increase sales from showroom traffic.”

Commenting on his new position Loos stated, “CAR-Research XRM has a unique value proposition for dealers and I am excited to be part of this dynamic company. Going forward we will maintain growth at a steady level while we continue to focus on CAR-Research’s legendary customer service.  Innovation is all about listening to our customers. As our dealers are in the trenches, we will rely on their feedback to ensure that we continue to deliver a best-in-class full service and sales CRM and create new and exciting products for our dealers. I am passionate about being part of this innovative company and look forward to helping it continue to grow nationwide.”

The CAR-Research ground–breaking XRM platform is a revolution in dealership CRM, communication, and database marketing that exceeds the boundaries of traditional CRM. It is a proven singular solution that helps an auto dealership run more effectively and proficiently. The web-based, comprehensive CRM solution increases revenue from sales and service, improves customer satisfaction index (CSI) and service satisfaction index (SSI), and boosts the dealership’s gross profit. A dealership can consolidate all its departments into a manageable solution that delivers value through proven processes at every stage of the customer life cycle.

Most recently the company launched Showroom WatchDog™, a powerful service that helps auto dealers sell their unsold customers.  Showroom WatchDog uses CAR-Research XRM’s USA-based call center to perform next-day phone interviews to find out why the dealer’s customers didn’t buy; what parts of the sales process got in the way of the sale; and to obtain key and unique ad sourcing data. This is powerful sales-enabling information that the dealership can get no other way. The service is CRM-agnostic and available for use by auto dealerships using most major CRM systems.
 

“CAR-Research XRM has created a single-source CRM solution uniquely branded as; ‘XRM, Extreme CRM.’ As such, it is a software solution designed with ultimate complexity so that it provides ultimate simplicity for our end users. Many CRMs fail because they lack simplicity. CAR-Research XRM’s design ensures maximum use resulting in maximum profits for our auto dealer clients,” said Loos.

                                                               
About CAR-Research XRM:

For 18 years and counting, built by car people for car people, CAR-Research XRM is the most complete, seamlessly integrated  Service and Sales CRM and Marketing Solution in the Industry: Inventory Management, Internet Lead Mgr, Showroom Control, Missed Opportunity Research Call Center, Desking with Push to DMS, BDC Software, Marketing Solution with Email-Texting-Live Calls, Complete Service BDC, DMS and Telephony Integration and more.

 For more information visit: www.CARXRM.com or call 800-376-5918.
 

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July 23, 2013 | 10am PST/ 1pm EST

Presenter: Mike Paradies, Director of Training, eXtéresEDU

Register for a Complimentary Webinar: Breakthrough Closing Strategies for Today’s Automotive Internet Shopper

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With 9 out of 10 automotive shoppers beginning their shopping experience online; the internet has drastically changed how consumers make purchase decisions.

As a result of this monumental shift in consumer behavior, internet leads (prospective customers) have become more savvy, are reluctant to return our phone calls and don't always show for scheduled appointments. It’s more important than ever before to manage every lead the best way possible by building trust, booking appointments that show and mastering key closing techniques which can result in closing ratios of 20% or greater.

If you haven't adapted your sales process and closing techniques for today’s automotive internet shopper, we encourage you register for this informative webinar.

Our presenter will share:
• The proven follow-up process used by the most successful dealers
•  Breakthrough tactics to realize the highest closing ratios and grosses
• The ultimate Word Tracks to book appointments that also show!
• And Much More...

Register Today!!

Why register if you can't attend LIVE?
When you register, you’ll automatically receive the webinar recording that you can view whenever your schedule permits.

About our Speaker:
This informative session will be led by Mike Paradies, the Director of Training for eXtéresEDU. As a Consultant and Trainer, Mike has brought his passion and “Hands On” training style to dealerships across the U.S. and Canada. Mike specializes in internet sales and show floor sales training and is recognized as one of the Top Phone Skills Trainers in the automotive industry.

Form Updates to the LAW^® California F&I Library Made During Annual Review by Reynolds and CNCDA

DAYTON, Ohio – July 17, 2013 – Reynolds and Reynolds today announced that the Reynolds LAW^® California F&I Library of documents has been updated to reflect changes in California law and dealer feedback. Those updates include a new form to support electric vehicle sales, as well as changes to several other documents. The updates were made during an annual review of the LAW California F&I Library by Reynolds and the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA).

“Today’s dealerships operate in a constantly evolving legislative and regulatory environment,” said Jerry Kirwan, senior vice president and general manager of Reynolds Document Services. “As a result, the business forms that support a dealer’s F&I operation must be kept current to remain compliant. The review process between Reynolds and the California New Car Dealers Association helps us identify which forms need to be added or updated to reflect changes arising from regulation, legislation, and adjudication, as well as to reflect dealer feedback. Together, we are committed to helping dealers maintain compliance, reduce potential liability, and streamline processes in their F&I departments.”

The Reynolds LAW^® Electric Vehicle Charging Station Disclosure form was added to the forms library in response to California Assembly Bill 2502 that took effect on July 1. The form is required when consumers finance the purchase of charging station equipment with the purchase of an electric vehicle, in cases where that equipment is not already included by the vehicle manufacturer.

The Reynolds LAW^® Universal Retail Sale Contract, Pre-Contract Disclosure Form, and Contract Cancellation Option Agreement also were updated in response to the new legislation and dealer feedback.

“The review process for the LAW California F&I Library is an essential part of helping make sure the forms used in every transaction stand up to California’s strict and ever-changing laws,” said Brian Maas, president of the CNCDA. “We’re pleased with the outcome of this review and look forward to continuing to work with Reynolds to help ensure the library meets the needs of California new car dealers in maintaining compliance and improving business operations.”

Reynolds Director of Compliance Terry O’Loughlin led the review of the LAW California F&I Library for Reynolds Document Services in conjunction with the CNCDA Legal Department. Representatives from Manning, Leaver, Bruder & Berberich; Rob Cohen of Auto Advisory Services; Robert Robards of Automotive System Analysis; and Hudson Cook, LLP also participated in the review.

Created through a strategic alliance between Reynolds and the CNCDA, the LAW California F&I Library provides a comprehensive catalog of standardized, legally reviewed finance and insurance documents for California motor vehicle dealerships.

About Reynolds LAW Brand Documents

Reynolds’ LAW brand is well established in the automotive industry as a brand of trust. LAW forms are available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and have been endorsed by a number of state automobile dealers associations and leading automotive finance institutions.

About Reynolds Document Services

Reynolds Document Services is the original flagship business of Reynolds and Reynolds, which was founded as a business forms printer in 1866 in Dayton, Ohio. In the 1920s, Reynolds began serving automotive dealerships with standardized forms. Today, Reynolds is the leading documents and forms provider to automotive dealerships throughout the United States and Canada.

About Reynolds

Reynolds and Reynolds is the automotive industry’s leading provider of automobile dealership software, services, and forms to help dealerships improve business results.  (www.reyrey.com)

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DealerOn Weekly Webinar Series
Thursday, July 18
12 PM EST

"Breakthrough Facebook Advertising Strategies That Sell More Cars"
Brian Pasch
CEO of PCG Consulting

BIG NEWS: Facebook recently partnered with Polk to match car owners to their Facebook profile.

This exciting new development allows car dealers to create targeting advertising campaigns through Google Adwords that are more precise than ever before. This new strategy will save time and increase your ROI tremendously.

In this 1-hour webinar, Brian Pasch is going to sum it all up for you. He will clarify the changes, explain the importance, and walk you through this new way of marketing to customers.  Be the first in your market to leverage this exciting new marketing channel and learn about the pitfalls of doing it the wrong way!

This is your chance to learn how to increase the ROI of your digital advertising campaigns with social media advertising. Don’t miss it!

PRESENTER: Brian Pasch, CEO of PCG Consulting, has over 20 years of Information Technology and Marketing leadership. Pasch founded PCG Digital Marketing in 2005 to assist growing companies with their digital marketing strategy. Brian’s ability to speak authoritatively to business leaders and their technical teams on business architecture, marketing, and sales helped to catapult their growth and in 2011, Inc. Magazine named PCG Digital Marketing one of the Fastest Growing Private Company in the US. In 2012 he also founded PCG Consulting which provides vendor neutral advice to business leaders looking to create a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes the latest opportunities in traditional, digital, and social media. Brian is an active speaker at automotive industry conferences, 20 Groups, and digital marketing workshops. He is also an avid writer and blogger and his commentary on SEO and Digital Marketing can be easily found on the Internet.

ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA – July 15, 2013 – Joe Verde Sales and Management Training, Inc. today announced that it will be in Philadelphia, PA in August and September with two workshops. The first workshop, “Team Leadership” For Retail Sales Managers: How to Double Your Net Profit, for dealers and managers will be held August 8^th and 9^th, 2013. The second workshop, How to Sell a Car and Close the Sale Today, for salespeople and their managers will be held September 19th & 20^th, 2013. Both workshops will be held at the Four Points by Sheraton near the Philadelphia Airport.

“One of the most common comments from attendees after one of our workshops is, ‘I’m excited again. Now I remember why I got into the car business in the first place!’ And that’s exactly where your improvement has to start. Come to these workshops and get excited again; headed in the right direction towards the same goal. By noon the first day, you’ll realize how easy it can be to get on track, selling more cars, having more fun, and making more money. I hope we see you there,” said Joe Verde, president of Joe Verde Sales & Management Training Inc.

The dealer/manager workshop, “Team Leadership” For Retail Sales Managers: How to Double Your Net Profit on August 8 & 9, is a management education-focused workshop held over two days. The course focus is on key management responsibilities; determining profit potential; discovering problems and outlining clear solutions. Key benefits include more effective management, the development of leaders in management and an increase in management teamwork all geared to increase sales and net profit. This workshop is recommended for managers at every level and all dealers, regardless of size.

The sales workshop, How to Sell a Car and Close the Sale Today on September 19 & 20, is a very interactive workshop held over two days. The course focus is on defining clear goals in sales; developing an effective process to sell the vehicle and close the sale today. Key benefits include an immediate improvement in unit sales and gross profit. Attendees uniformly gain more confidence and a dramatic increase in earnings. It is recommended for all salespeople, including Finance, Service and BDC, as well as managers and every hands-on dealer.

Cregg Bernard, general sales manager at Honda Cars of Meadville, in Conneaut Lake, PA, had the following to say about the upcoming workshops; “I don’t think most managers and salespeople realize what they are missing just in their current customer base alone. Most will sit and wait for things to happen with their lips practically velcroed to the front door. But if they really seriously listen to what these Joe Verde trainers have to say; and come to work to work; they will be surprised by what the opportunity actually ends up being.”

“These workshops are well worth the time. Joe Verde Sales and Management training puts everything into reality. Take a look at the numbers once you have put the training into practice; you will find out what opportunities you have really been missing,” Bernard added.

To learn about the upcoming Philadelphia workshops click on:   “Team Leadership” For Retail Sales Managers: How to Double Your Net Profit or How to Sell a Car and Close the Sale Today

The Joe Verde Group^® drives sales increases at auto dealerships throughout North America. From complete workshop, online and in-house training programs; to materials on Leadership, Sales Management, Professional Selling, Closing and Negotiation; Joe Verde Group coaches sales and management teams to greater success, increased sales and profits, year after year. 

Joe Verde’s virtual training on JVTN^® features dozens of training courses for salespeople, managers, finance, and service, plus hundreds of chapters on almost any situation a salesperson will encounter in sales. The company introduces new online courses regularly to help dealers, managers and salespeople sell more units, at higher profits, in today’s changing market.

To request a free demonstration, visit: jvtn.com or call (800) 445-6217. For information about Joe Verde workshops and training products, visit the Web at joeverde.com.

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About Joe Verde Sales & Management Training, Inc.

www.joeverde.com | www.jvtn.com

Joe Verde Sales & Management Training, Inc., founded in 1985 with its corporate headquarters in Southern California, is consistently rated the number one automotive sales and management training company in North America for producing immediate and long-lasting results for its customers. 

Joe Verde’s training team holds live training workshops across North America, and he personally pioneered Virtual Training with JVTN^® in 2003. He has authored several books, and since the recession has written, sold and distributed hundreds of thousands of copies of: “A Dealer’s Guide To Recovery & Growth”, “Manage Your Career In Sales – Goal Setting For Salespeople”, “Earn Over $100,000 Selling Cars – Every Year”, “38 Hot Tips On Selling More Cars” and “How To Sell A Car And Close The Sale Today” in the automobile industry, to help dealers, managers, and salespeople recover quickly and start growing again after the recession .

Houston, Texas, July 15, 2013, CAR-Research XRM, a single-source CRM solution uniquely branded as; “XRM, Extreme CRM”, today announced the launch of Showroom WatchDog  a powerful service that helps auto dealers sell their unsold customers.  Showroom WatchDog uses CAR-Research XRM’s USA-based call center to perform next-day phone interviews to find out why the dealer’s customers didn’t buy; what parts of the sales process got in the way of the sale; and to obtain key and unique ad sourcing data. This is powerful sales-enabling information that the dealership can get no other way. The service is CRM-agnostic and available for use by auto dealerships using most major CRM systems.

Specifically, CAR Research XRM’s Call Center calls the customer and finds out: A) why the customer did not buy — what was the barrier – payment or price objection, trade value, was the sales person rude, etc., B) were the correct ‘“Road to the Sale” (RTS) processes followed, i.e. was there a test drive and product presentation, etc; and C) the specific ad source that brought the customer into the dealership. The dealership can then address these objections and smartly reengage the unsold customer for the sale, improve processes to close more future showroom visits, and adjust their monthly ad spend targets using this critical showroom traffic-sourced advertising data.

     Closing ratio is very important to auto dealerships and Showroom WatchDog™ provides vital RTS metrics that directly affect that ratio. The call center may find out a dealer’s customer loved their dealership experience — so why did the customer then leave and not buy if they loved it so much?  The RTS metrics can also show that the customer left for price, but never spoke to a manager. Or that they never got to test drive the vehicle. The information provided by Showroom WatchDog™ enables the dealership to adjust its sales process immediately and drive higher sales volume.

“The average closing ratio for dealers is somewhere around 18-20 percent -- 80 percent are unsold customers. We know that a third of that unsold 80 percent will come back if proper follow-up is done; but to get that third back in you have to call all 80. Dealers don’t have the time to do that and the customer may be upset and not want to talk to them. However, they will talk to an independent research firm like us. Showroom WatchDog gets all the data for the dealership, enabling them to close these previously unsold customers,” said Patrick Kelly, CAR-Research President and COO.

Showroom WatchDog™ is CRM-agnostic and available for use by dealerships using most major CRMs.  For those dealerships that are also in the market for a CRM, however, the powerful and direct data integration of Showroom WatchDog™ inside CAR-Research’s CRM—called XRM—provides superior performance; applying the power of a CRM that has been top rated by dealers for four years in a row by the DrivingSales.com Dealer Satisfaction Awards. Whether or not a dealership needs a CRM; as a CRM-agnostic product; CAR Research’s Showroom WatchDog™ provides unmatched sales and showroom process value for every dealer.

For more information about Showroom WatchDog™, call: 800-376-5918 or visit: http://www.carxrm.com/showroomwatchdog.pdf

# # # # #

About CAR-Research XRM:

For 18 years and counting, built by car people FOR car people, CAR-Research XRM is the most complete, seamlessly integrated CRM and Marketing Solution in the Industry: Inventory Management, Internet Lead Mgr, Showroom Control, Missed Opportunity Research Call Center, Desking with Push to DMS, BDC Software, Marketing Solution with Email-Texting-Live Calls, Complete Service BDC, DMS and Telephony Integration and more.

 For more information visit: www.CARXRM.com or call 800-376-5918.

line-height:150%; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";background:white'> call: 800-376-5918 or visit: http://www.carxrm.com/showroomwatchdog.pdf

# # # # #

About CAR-Research XRM:

For 18 years and counting, built by car people FOR car people, CAR-Research XRM is the most complete, seamlessly integrated CRM and Marketing Solution in the Industry: Inventory Management, Internet Lead Mgr, Showroom Control, Missed Opportunity Research Call Center, Desking with Push to DMS, BDC Software, Marketing Solution with Email-Texting-Live Calls, Complete Service BDC, DMS and Telephony Integration and more.

 For more information visit: www.CARXRM.com or call 800-376-5918.

July 16, 2013 | 10am PST/ 1pm EST

Presenter: John Quinones, National Director of Sales, eXtéresAUTO

Register for a Complimentary Webinar: How to Successfully Combat Negative Reviews

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Do you know how important a POSITIVE online reputation is to your dealership?

With nearly 90% of all consumers looking at reviews to before deciding where to purchase or service a vehicle and 4 out of 5 consumers change their minds about where to purchase because of negative reviews, your reputation is a VITAL component to generate new business opportunities and a NEGATIVE REPUTATION can CRIPPLE your dealership.

During this 1-hour educational webinar, our presenter will share "How to Successfully Combat Negative Reviews" to help your dealership capture new business from the 90% of consumers who use reviews to make a purchase decision.

Our presenter will share:
• The IMPACT of a positive and negative reputation
• Key steps to minimize the effect of negative reviews
• Strategies to increase meaningful customer reviews by more than 30%
• Proven components of a winning reputation management strategy
• How to control the uncontrollables

As an added bonus, you'll receive FREE email templates to ask for reviews and Reputation Management Tracking Tools.

Why register if you can't attend LIVE?
When you register, you’ll automatically receive the webinar recording that you can view whenever your schedule permits.

About our Speaker:
John Quinones, National Director of Sales at eXtéresAUTO, specializes in being a dealer success strategist. With more than 20 years of experience, John’s background spans automotive retail sales, sales training workshops and seminars, digital advertising and marketing, SEO, SEM, online reputation management, BDC optimization, conversion rate optimization and website platforms.

Register NOW

First mobile-optimized auto financing application for dealerships helps bring financing to the ‘front’ of the sales process; drives more pre-approved, high-quality customers

Mission Viejo, CA – July 2, 2013 – DealerCentric Solutions, the consumer finance management system innovator, today announced that its industry-leading online credit application platform Get Pre-Approved in Seconds is now fully optimized for mobile. This will be the first mobile-friendly tool for dealerships that instantly pre-approves auto shoppers for financing based on the dealership’s credit criteria—and it comes at no additional charge for the 3,000+ car dealerships nationwide, and the major online powerhouses like Cars.com, that currently use the platform.

“Mobile car shopping isn’t at a tipping point, it has tipped, and we’re committed to giving dealers the marketing platforms they need to reach the new, ‘mobile-first’ customer,” said Pete MacInnis, CEO of DealerCentric. “Moving auto financing to the front of the sales process is becoming increasingly critical for dealerships and Mobile Get Pre-Approved in Seconds is designed to help do just that, ensuring that dealerships don’t fall ‘behind’ their customers’ preferences.”

Roughly one-third of consumers now use mobile devices when car shopping,[1] and 2013 will represent the first year that more people will access the Internet from mobile devices than desktops/laptops.[2] DealerCentric’s new credit application solution is designed to help dealerships reach car shoppers where they increasingly “live” - on their smartphones and tablets - and give them access to more of the highest-quality, pre-approved leads. And dealerships report they are reaping the benefits:

Josh Gwin, Director of Marketing of Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s All Star Automotive Group, notes: "We know from analytics that our mobile traffic now exceeds 50%. With the Get Pre-Approved in Seconds platform, we have already quadrupled the number of finance apps that we get from our websites and social media. We’re thrilled about the potential of a mobile-responsive DealerCentric app."

In 2005 DealerCentric pioneered Get Pre-Approved in Seconds, the first interactive tool for dealership websites that instantly pre-approves car shoppers for auto financing. Car shoppers just fill out a quick, hassle-free credit app (at the dealership website or auto portal), a credit report is then generated, and he/she is pre-approved based on that dealership’s customizable credit criteria. The mission: to create a better, more efficient car-buying process for both consumers and dealerships.

Get Pre-Approved in Seconds has since become the auto industry’s leading online credit application product, and, by taking its mission mobile, is poised to bridge a significant gap in online financing for dealerships. For instance, even though 46% of consumers searching for local products/services now exclusively use mobile as their research tool[3] - and industry experts forecast that m-commerce could eclipse e-commerce by 2015[4] - the vast majority of dealership online consumer credit applications are still not mobile-optimized. Get Pre-Approved in Seconds’ new mobile version changes that, retaining the same consumer- and dealer-friendly platforms as the original Web version, but with an experience and interface customized to the mobile user.

Mobile Get Pre-Approved in Seconds Benefits for Dealers:

• Provides the highest quality leads at the lowest cost, because when a shopper puts their personal info online, it’s the clearest signal that they’re seriously in-market.
• By qualifying consumers to specific vehicles before they reach the showroom, the test drive, sales and financing “silos” are bridged, leading to a dramatically faster, more efficient process.
• While the majority of car shoppers research financing online, 50% plan to get pre-approved through a bank/credit union, and only 34% at a dealership.[5] Mobile Get Pre-Approved in Seconds features rich, compelling content, video and calls-to-action that drive more financing apps directly to dealers.
• Outperforms other online dealership credit apps, with dealers reporting the following average results: $20 cost-per-sale, a 500% increase in credit apps and 30% of applications resulting in sales.

Consumer Benefits:

• Get Pre-Approved in Seconds has become a symbol of consumer security, and shoppers know their personal info is safe.
• Pre-approved with financing, they can walk into the dealership with car purchasing power, and focus on the right vehicle at the right price, while spending far less time completing the transaction.

“Mobile Get Pre-Approved in Seconds is one in a series of exciting, ‘first-ever’ platforms that DealerCentric will launch in 2013, all in response to new consumer behavior and demands, and to bring far more of the financing process to the front end of the sales process,” continued MacInnis. “Stay tuned!”

About DealerCentric Solutions

DealerCentric, founded in 2003, develops next-generation consumer finance management systems that benefit dealers, lenders and consumers. Its mission: to invent new technology platforms that can finally bring financing to the front of the sales process, and put the right customer in the right vehicle and loan at the point of sale. The company’s original Get Pre-Approved in Seconds^® solution is established as the auto industry’s leading online credit application product.

Contact:

Media Relations
Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com

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

DealerOn Weekly Webinar Series
***Wednesday, July 3***
12 PM EST/9 AM PST

"Expert from Google Shares Social Media & Mobile Strategies"
Mike Shea
Strategic Partner Manager at Wildfire by Google

The research is clear — today, online user ratings greatly impact the consumer’s choice of dealership and online media is as impactful as the dealership experience in influencing auto shoppers’ decisions.

Consumers have changed the way they shop for cars. Has your dealership kept up?

In this 1-hour webinar, Mike Shea of Google will share several successful dealer examples of social marketing campaigns & ongoing strategies and he will discuss the Google+ search impact for auto dealers. His incredible presentation will be packed with valuable information and will include topics such as:

• How mobile affects shoppers deciding between brands
• How people use mobile devices when buying a car
• How to encourage user reviews, motivate people to engage with social content, and coordinate between national, regional, and local representatives
• How to drive buyer reviews
• How to manage reputation & customer support in a timely manner
• How to maintain a strategic mobile digital marketing strategy

If you are looking for solutions to maximize your Social Media and Mobile strategies, then this is definitely one webinar you cannot afford to miss!

Presenter: Mike Shea is a Strategic Partner Manager at Wildfire by Google, a social media marketing software that enables brands to grow, engage and monetize their social audience. Mike has led the Wildfire Channel Sales Initiative since 2011. In fact, Mike was one of the first 40 employees at Wildfire, where he first served clients in technology operations and marketing strategy.  Mike combines his expertise in the Wildfire Product and Client Services with his passion for marketing and communications to drive results for Google’s partners. Today, Mike is focused on building a scalable, strategic, and integrated digital solution for partners that cater to SMB advertisers. Since the Google acquisition of Wildfire, Mike has managed several pilots with Google Channel Partners, with a focus on several Premier SMB Partners in the automotive industry. Originally from Boston, Mike received his B.S. in Marketing Communications & Advertising from Emerson College and currently resides in San Francisco.

Register Now!

Industry leading mobile app now enables dealerships to market to customers with richer content; adds clean, flat interface, and native tablet support

Daytona Beach, FL – June 25, 2013 – DMEautomotive (DMEa), the science-inspired, results-based automotive marketing leader, today unveiled Driver Connect^SM 2.0, a major upgrade to its industry-leading, dealer-branded, consumer-facing mobile app.

Driver Connect 2.0 includes a number of new tools and features to help dealers market to their increasingly mobile audience, and incorporates a user interface design that is clean, flat, and more efficient for speedier customer interactions. Driver Connect 2.0 also adds the ability to market to customers with information-rich, customizable new and used vehicle detailed specifications, and native tablet support for iPad Classic, iPad Mini, iPhone and Samsung Galaxy – an important addition given that tablets are forecast to outsell notebooks for the first time this year. [1]

“Driver Connect started a new mobile app revolution in the dealership, and version 2.0 represents that revolution’s next wave,” said Mike Walther, president and CEO of DMEautomotive. “The enhancements essentially transform this mobile app from a communication channel into a real-time relationship-building tool. And given the jaw-dropping speed at which mobile app usage is growing, it provides dealerships with an even more powerful marketing platform to drive sales, retention and loyalty.”

Driver Connect 2.0 delivers the premier mobile experience in its most advanced form with a powerful marketing platform that will drive sales, retention and loyalty to the marketplace. This new version further enables dealers to meet the growing wave of mobile app users. In 2013, for the first time, the majority of Americans (56%) now own a smartphone, with 31% reporting that it represents their primary way of accessing the Web.[2] Time spent with mobile has seen a growth curve of 50% annually for the last four years, with U.S. consumers now spending more than 2.5 hours daily on their smartphones and tablets, nipping at the heels of the time they spend with TV (168 minutes daily).[3]

Driver Connect 2.0 Enhancements:

Driver Connect 2.0 brings one of a kind, user-friendly functionality not currently offered by any other dealership app. Where Driver Connect 1.0 captured the technology and backend requirements that make up a successful dealer mobile app, Driver Connect 2.0 substantially enhances the dealer-consumer relationship by offering a superior set of tools and features along with an enhanced customer experience with a unique streamlined layout - giving the customer easy access to more features and tools without the ‘digging’ that other apps require.

Driver Connect 2.0 continues to provide dealership customers with a suite of cool, truly useful and personalized automotive tools – as well as features that keep them engaged and spending, such as “one tap” service appointment scheduling, new and used inventory search, tools to manage their entire “family fleet’s” service histories and targeted dealership alerts. But the enhancement of Driver Connect 2.0, which is fully integrated with DMEautomotive’s Customer Journey marketing and retention program, brings real-time, immediate marketing and deeper, customizable content to its app experience. 2.0 enhancements include:

• Brand new, flat, clean user interface with more efficient navigation.
• Easier account creation, with automated vehicle detection, so customers no longer need to do any VIN scanning or manual entry of VINs.
• Special Offers can now be precisely tied to a specific vehicle (e.g. stock # 123ABC) or class of vehicles (e.g. all Lexus IS250s in inventory) – leading to much higher conversions.
• Consumers who tap Special Offers now go directly to the vehicle details page (for a specific car) or a search results page (for a class of vehicle).
• Enhanced inventory display: new vehicle detail pages now display significantly more information. And dealers can customize to display as much (or as little) info as they want – down to 4-door, antilock brakes, leather seats, sunroof, etc.
• Enhanced inventory aggregation allows customers to seamlessly, simultaneously search under every rooftop in the same dealer group, keeping that customer within the dealer’s brand.
• Dedicated marketing tool allows Fixed Ops managers to market their parts service departments to app users.
• Native support for Apple and Android tablets, including the iPad Classic, iPad Mini, and Samsung Galaxy.

Driver Connect was designed from the ground up by DMEautomotive, the company that literally wrote the book on dealership best practices with mobile apps (The Pocket Revolution: The Complete Guide to a Killer Mobile App), and was recently named a finalist for ‘Product of the Year’ by the 2013 American Business Awards.

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