Broomfield, CO. DealersLink finds its niche providing complete automotive solutions to dealer groups. The full suite of automotive solutions that DealersLink provides is proving itself to be a perfect fit for dealer group operations.

DealersLink is currently finalizing full implementations into several dealer groups, including the Rob Green Auto Group, the Butler Automotive Group, the Haselwood Auto Group, the Dave Smith Auto Group and the Strong Auto Group. The total automotive solutions offering from DealersLink is very attractive to small and mid sized automotive groups because it allows them to streamline their dealership tools into one integrated system. It eliminates the redundancy of similar tools from multiple vendors, reduces overall vendor costs, increases user and operational efficiency, and the intuitive interface is easy to run reducing staff training and usage time dramatically.

DealersLink ‘s Complete Dealer Solutions includes these key tools:

FastBook –  A mobile VIN scanner and simultaneous valuation guide booking tool for your inventory and appraisals.

Exportpro – An inventory merchandising tool that quickly and easily prepares your inventory to export to all online retail outlets.

CloudCam – A photo solution device that will scan vehicle VINs, take quality 16 mp photos, attach and upload those instantly and wirelessly through the cloud to each vehicle in your inventory.

Marketplace – The largest dealer direct wholesale network where you can buy sell or trade clean quality upstream inventory with thousands of dealers directly with no transaction fees.

AuctionLink – A live online auction sale that runs every week, with all units priced back of book and most sold under mmr values.

Curtis Winn from Sims Honda said, I have been buying units from the AuctionLink sale now for over 6 months and have been consistently getting clean units, that I can’t buy anywhere else, for back of MMR price every week.

Our GM has 30 years experience in a dealership setting and absolutely loves the DealersLink platform, believes that we have the best and brightest minds going to work on our product offering and it only continues gets better. By far the best system he's ever seen and used.

Jared Newman – Wysup Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram

We are thrilled to be using the DealersLink system for inventory management. We were losing data every time we moved a car between locations with our other expensive system. – Brad Denson – Dave Smith Motors

Mike Goicoechea CEO of DealersLink said, we pioneered the first dealer direct platform in 2005. Now we are excited to offer the best dealership solutions for less and we now run the most efficient and robust live bidding online auction platform.

DealersLink has been eliminating wholesale transaction fees for 10 years with over $1 billion in used inventory available 24/7. Members use the marketplace daily to stock their lots with clean reconditioned units, locate hard to find vehicles for their customers, sell inventory without incurring wholesale losses, arrange book for book trades, and manage their inventory with industry leading analytic tools.

Visit DealersLink® at the NADA Convention and Expo Las Vegas Booth# 6457N.

To learn more about DealersLink®, www.dealerslink.com

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CONTACT: Travis Wise at 877-859-7080 x302 travis.wise@dealerslink.com  

I've been meaning to comment on this Ward's Article (regarding a seemingly systemic disregard for inventory aging concerns) for a while now, but I just haven't made it a priority. Now, with almost three months of reflection on my original reaction I wonder if that is the underlying dilemma for the dealer community - inventory aging just isn't a priority?

Of course, I have no hard cash or debt risk on the line with the timing of this post - so how could one of the most talked about metrics in the pre-owned vehicle marketplace avoid being a top priority? Or is age misunderstood, or is there some other reason that I'm unable to grasp?

I've spent the last 20 minutes Googling the topic and have found surprisingly little. I've spent the last 3 years discussing it with hundreds of dealer principles and UCMs, and while I've seen very little change in attitude during that time period, I have heard some interesting feedback. I'm very curious to read this community's comments on the topic, but I'll share the most common one I receive from managers.

When discussing an aging strategy with a manager (admittedly as it relates to our product) I usually hear some form of "that doesn't affect me because I write down my stuff" or "I adjust my cost basis across all my units so we're good". Now, I understand this principle just fine, in fact I've had to employ it handily to my stock portfolio the past few months, but isn't it missing the issue? According to Ward's research it isn't the depreciation we are really driving at (though no basis adjusting is going to fix a stock that is ultimately bound for zero), but instead it's the actual probability of retailing that specific unit irrespective of what other units you have cost packaged it with. BTW - is it just me, or isn't that the way CDOs started?

So the question I pose to the community is this, "Is it a failure of differentiating depreciation risk from probability of sale that keeps a unit on a lot for 100+ days, or is it just a gambler's mentality?"

-- Travis Howard, VP, Dealerslink, Inc.