FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 11, 2010

For more information contact:

Sara Callahan                                                 Kurt Kubicki

Carter West Public Relations                          CAR-Research XRM

727-288-2159                                                  (832) 452-5474

scallahan@carterwestpr.com                         kkubicki@car-research.com

Fred Haas Toyota World Sells 30-50 Additional Vehicles per month using

CAR-Research XRM to Contact, Close Unsold Car Buyers

Houston, Texas, January 11, 2011 –  Over the past 21 years Fred Haas Toyota World has grown into the top Toyota dealership in the Gulf Sates region and the number 3 Toyota dealership in the US; selling over 1000 vehicles per month. Despite this high volume, like many dealerships, it was only closing about 20 percent of shoppers that came through the door, losing 80 percent to the competition. While searching for a solution to help capture more market share, the dealership came across CAR-Research XRM, a single-source CRM solution uniquely branded as; “XRM, Exceeding CRM”. Today the dealership sells 30-50 additional vehicles per month using CAR-Research XRM’s Missed Opportunity Interviews to contact and close unsold car buyers within two hours of leaving the dealership; before they have a chance to shop the competition.

“I’m a firm believer that if a customer walks out of here, the market is so competitive that within 24 hours they will have purchased elsewhere. CAR-Research XRM customized our program so that unsold customers are contacted within two hours of leaving. This action alone produces our biggest ROI. When a shopper leaves without buying they are contacted by an independent third party (CAR-Research). The customer feels comfortable talking to them, we get the data on why they did not buy, bring them back in, handle the objection and make the sale. This action alone produces 30-50 additional vehicle sales per month,” said Shahin Salehoun, general sales manager with Fred Haas Toyota World.

Upon entering the showroom the customer’s drivers license is swiped, entered into the CAR-Research XRM system and a profile is created so the salesperson can start working the deal. If a car shopper leaves without purchasing a vehicle, within two hours CAR-Research XRM will have contacted the customer and tied it all together in a hot lead report with all data as to why the customer did not buy.

CAR Research XRM’s Unsold Research Call Center calls the customer and finds out: A) the ad source that brought the customer into the dealership; B) why the customer did not buy— what was the barrier – payment or price objection, trade value, was the sales person rude, etc., and C) were the correct ‘road to sale’ processes followed; was there a test drive and product presentation, etc. The dealership can then address these objections intelligently; reengage the customer, generate showroom visits, and eventually sell a vehicle to a previously unsold customer.

“Most dealers and OEMS are focused on making SSI calls to sold customers. While this can be important, what is truly essential and will produce more ROI is to find out why the unsold customer did not buy,” said Kurt Kubicki, VP of Marketing for CAR-Research XRM. “The average closing ratio for dealers is somewhere around 18-20 percent -- 80 percent are unsold customers.  We know that a third of that unsold 80 percent will come back if proper follow-up is done; but to get that third back in you have to call all 80. Dealers don’t have the time to do that and the customer may be upset and not want to talk to them. However, they will talk to an independent research firm like us. We get all the data for the dealership, enabling them to close these previously unsold customers.”

CAR-Research XRM then takes this data (provided by the customer) and creates in-depth reports which can help the dealership further improve operations. Reports can be broken down by specific salesperson, manager, or team and provide a real snapshot of exactly what the salesperson did across hundreds of customers. For example, the report might show that the salesperson is perhaps great at presenting and doing a walk around but horrible at getting a customer to take a test drive, which could increase the chance of sale by 50 percent. These reports can be used to help train and improve on any of these weak areas.

“I am probably one of the few GSMs with experience with most CRMs out there and every one had flaws in one area or another. What I like about CAR-Research is they have been in this business, sat in my chair and understand my pain. Now we finally have a CRM partner that knows our business inside and out, because they are 'Car Guys', not software people pretending to know the car business. They are helping us get back to those basic business practices that got us where we are today. I look forward to our continued partnership and achieving our goal of becoming number one in the country,” commented Salehoun.

About CAR-Research XRM:

For more information visit: www.CARResearchXRM.com

IRVINE, Calif. -- Jan. 5, 2011  -- Kia Motors America (KMA) and OneCommand today announced the launch of the Kia Owner Retention Experience (KORE), powered exclusively by OneCommand, a leading provider of preference-based, automated, multi-channel marketing solutions.  The Kia Owner Retention Experience, which incorporates key elements of the Kia Customer 360-degree Service Experience™, is a new service reminder program for Kia dealers that delivers timely and automated communications to a dealer's customers through the customer's preferred channel – automated voice, email, text message and direct mail.  KORE allows dealers to distribute effective communications at each of the most relevant points of a customer's ownership lifecycle.  

Leveraging OneCommand's technology, and offered through a platform that is exclusive to Kia dealers, the Kia Owner Retention Experience is designed specifically to increase customer loyalty, service retention and reduce marketing expenses.

"Growing owner service retention will help maximize our dealerships' balanced operations and dramatically enhance their profitability," said John Crowe, vice president of service, quality and Kia University for KMA.  "Kia's innovative KORE service reminder program is the perfect marketing tool to enable Kia dealers to cost effectively communicate with owners at the optimal time and mileage intervals in the prescribed medium the customer has chosen – voice, text, email, and snail mail."

The program is offered to Kia dealers at a fraction of the cost of similar, less effective programs. Key benefits of the program include:

• Automated voice, text, email and direct mail communications, according to customer preference
• Actionable communications customized to the consumer's unique position in the ownership lifecycle
• Easy implementation and 100% self-maintaining program, requiring no additional dealership resources
• Multi-layered support team, including in-field experts

"We are proud to bring the advantages of a program that is proven to increase service frequency and drive significant improvements in response rates while also decreasing customer defection," said Marvin Grimm, Executive Vice President of OneCommand.  "With the current pressure on sales, and a lengthening vehicle ownership cycle, we believe the Kia Owner Retention Experience's ability to cost-effectively increase loyalty, drive repeat purchase behavior, maintain current customers and improve fixed operations revenue will be critical to improving revenue, performance and ROI for participating Kia dealerships."

About Kia Motors America

Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea.  KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 725 dealers throughout the United States.  For 2009, KMA recorded its 15th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share and recently achieved its best quarter of sales ever in 2010.  Kia Motors subscribes to a philosophy of building high value, high quality, safe and dynamic vehicles.  Kia Motors prides itself on producing vehicles that are exciting and enabling and evoke the Kia tagline "The Power to Surprise."

Kia Motors America is the "Official Automotive Partner of the NBA."  Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its Web site – www.kia.com.  For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.

About OneCommand (www.onecommand.com)

OneCommand is a leading provider of integrated and automated, personalized communications designed to streamline work-flow, reduce marketing expense and generate superior customer response. Focusing on the delivery of the right message, at the right time, and through the right channel, OneCommand has rapidly expanded its market penetration by helping its clients realize significant improvements in loyalty and retention, frequency of visit and overall profitability.  In 2008 the Company delivered over 150 million personalized communications on behalf of over 4,000 clients throughout North America.   OneCommand's proven, web-based Relationship Marketing Solutions enable customers to leverage the power of their voice through a multitude of channels, including voice messaging, mobile messaging, e-mail marketing, live call center services, direct mail and a variety of two-way communication streams. By providing a seamless solution for communication from shop to buy to service and repurchase, OneCommand offers the opportunity to coordinate a unified message to customers. This approach, paired with custom automation of timely, relevant and consistent communications, has led to significant reductions in marketing expense and even greater improvements in the customer experience.

Shelby Hunt

Zeno Group for Kia Motors America

(310) 566-3985

shelby.hunt@zenogroup.com

Lindsay Leugers

One Command

(513) 354-8608

lleugers@onecommand.com

Addition of CRM Solution Strengthens eCarList's Mission to Make Vehicle Merchandising Seamless, Easy and Cost-effective for Dealers

DALLAS and LONG ISLAND, N.Y., Jan. 5, 2011 -- eCarList (www.ecarlist.com), one of the nation's fastest-growing automotive software companies, today announced that it has acquired DealerUps, a leading provider of automotive CRM solutions for dealers.  With this acquisition, eCarList will integrate CRM into its award-winning inventory management and online marketing solutions, making it easy for dealerships to fully own and control the vehicle merchandising process through one unified platform.

"The integration of CRM will enable us to provide a single, efficient and cohesive solution across the entire vehicle merchandising cycle, freeing dealers from the headaches of multiple, uncoordinated touch points," said Len Critcher, eCarList CEO. "By adding CRM to the eCarList platform, we are effectively syncing together our dealers' inventory, merchandising, pricing, and customer relationship management needs - from vehicle acquisition to vehicle disposition - while increasing visibility into how their merchandising and marketing dollars are performing."

eCarList currently provides a full suite of online marketing tools to thousands of dealer customers enabling them to appraise, price and merchandise vehicle inventory in real-time via one fully integrated software platform, including its award-winning TrueTarget™ mobile app.  

DealerUps provides dealers with a state-of-the-art automotive CRM system to effectively manage and market to current and prospective customers from one database. The system, which is used by some of the nation's most successful automobile dealers, tracks and reports customer information in real-time, including Internet leads, sales, service, walk-ins, and incoming and outgoing telephone calls.

"Inventory management is the cornerstone of effective vehicle merchandising, while CRM is the cornerstone of effective customer conversion," continued Critcher.  "The integration of both equates to better processes, greater efficiencies and, most importantly, more volume for our customers."  

According to Critcher, the DealerUps software has been rewritten to work seamlessly with the eCarList platform and includes new features such as easily assigning and switching between leads and vehicle details, the ability to view all leads by vehicle, as well as improved visibility into all online marketing channels and success metrics.  The new solution will also provide unified integration with eCarList partner sites, including direct integration for online auction leads and bid management.

The integration of DealerUps software into the eCarList platform is scheduled to be completed in Q2 2011, and will be showcased at NADA 2011 in San Francisco.

"We are pleased to join one of the most exciting and leading-edge companies in the dealer technology industry on its mission to revolutionize the way dealers manage and merchandise their inventory," said Stan Thomas, DealerUps executive vice president and general manager. "We believe that uniting eCarList's award-winning technology with DealerUps' best-in-class software will provide the most robust and complete automotive marketing platform in the industry."

About eCarList

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, eCarList provides a full suite of inventory management and online marketing tools for the retail automotive industry enabling dealers to appraise, price, and merchandise vehicle inventory online in real-time. Services include inventory management, inventory distribution, vehicle appraisal and pricing tools, mobile software, dealership health reporting, dealer CRM, custom web design, and digital marketing solutions via a fully integrated software as a service platform. eCarList improves dealership productivity, inventory turn, sales, and profits for its clients by improving and simplifying the way in which inventory is managed, distributed, and viewed by consumers.  One of the fastest-growing companies in the industry, eCarList has award-winning products for each category in which it competes.  eCarList's revolutionary TrueTarget™ Mobile was recently named the Most Innovative Dealership Product of 2010.

About DealerUps

Based in Long Island, NY, DealerUps was founded in 2000 and is managed and led by Parayil & Mann Dealer Services, Inc. (PMDS), industry experts with more than four decades of extensive automotive retail experience. DealerUps provides a state-of-the-art car dealer CRM system that enables automotive dealers to effectively manage and market to current and prospective customers from one database. Tracked and reported in real-time is information such as Internet leads (Mailroom™), sales (DeskLog®), service, walk-ins, and incoming and outgoing telephone calls (TrueCall™). DealerUps consulting takes this one step further by providing solid training and support to help ensure that every lead is managed and optimized so that no customers - or potential revenues - are lost.

PCG Digital Marketing announced a follow up study to their widely popular Automotive SEO Study offered to car dealers in the US and Canada. The new study called the Automotive SEM Study, will guide 100 dealers through creating, managing, and analyzing paid digital marketing campaigns.

Automotive Internet sales and marketing professionals who are currently working at car dealerships and want to master powerful SEM tools and strategies to improve the search visibility of their website are invited to participate in the Automotive Search Engine Marketing study.

The study is open to employees of car dealers only and DrivingSales.com members are encouraged to signup before the study reaches its capacity.

The Automotive SEM Study will be limited to 100 automotive dealers. Enrollment is free and is now open. Dealers who wish to participate in the 8-week program will need to devote 2-3 hours per week to the study as well as a minimum of $1,000 per month to go directly to their dealer’s paid digital marketing campaigns.

For more information about enrolling in the study, please visit www.automotivesemstudy.com and sign up using the link on the right.

Study members will be trained and coached on the proper setup, execution, and measurement of paid advertising campaigns. The primary focus will be on Google and Facebook marketing with a secondary focus on Yahoo and Bing advertising.

The 100 participating dealers will have access to winning digital marketing strategies, marketing outlines, tutorials, and websites managed by PCG Digital Marketing that will enhance the results of their work. In return, members in the study will share the results of their work and be included in a whitepaper being prepared by PCG Digital Marketing.

The first webinar of the study kicks off on February 15^th 2011.

Automotive SEM Study Requirements

The requirements to participate in the study are:

1. Participants must be an employee of a car dealership, proof will be required.

2. Participants must have written permission to setup a PPC campaign and have a budget to run the campaigns.

3. Participants must have an email address from an active dealership domain.

4. Members in the study will be required to dedicate up to 3 hours a week to complete the tasks required for success.

5. Participants must be willing to share the results of their work to allow the data to be summarized* in the final study whitepaper.

* No confidential data or specific dealership website results will be published in the whitepaper or made public without written permission from participant.

Register For the Automotive SEM Study

Dealers interested in participating should register online at www.automotivesemstudy.com. PCG Digital Marketing retains the right to decline dealer participation in the Automotive SEM Study based on conflicts of interest with current clients.

OAK BROOK, IL (December 22, 2010) – vAuto, Inc. announces its used car inventory management system is now available for Android mobile devices.

 “We are excited to offer our dealers the vAuto mobile app for the Android platform,” says Keith Jezek, vAuto’s president. “This innovation allows dealers to have vAuto in the palm of their hands for accessing real-time market information.  vAuto’s live market appraisal and stocking modules are available on the app for making strategic decisions from any location.” 

The mobile application is available at no additional monthly subscription charge for vAuto customers and is compatible with Android 2.1 or higher operating systems. The application’s functionality features the new advanced barcode VIN capture method that automatically decodes and uploads to vAuto for Android devices with an auto focus camera. It is available for download from the Android Market.   

Earlier in the year, vAuto introduced the mobile application for the Apple iPhone and iTouch. vAuto customers now have the opportunity to operate the fully integrated live market based appraisal and stocking functionality from their Android or Apple touch devices. In addition to third-party guidebooks and auction values, the application features vAuto’s exclusive rBook, providing dealers with live market pricing of identically equipped vehicles in their retail market. The app also includes vAuto’s heat sheet and buy list, identifying what cars are hot in their market and how to find them.  

Headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, IL, vAuto also maintains a research and development center in Austin, TX. vAuto’s innovative “Live Market View” technology allows dealers to manage their used-vehicle inventories based on actual supply-and-demand for their specific market. Today, more than 3,000 dealerships across the country use vAuto’s pricing, appraisal, stocking and merchandising systems. Dale Pollak, vAuto’s founder, is the author of two books featuring best practices and strategies for the used car department, Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line and Velocity 2.0: Paint, Pixels & Profitability.  vAuto is a wholly owned subsidiary of AutoTrader.com.  Additional information about vAuto is available at www.vauto.com

December 21, 2010 – BURLINGTON, VT – Dealer.com, the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, today announced that it has won two Leader Awards in the 2010 Summit Emerging Media Award competition, for its work with Checkered Flag Motor Car Corporation and Silver Star Montreal.

“We are honored by these awards and very proud of our work with Checkered Flag and Silver Star Montreal,” said Ryan Dunn, Creative Director at Dealer.com. “Both organizations continue to push boundaries and to build their online reputations by fully embracing our custom branding services and pioneering technologies including inventory displaying CarFlix™ HumanVoice videos, facet-filtering inventory, social networking and video blogging tools.” 

Checkered Flag Motor Car Corporation has been serving the greater Hampton Roads region of Virginia since 1964, and currently operates 12 dealerships in the region. Silver Star Montreal operates the largest Mercedes Benz dealership in Canada. 

The Summit EMA competition is based on the premise that advertising is consistently at the forefront of the technological evolution of communication. It was created to identify the world's marketing communication pioneers, those pushing the boundaries of the communication badlands.

“Those involved in today’s emerging media technologies are the leaders who are establishing tomorrow’s avenues of advertising communications,” said Jocelyn Luciano, Executive Director for the Summit International Awards (SIA). “Most communication professionals recognize that established avenues of communication can be reliable and safe, however audiences are becoming increasingly fragmented and difficult to engage, inform and affect. Developing, applying and combining emerging media with creative messaging and market awareness is challenging. Achieving this synthesis is what makes earning a Summit EMA a significant achievement.”

The Summit International Awards organization is dedicated to furthering excellence in the communications industry. It administers three distinguished award competitions throughout the year with the goal of raising the awareness of companies and individuals who have the creative and marketing talent to go beyond the ordinary.

The SIA organization stands apart by offering a true competitive environment where entries are judged alongside those of their peers, and makes its competitions affordable and accessible to the industry by offering multiple entry discounts, streamlined internet submissions and a friendly, knowledgeable customer service staff. Companies and individuals from more than 50 countries and across five continents participate in its award programs and choose to invest their promotional dollars for the opportunity to be recognized as an SIA winner. The SIA organization conducts three awards each year: Summit Creative Award, Summit Emerging Media Award and Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award.

About Dealer.com 

Dealer.com is the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, providing award winning e-marketing solutions to OEMs, auto dealers and media companies.  The company’s innovative websites and integrated online tools significantly lower the cost of customer acquisition, enhancing dealers’ efficiency and profitability. More dealerships use the Dealer.com platform than any other platform in the world. 

Recent national and international accolades include: Inc. magazine’s 2010 Top Small Company Workplaces and Inc. 5000, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, top ranking in The Net Promoter® Score Survey of customer satisfaction, Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 and the Web Marketing Association's Automobile Standard of Excellence. In addition, Dealer.com was the 2009 Top Rated Website Provider on DrivingSales.com, and won the 2010 Dealers' Choice Diamond Award for Best Website Solution and the 2009 Most Comprehensive Search Marketing Platform Award from the Automotive Search Marketing Association. For more information take a look inside Dealer.com.

Majority of Auto Dealers Report Increased Market Share and New Car Margins in 2010, According to AutoUSA Study

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (December 20, 2010) – The latest study conducted by AutoUSA reveals that 94.2% of dealers increased market share in 2010, and more than 70% reported an increase in new car margins. Dealerships that gained market share this year attributed the growth to improved customer service (69%), friendly process (65%), best reputation (52%), quick process (45%), lowest price (29%) and best selection (28%).

“Although 2010 has been a challenging year for auto sales, it appears the economy has inspired dealers to provide customers with better all around service, which has proven to be more effective for closing new business than just price alone,” said Phil DuPree, President of AutoUSA. “In addition, the survey indicates that dealers spent the majority of their ad budgets on Internet marketing strategies in order to draw more customers into their stores.”

The survey found that 94.2% of dealers distribute their new car inventory to Internet sites, and 54.7% of respondents say they plan to increase their purchase of third party leads in 2011. By having a presence on third party sites, dealerships increase their chances of drawing in customers from outside their typical geographical areas, as well as customers who submit leads on specific inventory items as opposed to using search engines to look for dealerships near them. When asked which part of their business did best in 2010, 41.8% of dealers reported new car sales, while 28.4% said used car sales and 28.4% said service.

In addition to inventory exposure and purchasing third party leads, the survey found that many dealers are actively involved in online reputation management. More than 85% of survey respondents say their dealerships manage online reputations by following up on consumer opinions posted online, with 62.3% saying they have a well managed program and 23.2% saying their program is not well managed and they only follow up on a limited basis.

Using sites like DealerRater, Edmunds.com and Yelp for online reputation management is an effective way to leverage third party leads by increasing chances that a prospective customer will submit a lead to a particular dealership based on positive user reviews.

The online survey, which was conducted in November, generated 71 responses from dealership employees around the country, including store owners, general managers, BDC managers, marketing managers, Internet managers and sales managers. To view full survey results, visit: http://budurl.com/pfp7

About AutoUSA (www.AutoUSA.com)

AutoUSA, Inc., is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and a subsidiary of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE: AN), the largest retail automotive company in the United States. AutoUSA is an independent third-party provider of new and used leads to thousands of dealerships. The company has built its success on a combination of advanced web-based technology and a network that includes the country’s most well respected online automotive resources, including Edmunds.com, Kelley Blue Book, MSN Autos, Yahoo! Autos, America Online, NADA Analytical Services Group, AutoVantage.com, AutoNation.com and AutoUSA.com. The vast majority of Ward’s Top 100 eDealers use AutoUSA. More information is available online at http://www.AutoUSA.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 13, 2010

For more information contact:

Sara Callahan                                                          Kurt Kubicki

Carter West Public Relations                              CAR-Research XRM

727-288-2159                                                           (832) 452-5474

scallahan@carterwestpr.com                             kkubicki@car-research.com

CAR-Research XRM adds Service Drive Control Manager to CRM; Help Auto Dealers Increase Vehicle Service Business and Profitability

Houston, Texas, December 13, 2010 – CAR-Research XRM, a single-source CRM solution uniquely branded as; “XRM, Exceeding CRM”, today announced the launch of Service Drive Control Manager.  The new CRM module provides all of the tools necessary to effectively manage a profitable service department. It is built right into the CAR-Research CRM solution.   Dealers using the new suite of tools are inspecting more vehicles, talking to customers more frequently and keeping them better informed about vehicle service, resulting in elevated CSI scores and increased profitability. Technicians are finding more maintenance and repair work that needs to be performed and service departments are up-selling it.  Dealers using Service Drive Control Manager are enjoying increases in Customer Pay RO average of as much as $80 per ticket.

According to Bruce Glascock, general manager/owner of Spring Chrysler Jeep Dodge, while his dealership was already doing well in service, Service Drive Control Manager has helped him create a much better process for selling service and servicing his customers; resulting in substantial increases in Parts and Labor sales. “With Service Drive Control we have been able to capture missed opportunities; inspect a lot more cars, talk to our customers more often, and ask for their business more consistently and effectively. Our customer pay average has increased by over $80 per RO. Being able to see the opportunities we were missing, while the vehicles are still here, has really made the difference.  Our premium service penetration, (brakes, batteries, flushes, major services etc.) was at eight percent, now we are always over 20 percent. While we used to sell 15-20 alignments per month, we have sold as many as 164, and are consistently over 100 per month. Our tire sales have also improved, making us the largest tire retailer in Chrysler’s Southwest Region.”

Service Drive Control Manager provides the service department with an online scheduling tool and a dynamic route sheet that automatically displays key information related to repair orders in service. The information helps advisors track customers and their repair order progress as it updates key indicator status through the repair process.  This information allows managers and advisors to monitor key indicator alerts that assist in improving repair order performance and CSI.

“When a customer pulls into the service drive, it is vital to take full advantage of this opportunity,” commented Kurt Kubicki, VP of Marketing for CAR-Research XRM. “Once a vehicle is being serviced, does the dealership track multi-point inspections and identify up-sell opportunities? Can it identify and track recommended and declined services? Can it manage customer promise times to ensure customers have a positive experience and become repeat customers? With CAR-Research XRM’s Service Drive Control Manager, we provide the tools to perform these tasks and much more.  Service Drive Control Manager equips the service department with all of the necessary tools for effective Fixed Operation management and profitability.”

 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

# # # # #

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

DrivingSales Vendor Ratings Awards Survey Open; Second Annual Awards to be presented at NADA 2011

Awards Measure Dealer Satisfaction with Vendors in 10+Categories, including CRM, New Car Leads, Used Car Advertising, Websites, SEO, and Social Media; Survey Available to Dealers Only at http://www.drivingsales.com/surveys/vr/customer-management/

12.02.2010– Salt Lake City, UT -- DrivingSales (http://www.drivingsales.com), the auto industry’s largest car dealer social network, today announced that the second annual DrivingSales Vendor Ratings Awards will be presented in San Francisco, California at the 2011 NADA Convention and Expo. DrivingSales also announced that it has now deployed the official vendor ratings dealer satisfaction survey to thousands of dealerships nationwide.

The DrivingSales Vendor Ratings Awards measure dealer satisfaction with services provided by vendors in 2011 in 10+ categories, including CRM, New Car Leads, Used Car Advertising, Websites, SEO and Social Media. Vendors who achieve the highest dealer satisfaction rankings will receive awards.

“In spite of the economic challenges of 2011, at DrivingSales.com we have seen a virtual innovation explosion as vendors continue to evolve their services to help dealers manage everything from the growing impact of online consumer reviews, to Google’s sudden changes, to the exploding ‘mobile’ consumer demographic,” said DrivingSales Founder and CEO Jared Hamilton.

“With new solution providers entering the market at a rapid rate, and veteran providers continuously upgrading their products, Vendor Ratings has become a critical decision-tool, helping dealers assess the hundreds of available vendor options. The Vendor Ratings Awards are an extension of that process, highlighting the providers that dealers have been the most consistently satisfied with in 2010.”

The Vendor Ratings Awards are based on the cumulative ratings at DrivingSales.com, as of December 31st, 2010, as well as the results of a survey open to all (and only) the nation’s 20,000+ dealerships. All those who take the survey or submit a vendor rating are required to provide valid contact information so that DrivingSales can verify that the reviewers are actual dealership employees; however, the identity of the survey takers remains anonymous to the public. The survey is currently deployed on DrivingSales.com at http://www.drivingsales.com/surveys/vr/customer-management/.

DrivingSales Vendor Ratings Award winners will be showcased in the Q1 2011 issue of DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide which, in addition to being distributed at the NADA Convention and Expo, is delivered to every new car dealership nationwide, as well as to the top 100 used car dealerships.

If you are a U.S. new or used car dealership and would like to participate in the Dealer Satisfaction with Vendors survey (and please remember that your contact information will be verified), click the links below: http://www.drivingsales.com/surveys/vr/customer-management/.

For more information about the DrivingSales Vendor Ratings Awards and DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide, email melanie@mwebbcom.com.

About DrivingSales Vendor Ratings

DrivingSales Vendor Ratings at is the industry’s only neutral, comprehensive vendor rating forum featuring real-time peer reviews and honest competitor comparisons – searchable by category, company or rating – and is one of the most popular features of DrivingSales.com. Dealers are asked to rate their vendors on a 1-5 star scale, including whether they would recommend the vendor product to colleagues, and why they would or would not recommend the product.

About DrivingSales.com

DrivingSales.com is the largest car dealer social network where thousands of dealership professionals collaborate and share best practices in a 20-group style setting. The site is the industry’s largest source of free dealership best practices information.

At DrivingSales, members create profiles, network with each other and share best practices. Dealership managers are allowed to rate and review their dealership vendors (http://www.drivingsales.com/ratings) in a verified setting. DrivingSales hosts the largest retail focused community of automotive blogs (http://www.drivingsales.com/blogs/), videos, interviews, social automotive news feeds and more.

DrivingSales was created and built from the ground up in 2003 by Jared Hamilton, a third generation auto dealer, as a private automotive business community to network his NADA Dealer Candidate Academy class. The site opened nationally in 2008 and is the industry’s leading automotive social media custom platform. 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.