SMITHFIELD, VA – January 9, 2019- SaleSleeve™ a weatherproof document display company, announced today its patented window sticker can solve compliance issues related to displaying sales documents on dealerships’ new and used car inventories nationwide.

This is not your ordinary window sticker display, but groundbreaking technology that keeps Monroney Label, Buyer’s Guide and Addendum Sticker documents sticking solidly where placed and highly visible -- tinted glass or not – across any weather condition – so vehicles always display essential compliance documents.

According to the Patent and Trademark Office, the SaleSleeve patent is for a protective envelope that encloses a one or two-page document and protects that document from weather damage, airflow from vehicle movement, and friction from lowering and raising a vehicle’s window.

SaleSleeve holding power and visibility help dealers stay compliant with current document display regulations.

“Staying compliant is a top priority for us,” said SaleSleeve user David Banty, Sales Manager for Strosnider Chevrolet, Hopewell, Virginia. “When you visit our dealership you’ll notice that all of our sales documents are prominently displayed on our vehicles and clearly visible to our customers.”

SaleSleeve Operations Manager Anthony Stile said, “These uniquely designed and translucent holders peel away from glass easily when they need to be removed, simplifying the process and leaving no adhesive residue. When using a SaleSleeve to display media on exterior glass, cars no longer have to be unlocked for inside glass attachment.”

Dealers agree SaleSleeve delivers on these promises.

“We used to post our sales information on the inside of the windows, but darker tinted windows made the stickers virtually unreadable. We tried lamination, and the number of documents getting damaged was unbelievable. We implemented SaleSleeve, which solved all of those issues while being extremely cost-effective,” said General Manager Matt Raymond from Sanders Ford in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

“SaleSleeve document displays make the cars look clean and our lives much easier!” said Alex Ramon, sales manager for Ferrari Austin, Austin, Texas.

“SaleSleeve has solved an industry-wide problem for displaying Monroney labels, addendums and Buyer’s Guide documents,” said aftermarket accessory installer Robert McGarr, owner, WRL Premier Tinting, Dallas, Texas. “Other options are extremely pricey, don’t work, or take too long to install; SaleSleeve is simply the best choice.”

The sleeve has been field tested in all types of weather conditions including temperatures ranging from minus 15F to 185F degrees and the harsh elements of Hurricane Florence that made landfall the summer of 2018. The newly patented product is the only document display envelope with an IPX7 water certification rating.

“Dealerships are discovering that SaleSleeve is durable, inexpensive and a remarkably versatile solution for displaying a vehicle’s sales documents,” said SaleSleeve Logistics Manager Benjamin Brown, “and dealer acceptance has been outstanding.”

For a sample packet, contact SaleSleeve Customer Service, 866-218-5783, or email info@salesleeve.com. For more information or to order directly, go to salesleeve.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin and Instagram.

SaleSleeve is headquartered at One Monette Parkway, Smithfield, VA. The corporate management team has more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry. For more information contact SaleSleeve Customer Service, 866-218-5783 or visit salesleeve.com.

PHOENIX, AZ, January 4, 2019 – Borrowing from the start-up success handbook that propelled virtual inventory advisory company LotPop to industry prominence, My BDC Success launched this week, providing remote BDC monitoring, tracking, and training services to help auto dealerships maximize the profitability of their business development center investments.

My BDC Success is not a long-term investment for most dealers, rather a three-to-18-month engagement to lift BDC performance to consistently more profitable results for the dealership.

It is an industry fact that most dealerships struggle to realize full potential from their BDC operations:

• Few people have the knowledge or experience to run a BDC efficiently and profitably
• If the right people are found, it can take years of learning to master BDC proficiency
• And, always, the question remains - how do you balance the number of employees with the volume of activity, so you stop spending countless hours and thousands of dollars hoping the investment will pay off

Now until NADA, My BDC Success is offering a $595/month with $595 one-time set up fee – $895 each normally – for the next eight dealerships that sign up. To sign up, contact Nicholas Wenslow at

nwenslow@mybdcsuccess.com or 888-814-6912, or visit https://www.mybdcsuccess.com/home.

My BDC Success Managing Partner Nicholas Wenslow said too many BDC centers struggle to support well their dealerships. Observing this frustration led him to develop My BDC Success. 

“As BDC manager for Automotive Associates of Atlanta with oversight for 50-plus BDC reps, without a doubt, BDC operations must have active management with hands-on engagement – whether in person or as remote accountability - to ensure ongoing coaching, training and knowledge to maximize their BDC performance. This is what dealerships get from using My BDC Success,” Wenslow said.

My BDC Success manages BDC operations virtually, including:

• * Monitoring, Tracking and Analyzing the 15-plus BDC Success Points

• * Delivering BDC Success Reports, Performance Reviews, and coaching Calls
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• * Your My BDC Success coach is available via phone, text or e-mail for training and support
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• * Use of your CRM and BDC software to maximize the value of your BDC

“Our services, products, and merchandise are specially designed to help dealers meet their BDC goals because each My BDC Success coach has been through the ranks. We aren't desking deals, takings T.O.'s or on popcorn breaks. We are listening to calls, monitoring performance, and maximizing your BDC,” Wenslow said.

For a limited time, My BDC Success services start at $595.95 a month, with a $595 set up fee, for the first eight dealers to sign up before NADA 2019. For more information, visit MyBDCSuccess.com or contact Nicholas Wenslow at 888-814-6912 or nwenslow@mybdcsuccess.com. 

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA, June 5, 2017 – Fidelis PPM, a CU Direct company, reported today that the Lester Glenn Auto Group is generating $200,000 a month in incremental customer-pay revenue and long-term customer retention since including its prepaid maintenance (PPM) program in each vehicle sale. 

This multi-step PPM features free, two-year oil changes for all customers plus the option to upgrade to two- and five-year discounted maintenance services that include full synthetic LOF services, tire rotations, key replacement, and various discounts.

The Group sells 13,000 vehicles a year, of which 60 percent are leased. At its one-year mark, plan penetration is at 10 percent, and on its way toward a goal of 20 to 25 percent. 

“Not bad in a substantial lease market as ours is,” notes John Perillo, Group Director of Variable Operations. 

“It’s a proven fact that where people service their cars is where they buy or lease their next one, so we want to be sure that is at a Lester Glenn dealership,” Perillo adds. 

With just a year’s use of this program, the auto group reports it is helping attract and retain: 

• Lease customers’ routine maintenance services for at least two years.
• Finance customers’ routine maintenance services for up to five years.

• $75.00 per repair order upsell or $200,000 a month in additional customer-pay service revenue across the Group.  

The New Jersey-based Group founded in 1956 today includes eight dealerships, representing 11 brands, including Hyundai, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Subaru, Ford, Buick, GMC, and Mazda.  Each store prides itself on providing an unparalleled car-buying experience focused on customer satisfaction.  

For several years, part of this commitment has included lifetime free oil changes for customers who purchased a new or pre-owned vehicle at any Lester Glenn location. That lifetime free oil change strategy did not, however, generate the long-term repeat service traffic and customer retention management had hoped. 

So, instead, to accomplish that objective, Perillo and Monica dismantled that lifetime program and in its place rolled out a more structured and measurable program driven by Fidelis PPM. 

“Even at this early stage, 3,000 of the 7,000 customer-pay repair orders we are doing a month are customers who’ve come in for an oil change, whether due to the two-year free or upgraded PPM programs,” notes Monica.  

“Moreover, we are upgrading 30 percent of those free LOF customers to our full synthetic service. Without this PPM program in place, those customers might have come in regardless, but we would not have had these upsell opportunities,” Monica adds. 

Fidelis PPM administers and manages all three program levels for the dealerships. The company is the authority in helping dealers retain customers through process-driven prepaid preventive maintenance retention programs.

Ryan Williams, Fidelis President, notes that dealers evaluating any retention-promotion plan should make sure they have a track record of: 

• Driving consumers to the dealership, especially the service department
• Delivers a positive experience, so customers continue to come back
• Has baked-in accountability tools to measure the lift in customer-pay dollars for each visit, so program ROI is measurable. 

To promote plan transparency and ease of program use for both plan holders and service advisors, Fidelis custom-built a plan tracking and reporting website for the Group, which it markets as part of its LG Advantage program. 

At this early date, PPM plan renewal and upgrade data are not available, but Perillo and Monica expect continued program redemption will continue to show an increase in both service RO dollars and customer retention. 

“Increasing repair order volume, higher customer retention, and the sale of additional services and vehicle – these are the reasons we put in place this Fidelis PPM plan,” Perillo says, “not to make money on their sale in finance, but to get customers back in the door. It works.” 

About Fidelis PPM

Fidelis PPM, a CU Direct company, turns prepaid maintenance into a brand-building, revenue-generating retention machine. Developed by dealers, Fidelis PPM knows the importance of substantiating ROI from its products. Powered by Driv Customer Retention Software, Fidelis PPM provides an easy-to-use interface for at-a-glance tracking of the dealers’ ROI on their PPM program. For more information, visit www.getfidelis.com  or email Williams at ryan@getfidelis.com

ATLANTA, GA, January 16, 2017 – CompetitorPro, the first competitive intelligence software built specifically for auto dealerships, reported today that December dealership performance metrics signaled caution as we move into the new year: 

• Consumer engagement on dealership websites softened, despite record vehicle sales in December.
• Widely predicted weaker car sales may be upon us.
• Dealership inventories of new and used vehicles shrank per store, while sales per dealership increased for both new and used vehicles. 

“It’s a healthy sign that dealers were able to reduce inventories of new and used vehicles on their lots, in anticipation of a softer Q1 2017,” said Steve Greenfield, founder and CEO of CompetitorPro. 

CompetitorPro is the auto retail industry’s first competitive intelligence solution, providing automobile dealers with actionable, in-depth performance metrics on their top competitors. 

“With the record-breaking level of new car incentives driving consumer demand, car sales are likely to start to slow down in the near future,” he said CompetitorPro’s analysis indicates. “This is supported by the fact that we’re seeing softening consumer engagement metrics across franchised dealership websites." 

CompetitorPro will provide NADA ‘17 attendees a free analysis of how they compare against their top local competitor. Visit Booth 5607 during January 26-29 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Visit http://www.competitorpro.comfor a demo. 

Key web metrics

CompetitorPro’s analysis of over 20,000 franchised dealership websites shows that consumer engagement metrics softened in December: 

• Average website visits to dealer websites continue to move downwards, averaging 1.64K, down 12.8% versus November
• Average bounce rate was 21.0%, up from 20.0% the previous month
• Average page views per visit was 3.36, down from 3.46 in November
• Average website visit duration was at 1 minute, 28 seconds, down from 1 minute, 38 seconds the month before

Weakening website engagement in December may mean we see a softening in new and used vehicle sales for dealers in Q1 2017. Research shows that consumers typically spend an average of three months shopping online before they buy a vehicle, although consumer traffic to dealership websites is closer to their date of purchase.

Other industry sources also point to shifting short term market dynamics. 

AutoWeek reported that new car sales in December hit a record high, driving the seventh straight year of sales gains. Last year full-year sales came in at 17.5M cars and light trucks. The seasonally adjusted annualized sales rate (SAAR) in December hit 18.38M, the highest of 2016, and the fifth-highest SAAR of all time. 

OEMs have their new car incentive spigots wide open. ALG estimates that the average incentive on new vehicles increased 20% last month to $3,673 per vehicle sold. 

For used cars, Edmunds estimates that December was the highest sales month of the year, beating December 2015’s count of 1.1M used vehicles sold. The SAAR for used-car sales for 2016 sits at 37.9 million units. 

Industry analysts are cautiously optimistic about vehicle sales in 2017, but few (if any) are forecasting higher overall sales. Peaking vehicle sales is supported by weakening consumer engagement on dealership websites. 

It’s worth noting, according to CompetitorPro data, the large variability of individual dealership performance across these consumer engagement metrics: 

• The top 25% of dealers experienced average website visits of 29.3K per month, compared to the industry average of 1.64K
• The bottom 25% of dealers experienced average website visits of 149 per month
• Top performing dealers are experiencing average page views of 10.8 per visit, and average website visit duration of 9 minutes, 52 seconds 

Dynamics driving sales efficiency

An environment of increasing sales with decreasing website engagement metrics is driving more efficiency — taking fewer website visits to yield a sale: 

• The average dealership experienced 14.5 website visits per vehicle sold, compared to 16.8 website visits per unit sold the month before
• The average dealership experienced 9.5 visits for the average unit held in inventory last month, compared to 8.5 visits the month before
• Finally, there is a wide difference between how some of the large dealership website vendors are performing for dealers: 

Dealer.com

• Average website visits of 2.9K per month
• 20% bounce rate
• Average page views per visit of 3.6
• Average time on site per visit of 1 minutes, 39 seconds 

CDK Global

• Average website visits of 1.7K per month
• 20% bounce rate
• Average page views per visit of 3.0
• Average time on site per visit of 1 minutes, 15 seconds

 DealerOn

• Average website visits of 5.7K per month
• 19% bounce rate
• Average page views per visit of 3.8
• Average time on site per visit of 1 minutes, 50 seconds 

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring this level of transparency to helping dealers benchmark their website performance,” said Greenfield. “Dealerships now better understand how they perform relative to their competition, enabling more informed conversations with both their dealership website vendors as well as their marketing agencies. 

"At CompetitorPro, we’re a big believer in bringing actionable insights to a dealer’s operations. Despite having access to an overwhelming amount of data, the industry has a long way to go towards providing dealerships with comparative metrics versus other dealers — so they know exactly where to focus to improve their operations,” Greenfield said. 

About CompetitorPro

CompetitorPro is the industry’s first competitive intelligence tool built specifically for automotive dealerships. 

As dealers look for ways to compete more effectively, advanced competitive intelligence solutions provide accuracy, analytics, and actionable recommendations that are missing in the market today. CompetitorPro’s competitive intelligence solutions utilize complex algorithms that summarize insights so dealers can perform at the highest level of effectiveness in today’s dynamic marketplace. 

Visit NADA, booth 5607 to get a free competitive analysis of how your store compares to your key competitor’s performance metrics. Visit www.competitorpro.com now for a demo. For more information, contact Steve Greenfield at (470) 223-0227.

PLANO, TX, January 9, 2017 – DealerDoc, the solution for out-of-state titling made easy, said today its one-stop online process helps new and used car dealers capture more business from millennial-aged buyers wanting to buy from out-of-state dealers. 

Today, millennial’s make up 28% of the new-car market nationwide, which was almost as many vehicles the baby boomer generation purchased in 2015, noted the Associated Press recently, citing J.D. Power’s Power Information Network.  

Millennial’s comfort level with today’s e-commerce process will effectively mean more will purchase their vehicles at dealerships across state lines. 

Dealers currently generate from 5 to 20 percent of their sales volume from out-of-state purchasers, depending on the franchise and/or marketplace.  These sales are likely to grow as internet e-commerce continues to increase, and lenders get more aggressive with buying across state lines. 

“Lienholders are expanding their buying territories throughout the U.S. as millennials continue to purchase in numbers that are exceeding any other age group.   The reality is these buyers will not let borders limit their choices or how businesses service them,” said Ken Roberts, Founder and CEO of DealerDoc, LLC. 

“DealerDoc’s automated software and titling service ensure dealers will not be held captive by misinformation that often complicates out-of-state titling due to traditional error-prone manual process, but instead gives them the confidence to sell, title and register a vehicle accurately and almost effortlessly in all 50 states,” Roberts added.

This national reach is critical to online retailer Vroom, as it expands its market reach nationally, said Vroom Corporate Controller Todd Wilkinson.  Consumers browsing Vroom.com use the online DealerDoc service to get a quick and accurate summary of their tax, tag, title, and licensing fees to facilitate the purchase of a vehicle. 

“DealerDoc expands our customer base, enabling Vroom to touch every corner of the country. It improves the customer experience with the real-time titling and registration accuracy it delivers, which keeps the deal moving forward,” Wilkinson added.

Dealers serving military families also find DealerDoc a convenient and accurate solution for titling vehicles out of state for buyers based in those dealers’ communities.

“Many of our customers are stationed here in San Antonio but want to register their vehicle in their home state, DealerDoc lets us do that quickly and accurately,” said Mirt Medina, Finance Director for Red McCombs Toyota in San Antonio, Texas, a military community.  “I have had customers buy from us because a competitor didn’t want to bother with their out-of-state titling. DealerDoc is about professional F&I and taking care of customer needs, from A to Z.” 

DealerDoc allows a dealer to send all out-of-state paperwork to one location for processing.  Once DealerDoc receives the titling packet, it’s processed and sent out within 24 hours. 

“Our tool is so accurate that we guarantee all taxes and fees for processing,” Roberts said. 

Using DealerDoc, dealers obtain the correct taxes and fees needed in seconds for quick bank approvals.  It gives dealers the luxury of pre-populating and printing all state-required documents along with a detailed checklists for specific requirements in every jurisdiction - all with just the click of a button. The software guides the manager by only asking the necessary questions for that jurisdiction to eliminate errors and delays. 

“It would be great if every out-of-state lien was recorded correctly the first time, which a service like DealerDoc ensures,” noted Matthew Mulkey, Senior Vice President, Dealer Service Center Manager for CRB Auto, powered by Mechanics Bank. 

“DealerDoc simplifies the entire process,” Roberts noted. 

DealerDoc representatives will be in New Orleans during the NADA convention to discuss how the company’s out-of-state titling software can help dealers market to and better serve out-of-state customers quickly and accurately for closing more of these opportunities. 

For more information or a demo, visit DealerDoc. At NADA, contact Joel Ferrier, National Director at 318-349-0288 or Ken Roberts at 469-223-6321 or email contact@dealerdocusa.com.

INFO.FOREVERCAR.COM/NADA2017

Digital Vehicle Service Contract (VSC) technology provider ForeverCar™ announced today its new dealer-branded VSC sales platform to help dealers sell protection products for buyers of older, higher mileage vehicles while helping dealers recapture “lost” VSC opportunities from prior lead investments.

ForeverCar helps dealers increase the long-term value of their customers while giving customers what they want most today – control over the shopping experience.

At NADA, ForeverCar will present this powerful portal in NADA Expo Conference Room #CR103, behind the Ford Motor Company display, Jan. 26 – Jan. 29, 2017, in New Orleans.

ForeverCar helps dealers drive service agreement sales, service department volume, and customer retention for:

• Franchised used car departments whose existing VSC offerings may not provide many options for buyers of older, higher-mileage vehicles.
• Independent dealers who don’t offer VSCs but now can provide a broad range of plans, options, deductibles, and prices.
• Dealers who want to monetize prior investments in leads by remarketing to those opportunities to convert some into VSC customers, investing no dealer resources – human or digital.

“ForeverCar is the first dealer-branded service contract portal that also uniquely remarkets service contracts to the tens of thousands of leads a dealer has in its database to help monetize some of the 70 percent of vehicle buyers who decline to purchase this coverage.  That is an incredible amount of opportunity to recoup,” said Brooke Schulz Fernandez, Vice President, Business Development.

“Our platform helps dealers give customers more choices for protecting their vehicle investment, and it drives service department visits to build service sales and long-term retention,” Fernandez said. “We designed this tool to deliver solutions dealers indicated were missing from their current VSC sales practices.”

ForeverCar addresses these benefits for dealers:

1. Provides a powerful tool for remarketing to customers who declined to purchase a VSC when buying their vehicle.
2. Helps monetize leads that either did not convert the first time or converted as a vehicle sale but not a service contract.
3. Leverages the power of peer review, by providing web-based customer experience reviews from TrustPilot.

ForeverCar is the vehicle service contract industry’s only technology portal providing engaging and intuitive decisioning for consumers, whether interacting with the tool in a dealership’s finance office or online. It is the only portal of its kind that markets VSC sales to a dealer’s customer database to help dealers monetize those original investments.

At NADA, ForeverCar will present its portal in NADA Expo Conference Room #CR103, behind the Ford Motor Company display, Jan. 26 – Jan. 29, 2017, in New Orleans.

To learn more about ForeverCar and to schedule a demo, click to INFO.FOREVERCAR.COM/NADA2017 or contact Brooke Schulz Fernandez at BROOKE@FOREVERCAR.COM or 1.312.273.8303.

ForeverCar.com media contact:
Anthony Millot
ANTHONY@FOREVERCAR.COM

At the Used Car Week conference next month in Las Vegas, Wheel’s Automotive Dealer Supplies, Inc. will announce its line of CPO-specific visual marketing ideas for automobile dealers.

Wheel’s CPO-specific merchandising tools are designed and printed on demand specifically for OEM and third-party certified vehicle programs. Wheel’s is the expert in certified pre-owned merchandising and is partnered with 17 OEMs’ CPO programs.

The company’s CPO-centric merchandising solutions deliver crisp, OEM-like presentations of CPO inventory, whether on the lot, in the showroom or online that gives this unique inventory classification the desired new-car/high-value perception dealers want to convey to their markets.

“To be successful in this evolving CPO market, dealers are encouraged to adopt new tactics on how they merchandise and market today’s certified pre-owned inventory,” says Richard Ashworth, president of Wheel’s, North America’s most renowned experts in innovative marketing products for automotive retailers.

Ashworth and the Wheel’s team will discuss CPO merchandising, marketing strategies and product solutions at Used Car Week, Nov. 14-18 at Booth #210, at Las Vegas’ Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa.

A reason that updated and specifically designed CPO-related signage and merchandising tactics carry more weight in CPO today is that CPO selling dynamics have changed so much, says Ed French of AutoProfit Automotive Consulting.

“It used to be any-old CPO sign on a car was enough to get eyeballs on it, but not today. CPO now has to stand on its own, with its unique identity and category between used and new cars, and must be marked and merchandised accordingly,” says the former Buick dealer and current member of the board of directors at TruWorth Auto, a used car superstore in Indianapolis, Indiana.  

Wheel’s CPO-defined merchandising products visually resemble OEM new-car signage, banners, point-of-sales showroom displays, lot flags and more. By duplicating and extending this crisp new-car signage look to CPO inventory, dealers help customers connect with CPOs’ unique quality and value.

“CPO inventory is not used cars,” Ashworth notes, “so dealers who use the right visual cues, attention-getters and marketing products create a crucial and vital distinction in buyers’ minds. Active CPO merchandising is much more than lipstick.” 

Several OEMs require their dealers use branded CPO-differentiated signage, point-of-sale displays, banners and windshield stickers. Their contracts with Wheels enable dealers of these OEMs to order CPO merchandising materials directly.

“Given the unique status that CPO vehicles fall under today – thanks to a great extent to OEM advertising – signage and point-of-sale materials for these vehicles need to be more polished and restrained,” says Ashworth. “This is the image our unique line of CPO-specific merchandising products conveys.”

To view Wheel’s line of distinctive CPO-focused showroom and lot merchandising and marketing products, visit Wheel’s at Used Car Week, Nov. 14-18, Booth #210, at Las Vegas’ Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa. For more information, contact Renee Perri, Vice President of Corporate Division at 1-800-465-8831, Ext. 105 or www.wheelsauto.com

Wheel’s Automotive Dealer Supplies Inc. announced today its revolutionary Flagmaster 360, a new display design that holds flags and banners open in all weather conditions. Wheel’s is North America’s most renowned experts in innovative marketing products for automotive retailers. 

Flagmaster 360 rotates 360-degrees on square or round poles, without the need for shock cords. More durable than Wheel’s original and highly popular Flagmaster, Flagmaster 360 will not scratch poles. It is available to fit all Wheel’s 3.5-by-7-foot and 3.5-by-10-foot flags. Click to see Flagmaster 360 in action. 

With Flagmaster 360, flag-type merchandising is now always crisply seen and readable by consumers, whatever the weather – blustery or still days, which can otherwise blur this important branding and marketing. Flagmaster 360 has been tested to 74 mph winds with no damage resulting to the device or pole. Easily installed, it comes with a one-year warranty. 

To order Wheel’s proprietary Flagmaster 360 for more visible inventory merchandising whatever the weather, call Renee at 1-800-465-8831, Ext. 105. For more innovative and cost-saving lot merchandising and dealership supplies, visit wheelsauto.com.

Most days of the week, Paul Ciardiello is the new car director and general sales manager for Manly Honda in Santa Rosa, California. But on Mondays he’s Chef Paul at nearby Redwood Gospel Mission cooking up savory meals for more than 350 homeless individuals and recovering addicts. 

For Ciardiello, second from left in photo, his volunteer work at the mission is part atonement, a slice of “I’ve been there too,” and a unique opportunity to practice his first love, cooking for others. Ciardiello is more than Chef Paul to the mission’s diners. He’s also a skilled, highly rated former professional chef who happened to walk into a Manly Auto Group dealership a few years ago to buy a car. 

“They must have liked something I said or how I presented myself, because out of the blue they offered me a job,” Ciardiello recalled recently, still sounding astounded at the chance offer and opportunity put before him. “I said no, I’m a chef. I got into my car and drove to the new restaurant I was to open in three weeks.” 

He grew up in the restaurant business. A dishwasher at 13, he spent 22 years working in restaurant kitchens. “I had good reviews by the food critics, and then a few years ago I came from Connecticut to Santa Rosa to work for noted celebrity chef Michael Chiarello, who like me, specializes in Italian-influenced California cuisine.” 

Some say God’s hands in events is easier to see in the rearview mirror. Ciardiello is one. “I arrived at the restaurant and was told by the owners we weren’t opening, that I wasn’t to order the $35,000 in wine, that the investment money had been lost in a Ponzi scheme. I was out of work,” Ciardiello said. 

He drove back to Manly and asked if the offer was still good. Along the way, he noticed three poorly clothed individuals sharing one cup of coffee on a particular cold Sonoma County winter morning. That experience led to his researching the Internet for organizations giving back to and servicing the Santa Rosa community. His search took him to Redwood Gospel Mission. 

“I’d been there, I’d been homeless. When I contacted the Mission they asked me why I wanted to volunteer, to come in and cook for them, and I told them, “A car guy has to get to heaven too, but that mostly I have been blessed and didn’t want to take that fortune for granted,” he said. 

Matt Sutton, far left in photo, is Food Service Manager for the Mission, and supervises Paul. “He’s about the longest serving volunteer here,” he said. “The residents count on him and come up with recipes to stump him. Paul’s actions speak volumes and he ministers to our guests by them. He is consistent and reliable, and they know that he really cares.” 

Recalling walking into Manly’s that day, Ciardiello said, “There are not many industries where an individual can walk in at 35 years old and within 10 years later have done what I’ve been given the opportunities here,” he said. “It is mind boggling to think how I went from working 90 hours a week for the pay I received to now working fewer hours, with less stress, more income and time for my family. I got lucky, and I know it.” 

Ciardiello works a four-hour shift at the mission every Monday. With a sous chef and other help from residents of the Mission’s 12-step program, he prepares meals for the Mission’s homeless population, its addiction recovery residents, and for an affiliated nearby women’s shelter. 

He works with whatever food products are available. Much of it is donated. FoodNetwork Star Guy Fieri films his Guy’s Grocery Games nearby and donates show food products to the Mission. 

The Mission feeds upwards of 300 individuals daily. Mission residents and especially Ciardiello’s kitchen crew can’t wait for him to arrive to assemble and prepare the meal they’d devised for him that day. As he does, he teaches food safety, sanitation and meal preparation basics. By the time most of his kitchen crew have completed their six-to-12-month recovery program, they’ve also earned a certificate in food service. Then a new inbound recovery crew rotates in and, as Ciardiello said, he starts again with the basics, “This is how you chop an onion...” 

“Guys here in recovery or those just out of prison tell me that their day goes by much quicker and enjoyable on the day they’re with me in the kitchen,” Ciardiello said. “We engage in conversations about suffering, how Jesus suffered, and how our emotions are so raw and the hunger for healing so intense. I love these kinds of conversations, and one reason I love being there is to hear those kinds of redemption stories.” 

Jim Leman writes about automotive retail operations from Grayslake, IL. He too works with the homeless and spends his Wednesday mornings volunteering at a food pantry. You can reach him at jimleman@gmail.com

Unique social engine lets shoppers select, build common ground with sales associate of choice before store visit

TAMPA, FLA, June 28, 2016 – SurgeCurve™, a new web-based customer engagement and marketing tool launched today with 12 beta active sites, announced SurgeCurve CEO Matt Rutkovitz. He added he’s seeking 12 additional retailers to experience how this new “Meet the Sales Team” online video engagement engine maximizes sales conversions. 

SurgeCurve technology improves sales by empowering shoppers to digitally “handpick” the sales associate they want helping them when buying a car -- before they ever step into the showroom. SurgeCurve gives consumers control of what until now creates discomfort and apprehension – and often dread – in the car-buying process. 

“SurgeCurve fills that sometimes awkward gap consumers enter when they flow from a smooth online experience to brick-and-mortar,” Rutkovitz says. “Now buyers walk in more comfortable with the sales process because they’ve already built comfort and trust with their associate of choice through pre-visit video and other social media interactions on SurgeCurve.” 

Sales associates create a compelling profile on SurgeCurve. They populate it with such content as video profiles, feeds, reviews, and call scheduling. Shoppers schedule phone calls with their preferred associates to narrow down whom they will select to greet and engage with them at the store. 

SurgeCurve’s “meet the sales team” on steroids engine links sales associate data to Facebook and other popular consumer-facing social media sites. Shoppers and their sales associate then share posts across their networks. Reviews give shoppers insight into what others say about associates and their experiences. A manager always retains posting and editing control. 

“We are in the people business, and people buy from people they like. SurgeCurve is the human touch that reduces the friction in a process that’s unpredictable for most shoppers,” Rutkovitz noted. 

Blake Schindler, used car manager for Bob Davidson Ford-Lincoln, Baltimore, is one of SurgeCurve’s beta testers. “We’re now better able to keep in contact with customers before and after the sale, which builds loyalty and therefore more profit for the dealership,” he said. 

“One of the most exciting benefits of SurgeCurve is how it eliminates our whole staff from having to learn all different types of social media while it gives me the ability to control the content,” Schindler said. 

Rutkovitz said SurgeCurve is seeking 12 dealerships to beta test this unique sales conversion tool.   

“With SurgeCurve, you put that control in buyers’ hands and write more ups in the Sold column,” Rutkovitz said. He can be contacted at info@surgecurve.com or 813-906-0026 if interested in becoming a beta site for SurgeCurve. 

About SurgeCurve

The world has changed. Because people prefer to buy from people like them and whom they like, SurgeCurve gives car shoppers a personal insight to your sales staff and their interests and personalities so they can choose whom they want to work with when visiting the dealership. SurgeCurve enables sales associates to market themselves and communicate about the dealership using online reviews, scheduled calls, videos and pictures to always generate new business and stay productive, even in downtime. For more information visit www.surgecurve.com or contact the company at info@surgecurve.com or 813-906-0026 to schedule a demo of the remarkable SurgeCurve.