Las Vegas, NV, September 12, 2011 –MPi (www.mpi-edge.com), the pioneer and leader in vehicle inspection tools, service workflow expertise, and consulting for automotive dealership service centers, today announced agreement to integrate its EDGE™ solutions with Quorum Information Technologies Inc.’s Dealership Management System (DMS), XSellerator™.

XSellerator, Quorum’s flagship product, is a dealership and customer management software product that automates, integrates and streamlines every process across departments in a dealership. One of the select North American suppliers under General Motors' IDMS program, Quorum is the second largest DMS provider for GM's Canadian dealerships with 25% of the market, and the #1 provider under the GM IDMS program in North America.

“MPi provides dealers with a set of tools to effectively manage the process of World Class Inspections guarantying its success and profit contribution,” said Rich Holland, MPi’s President. “Quorum’s success in the marketplace made a strategic partnership a natural choice.  The collaboration on integrating our technologies delivers tremendous workflow efficiency for our auto dealer customers.”  Holland added.

Commenting on the new partnership, Mark Allen, Quorum’s Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Services stated: “This is an exciting time for Quorum and MPi.  Our customers will gain additional value in this relationship through seamlessly utilizing two industry leading products. This alliance is a further example of Quorum’s strategic direction to partner with high value providers in the industry to bring comprehensive solutions.”    

The two companies mutually collaborated best methodologies to develop this enhanced functionality deliverable to their mutual clients in the fourth quarter 2011.

About MPi:

MPi, a wholly owned subsidiary of SRS, Inc., specializes in providing dealerships the necessary tools, processes and consulting to successfully implement a comprehensive, World Class Inspection Program (WCI) in service departments across North America and Canada.   MPi’s proven results driven solution has been helping thousands of dealerships achieve significant profit contribution.  MPi’s complete and all inclusive vehicle inspection program includes state of the art software solution, EDGE; personalized customer friendly communication tools (Recommended Action Plan™ and Know Your Vehicle™ Reports); detailed management analytical tools; ongoing consulting and training services; and process and performance metrics.

For more information visit:

http://www.mpifix.com/company/overview.aspx

About Quorum

Quorum is a North American company focused on developing, marketing, implementing and supporting its XSellerator product for GM, Isuzu, Chrysler, Hyundai, KIA, Nissan, Subaru, Saab, Suzuki, NAPA and Bumper to Bumper dealerships. XSellerator is a dealership and customer management software product that automates, integrates and streamlines every process across departments in a dealership. One of the select North American suppliers under General Motors' IDMS program, Quorum is the second largest DMS provider for GM's Canadian dealerships with 25% of the market. Quorum is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and Field-Level Managed ISV in both Canada and the United States. Quorum Information Technologies Inc. is traded on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol QIS. For additional information please go to www.QuorumDMS.com.

The TS Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility
for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. – September 12, 2011 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today the addition of a Service Pricing Guide module into its dealership management system’s (DMS) Service System. Service Pricing Guides, better known as SPG’s, allow service department employees to quickly produce accurate estimates for both labor and parts for prospective service customers. The integrated feature enables estimates to be attached to appointments and to convert estimates into repair orders (ROs) with just a click of a button. The integration is seamless and eliminates the need to manually key in estimates from a third-party system.

“The ability to provide accurate estimates is critical in creating more revenue for the service department, and having the SPG’s integrated into the DMS saves time and eliminates potential mistakes associated with keying information in,” said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate.

Complete integration of the SPG’s differentiates Auto/Mate from other DMS vendors that offer interfaces connecting service modules to guides, but do not automatically populate ROs and other service module documents with the information.

Nemith Motors is a Nissan Volvo dealership in Latham, New York, and has used the SPG’s on a trial basis for two months. “Previously we had to go to a separate screen and cut and paste the information into our estimates,” said Kate Lott, Service Manager. “The new SPG’s make it so much easier for my advisors because it’s just point and click, and they can produce estimates in just a few seconds so our customers don’t have to wait. It has really improved our productivity and ability to get more work through the shop.”

Auto/Mate’s Service Pricing Guides retrieve data from MOTOR Information Systems, the industry’s leader in OEM parts research and database management. “Auto/Mate is among the first DMS providers to utilize MOTOR Information Systems’ next generation GEN5 OE Mechanical Repair Parts and Labor database,” says Brian Determan, Director of Licensing with MOTOR Information Systems. The GEN5 was developed based upon the immensely popular “20 Year Labor Time Guide” (blue book) that has been the best selling estimating product in dealerships for nearly twenty years.  GEN5 is a clean sheet design based upon real world technician input, and features standardized labor operations to cover the most popular services being performed on today’s increasingly sophisticated automobiles. 

Service Pricing Guides are an essential tool for fixed ops departments, enabling the ability to quickly provide accurate labor estimates to customers, and also providing parts numbers for faster order fulfillment.

The integrated Service Pricing Guides are available immediately.

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 700 auto dealers nationwide. Originally developed by Wang Laboratories in the 1970s, Auto/Mate’s DMS solution has years of experience and reliability built in. Auto/Mate offers the best customer service in the industry, with live people answering the phone and minimal hold times for technical support. The company received top satisfaction rankings in NADA’s most recent dealership management system 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 www.twitter.com/AutoMateDMS

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Award Commends AutoRevo’s Financial Growth for Second Year in a Row

DALLAS, TX - September 8, 2011 –  AutoRevo, a leading provider of Internet marketing and dealership websites for auto dealers nationwide, today announced that the company was named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list, a roster of the fastest growing and most entrepreneurial companies in America.

This is the second year in a row that AutoRevo qualified for the Inc. 5000, this year placing at position #1999 with  a three-year growth rate of 127%. Among the winners in the Dallas area, AutoRevo was ranked number 54, and among all winners in the software industry, AutoRevo was ranked number 153. The fifth annual Inc. 5000 list honors the nation's fastest growing private companies, and represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy — America's independent-minded entrepreneurs.

“We’re extremely proud to be named by Inc. Magazine as one of the nation’s fastest growing companies for the second year in a row,” said Chad Polk, CEO of AutoRevo. “We look forward to continued growth in 2011 and 2012, thanks to the incredible team we’ve put together here at AutoRevo. From our developers and designers helping to create the best product in the auto industry to our support and account management team providing unmatched customer service, there’s nowhere we can go but up.”

The 2010 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2007 through 2010. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue prior to 2007. Additionally, they had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent as of December 31, 2010. For complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles, visit www.inc.com.

About AutoRevo
A leader in the automotive industry, AutoRevo is a premier provider of dealer websites and online search services for automotive dealerships marketing and selling cars online. The company's Internet marketing platform delivers dealer websites, search engine optimization (SEO), integration with any automotive shopping site, real-time inventory pricing tools, lead management, digital customer delivery documents, advanced reporting and much more.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, AutoRevo was founded in 2003 and has experienced triple-digit growth for the past seven years. The company is aligned with the auto industry's leading e-commerce sites, including: eBay Motors, AutoTrader.com, OVE.com, Openlane.com, Cars.com, Craigslist, Google, Vehix, CARFAX, and hundreds more. For additional information or to learn more, visit http://www.autorevo.com and blog http://blog.autorevo.com.

Dealers can get in the game at WinIt2011.com.

CHICAGO — Cars.com, one of the nation’s leading resources for buying and selling a car, announced today that it will be a presenting sponsor of Saturday Afternoon College Football on ESPN for the sixth consecutive year, reaching more than 100 million viewers.  To maximize the value of this sponsorship to dealerships, Cars.com has launched “In It To Win It,” an all-new initiative featuring exclusive resources and advice to drive traffic, capture more leads and increase sales.  Throughout the college football season, dealers can be part of the action at www.WinIt2011.com.

“Sponsoring Saturday Afternoon College Football on ESPN is an integral part of our ongoing strategy to successfully capture serious, in-market car shoppers and deliver that audience to our advertising partners,” said Mitch Golub, president, Cars.com.  “This year, we’re capitalizing on the fun of the football season with ‘In It To Win It,’ using it as an engaging way to help dealers maximize every opportunity to turn more shopper interest into sales and grow their businesses.”

In addition to broadcast and digital advertising on the ESPN family of networks and ESPN.com, Cars.com will be the category-exclusive sponsor for at least 17 Saturday Afternoon College Football games between Sept. 1 and Dec. 10. 

Features of “In It To Win It” include:

·         A video series starring Cars.com Dealer Training Manager Jack Simmons providing insight and tips to drive more business and higher customer engagement using video, mobile and customer reviews.

·         Winning Plays, a comment-driven “playbook” where dealers can get engaged and join the conversation

·         A sweepstakes to win one of 12 iPad 2 tablets

·         Game of the Week poll, college football trivia and links to other opportunities to get swept up in the fun of the NCAA football season through the DealerADvantage blog, Facebook and Twitter pages

“Our value lies in our ability to attract consumers throughout the entire car-shopping process, from researching vehicles and searching inventories to reading reviews and choosing their dealer,” said Carolyn Crafts, chief marketing officer.  “In addition to bringing dealers the right audience, we strive to partner with our dealer customers to build and differentiate their stores and convert that audience into more business.  Our sponsorship of Saturday Afternoon Football on ESPN and our efforts to support dealers through our ‘In It To Win It’ initiative both deliver that value.”

The sponsorship of Saturday Afternoon College Football on ESPN is the centerpiece of Cars.com’s fall advertising campaign, combining an integrated broadcast, print and online media buy with the promotional efforts of the company’s partners, including more than 200 local media partners, Yahoo! Autos, USA Today, About.com and other leading channels.

“The impact of investing in our audience can only be fully realized when we make an equally strong commitment to innovating advertising products,” said Golub.  “We’re constantly enhancing our site to simplify the car-buying process for consumers, provide our advertisers with powerful and targeted digital advertising platforms and offer dealers the best tools in the industry to merchandise their inventory, build confidence with car shoppers and ultimately sell more vehicles.”

ABOUT CARS.COM

Cars.com was recently named the “Best Overall Customer Experience” by Keynote Systems, the world’s leading Internet usage research company.  Cars.com is an online destination for car shoppers that offers information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. With price listings, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make confident buying decisions. 

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo (N.Y.SE: BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (N.Y.SE: GCI), The McClatchy Company (N.Y.SE: MNI), Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company (N.Y.SE: WPO).

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Automotive, technology and retail sales executive joins Chug on a mission to improve the search experience for online car shoppers
 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Chug (www.chug.net), the search engine for cars, today announced that Christopher Gross has joined the company as chief operating officer. An experienced leader in automotive, technology, finance and retail sales, Gross is charged with running the day-to-day operations of the rapidly growing company that helps consumers find cars for sale at over 40,000 dealers nationwide, through over 3.5 million active online listings -- more than any other website.

Gross comes to Chug from Cartelligent, a car buying and advisory service, where he served as vice president of sales. Under Gross' leadership, Cartelligent broke records for revenue and new clients in 2010.

"Chris is a proven leader who brings a wealth of sales, operations, finance and automotive expertise to Chug," said Len Short, CEO of Chug. "Chris understands the pain points for both consumers and dealers. This, combined with his solid track record building successful channel and B2C organizations, makes him a perfect match for Chug and its goal of providing consumers with a more comprehensive search experience, and auto dealers with what they want - in-market buyers linked directly to their virtual showrooms."

Prior to Cartelligent, Gross worked at OQO, a manufacturer and marketer of the 1st commercially viable Ultra Mobile Personal Computer, where he was responsible for successfully building the company's retail business from the ground up. Previously, Chris served as a vice president at Saints Capital and held various sales and operations roles at Financial Engines. A graduate of the University of Arizona, Gross received an MBA from Harvard Business School.

"I love that Chug is not just another car research website, but is, instead, focused solely on the most critical part of the car buying process: finding a vehicle for sale in the exact make, model, color and option package a consumer wants – and without the hassle of going to 20 different websites," said Gross.

About Chug

Chug (www.chug.net) is the first true search engine for cars, with over 3.5 million vehicle listings. By crawling and indexing over 40,000 US auto dealers, Chug provides car shoppers with access to the industry's most comprehensive and accurate view of vehicles currently for sale, and listings sorted to precisely match consumer preference. Created by a veteran team of technology, Internet and media innovators to remove the barriers that frustrate both online car-buyers and sellers, Chug accelerates the connection between consumer and dealer. Buyers benefit because they can easily search for any make, model, year, and/or color, then click directly to the dealer site to learn more -- or opt to interact without surrendering personal information. Dealers benefit from broad exposure of their active vehicles to in-market car shoppers, and immediate connection to interested car buyers.

Chug Media Contacts:

Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 424.603.4340
Angela Jacobson (angela@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 714.454.8776

Utah Business Magazine Award Recognizes DrivingSales’ Entrepreneurial Spirit, Innovative Business Tactics and Revenue Growth

08.29.2011– Salt Lake City, Utah – DrivingSales (www.drivingsales.com) today announced that it has been named a Utah Business magazine Fast 50 “Emerging Eight” company for 2011. The Utah Business magazine program recognizes the entrepreneurial spirit, innovative business tactics and revenue growth of Utah’s fastest-growing companies. DrivingSales was recognized in a category that focuses on the eight fastest-growing companies in Utah that are less than 5 years old. DrivingSales and all other honorees will be featured in the September issue of Utah Business magazine.

“We are honored to be recognized as an emerging, innovative company in the great state of Utah,” said DrivingSales Founder and CEO Jared Hamilton. “DrivingSales is dedicated to helping foster innovation in the auto industry. This award is a tribute to the thousands of forward-thinking dealerships and auto industry professionals across the country who, as active members of DrivingSales.com, share new thinking and actionable profit-building information on a daily basis, helping to raise the innovation bar across our industry.”

DrivingSales launched nationally in 2008, and is on track for its third consecutive year of triple digit revenue growth. DrivingSales is the auto industry's fastest-growing, most influential trade media property and includes DrivingSales.com, the world's largest car dealer social network where thousands of dealership professionals collaborate and share best practices; and DrivingSales University, an on-demand training platform where dealerships learn the latest web strategies from top e-commerce experts. DrivingSales also invented the industry's first and only Vendor Ratings Platform, designed to help auto dealers find and select the best vendor partners by allowing dealership employees to rate and review their vendors anonymously. An estimated 1 in every 4 dealerships in the United States has a registered member in the DrivingSales community.

The company hosts the DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), the auto industry's leading conference where progressive auto dealers collaborate and learn from world renowned experts. This year’s DSES conference will take place October 9th – 11th at the Bellagio Las Vegas.

DrivingSales recently won a “Top 25 Under Five” award from the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) which spotlights outstanding entrepreneurs and start-up companies in Utah, and the DrivingSales.com website also received an Interactive Media Award (IMA) in 2011 for Outstanding Achievement in the ‘Automobile’ category. Additionally, DrivingSales was named one of ten social media gambits for 2009 by Automotive News and one of the Top 10 Companies to Watch in 2010 by Auto Success Magazine.

For more information about DrivingSales, visit www.drivingsales.com. To learn more about the DrivingSales Executive Summit for car dealers and auto industry professionals, please visit www.drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com.


About DrivingSales.com

DrivingSales is the auto industry's fastest-growing, most influential trade media property focused on delivering actionable profit-building information to auto retailers and industry professionals. An estimated 1 in every 4 dealerships in the United States has a registered member in the DrivingSales community. DrivingSales' media network includes flagship property DrivingSales.com (www.drivingsales.com), the world's largest car dealer social network where thousands of dealership professionals collaborate and share best practices in a 20-group style setting; DrivingSalesTV (www.drivingsalestv.com), an interactive web channel which helps car dealers and auto professionals keep tabs on their industry and emerging technologies 24/7; DrivingSales University, an on-demand training platform where dealerships learn the latest web strategies from top e-commerce experts; DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES) the industry's leading conference where progressive dealers collaborate and learn from world renowned experts, and DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide, a quarterly free publication featuring case studies of the industry's most innovative dealerships, solutions and best practices.

DrivingSales encourages innovation and excellence in the industry with its annual Dealer Satisfaction and Innovation Cup Awards, whose winners are determined solely by the dealer community. Founded by Jared Hamilton, a third generation car dealer, DrivingSales was named one of ten social media gambits for 2009 by Automotive News and one of the Top 10 Companies to Watch by Auto Success Magazine.


DrivingSales.com Media Relations:
Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 424.603.4340
Angela Jacobson (angela@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 714.454.8776

Service Repair Solutions, Inc. Appoints Rich Holland as President of MPi

            Las Vegas, NV, August 29, 2011, Service Repair Solutions, Inc., (SRS) (www.servicerepairsolutions.com), today announced the appointment of Rich Holland, formerly SRS’ Chief Strategy Officer, to the position of President of MPi, a subsidiary of SRS.  MPi is the leading provider of vehicle inspection tools, processes, workflow and consulting for automotive service departments.  Holland will be responsible for day-to-day operations and execution and the development of MPi's future strategic business plans.

Holland joined SRS as its Chief Strategy Officer focusing on SRS’s forward-looking strategic plan; additionally he was responsible for the product management team.

Prior to joining SRS, Holland was the founder, solution architect and president of Arkona, where he was responsible for navigating Arkona from a “start up” to being the most successful entry into the Dealer Management System (DMS) space in the last 40 years.   In 2001 Holland pioneered the introduction of SAAS (software as a service), significantly impacting dealership financial performance, resulting in Arkona realizing exponential growth.    Holland negotiated the 2007 acquisition of Arkona by DealerTrack, Inc. and remained to lead the management team through a successful transition.  Through 2010 he served as DealerTrack Vice President and General Manager for DealerTrack DMS (formally Arkona) where he and his leadership team transformed DealerTrack’s DMS business from an entrepreneurial start-up to a Tier I DMS provider.

“We are very fortunate to have someone with Rich’s auto industry stature and experience assume the position of President of MPi,” commented Les Silver, SRS Chairman and CEO.

Commenting on his new position Holland stated, “MPi provides tools and solutions that significantly impact the dealerships profitability and customer service satisfaction; something that is critical in today’s market conditions.  I am excited to be working with such a knowledgeable, committed and talented group of automotive industry professionals.”

 MPi’s primary focus is providing auto dealerships the necessary tools, processes and training to successfully institute a comprehensive, World Class Inspection Program (WCI) in service departments across North America.  Since 2003, MPi’s proven results driven solution has been helping thousands of dealerships achieve 5 to 1 return on investment by increasing the sale of legitimately needed service work.

The EDGE program focuses on the workflow of a “customer friendly” vehicle inspection system, which when implemented, produces significant results.  MPi’s complete and all inclusive vehicle inspection system includes its state of the art software solution, EDGE; personalized customer friendly communication tools (Recommended Action Plan™ and Know Your Vehicle™ Reports); detailed management analysis tools; ongoing consulting and training services; and process and performance metrics.

About MPi:

For more information visit:

http://www.mpifix.com/company/overview.aspx

http://www.mpifix.com/Customers/Videos.aspx

http://www.mpifix.com/solutions/recommendation-videos.aspx

About Service Repair Solutions, Inc:

Headquartered in Las Vegas, NV, Service Repair Solutions, Inc. is a leader in providing innovative information solutions for the service and repair industry.  

Current affiliates include Mobile Productivity, Inc., Identifix, Inc.; International Automotive Technicians' Network, Inc. and Auto Point, Inc.  For more information call Susan Lovett at (800) 997-1674 x2010, or visitwww.servicerepairsolutions.com.

4^th Edition For Joe Verde’s ‘Recovery & Growth’ Book

Orange County, CA. – Aug. 24, 2011 – Since its publication two years ago, Joe Verde’s book for auto dealers and managers, “A Dealer’s Guide to Recovery and Growth in Today’s Market” is now in its fourth print run. In the new edition, Verde provides an update for 2011 with a focus on growing a dealership in today’s challenging market. This book is still one of the most-widely read books in the auto industry. 

Verde’s book is a step-by-step guide designed to help dealers have a record year, every year. “You have to learn how to improve the processes that generate growth, and improve the skills of the people responsible to follow your processes,” Verde said. “That old saying is correct, ‘You can’t keep doing what you’ve always done and grow.’ Growth requires continuous improvement in the key areas I cover in my book.”

“A lot of dealers ask if they can grow in this new economy,” Verde said. “I tell them absolutely they can, because growth is a process – and that’s what the book is about.”

The book’s arrival in the summer of 2009 provided much needed help for dealers and managers who were looking for a recovery plan in the wake of the global economic downturn. Now two years later, Verde understands that it’s time for dealers to focus on growth.

Joe Verde continues to assist as many dealers and managers as possible by offering this book free to every dealer and manager in the automotive industry.

To obtain a free copy of Joe Verde’s ‘Recovery & Growth’ book, please call (800) 445-6217. For more information on Joe Verde’s online training programs visit www.jvtn.com. To learn about Joe Verde workshops and 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 corporate offices in Southern California and Dallas, Texas, 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.”

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Digital E-Commerce Expert to Speak on “Re-Inventing Your Dealership in 2012” at the Las Vegas summit in October

08.24.2011– Salt Lake City, Utah – DrivingSales.com today announced that Paul Potratz, COO of Potratz Advertising, will join the speaker line-up for the third annual DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES) scheduled for October 9th through 11th, 2011 at the Bellagio Las Vegas. Potratz’s presentation will focus on how dealers can start to leverage the explosive boom of mobile marketing, social gaming marketing, and social selling, as well as how to successfully integrate these leading edge digital marketing trends with ‘traditional’ digital marketing – and into the customer experience.

“We are thrilled to welcome Paul’s enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge in automotive e-commerce to the DrivingSales Executive Summit,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. “Paul is one of our industry’s most popular speakers because he knows how to turn digital trends into dealership results. His insights on how to implement achievable Internet marketing standards and strategies will be invaluable in helping DSES attendees re-invent their dealerships for a more profitable 2012 and beyond.”

In addition to sharing his expertise each week through online workshops, via his website, Potratz is a trainer for DrivingSales University, and speaks at NADA, JD Power and Associates and 20 Groups. He hosts the weekly video series “Think Tank Tuesday” which reaches over 39,000 automotive professionals across the US, Canada, and the UK, and has also been interviewed by and contributed to The New York Times, New York Post, CBS, The Wall Street Journal, Automotive News, and several regional newspapers and radio talk shows on topics specific to automotive marketing and digital, social media and consumer behaviors.

Potratz is scheduled to address the DSES on Sunday, October 9, 2011 at 3:45 pm. Keynote speakers at the summit include social media expert and New York Times bestselling author Gary Vaynerchuk, renowned social media strategist Jason Falls, location-based marketing expert Aaron Strout, and Zappos.com customer loyalty professional Rob Siefker.

Hundreds of progressive auto dealers from across the country will converge in Las Vegas at this year’s annual DrivingSales Executive Summit, which is dedicated to pushing the auto industry’s ‘innovation boundaries’ and translating the latest trends and business realities into solid 2012 action plans for every dealership department. To maintain a focused and interactive environment, registration is limited for the exclusive summit, which is expected to sell out soon. Dealers are encouraged to register today.

For more information about the DrivingSales Executive Summit click here.


DrivingSales Executive Summit 2011

The DrivingSales Executive Summit is a uniquely collaborative event modeled after the best practices and information-sharing among dealers and auto industry professionals on DrivingSales.com. The third annual event will bring 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 2012 action plans for every dealership department.

Unlike other automotive industry events, 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.

For more information, visit www.drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com or contact dses@drivingsales.com. Follow DSES news as it develops on www.twitter.com/drivingsales using #DSES and on facebook.com/drivingsales.

About DrivingSales.com
DrivingSales is the auto industry's fastest-growing, most influential trade media property focused on delivering actionable profit-building information to auto retailers and industry professionals. DrivingSales' media network includes flagship property DrivingSales.com (www.drivingsales.com), the world's largest car dealer social network where thousands of dealership professionals collaborate and share best practices in a 20-group style setting; DrivingSalesTV (www.drivingsalestv.com), an interactive web channel which helps car dealers and auto professionals keep tabs on their industry and emerging technologies 24/7; DrivingSales University, an on-demand training platform where dealerships learn the latest web strategies from top e-commerce experts; DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES) the industry's leading conference where progressive dealers collaborate and learn from world renowned experts, and DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide, a quarterly free publication featuring case studies of the industry's most innovative dealerships, solutions and best practices.

DrivingSales encourages innovation and excellence in the industry with its annual Dealer Satisfaction and Innovation Cup Awards, whose winners are determined solely by the dealer community. Founded by Jared Hamilton, a third generation car dealer, DrivingSales was named one of ten social media gambits for 2009 by Automotive News and one of the Top 10 Companies to Watch by Auto Success Magazine.

DrivingSales Executive Summit Media Relations:
Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 424.603.4340
Angela Jacobson (angela@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 714.454.8776

CAR-Research XRM Releases Auto Dealers' Guide to Outselling Competition, Increasing Car Sales, Decreasing 3^rd Party Leads, & Closing more Be-Backs

Houston, Texas, August 16, 2011 – Many auto dealerships are closing just twenty percent of shoppers who come through the doors, while the remaining eighty percent simply walk away to a competitor. CAR-Research XRM, a single-source CRM solution uniquely branded as; “XRM, Exceeding CRM”, today announced the release of: An Auto Dealers' Guide to Outselling Competition, Increasing Car Sales, Decreasing 3rd Party Leads and Closing more Be-Backs. The new eBook is a best practices guide for auto dealers, covering CRM strategies for selling unsold customers. It reveals how to get these unsold customers back into the dealership and close the sale.

“To have eighty percent of sales opportunities simply walk away to a competitor is never acceptable. Dealerships must – and can – retain and recapture more sales opportunities. An Auto Dealers' Guide to Outselling Competition, Increasing Car Sales, Decreasing 3rd Party Leads and Closing more Be-Backs lays out some simple, usable information as to how to do this,” said Kurt Kubicki, VP of Marketing for CAR-Research XRM.

The new eBook provides best practices strategies to help auto dealers use their CRM tools to:
 

• Increase sales to showroom traffic by 50% or more by identifying and overcoming 'real' customer objections vs. false excuses.
• Create a showroom process which will consistently increase sales to be-backs, repeats, and referrals every month, for higher gross and higher CSI.
• Increase accountability in your dealership which will insure process improvement on your showroom floor, resulting in additional sales.

Finally, the eBook reveals what research with thousands of car buyers from dealerships across the US has found are the real reasons they leave a dealership unsold – and how dealers can leverage this insightful information to improve internal processes, so fewer shoppers walk on you in the future.

 “We’ve grown our business from 70 cars a month to 400 per month, and I can tell you that the hottest prospects to buy a car from my store today are the customers that left my showroom yesterday and did not buy from us. There are deals that we miss every single day and we don't know why. Without question, the fastest, easiest, and least expensive way to sell more cars immediately is to start research interviews with your unsold showroom traffic....period,” commented Bruce Glasscock, General Manager/Owner of Spring Chrysler Jeep Dodge.

For further details and best practices tips from CAR-Research and other auto dealers, read An Auto Dealers' Guide to Outselling Competition, Increasing Car Sales, Decreasing 3rd Party Leads and Closing more Be-Backs.  It is downloadable at : http://www.car-research.com/auto-dealers-guide.pdf

CAR-Research has developed a proven singular solution that helps an auto dealership run more effectively and proficiently. It is a web-based, comprehensive CRM solution that helps increase revenue from sales and service, improve customer satisfaction index (CSI) and service satisfaction index (SSI), and boost the dealership’s gross profit. A dealership can consolidate all its departments into a manageable solution that delivers value through proven processes at every stage of the customer life cycle. For more information contact Kurt Kubicki at 888-583-0956 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting email KKubicki@CAR-Research.com or visit www.CARResearchXRM.com

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About CAR-Research XRM:

Now in its 16th year, CAR-Research XRM has paved the way for better customer relationships with its use of market research to capture unsold retail customers.  Utilizing its signature "third party inquiry" interview process, the company provides real-time information to dealership management on potential sales they would normally lose. CAR-Research XRM is currently doing business in thirty-one states, Canada and Puerto Rico. From its headquarters in Houston, Texas, the company maintains its high-touch approach, providing daily training, monthly performance reviews, and on site account management, ranging from single-point stores to large dealer groups. Additional information is available at www.CARResearchXRM.com