DrivingSales
Product Strategist to Help Expand Industry's Leading Social Media Network
SALT LAKE CITY, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- DrivingSales.com (www.drivingsales.com), the auto industry's leading social media platform and largest online community, today announced that veteran product strategist, Kevin Root, has joined its Board of Advisors to oversee product development.
Formed in early 2008, the DrivingSales Board of Advisors consists of the industry's top innovators and executives who are charged with expanding DrivingSales' mission to marry the power of technology with the power of community to provide dealers, dealership managers and other industry professionals with a vendor-neutral, online environment where they can collaborate and share best practices, industry trends and news.
"I am pleased to welcome Kevin to the DrivingSales team," said DrivingSales.com Founder and CEO Jared Hamilton. "Recognized by J.D. Power as one of the industry's original 10 Internet pioneers, his profound industry knowledge and deep analytic capabilities - as well as his experience bringing cutting edge technologies to the auto industry - will be a great asset as we continue to leverage our rapid growth to the benefit of the industry. Not only does Kevin know where this industry has been - as it has undergone some of the most dramatic changes driven by technology in its history - but he knows where it is going."
Root has over 20 years of automotive and technology experience. Most recently he served for 10 years in product strategy, retail performance improvement and marketing positions at Cobalt. Root is widely known for producing the ecommerce performance research that has become the auto industry benchmark. Root's extensive accomplishments in automotive innovation include driving the product strategy for Cobalt's UsedCars.com, the used car side of Microsoft CarPoint, and the successful creation of over a dozen technology products and services used by thousands of dealers and many of the leading manufacturers. He is the founder of K.T. Root and Associates (www.kevinroot.com), a consulting firm specializing in market insight and product strategy.
"Increasingly, dealership success is in the hands of those who know how to use technology to drive sales more cost efficiently," said Root. "DrivingSales' social media network provides our industry with the most advanced platform on which to share best practices and innovation - in real time - increasing competitive advantage. I look forward to working with the DrivingSales team and Board on expanding its industry footprint, while creating even greater benefits for its members."
About DrivingSales.com
DrivingSales.com (www.drivingsales.com) is the largest and premiere online community for the auto industry, where its thousands of members, including dealers, dealership managers, manufacturers, industry experts and vendors, collaborate and share best practices in a 20-group style setting. At DrivingSales, members create profiles and communicate with each other; build their networks and knowledgebase; share and rate proven strategies, and have access to relevant content contributed by fellow industry experts, including blogs, videos, interviews, and more. Dealer members rate and review vendor products - sharing their experiences with the DrivingSales community - while vendors have the opportunity to provide feedback on reviews and showcase their products and services. Created and built from the ground up by third-generation dealer Jared Hamilton, DrivingSales is the auto industry's leading social media custom platform.
DrivingSales
Happy New Year to our thousands and thousands of community participants worldwide! We hope 2009 will bring each of you much success and happiness in your auto industry endeavors!
As you probably know our network was created in 2003 to connect a group of dealers as they attended Nada's Dealer Candidate Academy. The community was built to connect the group on a common platform for networking and best practice solution sharing. Much has happened since these humble beginnings and 2008 was a big year for our community. Here are a few of the highlights:
- In June of 2008 we opened the community up to all industry professionals as the first vendor neutral, best practice network and innovation community built exclusively for the car business. We received a very warm welcome and have been amazed at the growth of the community.
- In addition to the Networking utility, the social mediums we host for our community to share best practice information have grown to include be the largest blog network in the Industry, Discussion utilities, Strategy sharing, Video and Group creation.
- We launched the first Vendor Rating system for the industry, allowing dealers and dealership employees to rate and review their vendors so others can make the best purchasing decisions. You now have a mechanism share your good and bad vendor experiences for others to learn from.
- Since June our membership growth has averaged nearly 30% per month. Our top users are 1.Owners/Principles 2.Internet Sales Directors and then other Managerial/ Executive positions. Your are sure to know dozens of others in the community, search their name in the blue header bar and connect to grow your network.
For 2009 we have some aggressive plans and will be bringing more knowledge, more innovation and more proven best practices to the industry. We will be expanding into additional mediums, so you can receive your content in whatever format you choose. We have begun the process of building a coalition of power users to act as a community council to guide and direct the development of the community features so we can serve exactly what you need. Our engineers are focusing on making the network easier and more efficient to use so that we can better connect you with the people and information you need to be successful. In short, we have big plans for 2009!
We depend on members like you for feedback and participation, so remember, dont be shy. If you see a discussion on a topic you know something about, post a thought. If you read a blog and have something to add, leave a comment. We realize “social networking” is new to many in our industry and we open our arms to everyone. The benefits to all are huge. It is said that two heads are better than one and we have the whole industry talking!
We Wish Everyone the Best 2009! Happy Hew Year!!
If you have questions, an idea for the community or would like to participate as a power user in our community council please email our founder Jared Hamilton at jared (at) drivingsales.com. We love the feedback!
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DrivingSales
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We recently opened the Vendor Rating system up to accept reviews on your favorite (or worst) CRM vendor experience. So far, DealerSocket and ICarMagic have perfect records. Reynolds and ADP are close behind. We recently made some enhancements to the review system, we invite you to see how the vendors are rated by their dealer clients. Be sure to submit and rate your vendors for others to see.
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DrivingSales
If I were the Car Czar?
Lets talk about solutions!
Our industry has been at the foundation in the world's economy for over a century, and now we are witnessing change and a chance at true innovation of historic proportions. Since nobody has the inside scoop like industry professionals, we would like your opinion in this thought-provoking contest: "If I were the Car Czar."
We are seeking submissions from you, the industry professionals, in a stimulating exercise. Write down your thoughts to the following questions and enter them into the, "If I were the Car Czar: contest:
1. Where do you believe our industry has opportunity to improve and change?
2. What changes would you make happen if you were the Car Czar?
The Contest:
The entries will all be published as blog entries on DrivingSales.com, all industry professional can submit an entry and comment on the entries of others. Our "celebrity" judges will determine the best submission based on creativity, viability and the discussion the submission generates. The winning post will be published in Automotive Digest and an interview with the author will be shared on DrivingSales.com
There are no right or wrong approaches in the contest, and all submissions will be accepted and published. Simply submit your thoughts the two questions above to contactus@drivingsales.com.
We are accepting submissions until Jan 16th and will announce the winner on Jan 20th. The winning entry will receive a $500 Visa gift card, compliments of DrivingSales.com.
How do I enter?
• Write up your responses to the questions and send email them (either attache or embed in the email) to contactus@drivingsales.com. Place "if I were Car Czar" in the subject line. Tell your friends about your entry and start a threaded discussion. Remember, the discussion around your post will be taken into account by the judges.
Who are the Celebrity Judges?
- Charlie Vogelheim - Industry Expert
- Andrew Price – RL Polk
- Kevin Root -Automotive eBusiness Consultant–Named Top 10 Internet Pioneer
- Allan Cooper – One Command – Named Top 10 Internet Pioneer
Is there a minimum or maximum word count to enter the contest?
• No, if you can share your brilliance in 10 words go for it. If you are like most of us and need a page or two to get your thoughts across, have at it.
What is the prize?
• A Visa Gift Certificate in the amount of $500.
Do I have to be a known economist or pundit to enter?
• No, the point is we believe the best people to brainstorm on the solutions to grow our industry are on the front lines. We are looking for entries from ISM’s to Dealer Principles, and from Parts Managers to Vendor Executives. In short, wewant varied responses from all viewpoints.
Where should I start?
• Start with what you know and were you see the industry has opportunities to improve. It could be manufacturing, distribution, sales, marketing… anything really. What do you see as opportunities for our industry to improve and what do you recommend as possible solutions. There is no right or wrong, so don’t be shy.
What are the dates of the contest?
• December 16th to January 16th submissions must be received. The winner will be announced Jan 20th. Submit earlier for a better chance to win (since you will have more time to gather the comments and attention of the community.
More Questions?
• Post them in the comments below: (you must be logged in to comment and you must be a member of the site to participate.)
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DrivingSales
Here at DrivingSales our mission is to connect you, the industry professionals, with the people and information you need to maximize your success. We provide numerous ways connect with thousands of your industry peers to collect and share best practices.
In addition to connecting on DrivingSales.com, we wanted to invite you to connect with some of our other recently launched social initiatives.
1. Follow us on twitter: We love the connectivity and will return the follow:
www.twitter.com/drivingsales
2. Connect with us on Linkedin. We host group “DrivingSales” for all industry professionals inside the linkedin community.
3. On a more personal level we are also on Facebook and host a best practice group there. To connect with us simply search us out (the groups are called DrivingSales.com) and join.
We allow anyone in the auto industry world wide, who is looking to innovate and share best practices to join us. If you have other recommendations as to where you would like to see us we are glad to join and get involved elsewhere too.
Spread the social word and get connected!
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Cliff Banks of Ward's wrote about vendor ratings and DrivingSales -
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DrivingSales
Salt Lake City, UT, October 7, 2008 — DrivingSales (www.DrivingSales.com), the automotive industry's original online dealership best practices and professional networking community, today announced the launch of its user-generated streaming online Video Collection. The new site feature will be launched today during the J.D. Power Automotive Internet Roundtable at the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas. A central focus of this year's conference is social media, and Jared Hamilton, founder and CEO of DrivingSales, will lead a discussion about the growing importance of social media, including streaming video, for dealerships, OEMs and the automotive industry in general. Like the conference, the DrivingSales Video Collection focuses on providing automotive dealers proven solutions and tactics to improve their businesses and stay in the game.
"The increased speed, quality and overall access to online streaming videos is a real breakthrough for training and continuous learning," commented Dennis Colome, vice president of Izmo Cars. "In person, onsite training will always be important, but video can be very effective for imparting new skills and knowledge. The richness of the medium can have a much more dramatic, immediate impact than reading a book or information online. The DrivingSales videos offer cutting-edge solutions, and now more dealers than ever will have access to proven strategies and tactics to help improve their operations and the bottom line."
According to recent ABI Research, both supply and demand are driving the huge increase in online video consumption, "with more rich content available in ad-supported formats and more consumers eager for online video, from professionals and amateurs alike."
The DrivingSales Video Collection is similar to YouTube, with the obvious difference that all video content focuses on helping automotive dealers maximize their businesses. Both professional and amateur content will be accepted, encouraging members to contribute helpful user generated content (UGC). Video subject matter covers virtually all aspects of dealership activities and operations, including sales, customer retention, Internet retailing, F&I, service, parts, and fleet sales. Content is already available from industry leaders such as: Google head of automotive strategic partnerships Adrian Madland, Dealix vice president of sales Kevin Hunt, CarFolks president and founding shareholder and board member of Auto Dealer Traffic, Inc. Mark Boyd, Cobalt director or marketing Melissa McCann, Curtis Kroeker, former director of vehicles for eBay Motors, and U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business professor Florian Zettelmeyer.
"Today, more than ever, dealers really need solutions, tactical ideas and answers to their questions about surviving this difficult period. The DrivingSales Video Collection provides our members with real-life, proven solutions for their problems: how to achieve a stronger capital structure, increasing parts and service sales, getting more repeat customers, differentiating yourself in competitive markets, using online marketing tools to maximum advantage, and more. The videos are our latest tool to help dealers compete and succeed through challenging times," stated Hamilton.
About DrivingSales.com
DrivingSales is a best practices networking community for automotive professionals, including dealers, manufacturers, and vendors, who are collaborating to maximize their success. On DrivingSales.com, members create profiles and communicate with each other, building their networks and knowledgebase by connecting with the people and ideas they need to be more successful. Members share and rate proven strategies, and get access to relevant content contributed by fellow industry experts, including blogs, videos, interviews, and more. Members who are dealers rate and review vendor products, sharing their experiences with the DrivingSales community; while vendors get the opportunity to provide feedback on reviews and showcase their products and services. DrivingSales empowers auto industry professionals to take their businesses and careers to a whole new level of success. Get connected at www.DrivingSales.com.
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DrivingSales
Salt Lake City, UT, August 27, 2008 — DrivingSales (www.DrivingSales.com), the auto industry's original best practices and social networking community, today announced the opening of the industry's first vendor ratings system where auto dealers can rate and review their service providers in real time. This unparalleled ratings system offers dealers a neutral, online resource to learn about a wide array of products and services before making important purchasing decisions, via fellow dealers' first-hand experience using the products. Vendors benefit by getting dealer feedback and the opportunity for dialog on this neutral, third party platform, as well as the chance to showcase their products and services to a broad audience of dealers.
DrivingSales members who are dealers can rate and reviews vendors in the newly launched Vendor Ratings section at www.DrivingSales.com. The ratings will be unveiled for DrivingSales members to view the first week of September.
"Dealers get calls from vendors on a daily basis, and of course, everyone claims that they offer the best solution,” commented John Johnson, owner of John Johnson Dodge of Boonton, New Jersey. “It takes a lot of time and energy on my part to properly evaluate proposals and verify these claims. What DrivingSales Vendor Ratings offers is a way to streamline this evaluation process, and essentially the opportunity to consult with many dealers, in one convenient place, who have experience with particular products and services. This is a great way to make informed decisions.”
While reviewers remain anonymous - only job titles are visible with the reviews - vendors have the opportunity to communicate with their reviewers via the DrivingSales Feedback Manager, which notifies vendors when they’ve been reviewed, among other features. Allowing for both private and public responses to dealer reviews, the Feedback Manager gives vendors the opportunity to reach out to dealers who may have had a sub-par experience and to make improvements, and also the chance to thank dealers for positive reviews and even request testimonials.
"Real time, online user reviews are enough to make any service provider a little nervous,” commented Mark Boyd, president of CarFolks and founding shareholder and board member of Auto Dealer Traffic, Inc. “But any proactive business person today knows the industry is changing with the times and online user reviews are an increasingly important method to aid purchasing decisions, for both consumers and businesses. This is a ‘take the bull by the horns’ opportunity – we're actively encouraging dealers to join and submit reviews on DrivingSales. And if companies I’m affiliated with ever see less than five-star reviews, I view it as an opportunity to see what’s on the dealer’s mind and to make it right."
Dealers can currently rate website providers, search engine marketing (SEM) services, lead providers and inventory publishers. Additional categories will be added for reviews in the coming weeks. DrivingSales will present ongoing awards for those vendors who receive the highest ratings in their relative categories.
About DrivingSales.com
DrivingSales is a community of automotive industry professionals, networking and sharing best practices to maximize their success. On DrivingSales.com, members post profiles, share sales strategies, and get access to relevant content contributed by industry experts, including blogs, videos, interviews, and more. Members who are dealers rate and review vendors, sharing their experience with the DrivingSales community; while vendors get the opportunity to provide feedback on reviews and showcase their products and services. DrivingSales empowers auto industry professionals to take their businesses and careers to a whole new level of success. Get connected at www.DrivingSales.com.
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Salt Lake City, UT, August 12, 2008 — DrivingSales (www.DrivingSales.com), the auto industry's original best practices and social networking site, today announced its newest strategies and best practices contest: "Gas prices are up. Sales are down. What have you done in the last 90 days to increase your bottom line?" The purpose of the contest is to stimulate ideas for improving business in light of the current economic challenges many dealers face. The DrivingSales Strategies competitions invite the best minds in the automotive industry to share their knowledge with the community and provide valuable ideas to help dealers increase profit and improve operations.
"As a dealer and member of DrivingSales, I find the strategy postings by fellow members a great way to get quick ideas and inspiration," commented Tom White, Jr. general manager of Suzuki of Wichita, Kansas. "You’ll find a dealership in a totally different part of the country, selling a different franchise, who is facing the same exact sales or staffing challenge that you are. And they’ve found a creative solution, which they write about on DrivingSales. It’s a great site to get fresh ideas quickly and easily."
To contribute an idea or strategy, auto industry professionals must first become a member of DrivingSales at www.drivingsales.com, where they can then post their strategy or best practice in the Strategies section. Once posted, the strategy will be live on DrivingSales.com, where other members can provide a 1-5 star rating and written review, and recommend whether or not their friends would benefit from it. The prize for the winning entry is the new Apple iPhone 3g.
The contest closes and the ratings will be tallied at midnight on Wednesday, September 17, 2008. Members are encouraged to post their strategies as early as possible in order to receive the most ratings by fellow members before the contest closes. The winner will be announced on Monday, September 22, 2008. The first contest successfully generated a plethora of ideas that can benefit all areas of the dealership, including: new and used vehicle sales, parts and service, and Internet and BDC.
"They say necessity is the mother of invention, and we know that many of our members have developed really innovative methods to deal with the current environment of high gas prices and a slow economy," commented Jared Hamilton, DrivingSales founder and CEO. "We've launched the next contest to tap into this wealth of knowledge and help during a particularly challenging time. As a continuously growing resource for dealers and the automotive industry, these contests are a fun way to engage community members and build DrivingSales' ever-expanding content."
About DrivingSales.com
DrivingSales is a community of automotive industry professionals, networking and sharing best practices to maximize their success. On DrivingSales.com, members post profiles, share sales strategies, and get access to relevant content contributed by industry experts, including blogs, videos, interviews, and more. Members who are dealers rate and review vendors, sharing their experience with the DrivingSales community; while vendors get the opportunity to provide feedback on reviews and showcase their products and services. DrivingSales empowers auto industry professionals to take their businesses and careers to a whole new level of success. Get connected at www.drivingsales.com.
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