Template based New Car Delivery Screen Makes Digital Signs Easy

The Digital Dealership System announces new profiles for customers to use digital sign for appreciation and congratulations to new car owners.

While the capabilities have always been in the system, recent customer inquiries have created the need for the website to be expanded to show that the profile is available as part of the standard digital sign package. The software's simple drag and drop interface makes it easy to change the name of the customer, their car and add multiple pictures and send the changes to the screen.

New Car Delivery Areas are popular in all major brand resets and have always been staples in larger dealerships. It's easy to convert an unused service bay to a new car delivery area simply by clearing out the junk, adding some bright paint and a few screens. These specific areas is as important as offering a car wash and fresh coffee to your service customers and it leaves a lasting impression.

Digital signs allow for personalization of the new car delivery, as well as an opportunity to inform the customer of giving you positive feedback online, bring the car in for scheduled maintenance, and other marketing messages in a non-intrusive way. More can be read about the Digital Dealership System "New Car Delivery Profile" here.

About the Digital Dealership System. Headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL and founded in 2008, Digital Dealership System, INC offers a digital internal marketing solution for car dealerships. Contact: press@ddsmail.co

Join us for this week's FREE webinar, presented by DealerOn:

A great CRM can provide a significant advantage, not only by tracking customer history but also by integrating all departments – sales, service, internet, etc., into one seamless money generating machine.  But how does one use a CRM to make the biggest impact?


Join us for this free 1 hour webinar as we discuss the top program strategies that guarantee success when using your customer relationship management tool. We'll be covering:
 

• Key elements to look for when choosing a CRM
• How continuous coaching, counseling and creating buy-in of key fundamentals produces measurable and successful results driving maximum sales and profits for the dealers that execute them.
• How to leverage a true 360 degree customer view and how key processes and fundamentals have proven to increase retention and loyalty.
• How effective communication through targeted marketing initiatives will attract and keep customers throughout the relationship lifecycle.  

With his vast expertise gathered over the years, Bill Wittenmyer will present a definitive aggressive strategy to gain new customers, keep existing ones and reach out to those that have not remained loyal.  


A CRM is a big investment with potentially enormous rewards so take advantage of this opportunity to learn the 6 CRM Strategies Guaranteed to Maximize Profits. This is a webinar you can’t afford to miss!


Presenter: Bill Wittenmyer is the Vice President of ELEAD One. In addition to his daily responsibilities of the sales division, Bill also handles all OEM relationships for the company and key accounts such as Autobytel. Prior to joining ELEAD in 2002, Bill spent over 10 years in automotive retail holding various positions in operations management with organizations such as the Coggin Automotive Group. Bill is active in several prominent automotive forums, speaking at numerous venues each year and, as a representative of ELEAD One, was a finalist for the American Honda Premier Partner Award.

June 26th,2012.

Today, Haystack Digital Marketing , one of the nation’s largest full-service advertising agencies and audio visual production company for the retail automotive industry announced its strategic alliance with ActivEngage,Inc., the automotive industry's premium live chat and real-time business intelligence solution,  “We’ve done a lot of work with ActivEngage over the years, and ActivEngage is one of the best in the industry. By putting our products together, our customers will receive exponential benefits. The integration allows us to show the value of the traffic of our tool brings to the site and the conversion and leads that ActivEngage can bring. Basically, two heads are better than one.” Duncan Scarry said about the alliance.

such as geo-location and shopping history, to better meet customer needs and drive intelligent, guided, helpful conversations that turn website traffic into targeted leads. Haystack digital marketing solution  is the leading provider of digital marketing services to the automotive industry. Haystak's products and services are used by hundreds of automobile dealerships in North America and Europe including numerous publicly traded groups and Automotive News Top 125 Dealership Groups. Haystak Digital Marketing is a recognized leader in the digital marketing industry, being named an Adwords Premier SMB Partner by Google and a Microsoft Advertising Authorized Reseller.

“Our mutual customers will greatly benefit as both companies are led by automotive experts and have a deep understanding of dealers’ needs. We will work together to continue to provide products and solutions which help dealers overcome issues they are currently facing.” added Eric Schlesinger, Director of Sales at ActivEngage.

The value of an alliance between Haystack Digital Marketing and ActivEngage was clearly seen at Digital Dealer 12 when the two companies sponsored a client event at Blue Martini during the conference. The after party was such a hit for both customer bases, Haystack Digital Marketing and ActivEngage started talks of defining a strategic alliance that would greatly benefit both their mutual and future customers.

About Activengage, Inc.:

ActivEngage is the most trusted automotive chat vendor in the industry. We have built a strong reputation on our ability to successfully manage chats and our proprietary chat and real-time business intelligence software was created to meet the specific needs of dealerships. The essential person-to-person meet & greet dealers require at the physical showroom is now possible on the dealership website through ActivEngage. Proactive website engagement decreases abandonment rates and increases website lead generation with the thousands of visitors the average dealership receives each month. ActivEngage provides dealerships with the ability to engage with the 80% of automotive consumers who conduct part of their vehicle shopping process online, since live chat is the only technology that allows dealers to start building a personal relationship with their website shoppers from the moment they hit the website.  Having taken over a million chats on behalf of our customers, ActivEngage has developed the best and most effective way to communicate with online shoppers. ActivEngage offers three tiers of service to ensure all website visitors' experiences are enjoyable and uncomplicated, thereby increasing the value of dealership websites through better lead generation.

About Haystack Digital Marketing:
Haystak Digital Marketing is the leading provider of digital marketing services to the automotive industry. Haystak's products and services are used by hundreds of automobile dealerships in North America and Europe including numerous publicly traded groups and Automotive News Top 125 Dealership Groups. Haystak Digital Marketing is a recognized leader in the digital marketing industry, being named an Adwords Premier SMB Partner by Google and a Microsoft Advertising Authorized Reseller. The company has offices in Fort Myers, Florida, Chicago, Illinois and Denver, Colorado.

As consumers continue to embrace the critical importance of dealer reviews in the car shopping process, DealerRater reports continued impressive growth in its consumer user base and car dealer reviews, solidifying DealerRater’s position as the world’s largest single repository of car dealer reviews available on the Web.

WALTHAM, Mass.  – June 25, 2012 - DealerRater, the world’s premier car dealer review web site, today announced continued impressive growth having attained a significant milestone for the company; the 700,000th dealer review mark.  The site currently receives an average of 870 new reviews per day, and on weekdays records a new review every 55 seconds.

The uptick in reviews posted on the web site is in direct response to the increasing number of auto consumers that are joining the DealerRater user base to share their car dealership experiences online.  DealerRater welcomed over 168,000 new consumer members to its community in the first half of 2012. 

“We’re excited to reach this milestone,” said Chip Grueter, president of DealerRater.  “With a larger community of consumer members and the number of car dealer reviews spiking at more than 26,000 each month, it’s a win-win for both consumers and our Certified Dealer partners.  Our Certified Dealers gain access to an ever expanding market of potential customers, while consumers can rely on a growing repository of third-party information when choosing a car dealership.”

With 2012 representing the company’s 10-year anniversary, DealerRater continues to be the first and largest third-party review web site dedicated solely to automotive dealerships.   In addition to the growing volume of reviews, the DealerRater® site has demonstrated persistent growth over the past three years in both total web site visitors as well as the number of dealers that have embraced DealerRater’s popular Certified Dealer Program.   Certified Dealers are able to connect with DealerRater’s 8 million web site visitors while demonstrating an utmost commitment to quality customer service. 

“Every time we sell a car we want the customer to have all the information at hand to make a smart informed decision, said Jack Schneider, owner of Certified Benz and Beemer in Scottsdale, AZ.  “With DealerRater, we now have our customers telling other customers what they have been through. It’s a real sales booster. Through managing our online reputation with DealerRater, our sales, which were already strong, have increased by about 20-25%.”

For more information, visit www.DealerRater.com or call 800-266-9455. 

About DealerRater:

DealerRater was founded in 2002 as the first car dealer review website worldwide.  DealerRater is the world’s #1 online resource for anyone seeking third-party information on automobile dealerships.   DealerRater features more than 41,000 U.S. and Canadian car dealers, 700,000 user reviews and over 1,000,000 cars for sale.  DealerRater attracts more than 8 million consumers every year who visit the site to search for car dealerships, read current reviews, write their own descriptive reviews, and find car deals – all for free.  Car dealers are rated on the criteria of customer service, quality of work, friendliness, price and overall experience.  In addition, DealerRater offers qualified car dealers a Certified Dealer Program as a reputation management tool to help them grow their online presence and achieve higher SEO rankings across the Web.  Today, more than 4,300 dealers are members of DealerRater’s Certified Dealer Program.  For more information, visit www.DealerRater.com or call 800-266-9455. 

Orange County, CA. – June 19, 2012 – It’s projected that automobile sales in 2012 will top 14 million units, and in today’s market, sales will not be divided equally among all dealerships.

Automotive sales training expert and author Joe Verde will address how dealers can get more than their fair share during a special workshop at the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD) Annual Membership Conference on July 25-27 in Las Vegas, Nev. This will be the third time Verde has been invited to speak at the group’s annual meeting. 

A prominent figure in the industry, Verde is president of Joe Verde Sales & Management Training, Inc. Since 1985, the company has trained the industry’s highest achievers in automotive sales since 1985.

Verde’s workshop, “How To Have Your Best Year Ever” will be held on Thursday, July 26, at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.

“While sales are good right now, it’s time to strike while the iron is hot, but today’s customers have changed how they buy, and that means we have to change how we sell,” said Verde. “Customers have evolved over the last several years into more savvy consumers, armed with more information, demanding a new level of professionalism and skills from our salespeople and management staff.”

The goal of Verde’s workshop is to arm NAMAD dealers with the knowledge and skills required to help managers and salespeople face today’s more sophisticated buyer.

“Breaking the cycle from being a market-driven dealership to becoming a more management-driven one in both good and tough times will put any dealership on the fast track for ongoing success and record growth,” Verde said.

Among the topics Verde will address in his workshop are:

• Your three hottest prospects: Who are they?
• Unsold follow-up: A clear, consistent, repeatable process
• Three ways to guarantee more sales and gross profit every day

To learn about Joe Verde’s virtual automotive sales training programs online, visit www.jvtn.com or call (800) 445-6217. For information about Joe Verde workshops and training products, visit the Web at www.joeverde.com.

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 holds workshops across North America and pioneered Virtual Training with JVTN^®. Mr. Verde is the author of “A Dealer’s Guide To Recovery & Growth”, “Earn Over $100,000 Selling Cars – Every Year” and “How To Sell A Car And Close The Sale Today.”

# # #

Recently launched SureSale Certified wins major gains for participating used car dealers: an additional 23% or $2,300 gross per vehicle on average

Venice, CA – June 19, 2012 – SureSale Certified, the certified pre-owned marketing program that is changing the way used vehicles are sold, is reaping significant returns for dealers who participate in the program. Launched less than six months ago, and now available in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut - with multiple market rollouts scheduled – SureSale reports that the majority of certified vehicles at participating dealerships are turning at a rate that is over 60% faster* than that of the average used vehicle. In addition, SureSale dealers are able to achieve an additional 23% or $2,300 per-vehicle gross on average. **

“Industry data indicates that OEM-certified vehicles move about 20 days faster than non-certified vehicles, but SureSale vehicles are moving even faster than that - in fact, the majority are moving nearly 30 days faster!” said Mota Motors CEO Jeffrey Schwartz.  “Unlike threadbare shrink-wrapped programs masquerading as certification programs, SureSale offers a robust, comprehensive marketing program that provides peace of mind and a premium experience for purchasers of higher mileage/longer life vehicles, while ensuring efficient, effective marketing and higher grosses for dealers. We believe this is a game-changer in an industry that leaves over 35 million uncertified and slow-to-turn vehicles on dealership lots and billions of lost dealership dollars on the table.”

Because SureSale Certified’s web-based, proprietary technology makes it unprecedentedly easy to implement vehicle certification, in addition to turning vehicles fast, SureSale dealers are certifying them fast as well. And, they are reaping benefits from SureSale’s extended protection plan: participating dealerships report that one in four customers opt in, generating an average of $1,500 in additional revenue.

The SureSale Certified program expands the range of vehicles eligible for certification on dealer lots, online marketplaces, and remarketing channels to up to 15 years old and 150K miles, providing dealers who don’t have access to manufacturer CPO programs the opportunity to differentiate their dealership by selling certified inventory; and for those with  access, it provides a certified business model that complements their existing manufacturer CPO program by extending the range of vehicles they can sell as certified.

SureSale dealer benefits also include no monthly fees or long term contract commitments; easy ‘one-click’ vehicle certification; best-in-class limited warranties and vehicle service contracts; and third-party vehicle inspections -- all of which generate greater customer and financial institution confidence, quicker inventory turn rates and more profit opportunity for the dealership.

SureSale is scheduled to launch in California in the months to come.

To learn more about becoming a SureSale Certified dealer, visit http://www.suresale.com/learnmore

*Based on March-May sales data, 55% of SureSale vehicles turn within 20 days. The average days in inventory for a used vehicle is 49 days (TrueCar.com - http://blog.truecar.com/2012/05/22/may-2012-truetrends-shortest-and-longest-days-in-vehicle-inventory/).

**Based on analysis of SureSale vehicles'  sale price + addl. VSC revenue averages (all SureSale vehicles 5 yrs and older sold March-May) compared to averages on similar vehicles (Y/M/M) from KBB suggested values (average of wholesale + 'as-is' + retail pricing). 

About Mota Motors

Mota Motors is a leading provider of online vehicle certification and selling platforms.  Dedicated to bringing a new transparency and trust to the used car marketplace, the company enables sellers to sell with new confidence and buyers to buy with a new peace of mind.  The company's team of technology experts and automotive veterans develop solutions that take advantage of the best of the information-empowered digital marketplace.  Programs include new certification technologies such as the SureSale^TM platform, which provides used-car buyers with unmatched certification on a far wider variety of used vehicles than has ever been offered before, while providing private sellers and dealerships with a 'one-click' certification process for their vehicles.  Mota Motors is based in Venice, California.  Mota Motors was founded by Reza Bundy.

Media Contacts:

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, 424.603.4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com

Crystal Hartwell, mWEBB Communications, 714.987.1016, crystal@mwebbcom.com

“Road to Results” Tour Highlights Reynolds Products and Services that Deliver Results for Dealers

DAYTON, Ohio – June 12, 2012 – Reynolds and Reynolds today announced the summer session of the company’s 2012 “Road to Results” tour – a series of product showcase events to be held in a number of major cities across the U.S. During each “Road to Results” event, Reynolds executives will discuss the company’s vision for the future of automotive retailing and highlight the company’s software, documents, and professional services that help deliver results for automobile dealerships.

Reynolds plans to hold nearly two dozen “Road to Results” events in 2012. Check the Reynolds “Road to Results” website for registration details and a current listing of events: http://www.reyrey.com/roadtoresults/.

“At each ‘Road to Results’ event, dealers will be able to take an up-close look at our newest products and services and how these can help improve a dealership’s operating effectiveness and business results,” said Reynolds and Reynolds President Ron Lamb, who plans to attend each tour stop. “Each of Reynolds’ newest solutions is designed to help dealers overcome the pressures they are facing to operate more efficiently and transform the customer experience in order to stand out from other dealerships.”

Among the Reynolds products to be spotlighted at each “Road to Results” event are:

• docuPAD^®, the unique F&I selling and compliance tool that helps dealers shorten F&I sessions,  increase customer satisfaction, and deliver improved F&I results.
• ERA-IGNITE, the easy-to-use, Windows^® design for the ERA^® dealership management system (DMS), with point-and-click functionality and its newest benefit: A comprehensive Retail Management Intelligence reporting tool.
• A new Premium Service Kit for the POWER DMS that bundles together service solutions to help make the service department more efficient.
• New customer relationship management solutions.
• The Reynolds Integrated Telephone System, a comprehensive voice and customer relationship management system that is fully integrated with Reynolds’ dealership management systems to help dealers manage customer interactions more efficiently and effectively.

For more information about Reynolds’ products, visit www.reyrey.com.

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.  The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major operations in Houston and College Station, Texas, and Celina, Ohio.  (www.reyrey.com)

# # # 

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. – June 11, 2012 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (www.automate.com) today announced Open/Mate, an open integration program that allows third-party software vendors to fully integrate with Auto/Mate’s dealership management system (DMS). With Open/Mate, all data exchanged between an auto dealer’s DMS and third-party software systems is delivered instantly and securely in both directions. Real-time integration greatly eliminates redundancy and delivers accurate information for better decision making, compared with data exchanges performed via batch deliveries.

“When dealers are selecting vendors to work with, whether it’s a new CRM, mobile app, or software for the service department, integration with the DMS should not be a factor,” said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. “We have long been an advocate of open standards in this industry as a way to increase competition, lower prices and improve the quality of products offered by all vendors.”

Open/Mate offers auto dealers the following features and benefits:

Improved Productivity

For auto dealers, one of the biggest problems with bringing in new vendors is whether a system will integrate seamlessly with the dealership’s DMS. Without seamless integration, employees are required to double-key information, a redundant process. In cases where the systems do speak to each other via standard interfaces, the batch exchange method is still not real-time and instant, affecting accuracy of data used for critical decision making.

“Push Notifications” Provide Real-Time Data Updates

With Open/Mate, any updates made in third-party software systems are instantly “pushed out” into the DMS and into other integrated third-party software programs. This means that dealership employees can always be confident that data such as vehicle prices, parts inventory or service scheduling is always real-time and accurate, enabling critical decisions to be made with a moment’s notice.

More Vendor Choices Lower Costs

Auto/Mate is one of several dealership management system (DMS) vendors offering full integration to third-party software vendors. The more choices dealerships have, the more competitive DMS vendors are required to be in both price and features, lowering technology costs for dealers.

Third-party software vendors interested in integrating with Open/Mate should contact Auto/Mate at (518) 371–4331.

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 dealership management software in use by more than 800 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate offers the best customer service in the industry; the company received top satisfaction rankings in NADA’s most recent DMS provider survey. Auto/Mate’s employees have more than 300 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 and follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS.

Speakers/presentations reviewed and selected by dealers; submission deadline June 29^th

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – June 8, 2012 – DrivingSales today announced that speaker and presentation proposals are now being accepted for consideration for the fourth annual DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES). The DSES is the most authoritative event for innovative dealers, and will be held Sunday, October 21^st through Tuesday, October 23^rd, 2012 at the Bellagio Las Vegas. Early-bird Registration is now open.  

“The DrivingSales Executive Summit is renowned for the freshness, relevance and actionable value of its presentations and speakers because dealers make the content decisions,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder, Jared Hamilton. “The summit reflects the topics dealers are buzzing about and, in turn, creates the new buzz and actionable strategies for the year ahead.  Our industry is full of creative ideas and talented strategists, and we look forward to seeing that reflected in these applications –  and then bringing to light the best ideas and strategies our industry has to offer.”

Experienced and creative speakers and dealer professionals are invited to submit presentation proposals on innovative topics and best practices/tactics via email to submissions@drivingsales.com.  The DrivingSales Dealer Advisory Board reviews all applications and selects the speakers and the topics that will provide the most relevant, useful, and inspiring information and strategies for DSES attendees. 

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.

All speaker applications must be emailed to submissions@drivingsales.com by Friday, June 29, 2012. Selected speakers will be notified by Friday, July 27, 2012. For more information and to download the Speaker Submission Form, go to:

http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com/about-dses-2012/speakers-2/

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/features/standard-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 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.

Media contacts:

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

Angela Jacobson (angela@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, (714) 454-8776

Industry’s most authoritative event for innovative auto dealers expands content/format; Industry-first keynotes, 20-Group meetings and more

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – June 7, 2012 – Early-bird registration is now open for the fourth annual DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), the most authoritative profit-building event for innovative auto dealers. This year’s summit will be held Sunday, October 21^st through Tuesday, October 23^rd, 2012 at the Bellagio Las Vegas, and expands both its content and format for 2012, while adhering to the intimate, progressive, dealer-driven focus it is renowned for. Early-bird registrants receive a 25% discount.

“Each year during the fourth quarter, we gather with the most progressive auto dealers in the country to study the innovative trends that will help them write their business plans for explosive growth the following year. The past summits have all sold out and have been beyond capacity, and this year we are set to deliver the best content ever!” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder, Jared Hamilton. “We are pleased to offer “early-bird” incentives for dealers who register quickly to ensure their participation before all the spots are spoken for.”

Sneak Preview

In addition to a full slate of best-practice content chosen by the dealer community, this year’s summit offers an expanded series of high-profile keynoters, including a keynote from a world famous data-driven sports strategist; an industry-first co-presentation from two of the largest and most influential digital companies in the world; the release of proprietary research from one of the leading marketing academics on the influence of the Internet on the auto industry, and a closing keynote from one of the world’s top five digital influencers.  

The event will also feature the popular Innovation Cup and Best Idea Award competitions, along with training and collaboration sessions led by some of the top dealership operators in the industry.

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. New this year, the DSES offers opportunities for dealers/dealer groups to hold collaborative meetings before or after the conference to bookend the summit and allow for goal-setting, debriefing, and planning.

What Dealers are Saying

DSES 2011 attendee Tracy Myers of Myers Auto said: “I went to 13 automotive conferences last year either as a speaker or a dealer and if I had to choose just one, it would be the DrivingSales Executive Summit. In my opinion, it’s leaps and bounds ahead of its closest competitor in presenting not just what’s relevant in a dealer’s world right now, but also what will be relevant in the future. DSES is THE place to be if you want to learn how to be on the cutting edge and how to stay ahead of your competition.”

Ric McCoy, General Manager of Ed Martin Buick GMC concurred: “The DrivingSales Executive Summit sets the bar as the most relevant and informative three days I spend outside of the dealership each year. If you are serious about the retail automotive business, and you have yet to attend DSES, stop what you’re doing and make your reservations right now.”

About the Summit

Launched in 2009 and modeled after the best practices and information-sharing among dealers and auto industry professionals on DrivingSales.com, the DrivingSales Executive Summit is a uniquely collaborative event that has become the auto industry’s most authoritative profit-building event for innovative dealers. Each year, the summit brings together the most progressive dealers in the country, along with world-renowned speakers, all focused on pushing the auto industry’s ‘innovation boundaries’ and translating the latest trends and business realities into solid action plans for every dealership department.

The DrivingSales Executive Summit is 100% dealer driven and designed specifically for the most advanced dealer principals and dealership executives in the industry. The exclusive event has a vendor-neutral policy, meaning no vendor influence on presentation selection and adherence to a strict dealer-to-vendor ratio.

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. To register for the event, and take advantage of early-bird registration through August 31^st, click here.

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

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.

Media contacts:

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