DealerOn Weekly Webinar Series
Thursday, May 30, 2013
12 PM EST/9 AM PST

"The Top 5 Ways to Make Your Dealership More Successful"
Marc McGurren
Chief Digital Warrior
PCG Consulting
 

Be honest — Is your dealership as successful as it could be?

Marc McGurren travels the country for PCG Consulting working with dealers to improve their Internet, BDC, and Digital Marketing departments. He has discovered the resonating themes that Dealer Principles, GM’s, Sales Managers, and Internet/BDC Directors struggle with on a daily basis. He knows why some dealerships struggle and flounder while others achieve greatness. He also knows what can turn your dealership into a truly elite money-making enterprise.

In this 1 hour webinar, Marc will dive into proven insights that you can implement immediately. He will show you how to avoid mistakes he continues to see all across the country and he will discuss what makes a great dealership — and how great dealerships stay great. Most importantly, he will give you tools to help your team sell more cars.

If you want to learn 5 different ways you can make your dealership more successful, then this is a webinar you simply can’t afford to miss!

PRESENTER: Marc McGurren is the Chief Digital Warrior at PCG Consulting Inc. Before that, as the Internet Director for the Jerry Durant Auto Group located in Weatherford, TX, Marc had more than 8 years of automotive experience he has held positions that range from salesperson, sales manager, finance manager, asst. service & parts director and GM. His passion and desire to execute digital marketing strategies is contagious and his track record of “you can’t fix what you don’t know” helped the Jerry Durant Auto Group have the best year in 42 years and sell over 10,800 cars in 2011. He is a regular contributor and former community editor for Drivingsales.com, speaker at multiple automotive conferences including the Digital Warrior Academy, Digital Marketing Strategies Conference, CADA Innovative Summit, Digital Dealer Workshops & Driving Sales Executive Summit. Marc is an avid traveler and writer and can be reached at Marc@PCGmailer.com.

Register Now!

VinSolutions was awarded the Digital Dealer Website Excellence Award at the DD14 Conference this May. The award was presented for the highest Inventory Search Volume as the dealership provider for Sid Dillon Auto Group in Omaha, Nebraska.

The awards were established to recognize automotive dealers, managers and their providers for exceptional performance of the websites they design, host, and support. 12,000 dealerships applied for the award that included 10 categories of website performance conversion. Recognition is based upon independent, unbiased analytics of dealers’ websites performed by Dataium, LLC.  Sid Dillon.com was selected out of all applicants with the highest inventory search volume for any one website.  

The competition is held twice annually, with applicant data reviewed between the spring and fall Digital Dealer shows. Congrats to Sid Dillon for their win!

Interested in applying for the website excellence awards? Please contact the VinSolutions Marketing department at communications@vinsolutions.com

ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA – May 28, 2013 – Joe Verde Sales and Management Training, Inc., today announced that company president Joe Verde has donated $37,900 to Canine Companions for Independence, which will help place companion dogs with physically disabled military veterans.

At the National Automobile Dealers Association annual convention in Orlando, Fla., this past February, Joe Verde was the highest bidder on a 2011 Fat Boy Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The live auction event, sponsored by NADA and ADESA, was held to benefit wounded veterans. Verde's winning bid of $26,000 benefited the Wounded Veterans Initiative of Canine Companions for Independence and went toward the cost of providing specially-trained service dogs to assist disabled U.S. veterans. Verde recently sold the motorcycle for $11,900. These funds were also donated to Canine Companions at their most recent quarterly graduation ceremony in Oceanside, Calif., on May 17, 2013; bringing the donation total to $37,900.

“I'm a veteran. My dad was a veteran, and my son and grandkids are all veterans,” said Verde, president of Joe Verde Sales & Management Training Inc. in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. “And, I appreciate everything that the men and women in the armed forces stationed around the world do for all of us. Please do all you can to support this worthy cause; visit: joeverde.com/vets or cci.org/veterans.”

Verde served in the U.S. Army for more than seven years and was stationed in Vietnam in 1967, 1968 and 1969, during the Vietnam War, as a CH-47 Flight Engineer. As a Purple Heart recipient himself, he has a strong connection with other veterans and has become active in ways to help them make a smoother transition into their lives back at home.

# # #

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 workshops across North America, and he personally pioneered Virtual Training with JVTN^® in 2005. He has authored more than a dozen books, and has written, sold and distributed over 300,000 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 grow after the recession.

Fort Lauderdale, FL – May 20^th, 2013 — AutoUSA Internet Sales Solutions (www.autousadealers.com) today introduced Shop-By-Payment for Payment Pro^SM, powered by DriveItNow, a patent-pending next generation payment marketing tool that offers consumers a new way to shop on auto dealer websites. When a customer visits a dealer website with Shop-By-Payment, they are given the option to search inventory based on their desired monthly payment. The customer is prompted to enter in their name and a few details—no SSN or DOB required. Shop-By-Payment searches the available inventory based on their actual credit, the dealers’ current finance programs and returns a list of new and used vehicles that match the desired payment.

“Shop-By-Payment for Payment Pro revolutionizes the online auto shopping experience,” said Phil DuPree, President of AutoUSA. “Instead of searching for vehicles based on make, model or price, customers can now view and choose from all the vehicles they know they can afford based on the monthly payment.”

After displaying a list of vehicles that match the customer’s payment range, Shop-By-Payment allows the customer to change criteria such as monthly payment, down payment or the bottom line price they are willing to pay. The inventory displayed instantly adjusts to the new criteria selected by the customer. When the customer narrows the selection of vehicles, they click on a button with the desired monthly payment. That information then becomes a credit analyzed website lead and is sent to that dealership.

Shop-By-Payment for Payment Pro offers dealers the following benefits:

• For the majority of car buyers, it is all about the payment. According to CNW Research, 70.5 percent of car buyers finance their vehicles. Shop-By-Payment instantly engages these customers by offering an easy, interactive and immediate way to view the vehicles they can afford, instead of viewing the vehicles they want and not knowing if they can afford them.

• Because no Social Security Number or date of birth is required, Shop-By-Payment protects consumers’ privacy and credit reports. Payment Pro delivers payment quotes based on the customer’s credit without negatively impacting the credit score.

• Payment Pro delivers accurate monthly payment quotes based on the customer’s credit, the dealership’s finance programs and the specific inventory available, producing high-quality, credit analyzed leads. With customers this far down the sales funnel, the next step is for the customer to visit the dealership and take delivery of the vehicle.

Shop-By-Payment is initially available to car dealers who are currently using AutoUSA’s Payment Pro. To see a demonstration of Shop-By-Payment for Payment Pro, visit www.AnywhereMotors.com.

Dealers interested in learning more about Shop-By-Payment for Payment Pro can call AutoUSA at 800-509-8714.

About AutoUSA Internet Sales Solutions (www.AutoUSADealers.com)

AutoUSA Internet Sales Solutions brings the best-in-class tools to increase Internet sales and lower costs for automotive dealerships. Leading products include Payment Pro^SM, a payment-based pre-qualification tool for dealer websites; ShowPro^SM incentive program, proven to turn more leads into shows; Leads&Listings^SM, providing the highest quality, new and used car email and phone leads from 100+ sites; PowerListings^SM 2.0, helping dealers increase traffic to—and leads from—their social media sites; and AVA Virtual Sales Assistant, helping dealerships manage more leads at a reduced cost. AutoUSA products are currently benefiting thousands of active dealers all across the U.S.

For more information, visit AutoUSA’s web site, subscribe to our blog at http://blog.autousadealers.com, follow us on Twitter @AutoUSALeads and “Like” us on Facebook at /AutoUSADealers

About DriveItNow® (http://www.DriveItNow.com)

DriveItNow® is a patent-pending monthly payment marketing technology service of Automobile Consumer Services, Inc. (ACS). ACS is a leader in developing innovative online shopping technology with the initial launch of LeaseCompare.com in 2000. LeaseCompare.com continues to be one of the top destinations for auto financing and leasing in the industry.

Tuesday, May 21st | 11am PST/1pm EST

Register Today!

Many dealers will tell you that the phone prospect is their most valuable source of new business; yet 1 in 4 sales calls go unanswered. And experts forecast a 25% increase in incoming calls to automotive dealerships within the next year.

The writing is on the wall, phone leads are a vital part of a dealership’s success and profitability. When the phone rings, do your associates answer and manage the call properly?

Register for this webinar to learn proven strategies to improve the way your inbound and outbound calls are managed.

What you’ll take away by attending:

• The ultimate Word Tracks to book appointments that also show!
• The 3 things you MUST do every time the phone rings.
• How to overcome the toughest objections.
• Best practices for any outbound phone call.
• The biggest kept secret to increase sales on a phone-up  

Our presenter, Mike Paradies, a 30-year automotive industry veteran and well-renowned phone skills and internet sales process trainer, will be sharing proven techniques to turn every phone call into a selling opportunity.

Why should you register if you can't attend?
When you register, you'll automatically receive a recording of the webinar to view at your convenience.

DealerOn, the premier car dealer website company, announces that two of their automotive dealer website customers have been awarded Dataium Website Performance Awards for April 2013.  Dataium uses various performance metrics collected from participating dealership websites to recognize auto dealerships and their website providers for their online performance.  Ron Carter Hyundai was awarded the Auto Shopper Intensity (ASI) Award and Antwerpen Hyundai Catonsville received the Best Performance: Leads per Auto Shopper Award.

The ASI Award is Dataium’s proprietary index used to measure auto shopper engagement, enthusiasm, and intensity by tracking the lead to visitor, returning visitors, lead to auto shopper, lead to search, and visitor to auto shopper ratios. Ron Carter Hyundai was given this award for April, showing that they were ranked in the top ten/five in each of the measured categories.

Antwerpen Hyundai Catonsville was awarded the Best Performance: Leads per Auto Shopper Award. This award is given to the auto dealer website that has the highest percentage of car shoppers submit a lead among those that use Dataium’s tracking code.  Car dealership websites that are able to convert a high percentage of site traffic into leads have a better chance of selling cars to those that visit their dealership website.

DealerOn, Inc., the leading online marketing company serving the retail automotive industry, provides online marketing solutions to auto dealer customers including car dealer websites, SEO, social media and online reputation management (including managed blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and press releases), paid search, and lead nurturing tools.

DealerOn has become noted for documenting (through Google Analytics and 3^rd party CRM reports) an average increase of over 200% in lead volume for their car dealership clients.  They proudly offer their new customers a Lead Volume Increase, Money-back GUARANTEE.  DealerOn has just announced that they are the first dealer website provider to roll out an A/B Split Testing platform, currently in limited Beta testing, and available to all DealerOn customers by the end of the second quarter.

These awards are based upon independent, unbiased analytics of dealers’ websites performed by Dataium, LLC. Dataium is the largest aggregator of auto shopper behavior and provides OEMs and thousands of dealers advanced website analytics.  Dataium is the only company providing multi-make/model data collection, analysis, and benchmarking.

By providing common, independent web metrics for all websites, Dataium is the first company to collect, translate, research, analyze, and report on shopper behavior across multiple automotive website platforms.  Dataium provides critical business intelligence and insight for their customers through the aggregation and analysis of consumer activity from across the Internet.

ALBANY, N.Y. – May 14^th, 2013 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that its AMPS Dealership Management System (DMS) is fully integrated with Xtime ServiceCRM, the leading cloud-based customer retention management (CRM) and scheduling platform for the automotive service industry. Dealers using AMPS can now take advantage of seamless, bi-directional data exchange with Xtime Service CRM to improve customer relationships in their service departments.

“Dealers have come to rely on their fixed ops departments for a significant portion of revenue, and making the service experience pleasant for customers is increasingly important to stay competitive,” said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. “The integration benefits all of our customers who are currently using or would like to use Xtime.”

“Consumer expectations of what a dealership service experience should be have really grown in the past few years,” said Neal East, CEO of Xtime. “Our suite of products allows dealers to raise the bar, exceed customer expectations and most important, turn customers into repeat business.”

Auto/Mate’s Fixed Ops/Mate provides dealers with a comprehensive DMS solution for their service and parts departments. Fixed Ops/Mate offers advanced auto dispatch and electronic RO functions, as well as productivity boosting and reporting features that increase service department profitability.

Xtime provides dealers with a host of service marketing features and enables customers to set their own appointments online. ServiceCRM can also be accessed via a mobile device, so advisors can turn online appointments into RO’s, send reminders via e-mail, text and more. Behind the scenes, Xtime helps dealers increase revenue with factory- and dealer-recommended upsells, deferred service capture and advanced shop controls.

For more information, contact Auto/Mate at 877-340-2677.

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 650 years of combined experience working in auto dealerships – the foundation of its “designed by car people, for car people” slogan. For more information, visit www.automate.com, follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to our blog at http://blog.automate.com

About Xtime
 

Xtime is the leading cloud-based customer retention management platform for automotive manufacturers and dealer service departments. Xtime counts more than 5,000 dealerships as customers and has registered almost 2 million consumers. It processes more than 1.5 million service appointments each month and has scheduled almost 50 million in total. Xtime is the exclusive or preferred provider for leading global automotive manufacturers in North America, including Kia, Hyundai, VW, Nissan, Lexus, Infiniti, Toyota Canada, Toyota US, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Chrysler. Xtime is also the trusted choice for many of the industry’s leading dealership groups including AutoNation, Group 1 Automotive, Penske, Sonic Automotive, Asbury, Luther, Ferman and Checkered Flag. Xtime is based in Redwood Shores, California and can be reached at (650) 508-4300 or www.xtime.com.

It seems the driverless car will soon be reality. I had hoped at one time I might retire before computers became so necessary, but that hope was 30 years off. Not so these man-less vehicles. For those of us who enjoy the physical, mental and spiritual act of driving a motor vehicle and navigating it over hill and dale, simply being driven about seems so, well, unfortunate. Given all this change, I was reminded of an editorial I wrote years back when I was a classic car columnist for a major metro newspaper. I thought it appropriate to republish here: 

I’ve been asked many times this question: What is it about old cars that appeals to you?  I find it a question not answered in few words. Why? Because owning and driving an old car is part poetry, part history and a lot of enjoyment.

Owning and driving an old car is poetry because of the romance the owner develops with his or her car. A romance it is too – complete with affection, anger, pride and satisfaction. I dare anyone to spend the time and money it takes to restore the safe drivability of an old car and not feel an attachment for it that sure feels like love.  You’ll send hours with it wrestling it clean and operable; you’ll hurt your back and scrape your knuckles to make its insides whole again; and you’ll spend more time with it than your spouse likes.

Owning and driving an old car is history because of the historical research that goes into learning about the car so it can be serviced and restored right.  What old-car owner can’t tell you all about the car’s manufacturer’s history, the role his or her vehicle played in that manufacturer’s success, the important technological transportation achievements the vehicle represents, and what was happening in history when that particular vehicl

e was new.  The vehicle itself is a piece of rolling history…of automotive engineering and styling that it shared with the public every time the owner takes the vehicle out of the garage and onto the road.

Owning and driving an old car is pure enjoyment. And “drive” is the operable word for many older old cars. It has been said that you merely glide today’s vehicles 

down the road; old cars with hand-powered steering, non-power-assisted brakes, manual transmissions and older suspensions you really have to drive. 

That aside, getting behind the wheel of a car that’s survived 20, 30, 40 or more years is like getting into a time machine. The view of the road is different; the feel behind the wheel is different; the smell is different and the sounds are different from anything experienced in a modern vehicle. A paranoid wouldn’t be comfortable driving or riding in an old car: the looks from passersby would disturb him greatly.

Driver Connect, a breakthrough mobile app for the auto industry, is recognized in Mobile On-Demand Software Application category

Daytona Beach, FL – May 14, 2013 – DMEautomotive’s Driver Connect has been named a finalist for “New Product or Service of the Year” in the Software - Mobile On-Demand Application category in The 2013 American Business Awards, and will ultimately be a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie® Award winner in the program.

“We are honored to be named a finalist for New Product/Service of the Year by the American Business Awards - and to be in such good company,” said Mike Walther, president and CEO of DMEautomotive. “Driver Connect is helping auto retailers across the country adapt to the mobile revolution, and we could not be more proud of this recognition -- for the product itself, the dealers who are using it, and the fantastic and innovative team at DMEautomotive who created it.”

Driver Connect is the first mobile app designed for auto dealerships to provide the right mix of fun, practical, pro-consumer, and pro-dealer tools - so it gets used often and builds a positive, trusted connection - all while driving more service business. The DMEautomotive-developed app is one of four finalists in the category for the New Product/Service of the Year award, alongside companies like Cisco Systems.

The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. 

More than 3,200 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Most Innovative Company of the Year, Management Team of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others.

Finalists were chosen by more than 140 business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April and May.  More than 150 members of nine specialized judging committees will determine Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging, to take place May 13 - 24.  

The American Business Awards will be presented at two awards events: the ABA's traditional banquet on Monday, June 17 – in Chicago for the first time, after 10 years in New York; and the new product & technology awards event on Monday, September 16 in San Francisco.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.   

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, Fla.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  A fifth program, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, will debut this year.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide.  Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

Sponsors and partners of The 2013 American Business Awards include the Business TalkRadio Network, Callidus Software, Citrix Online, Dynamic Research Corporation, Experian Consumer Services, John Hancock Funds, LifeLock, PetRays, and SoftPro.

Contact:

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

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

###

Haider Shares the Seven “P’s” for Success with Accessories Sales in DealersEdge Webinar; Thursday May 9 at 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific

San Francisco, CA – May 8, 2013 –Sidney Haider, president of izmocars AddOnAuto (AOA) division will present the Seven ‘P’s for Accessories Sales Success in a DealersEdge webinar Thursday, May 9 at 1pm EDT/10am PT.  In the webinar, Haider will outline a highly successful, easy-to-implement and proven process for accessories sales that can help dealerships add up to $1K in gross per unit.

“Accessories are still a largely untapped market for dealerships with only about 6% of the $30 billion pie currently going to dealers. But that is changing, with new technology and new processes that are helping dealerships across the country diversify revenue and increase profit to the tune of an average of $500 a copy – with many gaining much more,” said Haider. “With the right practices and technology in place, there is no reason why dealerships can’t add as much as $1K in gross per unit… all while improving customer satisfaction and helping to bring more customers in the accessories door.”

The webinar includes the 7 "P’s" for successful accessories sales: Process, People, Product, Pricing, Profit, Presentation, and Pay Plans.  Haider will outline proven strategies for generating additional accessories revenue with 'How Tos' on streamlining the accessory sales/order handling process; enhancing the customer purchase experience; creating engaging e-mail campaigns; enhancing website functionality/engaging more visitors, and more.

Haider has over 22 years of broad-based and hands-on 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.

Key takeaways from the webinar will include:

• The presentation methods that work best in a digital dealership age and what to avoid
• A new staffing template based on each employee's role in selling more accessories
• Processes for moving the sale forward depending on where the customers engage
• How to test your product mix for effective selling
• The right pricing strategies
• Pay plans to motivate the key players

The webinar is hosted and presented by DealersEdge. For more information, go to http://store.dealersedge.com/all-dealersedge-webinars/upcoming-live-webinars/wge2-live-may-9-sidney-haider-seven-ps-for-success-in-accessory-sales.html

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 48%. To learn more about the AddOnAuto Digital Dashboard, please visit: http://www.izmocars.com/solutions/aoa.html

About izmocars
izmocars is a leading provider of Automotive Business Solutions including: Website and Online Marketing Solutions, Enterprise-level Automotive CRM, iConsult - Sales Performance Coaching and AddOnAuto - an In-Store Accessories Sales Solution.

izmocars is also the world's leader in Interactive Media Content for the automotive industry. Founded in 2002, izmocars services some of the most successful eDealers in the country.

izmocars is based in San Francisco, with offices in Long Beach, CA and Brussels in Europe.

CONTACT: mWEBB Communications for izmocars, Crystal Hartwell, +1-714-987-1016, crystal@mwebbcom.com