Naked Lime Representatives Also Will Attend GM eSummit to Discuss
Naked Lime Services Approved for the GM iMR Turnkey Program 

KETTERING, Ohio – Aug. 23, 2012 – Naked Lime Marketing, a complete, full-service agency with expertise in traditional and digital marketing, advertising, and web services for automotive retailers, today announced that Aloysius Carl, digital marketing manager for Naked Lime, will be a panelist at the GM eSummit 2012 Digital Marketing Conference. Naked Lime representatives also will attend the vendor expo to address dealer inquiries about Naked Lime’s marketing, advertising, and web services included in the GM iMR Turnkey program (http://gmimr.nakedlime.com/).

The GM eSummit 2012 Digital Marketing Conference will feature the best in the industry addressing today’s most critical digital challenges and opportunities for dealerships. Carl will participate in the Digital Success Panel, which will address topics such as automotive digital marketing, how to best serve online car buyers, purchasing behavior of Millennials, and different uses of video for dealerships.

A 17-year veteran in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) digital marketing, Carl currently leads the strategy, planning, and development of Naked Lime’s digital offerings and assists dealers in implementing Internet strategies that deliver results for their business. His expertise includes search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, digital reputation management, and social marketing.

Locations for the GM eSummit 2012 Digital Marketing Conference include:

• Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, Aug. 23.
• Chicago, Ill., on Tuesday, Aug. 28.
• Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, Oct. 11.
• Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday, Oct. 16.
• Las Vegas, Nev., on Monday, Nov. 12.

The cost to attend eSummit is only $299 per person, and eSummit expenses are now eligible for reimbursement under the Sales iMR program with GM Match. The conference registration fee and travel expenses (hotel, flight, food & beverage – excluding alcohol) are all eligible reimbursement items. Claims should be submitted on GMLAM.com for reimbursement. Early-bird reduced registration rates are available. Plus, when at least one of the dealership’s employees registers for the eSummit, the dealer principal or executive manager can attend for free.

For complete details and to register for the eSummit, visit www.GMeSummit.com.

For more information about Naked Lime Marketing, visit www.nakedlime.com.

About Naked Lime Marketing

Naked Lime Marketing’s Naked Truth: Deliver fresh and innovative full-service marketing, advertising, and web services that help automotive dealers turn the heads of consumers and inspire consumer loyalty at every point in the retail process. Connect with Naked Lime on the Web: www.nakedlime.com, Facebook: www.facebook.com/nkdlime, or Twitter: www.twitter.com/nkdlime.

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Media Contact:
Thomas Schwartz
937.269.9569
media@nakedlime.com

Stroffolino’s presentation “Bridging the Certification Gap: How to Turn Longer Life/Higher Mileage Used Vehicles 60% Faster -- and with 23% Additional Gross!” joins agenda that also includes Billy Beane of ‘Moneyball’ fame, Facebook, and Google

Manahawkin, NJ – August 16, 2012 – Joe Stroffolino, Used Car Manager and Digital Marketing Director of Causeway Family of Dealerships in New Jersey, has been selected to present at the fourth annual DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), the most authoritative profit-building event for innovative dealers. Stroffolino joins an impressive agenda that also includes high-profile keynotes from Billy Beane of ‘Moneyball’ fame; SEO ‘superstar’ Rand Fishkin, mobile experience expert Luke Wroblewski, renowned leadership trainer Jim Dance, and an exclusive presentation from Facebook and Google. The DSES will be held Sunday, October 21^st through Tuesday, October 23^rd, 2012 at the Bellagio Las Vegas.

Stroffolino will present a breakout session at the summit titled “Bridging the Certification Gap: How to Turn Longer Life/Higher Mileage Used Vehicles 60% Faster -- and with 23% Additional Gross!” All speakers and content for the summit were selected by the DSES Dealer Advisory Board.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity – and in such an exciting venue – to share ideas and processes with my fellow dealers that can help them rev up their used car sales and build profits,” said Stroffolino.  “With an increasingly challenging used car market, there is no reason dealers should be constrained by the limitations of OEM CPO programs. Let’s face it, cars are getting older and consumers are willing to drive them for longer. The time has come for dealers to leverage certification marketing for vehicles not covered by OEM programs and, as we have discovered at Causeway, it definitely is a win/win process – making both consumers and dealers happy.”

Using a combination of smart online and offline strategies and the creation of a stand-alone store and brand for his certified vehicles, Stroffolino is helping drive a revolution in the way high-mileage, longer life vehicles are sold. His presentation will use a case study as the foundation for teaching his peer dealers how to create a certification game-plan, with key tips on leveraging this growing market to power up gross, profit and CSI. He will also provide examples of other dealerships that are using similar strategies to move high mileage/older vehicles, as well as how to create a standalone certification brand -- including samples of videos, branding promotions and online marketing that have helped drive a flood of customers into the store.

“Joe Stroffolino was selected from an outstanding field of nearly 100 applicants, and we are confident that DSES attendees will learn a great deal from this extremely relevant topic. We are proud to add Joe to our exciting line-up for 2012,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder, Jared Hamilton. “His presentation on Bridging the Certification Gap resonated with the dealer board, and will be an important part of the profit-building takeaways for summit attendees as they craft their 2013 business plans.”

The DrivingSales Executive Summit 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.  The DrivingSales Executive Summit is the only automotive conference where dealers decide the agenda, not the vendor sponsors. This translates into the highest level of learning for the dealer attendees versus other events where workshops are little more than glorified sales pitches.

Last year's summit was standing room only, and although DSES 2012 will allow for an expanded number of registrants, it is expected to sell out quickly. Register for DSES at: http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com/registration/.  

For more information about the DrivingSales Executive Summit, visit: www.DrivingSalesExecutiveSummit.com or contact dses@drivingsales.com. Stay tuned for DSES news as it develops on www.twitter.com/drivingsales and on www.facebook.com/drivingsales. Participate in the conversation with the #DSES hashtag as preparations continue throughout the year.

About The Causeway Family of Dealerships

The Causeway Family of Dealerships is Ford Lincoln Nissan Honda and SureSale Certified Vehicles. We have full service, parts and one of New Jersey’s largest collision centers. Causeway Family of Dealerships was established in 1969 and is a family owned and operated Dealership group. Originally it started with just Ford. Lincoln and Mercury were added in the early 70’s. Jeep-Eagle made its debut in the 80’s. Suzuki, Honda and Nissan were added in 2007. The current Family members are Ford, Lincoln, Honda and Nissan. Causeway Ford has won multiple presidents awards over the years.

About DrivingSales

Founded in 2008 and dedicated to the dealer community, DrivingSales is a business intelligence and data company that delivers unbiased*, profit-building information to make automobile dealers more successful through three distinct channels: DrivingSales Data, DrivingSales University and DrivingSales Media. DrivingSales Data houses the largest database of cross-vendor, dealership performance data in the North American auto industry and provides dealerships with the most statistically accurate performance benchmarks and metrics for their marketing and technology investments. DrivingSales University is a fully interactive online university that offers advanced profit-building strategies to automotive professionals through hundreds of classes taught by world-leading experts. DrivingSales Media connects dealers to peers and information through its global media assets, including DrivingSales.com, the world’s largest automotive social network; The Dealership Innovation Guide, an industry leading quarterly publication; DrivingSales Executive Summit, the top automotive conference for progressive dealers, and DrivingSalesTV, Web TV covering everything car-dealer related. Approximately one in every three dealerships in the United States has a registered member in the DrivingSales community.

*Vendor Neutral Policy: Dedicated solely to making dealerships more profitable, while also providing benefit to automakers and the industry as a whole, DrivingSales adheres to a strict vendor neutral policy through each of its channels. This means the company only provides unbiased information, not ‘pay-to-play’ follow up services -- and never accepts payment in exchange for media coverage or lets potential advertisers dictate messaging or create bias in any of its channels.

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

Angela Jacobson (angela@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 714.454.8776

New DMEautomotive survey reveals that prepaid or complimentary maintenance plans, combined with excellent service delivery, are among the best ways to win and retain consumer loyalty – especially ‘next-gen’ customers

DMEautomotive Survey Highlights:

• 56% of consumers with a prepaid or “complimentary” service plan are likely to continue servicing at dealership after expiration
• Roughly 1 in 4 U.S. vehicle owners have a dealer/OEM prepaid or free service plan.
• 62% of those that use plans for “all” maintenance are likely to stick with their dealer.
• Next-generation servicers (under age 35) are more likely to have a plan (31%) than those over 35 (18%) – and more likely to have all maintenance done under the plan/at dealer (72%) than those over 35 (61%).

Daytona Beach, FL – August 13, 2012 – DMEautomotive (DMEa), the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, today released key findings from its new national consumer survey[1] that provides insight into the state of prepaid (PPM) and complimentary dealer and OEM maintenance plans - from current penetration rates and customer satisfaction levels, to the precise role these plans play in dealership service retention.

“Our survey provides fresh evidence that both prepaid and OEM-provided maintenance plans have a powerful impact on dealer service retention,” said Doug Van Sach, Vice President of Strategy & Analytics at DMEautomotive. “With nearly 3 in 5 consumers reporting they are likely to continue servicing at the dealership after their plan expires - compared to average dealer post-warranty retention rates of 22% to 40% (depending on vehicle make and age) - these programs can more than double service business that typically bleeds to the aftermarket, while also having a profound impact on retaining the young, traditionally dealer-averse, service shopper’s business.”

KEY FINDINGS:

Maintenance Plan Penetration

22% of American car owners currently have a maintenance plan (beyond a standard OEM warranty): 15% have a complimentary plan (e.g. ToyotaCare, Experience Buick, or BMW Ultimate Service), while 7% of respondents have purchased a PPM dealer plan.

Free or Prepaid, 35% Still Not Using for ALL Maintenance (or NOT Using at All)

While the majority (65%) report using their plan for “all” scheduled maintenance, a surprising 25% have only used it for “some” of their covered services.  So, even though a free or paid-for plan is in place, plan holders are still choosing to spend service dollars outside the dealership – a possible reflection of the lack of convenience traditionally associated with dealership service centers. Also, a significant percentage of plan-holders either are not being consistently engaged by their dealership, or are not finding value in their plans, with 9% reporting they have not used it at all.

Plan Usage and Satisfaction Levels Align

69% of those with free or PPM plans are either “extremely satisfied” (22%) or “satisfied” (47%) with the plan. Those using their plans for “all” scheduled service at the dealership report the highest satisfaction: 75% are either “extremely satisfied” (30%) or “satisfied” (45%). While 66% of those using their plans for just “some” maintenance report being satisfied, only 7% fall into that that passionate “extremely” satisfied category.

Plans Drive Long-Term Retention

Overall, 56% of those with a maintenance plan report they’re likely to keep servicing at the dealership when the plan expires (with only 1 in 5 claiming they’re unlikely to). Dealerships clearly need to work hard to keep those in-plan loyalist intenders, and move the 25% that report they’re on the fence about sticking with the dealership to the loyalty column.

To view the chart click here: http://prn.to/Pi73xa

Loyalty During Plans Impacts Future Loyalty

How much consumers use their plans, and whether they exclusively service with that dealer, correlates with a significantly higher likelihood to continue service with that dealership post-plan. For instance, 62% of those that use plans for “all” service are likely to stick with the dealer. And nearly two times more consumers in that group report they’re “very likely” (30%) to return to the dealership, compared with those that only have “some” maintenance performed under the plan (17%).

A Powerful Tool for Young, Dealer-Disloyal Servicers

While young, under-35 servicers present the most profound loyalty challenges for dealerships (data confirmed by previous DMEa white papers[2]), this new survey reveals that maintenance plans represent a major opportunity to connect with - and retain - them. Not only were those under 35 more likely to have a maintenance plan (31%) than those 35+ (18%), they were significantly more likely to use their plans for “all” maintenance (72%) than older customers (61%).

Notably, those aged 25-34 (who used plan for “all” maintenance) reported the very highest plan satisfaction (84%) compared with any age group - and 62% of that segment reported they’re likely to service at the dealership post-plan. With prior DMEa data revealing that the largest group of dealer-disloyalists are aged 25-34 (representing over one-third of total disloyalists), it’s clear that maintenance plans are a uniquely powerful way to drive more loyalty among that critical ‘next wave’ of traditionally dealer-resistant servicers.

“It’s imperative that dealers and OEMs offer free and prepaid programs, because more than half of all consumers currently under one indicate they will stay with the dealership post-plan,” noted Van Sach. “Our data did contain some surprises: one in four customers still stray from the dealership while under a plan; and consumers who do not have “all” service performed under the plan are significantly less likely to continue servicing at that dealership. So, if dealers or OEMs imagine that under-plan service taken elsewhere just means more profits – or that they don’t need to worry about keeping these customers very ‘close’ and satisfied until plan expiration – this data clearly shows that those beliefs need some revising.”

This maintenance plan “market snapshot” represents first findings from DMEa’s newest survey on current service consumer behavior and trends. Reports on diverse topics, from QR Code, mobile app and social media usage, to how servicers research specific service purchases, will be released over the next three months.

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 dealers 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.

Media Inquiries
Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, +1-424-603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com
Angela Jacobson, mWEBB Communications, +1-714-454-8776, angela@mwebbcom.com

More Than a Quarter Century of Support for Higher Education

DAYTON, OHIO – Aug. 8, 2012 – The Reynolds and Reynolds Company today announced it is providing more than 50 merit scholarships to support young scholars attending colleges in the U.S. and Canada for the 2012-2013 academic year. The scholarships, with a combined value of nearly $130,000, are funded by the Reynolds and Reynolds Company Foundation, which has been providing support for higher education and merit scholarships for the past 25 years.

“We take a great deal of pride in directing the Foundation’s support to higher education and especially to scholarships,” said Robert Burnett, a trustee of the Foundation and vice president of Corporate Development at Reynolds and Reynolds. “It’s a direct way to help high achieving students reach their goals for a college education. At the same time, as these students return to their communities to live and work, all of us will benefit from having these accomplished and talented young adults in our midst.”

The majority of the 2012-2013 scholarships were awarded under a long-standing program of honor scholarships for undergraduate study by children of Reynolds associates.

The funding also supports the Reynolds and Reynolds Leadership Scholars Program at Wright State University in Dayton, which provides scholarships for students in the University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Additionally, Reynolds is funding scholarships to benefit students attending Wright State University’s Lake Campus in Grand Lake St. Mary’s, Ohio, and Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Reynolds operates a major facility in both locations.

The scholarship program is administered on behalf of Reynolds by Scholarship America, which is an independent firm that reviews and selects the recipients based on academic merit and school and community involvement.

About Reynolds

Reynolds and Reynolds is the automotive industry’s largest and most trusted provider of automobile dealership software, services, and forms to help dealerships improve business results. The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major operations in Houston and College Station, Texas, and Celina, Ohio.  (www.reyrey.com)

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Media Contact:
Thomas Schwartz
937.485.8109 (office)
937.269.9569 (mobile)
Thomas_Schwartz@reyrey.com

 

In addition to the website deal, current Dealers United members can take advantage of SEO services offered by KPA 

Sarasota, FL – August 7, 2012 - Dealers United, the first service to truly leverage the buying power of individual dealerships, launched their August member deal today, website design services from KPA, through its TK Carsites acquisition. Based on the negotiated terms, members of Dealers United will save from 40% to 48% off website services depending on which package they choose. Available KPA packages include website only, website plus Premium SEO or Website plus Elite SEO.   

“As we researched vendors and spoke with members, we found KPA to be a name that came up time and again in connection with top-of-the-line website and SEO services,” said Dealers United co-Founder Jesse Biter.  “But what really drove the decision is KPA’s commitment to the entire website experience, from SEO to design to user interaction. Their packages are some of the most comprehensive we’ve found.”

In many ways, Dealers United acts as the business development arm for private dealerships and dealer groups by researching vendors and negotiating their services at a substantial discount. Members receive monthly offerings at highly discounted prices from fully-vetted vendors.

“We worked with Dealers United back in April to introduce SEO services to their members and can honestly say they work very hard to get the absolute best pricing and terms,” said Vane Clayton, CEO of KPA. “We’re excited to show this elite group of dealers how our websites can catapult their internet and SEO efforts to the forefront of the industry.”

If you are an automotive dealer and would like to become a member of Dealers United, please visit:http://DealersUnited.com.

If you are an exceptional automotive industry vendor and interested in being considered for a future members-only deal, please complete the vendor registration process here: http://dealersunited.com/signup_vendor.cfm. Dealers United thoroughly vets all suppliers and categories well before negotiations with a provider for a given product or service.

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About Dealers United:

Dealers United is the first service to truly leverage the buying power of individual dealerships.  By acting as a dealer advocate, Dealers United vets vendors, negotiates great deals and levels the playing field against very large dealer groups. Our goal is to ensure that every dealer, regardless of its size, has an equal opportunity to grow and succeed in this industry. As individual dealerships are increasingly challenged to allocate expensive resources to select the right vendors, Dealers United aim is to build strong relationships, negotiate terms and pricing with vendors and stand united. For more information on Dealers United, please visitwww.DealersUnited.com.

Media Contacts: 

Laurie Halter

Charisma! Communications

Ph (503) 245-3140

Laurie@charismacommunications.com

Marketing to car parts and service shoppers is a challenge. They are quick to make decisions with a majority deciding within a week. They actively compare multiple brands with most researching two or more brands. And they prioritize convenience and immediacy. Moreover, dealer service shops compete not only with other dealers, but also local and national service shops. So when it comes to getting  a shopper's online attention for Fixed Ops, car dealers certainly have an uphill battle.

 

In this 1 hour webinar, we will review major behavior trends among fixed ops shoppers to understand how these customers make decisions and where they perform much of their research. Based on these findings, we will discuss how your dealership can develop an effective marketing strategy to generate more service appointments and parts orders online.
 

Join us Thursday, August 9, at 12 PM EST/9 AM PST!

Register Now!

PRESENTER: Marianna Kerppola is an Industry Strategist on Google's Dealer Jumpstart Team, which helps car dealers embrace digital solutions. Our team collaborates with auto groups, individual dealers, and OEM's to generate business with Google tools in an age where smartphones rule and 'everything' is on YouTube. Marianna has worked at Google's Ann Arbor, Michigan office since 2011, all the while working directly with dealers on their digital marketing strategies. Prior to Google, she worked in corporate finance and investments for Nationwide Insurance.

It’s not uncommon for dealerships to double/triple their PPC budget and think that they will get double/triple the leads in return. Oh, if it were that simple life would be grand but that math just isn’t supported by the data and consequently huge dollars are being spent and wasted on wrongful SEM and PPC campaigns. Has your dealership fallen victim?

 

In order to explore the science (and science fiction) of search engine marketing, Jason Ezell of Dataium will use some amazing real dealer data and an excellent case study. This very compelling 1 hour webinar will open your eyes with astounding stats for this topic and a clear strategy that will help dealerships target their dollars and maximize their return from PPC/SEM ….using science – not science fiction!

5 attendees will receive Dataium's INSITE Standard tool, a completely independent reporting tool, for FREE for a year, a $1299 value!

 

PRESENTER: Jason Ezell is the President & Co-Founder of Dataium, LLC, the largest aggregator of auto shopper behavior data in the industry. With almost 25 years experience in the automotive industry, Jason Ezell first managed dealerships for over 8 years before being invited to join Autotrader.com’s first sales team in 1998/99. He then started one of the most unique and respected website companies in the industry. As a member of JD Power’s Internet Round Table, an NADA 20 Group Preferred Speaker and a Digital Dealer Conference Speaker, Ezell is well known as an expert in automotive Internet for his statistical approach to analyzing user data to better understand how to sell cars on the Internet.

Fort Lauderdale, FL – July 31^st, 2012 – AutoUSA Internet Sales Solutions (www.autousadealers.com) today introduced Payment Pro^SM powered by DriveItNow^®, a payment-based conversion tool for auto dealer websites. Payment Pro^SM is a service that provides online shoppers with instant, real car loan payments based on individual credit and inventory eligibility, generating pre-qualified, first-party leads from dealer websites.

With Payment Pro^SM, consumers click on a button showing real payments on any vehicle listing on a dealer’s website. A form appears that the shopper fills out, but no social security number or birth date is required. Based on the individual’s entered criteria, the system determines their credit eligibility without impacting the consumer’s credit score, instantly displays personalized monthly payment options, and delivers the dealer a dramatically-enhanced lead.

“Payment Pro^SM is good for the dealer because it shifts the shopper’s focus from what the lowest price is to what they can afford every month,” said Phil DuPree, President of AutoUSA. “The leads generated from these inquiries open the door for immediate engagement and more seamless negotiations.”

Payment Pro^SM offers auto dealers the following benefits:

• Converts more traffic on dealer websites because consumers want to know monthly payment options based on their credit.
• Generates the industry’s first dealer-website lead that includes the customer’s credit eligibility and desired payment from dealers’ own websites, resulting in high-closing prospects.
• Eliminates wasted time showing customers vehicles they can’t afford, as well as time spent negotiating.
• Puts dealers in charge of setting their own prices and financing terms, unlike lead services that force dealers into price wars in order to deliver the lowest price for the consumer while lowering gross profit margins.
• Shifts consumer focus to monthly affordability, giving dealers more flexibility in pricing and negotiations.

Payment Pro^SM is a new service powered by DriveItNow’s patent-pending technology.  “We chose to partner with AutoUSA because of their tremendous industry reputation of bringing best-in-class tools to the market to increase Internet sales for automotive dealers,” said Tarry Shebesta, President of DriveItNow. “The launch of Payment Pro^SM shows they understand the value of producing high quality leads and the need for payment quoting.”

Payment Pro^SM is available immediately for auto dealer websites and mobile sites. To learn more, visit http://www.paymentprodemo.com or contact your AutoUSA sales representative at 1-800-243-9935.

About AutoUSA Internet Sales Solutions

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 payment marketing technology service of Automobile Consumer Services, Inc. (ACS).  ACS leads the industry with innovative proprietary technology, superior customer service, and over twenty years of auto financing and leasing experience.

Participating dealers can now use iMR matching funds for customer journey service marketing programs; Service CSI and notification programs eligible for iMR Parts dollars

Daytona Beach, FL – July 25, 2012 – DMEautomotive (DMEa), the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, today announced that five of its leading sales and service marketing programs have been approved for General Motors (GM) CSSR ‘Plus Ups’ Certification. 

Effective immediately, thousands of GM dealers are now eligible to receive iMR Sales Matching funds and/or Parts funds for these important loyalty, service marketing and customer retention programs that cover the gamut of a dealership’s service and sales communications needs.

“We are delighted to further strengthen our relationship with General Motors and their dealers. Our certification by GM for the CSSR ‘Plus Ups’ program is a significant step forward as we continue to work with GM on developing a long term relationship,” said Mike Walther, president of DMEautomotive. “Having a robust service marketing and loyalty program has never been more critical for dealerships: Americans are holding onto their vehicles for record lengths of time, the $215 billion+ service market is projected to grow another 15% by 2015[1] and service now represents 46.5% of dealer profits. Access to DMEautomotive programs means GM dealerships will have the right set of tools to help them successfully combat low service loyalty rates and new market challenges -- and win more customers, more car sales and increased loyalty and retention.”

The set of products and services certified by GM were chosen by DMEautomotive specifically to provide value-added solutions to supplement the current GM CSSR program and give GM dealers the full breadth of services they need to drive revenue and retention. The DMEautomotive programs included in the GM CSSR Plus Ups Certification program are:

Eligible for IMR Sales Match Funds Advertising

Customer Journey - Sales: Completely automated and customized multi-channel communications program that generates increased unit sales and higher ROI. Targeting the 5+ year old VIN segments of the dealer’s database with offers to purchase a vehicle and/or F&I products, as well as targeting all GM VINs to repurchase, trade-in, or renew a lease.

Customer Journey– Service: Multi-channel communications program that is proven to lift Customer Pay Repair Orders (RO), as well as dollars per RO, resulting in higher ROI. Targeting GM VINs older than 5 years with retention strategies, including service reminders, reactivation, declined recommendations, and lost customer communications.

Sales Conquest Mail Campaigns: Turnkey marketing program that drives additional sales by targeting potential customers and incorporating them into monthly OEM incentives. Targets non-customers using current launch offers and events as well as conquest direct mail campaigns for sales.

Eligible for Dealer Parts Fund Advertising

Service CSI Program: Email or live call surveys to assess customers’ overall service experience and targets all GM VINs 24-48 hours after service has been performed. 

Service Notification Program:  Enhances long-term customer retention with a series of critical customer notifications covering pre-appointment reminders in the form of a pre-recorded call, missed appointment follow-up - which is either a pre-recorded call or a live call with appointment re-set - and a pre-recorded special order parts notification.

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.

Media Relations - DMEautomotive
Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com
Angela Jacobson, mWEBB Communications, (714) 454-8776, angela@mwebbcom.com

If you’re like 99.9% of dealerships, you’re looking for a way to increase your sales TODAY! What if there were 5 simple and cost effective ideas that can do just that. Sounds too good to be true? Well these 5 techniques have worked for many others …and they can work for you too.

Jennifer Suzuki, Founder and President of e-Dealer Solutions, will show you how much untapped potential you have in your current internet leads and provide cutting edge strategies that every dealership manager can use to maximize the results. In this training module, managers will learn 5 key modern techniques to convert more internet leads into immediate sales.

With the goal of profitability in mind, this fast-paced 1 hour webinar will highlight:

• Take away items to instantly improve sales team’s performance and processes.  
• Benchmarks in your processes to more effectively manage a 21st century sales team
• Easy-to-implement actions for sales training, one-on-one coaching and daily management.  

You owe it to yourself to see the impact these 5 solutions can have on your sales.  Upon implementing the 5 key points, managers will know precisely how to increase sales today!