Digital Dealer Magazine Ralph Paglia Courtesy Chevrolet Interview

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page=7
Sell More Vehicles to Women! CRM That Buzzes

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April 2007 Current Issue
Features
Cover Story
Ralph Paglia: e-Business Director, Courtesy Chevrolet
Digital Dealer Interview

Steve Anenen and Kevin Henahan : ADP Dealer Services
Vendor Profile
Ebay Motors Evolution Online
Departments/Columns
AAISP
2007 Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition Equals Success
Mike Roscoe
Internet Sales
The Next Frontier of Online Sales
Mark Burack
Will your Internet Department Sink or Swim?

Digital Dealer
First Day ROI

Craig Criswell
DMS Workshop
Technology to Help you Avoid Report Fatigue
Departments
Jim Skeans
Editor's Notes
http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/index.asp?page=7 (1 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:04 PM]
http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/index.asp?page=7
CRM Mail
CRM and Relationships: It is all about what you know or New Products & Services
don’t know
Chuck Barker
What Happens When your Phone Stops Ringing?

David Hein
Starting a Business Development Center

Rick McLey
It’s No Flash in the Pan

Jason Ezell
Technology Trends
Bring in the Robots
Sandi Jerome

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Current Articles In Our Current Issue
The Ostrich Says, "Its All Your Fault"

by : Tim Deese
Read Open In New Window
So let’s go back for a history lesson from the time when men were men and
mice were mice—and I got started in this business. My first decade in the
industry included selling on an independent lot, becoming a used car
manager of a new car store, working as GM of a metro high volume General
Motors franchise and owning my own dealership. All this happened before I
was 27 years old.
Featured Article
Crafting a Buy/Sell Agreement to Avoid Litigation

by : Leonard Bellavia
Once a buyer and a seller have agreed on a purchase price for an automobile
dealership, they often have the misconception that the hardest part of the
transaction is completed. The truth however, is that there are a myriad of
issues that must still be negotiated and finalized in a well-structured "buy/sell
agreement."
Mike Shaw : Mike Shaw Automotive Group

by : Dealer Magazine
http://www.dealer-magazine.com/ (1 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:28 PM]

http://www.dealer-magazine.com/
Dealer Mike Shaw of Mike Shaw Automotive Group, Denver, CO, fits the mold Take a few seconds and weigh in on this question.
of a classic entrepreneur. In his nearly 40 years in auto retailing, he’s had to
essentially start from scratch twice on the pathway toward building a If another summer incentive war takes shape,
how will it impact your dealership?
successful, $263 million dealer group with locations in four states.
It would help clear out stale units
It would not have much impact
It would help our bottom line
The Risks of Spot Delivery It would hurt future sales

by : Gil Van Over
Vote
Dealers that are still using spot delivery as their primary sales process are still
Sponsored by: Dealer magazine
working with relics and have not advanced with available technology. The
proliferation of Dealer Track, Route One and CUDL provide a dealer with the View Previous Polls
tools to obtain credit approvals before sending the customer down the road
with the car, essentially eliminating spot delivery issues.
http://www.dealer-magazine.com/ (2 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:28 PM]

http://dfo-magazine.com/
Lista: Making Workspace Work Wake Up Your Parts Inventory

Issue counters, parts dept. For some parts on your shelves,
storage, workbenches for time is about to run out.
Apr 17 2007 dealerships. Click Here
Learn More
Customer Follow-up: The Key to a Busy Service Department

by : Charlie Polston
Imagine greatly reducing the number of "slow" days on your service lane.
Imagine capturing more maintenance dollars rather than waiting on repair or
warranty business to trickle in. Imagine seeing more customers stay loyal to
your service department throughout the ownership cycle. Imagine greater
income for you and your fixed operations personnel, while keeping
departmental gross high.
A Must Read
It's All About the Skills

by : Larry Cummings
The SkillsUSA competition features the first place winners in all career and
technical education fields, drawing one winner from every state in the nation.
Obviously of primary interest to any one in the automotive field is the intense
competition in automotive service technology and in the collision and refinish
careers. Take it from someone who has been here for three years in a row,
this important test of the nation’s best in these fields and the brightest young
high school and post secondary students is something you will never forget.
http://dfo-magazine.com/ (1 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:40 PM]

http://dfo-magazine.com/
DFO Interview: Jonathan Turnbull - Technical Training Manager, Honda Take a few seconds and weigh in on this question.
and Acura
How often do you ask customers to do work
by : Lance Helgeson they declined on a prior visit?
Never
Jonathan Turnbull, technical training manager for Honda and Acura divisions
in the U.S., is overseeing a transformation of technician training for both Sometimes
vehicle lines that will replace traditional classroom learning with interactive, e- Always
learning modules.
Vote
Sponsored by: Valspar
You Have a Need for Speed View Previous Polls

by : Dave Dunn
A group of my customers from the Texas-based Sewell organization wanted
to see a shop that was excelling in cycle time performance. I contacted Brian
Evison from Bemack Planning Services and he gave me a great lead. We
visited the Penske owned (UAG) facility in Fairfield, Conn. The facility name is
Fairfield Collision Center (formerly Fairfield Motor Cars Collision Center)
A Dearth of Tow Trucks and Other Current Trends

by : James Gilmour Bell
Service absorption now a key indicator for bank credit. A banking executive
who took in one of our seminars noted that his bank is now using a
dealership's service absorption number to help the bank determine risk when
a dealership is looking for capital. And why not?
http://dfo-magazine.com/ (2 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:40 PM]

http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/

What Kind of Customer Do You Want?

by : Jim Roche
Customer satisfaction is essential to any business. But how many dealers
really want a satisfied customer who never comes back? A lot of us in the
industry talk about customer retention, customer loyalty and customer
satisfaction. Often, we use the terms interchangeably. This is a mistake
because each of those terms has a very specific meaning.
Featured Article
Can your Internet Manager be a Customer Contact Manager?
by : Sandi Jerome
Have you done such a good job of setting up an Internet department that you
have worked yourself out of a job? A recent reader wrote to me with a
problem. He had built the Internet department from the ground up and now
about 35 to 45 percent of the dealership's total sales come from the Internet.
Now CRM is an issue.
Nice Guys Finish First

by : John Brentlinger
http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/ (1 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:42 PM]

http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/
New schoolers are willing to learn, grow and change with the constantly Take a few seconds and weigh in on this question.
changing customer base. They are willing to learn new things in order to keep
up with the customer. But the most important thing that new schoolers are Do you maintain an active lead count report?
doing is letting go of the things that do not work. Yes
No
Vote
Working Active and Inactive Leads Sponsored by: Digital Dealer magazine
by : Craig Criswell
Read Open In New Window View Previous Polls
Internet leads come at you from a wide variety of sources. With such a wide
range now comes an even wider range of lead quality. How do you come up
with a process to sift through all those leads and cull out the real buyers while
making sure you do not miss an opportunity?
Elliott Bourne III - Internet Manager, Honda of Bowie

by : Digital Dealer
Elliott Bourne III, Internet manager at Honda of Bowie in Bowie, MD, for the
past two years, has dealt with his share of challenges. Situated between
Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Honda of Bowie is right in the middle of a
very competitive automotive climate. Drawing customers away from the large
metro dealers is no easy task.
http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/ (2 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:42 PM]


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January 2006 Digital Dealer Take a few seconds and weigh in on this question.
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Become a Female Friendly Certified Integrate your CRM with your Website
Dealer. and see sales takeoff.
Auto Industry Calender of Events In Our Current Issue
Industry Events Consumer Events
October 4- 8, 2006 - Aneheim, CA

Orange County Auto Show, at the Anaheim Convention
Center
More Information
October 6- 8 , 2006 - Bridgeport, CT
Southern Connecticut Auto Show at the Arena at Harbor Featured Article
Yard in Bridgeport, CT, For More Information
October 6 - 15, 2006 - Miami Beach, FL
Southern Florida International Auto Show, at the Miami Beach
Convention Center. More Information
October 19- 22 - Long Island, NY
Long Island Auto Show at the Nassau Veterans Memorial
Coliseum in Uniondale, NY More Information
October 25 - 29 - Seattle, WA
Seattle International Auto Show at Qwest Field Event Center
in Seattle. More Information
Take a few seconds and weigh in on this question.
October 17, 2006 - Colleyville, TX
Do you maintain an active lead count report?
AWARE Presents Its Second Leadership Event
Yes
AWARE (Advancing Women in Automotive Retail Enterprises,
Ltd.) is coming back to Texas with its second Leadership No
Event, “Advance and Manage Your Career” on October 17,
2006 at the Colleyville Center, in Colleyville, Texas. This
inspiring event will teach retail automotive industry
Vote
Sponsored by: Digital Dealer magazine
professionals how to advance, move their careers forward,
and be more successful. For more information View Previous Polls
October 31 - November 3, 2006 - Las Vegas

Annual SEMA Show for the Specialty Automotive Equipment

Industry. Event takes place at the Las Vegas Convention
Center.
More Information
October 31, 2006 - Las Vegas
Collision Industry Conference in Las Vegas
The Collision Industry Conference (CIC) is a forum for the
discussion of national issues affecting the various segments
involved in the Collision Repair Industry. The meeting is at
Mandalay Bay Hotel prior to the NACE event. For more
information.
November 1-4 2006 - Las Vegas
NACE Conference at Mandalay Bay Convention Center
The Internatinal Autobody Congress & Exposition will be held
this year from November 1-4, during Automotive Aftermarket
Industry Week. The event will be at Mandalay Bay Convention
Center, Las Vegas, Nevada USA. More information.
November 2-4 2006 - Las Vegas

CARS event scheduled for Las Vegas
Mark your calendars now to attend the 2006 Congress of
Automotive Repair and Service (CARS). The event will be held
Nov. 2-4 at The Mirage in Las Vegas. CARS 2006, sponsored
by the Automotive Service Association's Mechanical Division,
is an official event of Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week
(AAIW), held annually in Las Vegas. The premier event for
automotive service professionals, CARS is unmatched in
regard to technical training, management seminars and its
exhibitor showcase. More information.
Feb 3- 6, 2007 NADA Event in Las Vegas
NADA 2007 will be at the Las Vegas Convention Center, in
Las Vegas, NV More Information


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source for franchised dealership Internet Sales Managers, e-
Commerce Directors, BDC managers, CRM managers and
dealers and department managers interested in sales-
related technology solutions and applications.
Digital Dealer magazine is the official publication of AAISP, the Association of Automotive
Internet Sales Professionals, and is published 12 times annually. Each issue of Digital
Dealer features a cover story on a successful Internet Sales manager, e-Commerce
Director, BDC/CRM Manager and articles written by the top experts and consultants in the
field. Digital Dealer is delivered directly to 16,000+ Internet Sales Managers / e-
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Digital Dealer magazine offers the ONLY way to reach Internet Sales Managers /
e-Commerce Directors, BDC/CRM Managers AND the dealers and GMs who run
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The Digital Dealer eNewsletter is a weekly compilation of

news, trends, tips and the most compelling issues of the day
affecting automotive retail, specifically pertaining to the
Internet / CRM and technology-related vehicle sales issues.
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to receive the Digital Dealer weekly e-newsletter.
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Over the last ten years Dealer magazine has worked hard to be the digest of expert advice and
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Every issue of Dealer provides an insightful, candid cover story interview with one of America’s
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We share the business philosophies and opinions that propelled America’s most successful dealers
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We have also expanded with two other publications, Digital Dealer and Dealer Fixed
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We are "car people" who advocate for the franchise system...people who spend their days, their
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Our headquarters is based in the Nashville, Tennessee area with additional editorial and sales
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Features
Dealer Advocate by Jim Ziegler

Baseball Has Been Very Good to Me
Dealer Interview
Jody DeVere, President, AskPatty.com
Cover Story
Lee Beaman, Beaman Automotive Group
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How to Work within the Discipline of Priorities
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What Would the Sale of the Chrysler Division Mean to
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http://www.dealer-magazine.com/index.asp?page=7 (2 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:12:22 PM]

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http://www.dfo-magazine.com/index.asp?page=7 (2 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:12:26 PM]

http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/index.asp?article=1298

Digital Dealer Magazine | April 2007
Ralph Paglia: e-Business Director, Courtesy Chevrolet

by : Digital Dealer
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In 2006, Arizona was the fastest growing state in the country, andPhoenix is currently the fastest growing city in the state.
Growth isfueling an extraordinarily strong, vibrant economy and a boom in theHispanic population. Twenty-four percent of all
auto sales in themarket are from Hispanic buyers and Courtesy Chevrolet reports that 45percent of its sales come from the
Hispanic population. The marketfinds 13 very aggressive Chevrolet stores competing for marketshare.Ralph Paglia, the e-
business director at Courtesy finds his team underattack by the online efforts of his hypercompetitive counterparts.
When did you come aboard the Courtesy Chevrolet team and how is your department is set up?
I was recruited and hired by the Gruwell family to be theCRM/e-business director at Courtesy Chevrolet in the summer of
2005. Myresponsibilities include the development and supervision of severaldiverse teams within Courtesy Chevrolet’s e-
business department,including a customer relationship center (CRC), a new car Internetsales team, two distinct used car
Internet sales teams, an e-financesales team and two full-time CRM administrators. All in all, I haveresponsibility for
approximately 60 Courtesy Chevrolet employees whoproduce 300 to 400-plus vehicle sales per month.
Have you been in the business for awhile?

I started selling cars in 1981 in San Diego, CA, at Kearney MesaVW-Peugeot. After six years I went to work for Bob Lewis VW-
Peugeot indowntown San Diego and stayed a couple of years at that location. Aftera few stints at dealerships in Texas and
New York, I worked for anational sales training company (RBI) and then accepted a position withCyber Car, a division of the
HAC Group, which also owned the AutoMarkDealer Web Site Company and the Half-A-Car Trade Cycle
Technologyconsulting company that specialized in short-term leasing for customerretention.
http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/index.asp?article=1298 (1 of 6) [4/17/2007 8:12:32 PM]

While working for Cyber Car, I installed over 100 Internet salesdepartments in dealerships throughout the country. Those first
years atCyber Car were a real eye opener as we tried many different processesand organizational designs while seeking the
“secret sauce” forcreating Internet sales departments that produce results. In May, 2000the Reynolds and Reynolds Company
acquired HAC Group. After theacquisition, I focused on developing e-business consulting and trainingprograms for various car
companies and enterprise level dealershipgroups.
How many Internet sales team members are on your staff?

Courtesy Chevrolet is a single point Chevy dealer with a fully staffedCRC that has two teams, a used car team with 12 CSRs
and a new car teamwith another 12 CSRs. Each CRC team has a leader (Vernon Intara andSteve Clemens) and the CRC has
a manager (Joel Matteson). The CRChandles a variety of inbound leads from Internet sources higher up inthe sales funnel, as
well as inbound sales calls. The Internet salesteams handle leads from sources further into the buying cycle. We havea new
car Internet sales team with 14 Internet sales specialists (ISS)led by George Salman; a used car Internet sales team with 10
ISSs ledby Bryan Long, and an off-site used car Internet sales team with eightISSs led by Adrian Fajardo.
Are floor and Internet sales separate?

Yes, every Internet sales specialist is forbidden from taking freshfloor ups, although we have at times provided the sales
teams on theshowroom floor with lead lists generated from our many online marketingsources.
Is the department part of a business development center?

The BDC is part of the e-business department and each Internet salesteam is part of the e-business department. I serve as
the director ofthe e-business department with financial statement responsibility andeach team’s manager reports to me.
Do you have appointment setters?

The primary role of the BDC is to schedule appointments, but theInternet sales specialists also focus on setting appointments
as well.For all the teams within the e-business department the setting,tracking and handling of sales appointments is a major
part of ourexistence. If an Internet sales specialist is having a tough timegetting in contact with a lead by telephone, then the
CRC backs up theISS by having designated customer service representatives (CSR) whomake ongoing repeated attempts to
contact that prospect while the ISSmoves on to the next lead.
What percent of your dealership’s overall sales are generated from the Internet, and do you see this increasing?
In 2006 Courtesy Chevrolet sold more than 11,000 vehicles, over 7,700of them were new Chevrolets. The e-business
department was responsiblefor generating 3,882 of those 11,000-plus sales, so we produce about 30percent of the store’s
total sales volume. Our volume contributionmargins fluctuate when you break those numbers down to new cars, usedcars,
credit score categories and model line distribution withe-business contributing over 50 percent of the store’s volume in
somecategories. We have recognized online interactive marketing as one ofthe most effective means of attracting higher
credit score prospects aswe attempt to increase our total loan mix portfolio’s average creditscore.
What part of your dealership’s overall advertising and marketing budget is dedicated to the Internet?
While the advertising budget allocated toward online and interactivecampaigns has been increasing since the Internet
department wasstarted, I am beginning to question how we look at the allocation ofbudgets. For example, when we put up 15
outdoor billboards aroundPhoenix that feature a URL message such as “2007Tahoe.com – AZ’sLargest Tahoe Inventory,”
primarily intended to drive people to one ofour specialty micro-sites, is that Internet advertising or outdooradvertising?
Well, of course it is what it is, outdoor advertising, but the resultsare phone calls and Internet leads that go to our BDC and
Internetsales teams, and a significant amount of floor traffic that goes to ourshowroom sales teams. Likewise, when I use the
e-business advertisingbudget to place dealership display ads on over 800 different web sites,geo-targeted to Phoenix car
buyers, and a large amount of floor trafficis generated, along with some Internet leads and phone calls to ourBDC, is that pure
Internet advertising, or is there some recognition ofthe branding and floor traffic being generated by those dollars
thatpurchased the web site display ads?
About 25 percent of Courtesy Chevrolet’s new car ad budget is spent ondigital marketing, and over 50 percent of our used car
ad budget isspent on digital marketing. The reason for the differential is thatused car digital marketing drives as much
showroom traffic as Internetleads and incoming phone calls.
Where do you get your Internet leads?

One of the greatest success stories we have experienced at CourtesyChevrolet has been our ability to grow and diversify our
base of leadsources. Our greatest growth in the past year has been in finding waysto generate new leads on our own, and to
recycle old leads into freshopportunities. An example of recycling old leads is to datamine leadsfrom 2003 and 2004 into
categories that indicate the prospect purchaseda vehicle from another dealer. Our CRC then contacts these customers bye-
mail and phone to communicate with them that we know it is likelythat they will soon be replacing that vehicle they bought
from anotherdealer, and Courtesy Chevrolet would like to make it worth thecustomer’s time to let us show them how much we
do not want to misstheir business this time around. Last year 34 percent of our leads werefrom third-party sources, 27 percent
were from proactive BDC andrecycled leads, 19 percent were from digital marketing generatedinbound calls, 3 percent from
GM, and the remaining 17 percent from ourfull-featured web sites, various micro–sites and landing pages.
What are the closing rates for the different sources?

Like many dealers, Courtesy Chevrolet’s lowest closing ratio is onleads purchased from third-party lead providers, which were
at 5.15percent for 2006. This is to be expected given that the cost ofgenerating leads has risen to above a level where lead
providers cansell a lead once for $20 and generate profitable business. In frankdiscussions with our lead providers, after
busting many of them sending“our leads” to other dealers, they have admitted to selling the samelead multiple times to
multiple dealers within a given market area.Courtesy Chevrolet has learned to accept that fact as a new reality inthe
marketplace and we work within that reality by adjusting ourprocesses for third-party leads. Courtesy Chevrolet has changed
ourlead management process to optimize our response based on the knowledgethat these particular customers will be getting
several responses fromour local competitors of the same brand. We also know that third-partylead providers “churn” leads to
generate additional sellable leads fromthe same customers for other brands of similar vehicles to what thecustomer initially
selected as their preferred vehicle. This works bothfor, and against us, as we get leads (for example) on Tahoes frompeople
who initially indicated a desire to get a price quote on aToyota Sequoia, and vice versa. So, we simply accept the fact that
wewill have more competition for a customer’s business when they come tous via a third-party lead provider than if we
generated the leadourselves using digital marketing, our web sites or one of the manymicro-sites that Courtesy Chevrolet
owns and operates internally. Leads from our network of web properties close at about 13 percent andleads from GM’s CID
program close at over 9 percent.
What percent of your Internet sales are for new vehicles and what percent are used?
Up until this past year, Courtesy Chevrolet consistently produced morenew car sales from Internet leads than used car sales.
After wedeveloped and expanded our off-site used car Internet sales operations,and added the e-finance sales team, that
balance shifted to where weare today, which is about a 50/50 split in total volume depending onmonth. The used car sales
seem to run fairly consistently, while thenew Chevrolet sales fluctuate for a variety of reasons.
What is your dealership’s web site address (URL)?

Courtesy Chevrolet has three full-featured web sites that each displayboth new and used vehicle inventories in different
formats, targeted todifferent marketing segments. We also have more than a dozenmicro-sites and landing pages that we use
for a variety of digitalmarketing purposes such as search engine marketing (SEM),model-specific search engine optimization
(SEO), specializeddemographic targeting, geographic targeting and stealth sites that weuse to compete with third-party lead
providers in capturing leads frompeople who may not visit a dealership web site. The three full-featuredsites are the BZ
Results site: www.Chevrolet-USA.com, Reynolds WebSolutions: www.LatinoChevy.com and GM PowerShift Site (Cobalt):
www.Phoenix-Courtesy-Chevrolet.com.
What company designed or currently hosts your web site?

We are currently using four different vendors to produce web sitesand micro-sites for Courtesy Chevrolet. BZ Results is our
primaryfull-featured web site developer and digital marketing partner. Weintentionally drive more traffic to our BZ web sites
than our othersites because of its consistently high visitor-to-lead conversionrates. The people we deal with at BZ have a
tremendous amount ofrespect for Courtesy Chevrolet and we always feel like they are more ofa business partner than a
vendor. BZ does a great job of dealing withour requests regarding our web sites and the landing pages it producesfor us, but
more importantly it stays in communication with us on anongoing basis and provides consulting and training services that
ensurewe don’t get locked into a stagnant comfort zone.
We use Reynolds Web Solutions for our Spanish language web site atwww.LatinoChevy.com and we find RWS to be an
exceptionally competentorganization from a pure technology perspective, but Reynolds does notstay in contact with us, or find
ways for us to improve our results inthe manner that BZ Results does. However, Reynolds does provide what webelieve to be
technically the best web site in the industry. The factthat Reynolds Web Solutions uses technology that generates a
separateweb page for each vehicle in stock, with a unique URL that can besubmitted for indexing by search engine spiders is
an incredibletechnical advantage for dealers that use RWS. Reynolds handles anddisplays dealer inventory better than other
dealer web site providers.Our Internet sales teams often discuss a “dream team” web site vendor,which would be the people
and processes from BZ Results and thetechnology utilized by Reynolds Web Solutions.
We also use The Cobalt group for our GM PowerShift web site, which is aGM mandate for dealers who want a live hyperlink
from GM.com andChevrolet.com to the dealer’s web site. In fact, the leads from our GMPowerShift web site are the lowest
cost leads of any type that we geteach month. Our local Cobalt representative, Peter Orlando, is a greatguy and we really
enjoy the service and support we get from him.
Do you use an outside service to take photos of your inventory?

We use Dealer Specialties and we highly recommend the local DealerSpecialties franchisee, Doug Eggleston. We have also
tried Kelley BlueBook’s CDM Data Company, which offers some great products.
In addition to your own web site, do you post your inventory on any other third party web sites?
Yes, that is a big reason why we use Dealer Specialties. Doug Egglestonhelps us find ways to push our inventory data to
more and more websites on a continuous basis. One of the top priorities within ouroverall e-business strategy is to push our
inventory data for both newand used cars to more and more web site hosting companies. This is anespecially big challenge
for Courtesy Chevrolet since we arehandicapped by the closed system that UCS provides to us. If it werenot for UCS’s
painfully archaic data management restrictions, and lackof responsiveness to our inventory data needs, we could
sellsignificantly more cars through online marketing.
You will find our inventory on many sites such as Autotrader.com,cars.com, eBaymotors.com’s local edition, UsedCars.com
and others. Weare constantly seeking additional sites and operators such as Google’sFroogle.com to get more eyeballs on
our inventory every week. DealerSpecialities is now taking multiple pictures of our new vehicles thatgo over 90 days in stock
that we push out to dozens of online inventorydisplay web sites.
What challenges do you face in maintaining strong gross profits with Internet sales?
Let me be very clear in responding to this question… Courtesy Chevroletis a high sales volume focused dealership. Sure, we
hold on to grossprofit every chance we get, but we will not lose a deal over price toanyone… period. If another Chevy dealer
lets its customer talk tous, that other dealer will never see that customer again. We useconvenience and service as a
differentiator that helps us to hold on tosales profits within our Internet sales teams. I believe that ourInternet team members
have better product knowledge than the averageChevy salesperson and we leverage that expertise to maintain grossprofits.
We also offer car buyers several options including delivery. If acustomer does not enjoy spending time at the dealership, then
fine… wedeliver. Our highest gross profits and CSI scores consistently comefrom customers who pick out what they want
from one of our web sites,ask for a quote, respond that they’ll take one of the vehicles wequote, and then ask us to deliver the
car and all documentation totheir home or work location. Those are by far the best deals becausethe customer knows that
they have received a level of personalizedservice that 90 percent of all car buyers never even have access to.
The fact is our Internet sales (on a model line by model line basis)out-grosses the sales floor fairly consistently. Of course,
theInternet generates a higher gross profit PVR on a model linecomparison; that is exactly what dealers should expect when
thecustomer is picking out their next car from our inventory before theyever contact us.
How do you manage your prospect and customer information?

We use BuzzTrak from BZ Results as a central database of all e-businesscustomer contact and communication records
before they buy a car. Oncean appointment is set in BuzzTrak, our CRM administrators enter thatappointment into our UCS
sales prospect control system, which is whatthe showroom sales teams use to track floor traffic. This helps protectthe ISSs
and the CSRs from a customer just showing up and not beingrecognized as a “show” brought in by the CRC or the Internet
salesdepartment. Since all showroom visitors must be logged into UCS/SPCbefore the sales desk will work a deal, this helps
quite a bit.
Do you use e-mail templates, and do you send regular e-mail campaigns?
Yes, we make extensive use of e-mail templates for both ad hoc e-mailssent by our ISSs and for the automated e-mail system
within BuzzTrakfrom BZ results. We have so many e-mail templates that we now indexthem by number and publish a manual
that shows when and how eachtemplate should be used within a process flow chart that referenceseach template’s index
number.
Do you give pricing (or send copies of invoices) over the phone or by e-mail?
Yes, we provide discounted price quotes to prospects who request pricequotes as part of the lead generating process. We
also talk aboutprices over the phone extensively and proactively. As far as we areconcerned, pricing is just another piece of
information and we do notwant to make it the most important information by hiding it from ourcustomers. The real hard-core
price mooches always get a price from anydealer they contact anyway, because they work so hard at it. But themajority of car
shoppers ask for your best price because they have beenconditioned to expect the run around when they ask that question to
asalesperson. We defuse the situation by quoting our discounted “IMV”Internet market value price right upfront. It takes the
confrontationout of it and lets us focus on selection, service and convenience,which differentiates us from other dealers.
What metrics do you track?

A better question would be what Courtesy Chevrolet does not track…sometimes we review so many Excel spreadsheets,
charts and DMS reportprintouts that the information can get overwhelming, but our primarymetrics look at leads received,
appointments made, actual showroomvisits, actual sales and the ratio to the sales goals and of course,leads closed,
conversions and appointments made to leads received. Welook at these same key metrics sorted by lead sources, as well as
byindividual ISS and internal teams.
How long do you work a lead before you retire it, or do you continue to market to that person in other ways?
Courtesy Chevrolet Internet sales specialists will continue workingdirectly with a customer as long as the communication
channels are openand an active dialogue is happening. For people who either do notrespond to an ISS or say they are no
longer in the market, our CRCtakes over and continues to contact the customer until they either tellus to leave them alone or
come in to the dealership and buy a car. TheCRC acts as a safety net to continue following up on leads that theInternet sales
teams lose interest in. The Courtesy Chevrolet CRC isvery good at recycling old Internet leads and previous customers
togenerate new prospects and referrals.
How are your Internet sales professionals compensated?

The Courtesy Chevrolet pay plan for Internet sales specialists is:
Base Salary: $1,000.00 per month (contingent upon minimum performance requirements)
Commissions: Based on the total gross profit generated for each vehiclesold, including profit on sale (front end), profit on
financing andinsurance (back end), profits on aftermarket and accessories (ProShop).The percentage of commission paid to
the ISS is based on the followingsliding scale, retroactive to the first unit sold:
1 to 8 vehicles sold: 12 percent
18 and up vehicles sold: 20 percent
Monthly unit volume bonuses:

5 units sold/billed by 15 of month = $250 bonus
12 units = $1,000 bonus
Each additional three units above 12 = $250
Team gross bonus:

An additional 5 percent of the gross profits generated by the salesteam that the ISS is assigned to will be paid out based on
theindividual ISS’s units sold as a contribution to the team’s total unitsales. How it works: If the ISS sells 10 units and the team
sells 100units, then the ISS receives 10 percent of the 5 percent team grossbonus payout. Example: The ISS team sells 72
units, generating$129,760.40 in total gross profits. If the ISS sold 10 units of theteam’s total 72 unit sales, the ISS would
receive 14 percent of thetotal team gross bonus. Five percent of $129,760.40 is $6,488.02 and 14percent of that is $908.32,
which the ISS receives.
Process performance bonuses:

Leads converted to dealership visits:
#1 ISS receives a $350 monthly bonus
Showroom visits to sales closed:
If you could wave a magic wand and change anything about your department, what would it be?
I would forever banish the bitching and moaning sessions that manysales professionals seem to get going whenever more
than two of themare speaking with each other. I have visited hundreds of dealershipsacross America and have never been to
a dealership that treatssalespeople better than Courtesy Chevrolet, yet some of our salespeopleseem to have no problem
finding things to complain about to each other,and to anyone new in the department. If I never witness anothersalesperson
group “crap-out session,” it will be too soon! Can you getme a magic wand that stops salesperson crap-out sessions? Other
thanthat, we have a great group of Internet sales specialists and I wouldlike to get more just like them to come and work for
Courtesy Chevrolet.
rpaglia@DigitalDealer-magazine.com
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Steve Anenen and Kevin Henahan : ADP Dealer Services

by : Digital Dealer

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The auto industry is currently engaged in a debate over who owns and is responsible for securing the data in dealership
management systems. ADP has joined Open Secure Access (OSA), which is a trade association addressing the issue of
access to dealer systems. At the recent NADA Convention in Las Vegas, we had an opportunity to speak with Steve Anenen,
the president of ADP Dealer Services and Kevin Henahan,
senior vice president of marketing for ADP Dealer Services.
DD: Steve, tell me a little bit about the issue that all the dealers are talking about now with open access and the data
in DMS systems. What is ADP’s position on that?
Steve: As you know, ADP has joined the OSA (Open Secure Access) coalition. You can see our name now on its letterhead.
We joined OSA for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, the principles that it has endorsed are exactly the same principles
that we hold near and dear to our own business philosophy: that a dealership fundamentally owns the data in its DMS, and
dealers should control who accesses their data and how it’s used.
There are a number of ways that third-parties have accessed data in the past with a dealer’s permission, by doing a screen
scrape or using some other kind of access in order to get data. We won’t prohibit that and we think dealers should be able to
govern how they want that to happen. So, we built a three-tiered structure to keep the dealer in control: the first tier is this kind
of traditional access, which we call third-party basic access. Dealers can give whomever they want access to their data. That
is a bit risky, but it is theirs to grant. And the dealer maintains responsibility for system and data access.
The second tier is third-party subscriber access. ADP delivers high speed VPN Internet access and advanced system security

and auditing tools, offering tighter integration. The dealer maintains responsibility for data access and the third-party stays in
concert with our release versions.
The third tier is third-party integration, which really offers the ability for a third- party to read and write data back and forth.
There are some third-parties where we’ll open up the DMS in order to work with them and enable them to share data both
ways.
The last two levels are a pay model, and the dealer/third-party gets rights and access to the API program. The dealer/third-
party must maintain it and the third-party pays a monthly fee for the API.
Now, having said that, it’s difficult when you have a third-party not going through an API who wants to put an agent or a piece
of software on our DMS system that could corrupt data. That’s not good for the dealer or for us. That’s not something we will
endorse. Nor is it something the OSA coalition endorses.
DD: But don’t your systems have an anti-virus program that identifies those potential threats?
Steve: Yes, they do. But when that happens, the dealer points to us and thinks our system went down as a result of what
we’ve got on there, when in fact, we do all the diagnostics only to find some third-party wrote something, put it on the system
and caused data corruption. Now there’s a problem with the data that’s an issue for both the dealer and us.
DD: At some point a dealer will grant access to a third-party who will compromise the dealer’s data. Is ADP going to
say to the dealer, “You chose to give it to XYZ Company? It didn’t have security protocols in place and somehow its
data got compromised and now 10,000 of your service customers and their credit card numbers are out there.”
Steve: That’s the risk for a dealer who elects the first-tier level. The dealer needs to make sure it’s a legitimate third-party; one
that’s going to have appropriate security measures in place. But that’s for the dealer to decide, because the dealer is the one
working with the third-party. Whether it’s with a modem, with a simple screen scrape, or something more complex they need
to be careful. When we work with a third-party, we ask the tough questions and certify the process.
DD: Do you provide something to the dealer that says, “Mr. Dealer, this is a security audit questionnaire.”? Please
have anybody you’re thinking of granting access to your system complete this for you and have your IT people take
a look at it.”
Steve: We have a series of questions that we’ll ask of our third-party groups, but we don’t provide a security audit
questionnaire to the dealer, because at that point— with second-tier and third-tier level access— dealers have asked us to
assess security. So we say, “Okay, here’s how we certify this.” And the third-party has to meet and comply with certain
restrictions we’ve put in place with the API.
DD: Can you give us an update on the managed DMS and Voice Over IP offering?
Steve: The DMS managed service environment has become very effective for our dealers. Dealers are saying, “I don’t have
the resources to invest in managing a computer system and the appropriate network, let alone taking care of compliance
issues like privatization, the use of data, or backing up files on time. How do I know that I’ve loaded the latest release and all
of the issues that go with that?”
After listening to dealers, we took it upon ourselves to build an effective model around managed services for the dealer server
business. It has caught on and I am very pleased with the acceptance level. More than 50 percent of our sales now coming in
use a managed services environment, as opposed to having a server at the client location. The ASP model has less upfront
costs, and can actually reduce some costs at a dealership over time.
Given the success of the managed DMS environment, we have now applied it to a server-based telephony solution. We
thought we could apply the same logic of a managed service environment for DMS systems to the IP phone solution. We
spent the last year and a half investing, creating all the necessary hosting facilities and networks, the ability to actually run the
lines, and ensuring the uptime will be at an extremely reliable level. We’ve accomplished all that and now we’re able to offer a
very secure, complete telephony solution that melds nicely with our DMS, all in an ASP, or managed services environment
with less upfront costs.
A managed services telephony solution will not only help dealers save money, but will improve their customer’s experience.
The phone is integrated with the DMS application software; so when the phone rings the dealer can see which customer is
calling and can look at call history, report history or client history. They are able to get call analytics that show call volume by
department for each hour of the day, how many calls were missed and valuable information such as measuring ad
effectiveness.

DD: It’ll be interesting to see in a few months what kind of savings dealers realize from this solution.
Steve: We think the savings will be substantial. Many of the large automotive consolidators have been asking for this
service. They have locations all over the country and a managed solution is perfect for their size operations. They want
reliable circuits, a smooth process and assurance that their system is fully redundant — we can do that. It also fits nicely for
the smaller dealerships that do not want to fund the capital for a new PBX/server or worry about future obsolescence.
DD: Does this solution provide any technical advantages for the dealer?
Steve: Absolutely. Phones have now become intelligent devices because they integrate with the DMS, making the phone a
more effective tool to improve the quality of the customer’s experience. Another advantage I should mention is its ability to
incorporate scripts. If a dealer wants to handle calls a certain way, a script can be entered into the system and can come up
during a call. If the dealer wants to have salespeople working on follow-up phone calls, a script will come up to work from.
Dealers can train staffers to use the phones to augment their call handling process.
DD: So with integration to the DMS a dealer could know about the caller’s relationship with the dealership?
Steve: Absolutely. The system interfaces into the dealer’s business applications and will tell the dealer staffer on the line
that this customer is a part of the Smith family for example. “He’s the son, the family has four cars with me, they’ve been with
me for 10 years and they spend more than $5,000 per year.” That’s really powerful information right up front that you’re able to
access while handling the call.
DD: What else are you working on to leverage the dealer’s network at the dealership?
Steve: Network Video is the next exciting area we are working on. A dealer wants to be able to look at any area of the
dealership, including vehicle inventory lots, which are often out of direct view of the dealer personnel. He wants to see the lot
at night when he may not be there, or perhaps if a dealer is away and he wants to take a look at his showroom traffic within
the dealership.
We asked, “How do we take network video as an advanced technology today and use it elsewhere within a dealership?” First
and foremost, using video monitoring is useful for security: looking at a 360 view of your entire dealership using security
cameras. The cameras have become less obtrusive, almost invisible. We looked at this video surveillance, and then we
looked at some of the high asset areas of a dealership, like vehicles or parts or service.
We took today’s incredible video technology and enabled dealers to zero right in on a license plate for owner recognition. The
intelligence is built into the DMS database, which brings up a repair order so the dealer knows who the customer is before the
driver even gets out of the car. The customer service history is brought up on the screen for the service advisor to have ready
as the customer approaches. It’s another way of improving the quality of the experience for the customers at the service lane.
DD: Where else are you using video in the dealership?

Steve: We’re using this in the F&I office to help dealers with the F&I process. With all the liability issues surrounding F&I, we
wondered if there was a way for dealerships to protect themselves as well as protect the customers. Video recording allows
the dealer to ensure that the F&I manager correctly followed procedure during the contracting process. And if there is some
miscommunication, the dealer has a visual record of the process recorded, documented and archived, and is able to access
any particular deal very easily.
DD: Do you say, “Mr. Dealer, if you implement this, you’ve got to have a system for watching these things because if
you videotape but don’t watch it to see if somebody’s doing something wrong, it doesn’t do a lot of good?”
Steve: We do, and dealers use the video for training purposes. Helping newer F&I managers cover all of these steps, the
manager can say, “Well, you could have also shown the menu, and you also could have talked about extra product X, or
offered warranty Y.” So part of the advantage of network video is training to upsell and being sure the F&I staff makes the
customer aware of all the potential offerings. And the recording works to protect both the consumer and the dealer if there is a
miscommunication. As a result, dealers implementing this program have seen greater profitability on F&I transactions.
DD: So after you implement a system like that, who views a random number of these transactions to make sure
everything is being done?
Kevin: Usually it’s the general sales manager. Some want to see certain deals, and some actually do more frequent, random
checks. Criteria might dictate that if a certain deal doesn’t hit a certain threshold, the general sales manager wants to review
that deal, look at the tape and find out what happened during the process.
DD: We talked a little bit about managed services for IP telephony and the evolution from where we started with
server-based DMS, and we talked a little bit about managed services for DMS. We talked about a server-based IP
phone that has now moved to the next realm of technology and managed services environment. Would you like to
comment at all on the technology side of that?
Kevin: Our main goal is to make the process easy for the dealers. There’s no better way to do this than for us to manage the
technology dealers use in their dealerships. The back-end work is done somewhere else, and someone else takes care of it
for the dealer. In the past, the phone system was something that was always inside the four walls of the dealership, creating a
lot of issues. Now that we’ve taken the phone system offsite and dealers don’t have to worry about it. We manage the
obsolescence – the dealers do not have to worry about it.
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Ebay Motors Evolution Online

by : Digital Dealer

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Ten years ago, the idea of buying or selling a car online, sight unseen, was not exactly mainstream. A small number of lead-
generation sites helped first-adopter techies search through classified ads, but even then there was no way to actually make a
sale on the web. That began to change in 2000, when a handful of web sites took the Internet experience to the next level by
pioneering automotive transactions online.
eBay Motors (www.ebaymotors.com) launched as a formal category of eBay Inc. in April 2000 after company executives
realized that sellers were using the site to sell actual cars in the model-car section of eBay. Today approximately 12 million
visitors use eBay Motors to buy and sell used cars, automotive parts and accessories, motorcycles, powersport vehicles,
boats, RVs, commercial trucks, buses and other items every single month. eBay Motors has been the most-visited automotive
site on the Internet for three consecutive years (Nielsen//NetRatings) with 34 percent of all online automotive minutes spent on
the site. On average, an automobile sells every minute, a part or accessory sells every second and a motorcycle sells every
four minutes on eBay Motors. Through its unique format and established community of users, eBay Motors has revolutionized
the way people buy and sell everything automotive.
In 2006, the two millionth passenger vehicle was sold on eBay Motors. The site has become the source for all things
automotive, and even more, it’s become a barometer for trends in the automotive industry. Celebrities regularly use eBay
Motors to sell unique vehicles to raise money for charity. Exciting new cars like the Ford Mustang and Toyota Prius were hot
items on eBay Motors soon after their releases. eBay Motors’ users range from buyers looking for reliable transportation and
automotive enthusiasts to sellers from major franchises and independent automotive dealers as well as individuals.

eBay Motors provides an opportunity to market used vehicles to a national and international audience. Trusted by buyers and
sellers alike, eBay Motors provides dealers with a valuable, low-cost, secure sales channel that can be accessed by potential
customers worldwide, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Standard listings on eBay Motors offer a host of great features to
help put your buyers at ease, including purchase protection up to $20,000. With more experience connecting automotive
buyers and sellers online than any other site, eBay Motors is the perfect complementary sales channel for dealers to save
money, attract customers and maximize profits.
An evolving marketplace
Today, due to sites like eBay Motors, the Internet has fundamentally changed the way people buy every kind of vehicle.
Across industries, buyers are turning to the web to research, find and purchase high-ticket items. According to research eBay
conducted with Harris, 21 percent of online purchasers have made at least one online purchase in excess of $1,000. It has
become commonplace for consumers to find major purchases like big screen TVs, refrigerators, automobiles and even
houses from their home PC.
As consumers become more comfortable shopping on the web, the automotive market has been redefined online. According
to JD Power, in the past five years the percentage of buyers finding their used vehicle through a traditional newspaper or
magazine classified ad has been reduced from 14 percent in 2002 to seven percent in 2006. During the same period, buyers
who found their vehicle online have doubled from eight percent to 16 percent.
Yet for all the advances made in online automotive retailing, many consumers still want to kick the tires while enjoying the
convenience of purchasing online. According to research eBay conducted with research firm Keynote, along with price and
vehicle history, the majority of automotive e-commerce buyers considered the physical location of the vehicle to be very
important when shopping for a vehicle. A full 77 percent of automotive purchasers indicated they would prefer the ability to
search by price and location when shopping for vehicles online. In fact, the majority of buyers indicated they would sacrifice a
wider selection to find a vehicle in their local area; but would not sacrifice a better price. Reconciling this demand for local
inventory with the global marketplace of the Internet has quickly become the most important hurdle remaining for bringing
vehicle sales to the web.
Localizing the World Wide Web

To stay ahead of consumer demand for vehicles in their local areas, eBay Motors launched a new dealer service called eBay
Motors Local Market in February 2007. eBay Motors Local Market is a subscription-based service that enables franchise
dealers to easily upload and list their entire used-car lot for one low price, making the inventory available to buyers within a
100-mile radius of the dealership.
“eBay Motors Local Market is designed to help dealers engage the growing number of consumers migrating online to find their
next vehicle,” said Rob Chesney, senior director of eBay Motors. “Today’s consumers are demanding a one-stop automotive
shopping experience that provides access to deep local inventory, the ability to negotiate price and the option of an in-person
test drive.”
The $1,000 monthly eBay Motors Local Market subscription covers listing fees for an unlimited amount of vehicles, with no
individual insertion fee per vehicle. As with traditional eBay Motors listings, a $50 sale fee applies for vehicles that sell online.
This fee covers eBay Motors’ $20,000 buyer protection policy, which helps establish the safe and secure environment that
puts customers at ease and ready to buy. There is no contract or commitment required to use eBay Motors Local Market.
The largest audience online

eBay Motors Local Market is the perfect complement to the existing eBay Motors national marketplace. For franchise dealers
with large newer, used-vehicle inventories that appeal to mass-market consumers, and for dealerships that frequently turn
over a regular inventory (such as certified used vehicle dealers), eBay Motors Local Market has proven to be a simple way to
help local buyers find their vehicles and complete sales.
Today eBay Motors receives 12 million unique visitors per month, and has nearly 100 million registered users in the U.S.
alone. Providing dealers a direct line to this audience, eBay Motors Local Market delivers cost-effective sales and lead
generation on an unbeatable scale.
eBay Motors Local Market has already begun proving its sales potential. Marc Damon, Internet department manager for Fox
Valley Ford in North Aurora, IL, started using the Local Market program in August of 2006 and has experienced success right
out of the gate with the platform. Damon had used eBay Motors’ national service to list selected vehicles in the past and saw
Local Market as a good way for his dealership to economically list inventory on eBay Motors and market his vehicles to a
defined geographic region.
“eBay Motors’ Local Market program has generated quite a few qualified leads for our dealership,” said Damon. “We now
receive about 20 to 30 leads per month from the service.”
More listings, more leads

eBay Motors Local Market coordinates with the eBay Motors national marketplace to provide unmatched access to an
enormous audience of buyers and offers dealers the opportunity to use eBay Motors to generate leads locally. On average
during testing, dealers who were listing eight or ten cars each month now can list more than 110 vehicles a month. This added
selection is helping dealers better connect with their regional customers, and turn over inventories much faster.
The ability to bring an entire lot online is what made eBay Motors Local Market attractive to Rick Namm, Internet business
development director for Infiniti of Coconut Creek in Coconut Creek, FL, who started selling through the service as a part of
the beta test this past June. As the No. 1-selling franchised Infiniti dealership in the country, Infiniti of Coconut Creek has
experience success on all levels of marketing and sales platforms. Namm has been encouraged by the increasing number of
leads that he has generated in a short amount of time through Local Market. Currently, he estimates that he has received
about 5 to 6 leads per month using the platform.
“The eBay Motors’ Local Market service has allowed for me to list my entire inventory on eBay Motors for browsers to view,”
says Namm. “This ultimately drives potential customers to our eBay Store and thus drives additional sales for our dealership.”
Namm has already experienced success listing his vehicles through the eBay Motors national platform, and he feels
combining Local Market with the national offering has really helped to increase his online visibility.
“The Local Market service from eBay Motors has been a useful resource for our dealership,” says Namm. “We really see it
generating future leads and are excited to grow with the product.”
A simple and effective sales tool

Designed to maximize simplicity and draw buyers to the dealership, all eBay Motors Local Market listings utilize eBay’s Best
Offer format. Buyers submit their Best Offer, which the dealer can accept, reject or counter-offer to negotiate the final price
online. Buyers may also find a vehicle locally on eBay Motors and choose to go into the dealership to negotiate and close the
transaction in person.
Dealers adopting the eBay Motors Local Market product select a certified eBay Motors solution provider such as Auction123,
Dealer Specialties and eBizAutos to list their used vehicle inventory in bulk online. Training and support are also available
from dedicated dealer consultants. Working with a solution provider helps simplify the listing process for the dealer, helping to
make eBay Motors Local Market listings quick, simple and professional sales and lead generation tools.
John Douglass, e-commerce manager for McGrath Lexus of Chicago, began using eBay Motors’ Local Market last June and
has found that the platform is a quick and easy way to sell online. Douglass began at McGrath Lexus as a general salesman
and noticed a need for the dealership to develop an e-commerce sales channel. He was recently promoted to run the e-
commerce division and knows the work is necessary to drive sales for the company. To make his job easier, Douglass uses
eBiz Autos as his listing management service.
Douglass specifically likes the Local Market platform as it has helped him list his entire inventory on eBay Motors at once.
When he started in June, Douglass says that he began completing about two or three sales monthly with eBay Motors Local
Market. Now, he believes that he is closing about 10 to 12 sales per month through the service.
“Overall my experience has been great with eBay Motors Local Market,” says Douglass. “The service is another tool for me to
use to get people viewing our inventory and potentially turn those online shoppers into future customers.”
Transforming the marketplace

eBay Motors Local Market will significantly increase both the number and selection of vehicles for sale online, and help
dealers make more of those vehicles available to local customers. Yet simply expanding the marketplace is not enough to
bring vehicle sales into the 21st century. Buyers appreciate having more options, but without enhancements to the user
experience, all those new listings could go unseen.
To meet this challenge, eBay Motors will begin to test a redesign of the web site in order to improve the overall buyer
experience. This strategic decision is a direct outcome of consumer research and Local Market testing. The redesign will
refresh the look and feel of the web site, making searching for a vehicle easier and more intuitive.
Integrating with the existing platform, the new updates will maintain the wealth of listing information that consumers have
come to expect from eBay Motors, while responding to buyer feedback about what they want to see in an automotive site –
including more information on pricing, more available research and reviews and an overall easier shopping experience.
Platform enhancements are always based on the feedback of the eBay community and are designed to make eBay an easier
place to buy and sell. Enhancements to the site are expected to go live this year.
Now is an exciting time to be an automotive dealer. Within the past decade the entire industry has been reinvented, and an
entire new method of doing business has become commonplace. Dealers are working more closely with consumers than ever
before, bringing both their inventories and their passion for automobiles front and center.
As the industry continues to evolve to keep up with today’s ever-changing consumer, the new eBay Motors has become the
transformative automotive marketplace that gives buyers the research, selection, and security to confidently purchase vehicles
from across the street or across the country. Today eBay is the best way to research and buy a used car.
For more information, contact

eBay Motors Dealer Center at 1.866.MOTORS4.
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2007 Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition

Equals Success
by : Mike Roscoe

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By all accounts, and by any measure, the 2007 AAISP Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition was a huge success.
We’ll cover this in reverse order of whom we serve and start with the exhibitors. While there were two exhibitors that indicated
that they either did not have a good location or the audience was not the right fit for their product, we had 37 exhibitors who
offered rave reviews of the conference and their presence therein. One top executive at one of the exhibiting companies told
me they generated leads from 10 percent of the total number of dealership attendees. Another told me their presence at our
conference was even more valuable than their presence at the NADA show (just more of the people they want to talk to).
But perhaps the best indication is that 37 exhibitors indicated they want to exhibit next time we do a conference, which to me
is much more telling than, oh, I don’t know, any paid-for survey could say. Even so, we’re hard at work surveying them
ourselves to determine how we can make their next experience with us even better.
As for our “allied industry” attendees, well, I guess I’m just a guy who can’t say “no” to anybody from a franchised dealership.
We sold out, but I let more register, which put a little strain on things. My apologies to the “allied industry” attendees who didn’t
get the tote bags, or in some cases, the program guides, but we just had to make sure all our dealership folks got them. Plus, I
know the exhibitors wanted as many dealership folks there as possible, so for the sake of the dealership wanna-be attendees
and the exhibitors, we had to sacrifice somewhere. Thanks for understanding allied industry attendees.
Now, our first constituency…the dealership attendees: what a forgiving group. Thanks for understanding the reason why two
sessions had to go in rooms suited only for 50. If not for that, we couldn’t have split lunch and let those other dealership folks
in. Everybody seemed willing and able to work together to make things go smoothly. Thanks for spending the time you did
with the exhibitors. Without their heavy financial involvement, the fee for the conference would have been three to four times
what it was. It was their dollars that kept your fee down. Your visiting with them means they’ll be back, and while fees will go
up a little (we’re one-third to one-half what similar conferences charge), they will be lower than they would be without our
exhibitors and sponsors.
And thank you all for filling out the surveys (as I begged you to do) and accepting my challenge to find at least one thing we
can improve for next time. Sure, there were surveys with multiple comments and suggestions for improvement, but most
responses were “5s” all the way with one suggestion as to an improvement we could make. I really, really appreciate it. Like I
told you, “great conference” sounds nice… but suggestions from the attendees are what allows us to keep making it better
and better.
And you…yes, you. Where the heck were you? You had something better to do than attend 12 to 15 power-packed sessions
to improve your skills and processes…talk to the vendors of the best technologies, applications and solutions in the business…
and network with the most successful, most forward thinking dealership managers in the industry? I don’t think so!
Don’t make the same mistake thrice. You’ve missed two Digital Dealer conferences…but you can make the third time a
charm. Info will be out shortly on the next conference…start planting that seed with your dealer/GM now, and I mean right
now. Don’t wait until the herd is too far ahead for you to catch up.
Mike Roscoe is the interim executive director of AAISP.

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The Next Frontier of Online Sales

by : Mark Burack

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The Internet and e-commerce sites have dramatically changed the way we buy and sell products. It wasn’t that long ago that
shopping online was practically unheard of, but today, it is so popular that the Monday after Thanksgiving has been dubbed
“Cyber Monday.”
However, car dealerships are still trying to make that jump into online sales. Chances are your dealership has some sort of
web site, but are you selling vehicles online? As much as online stores have changed the face of commerce, auction sites like
eBay Motors are changing the way cars are sold.
Most people hear eBay and immediately think of the site you go to when you need to buy that hard-to-find, limited edition
President Eisenhower commemorative poster. Yes, there are more than 19 million items on eBay today, but eBay is more
than just an auction site. Last year, eBay motors sold more vehicles by 9 a.m. each morning than most new car franchise
dealers sell in a year. Or, in other words, more than 400,000 vehicles were sold through eBay Motors in 2005.
It’s not hard to see how eBay Motors manages to sell so many vehicles once you look at the stats. Most dealers reach fewer
than one million people, with only dealerships in large metropolitan areas having access to one to three million people. eBay
reaches more than 212 million unique registered users in more than 45 countries on five continents. Putting your used vehicle
inventory on eBay opens your dealership to the world, not just your specific city. Even if your dealership does have a web site
where a customer can buy a vehicle online, eBay is really the only way you’re going to get someone on the opposite side of
the country to look at your dealership. eBay successfully matches buyers looking for specific vehicles with sellers that have
what the buyer wants, and it is the only auction site that creates this kind of incremental business.z
If you’re considering selling vehicles online, particularly through eBay, there are a number of things you need to know before
you get started. As with any new sales process, the best strategy is to determine a plan of action. It’s important – especially
when you’re embarking on a new process – to be well educated. You and everyone at your dealership needs to know what
you’re doing, how you’re doing it and be onboard with it. This will make the process that much easier.
As important as establishing a game plan is, getting to know your buyers is probably the most important thing any dealership
can do. eBay users are very educated and very loyal – and these attributes are enhanced when it comes to making large
purchases. They demand all of the information be available and if sellers do not list enough accurate information in the item
description, or if they have negative feedback, users will not bid on that item. These are all things that need to be kept in mind
when creating a listing. You’ll need to be sure to include a thorough – and honest – cosmetic and mechanical inspection of
each vehicle. A listing should also include a standard checklist for each vehicle that lists the condition. In addition, if your
listing includes VIN decoding, this will enable a new level of accuracy, which will help build user trust in your listings.
Photographs also play an important role in a listing. While most dealers are content to just point and click, get one good
picture and post it, a smart dealer will provide a number of clear photographs that show every angle of the vehicle – inside and
out. You’ll also need to size photographs so that those who are using slower connections will be able to view the pictures
easily.
If you want to sell to an eBay user, you also need to understand how they search for the items they’re looking for. Searches
on eBay Motors that included only the title or subtitle of a vehicle make up roughly 90 percent of all vehicle searches, so
anyone looking to sell on eBay should be familiar with key terms that average buyers enter into a search engine when they
look for a car. If you use these keywords in your descriptions, the vehicles that your dealership is selling will be at or near the
top of the search results. And all that adds up to more potential buyers looking at your inventory.
Selling on eBay doesn’t have to be all about selling a particular car either – it can be a great tool for generating and managing
new leads. While this requires significant communication with online buyers, it is a method that can pay dividends. By
communicating with and assisting bidders during the auction process, you can increase customer satisfaction and your
positive feedback. For your eBay account, this results in increased average sale prices and sales volume and a reduction in
non-paying bidders. This communication can also encourage losing bidders to watch for your auctions since they can be
assured of a positive bidding experience.
Of course selling online isn’t always sunshine and roses. Dealers need to take every precaution to protect themselves from
fraud. When handling wire transfers, be sure that you never give operating account numbers and make sure to use a sweep
account – an account that automatically transfers excess balances into an interest earning overnight account with the same
bank at the close of the business day. When dealing with cashier’s checks, have them pre-inspected and verified by a bank.
But the top rule from the eBay safety Bible: never allow your user name to be shared and be sure to monitor your account on

a daily basis to prevent e-mail and account fraud. As a last resort, eBay safe harbor is available 24/7 should you need it.
This can be a lot of work for any dealership – and these are just the bare basics. The process can be especially daunting for
dealerships with small or non-existent Internet departments. And that’s where third-party providers can help. These providers
provide a number of services, including professional photography, inspection and inventory analysis, automated listings and
lead management. An ideal provider will customize combinations of these services to fit your dealership’s specific needs.
What it all boils down to is the provider does all of the work while your dealership gets the benefits.
The online automobile market has been in a state of flux, but with automobile sales on eBay motors expected to surpass last
year’s numbers, the time has never been more perfect to put your used vehicle inventory up for auction. By preparing your
dealership and enlisting the help of a third-party eBay expert, your dealership easily can take advantage of this new market.
Mark Burack is the executive vice president of Sales at Liquid Motors. Burack has over 20 years of experience in the
automotive industry and is the founder of Texas Dealer Services. Having bought and sold thousands of vehicles on eBay
Motors since 1999, Burack is an experienced eBay professional and a Power Seller. In addition, he is an eBay education
specialist, trained by eBay University, qualifying him to teach eBay seminars nationwide.
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Will your Internet Department Sink or Swim?

by : Digital Dealer

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An Internet sales professional should be a life raft. You can stop Internet customers from drowning in a pool of builds, specs,
and prices. You can save them from visiting one salesperson-flooded dealership after another.
Now ask yourself…are you a life raft or are you an anchor?
A life raft will answer a question quickly, and more importantly, competently.
An anchor will attempt to drag the customer into the store by giving him either as little information as possible, or by flooding
him with prices. A life raft offers quality answers after the initial e-mail and gives customers realistic expectations and fair
offers. An anchor promises the imminent arrival of a vehicle he has little chance of obtaining.
One thing that an Internet Sales Professional (ISP) can be sure of is the Internet-savvy consumer knows a price waits for him
right around the corner – one web site away. More and more, customers demand to have all their questions answered… and
sooner rather than later. Vague answers are no longer adequate bait to lure today’s consumer.
Save them from vague answers, repeated urges to visit, and those dealers who only send automated responses. If you want
to be competitive, you have to answer their questions on the first e-mail. Please notice – e-mail. Don’t be the person who calls
the customer immediately, even if it is under the veil of, “Did you receive the information I sent you?” The customer is sitting at
his computer with his inbox open. He knows you did not send anything. You can always call later, but you can’t change a bad
first impression. Send a personalized e-mail first.
Internet sales professionals have the opportunity to separate themselves from the typical salespeople on the dealer floor.
These are the very people the consumer fears and wants to avoid speaking to in the first place. And let’s face it, most ISPs
are all just glorified sales reps with good word tracks, better organizational skills and fast fingers. However, customers have
higher expectations of us. Johnny Car-Buyer doesn’t want to believe he is talking to a sales rep who can type. Nor does he
want to be conversing with a technician from a computer store. He wants to believe he is speaking to a knowledgeable friend
who is looking out for his best interests. Johnny needs a life raft.
Any ISP worth his weight in leads will tell you that directing an Internet customer to act is just as easy as a walk-in customer.
You all have the same job duties. You all are striving to reach one goal. Get the customer in. How you go about this and how
you view your job description, though, is what separates you from the next ISP a few miles away.
How do you direct an Internet customer, you ask? Your first e-mail will rarely spur someone to hop into his car, drive to your
dealership, and drive off with the exact vehicle quoted. Not anymore. A few years ago this was a little more common, but
people want all of the information nowadays. They don’t do this solely by collecting prices. Internet customers ask follow-up
questions. It is how you respond to these questions that determines your worth as an Internet professional.
Build trust by moving the Internet customer one step at a time. Build the relationship, connect with the customer, and move
him toward you. This is how you differentiate yourself from other ISPs and endear the customer to you. Customers want to be
guided on their car-buying process. Replying to customers’ questions will give you the opportunity to direct them to the
dealership. If handled correctly, you can guide them straight to your lot. You don’t need to light a fire under them in the first e-
mail. You simply need to give them reasons to see you. It is a process.
Some dealers operate by inundating their Internet leads with mass amounts of information, whether it was requested or not.
This is called the “info anchor.” The anchor drowns the customer with builds, specs, and prices, hoping to look like they are
being upfront with their information, but in reality, they are just trying to save themselves time from following up. You don’t
need to purchase all of the leads possible. You simply need to be more thorough with your leads so your closing ratio
increases.
Like everyone else, I shop my competition. Their initial e-mails with amazingly low price quotes, attached lists of all features
and options (and even discounted warranty prices!) are absurd. Even though they are not being vague, they are supplying the
customer with too much information: the info anchor. However, try to ask them a follow-up question and wait for a response.
Continue to wait. Take a nap. Take a trip. Take a coma. You will keep waiting because they hardly ever answer follow-up
questions. They give it their one shot and they’re done. That is when the life raft (me) floats in and saves them. I keep them
headed toward land by answering any remaining questions they have. I don’t make their vehicle purchase seem like a too-
good-to-be true mirage, but a tangible and reachable goal. An overflow of information will simply numb them from realizing the
difference between a fair deal and a nit-picky deal. Doing this is creating your own worst enemy.
Here is my request to all ISPs
1) Do not give the lowest possible price for a vehicle. Offer a competitive price that reflects the value their vehicle deserves.
You are selling something of value. You are selling a motor vehicle that will be carrying their most important commodity – their
family.
2) Don’t offer to beat everyone’s deal. You will only send them scavenging for quotes. In later e-mails, simply tell them you will
stay competitive with other offers.
3) Build value in what you do. Buying a vehicle can be a painful process. You are saving customers from going through a
potentially frustrating and painstaking process of visiting an endless number of dealerships. You are doing them a favor.
4) Tell them the truth. It is a lot easier to remember what you have said to them in the past.
If customers feel that you have saved them time, energy, and a little money…you have already become their life raft. You
have become a real Internet sales professional and you have earned the sale.
Joe Webb is the Internet sales manager of Arlington Toyota Scion in Buffalo Grove, IL, as well as a charter member of AAISP.

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First Day ROI

by : Craig Criswell

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The Internet customer is all about instant gratification. As a former teacher I hated to see this coming. I taught math at the high
school level when hand held calculators were just coming into vogue (yes, I know that dates me!). I had actually taught a
section on using a slide rule. Do you even know what a slide rule is? I could see that my students were only interested in
getting the answer and not how they got the answer. We were moving into a new age – and we still are.
That generation is now in control and they, and their offspring are all over the Internet and the need for instant gratification is
more intense than ever. In dealing with online inquiries, not only do you need an answer right away, it needs to be a response
that sets you apart from the rest of the field. And as much as things have changed, they still are the same – it boils down to
people. You need the right people who understand the need for quick, accurate and creative responses to set you ahead of
your competition.
We had a very defined Internet process, but as it matured, there was a lack of true understanding on the part of the Internet
salesperson as to the importance of the initial contact on the first day the Internet lead arrived. I had talked about it repeatedly,
but habits did not change. They were selling a lot of cars (a nice improvement). They were happy with the growth of their book
of business and thus not challenged to do better.
I tapped into some of my former coaching mentality and came up with a method that completely turned that around. And once
it was done, the sales volume increased to even higher levels and the atmosphere in the department was electric.
I created a very simple Excel sheet that numbered the days of the month down the left side of the page and had each
salesperson’s name with two columns under his name. The first column tallied the number of leads that salesperson had for
the day and the second was how many he handled correctly. Once I had devised this plan, I took about 10 minutes each
morning tallying the contacts from the day before and building my spreadsheet. In the first month, I did not tell them what I
was doing. I was merely seeing if they had done at least the minimum of what I asked them to do on the first day – make sure
they send out at least one personalized e-mail and made at least one phone call. And everything must be documented in the
ILM tool – or it wasn’t considered to be done!
I expected no less than 90 percent accuracy from them – personally and as a department – on handling the lead on the first
day. There are times when you might be tied up on a delivery or some emergency comes up, but those should be rare
exceptions. When the first month was over, I had a department meeting and gave each of them a copy of the report. For the
most part, it was terrible with only occasional compliance to my guidelines. But the thing that made it work was that they could
compare themselves to their peers. Salespeople are competitive by nature and when the performance numbers were put in
front of everyone, there was the matter of personal pride to deal with. (See chart example page 14.)
To my utter amazement, in the second month the results turned around dramatically. They knew what I was doing so they
made a point to handle those first day leads the right way and would come in each day to see how I had marked the day
before. We got into some arguments about what I accepted and what I didn’t. These were not heated discussions, but they
were strong. In the second month, we were 95 percent for the department and several of them had 100 percent individually.
And the best part was we had record sales!
I only had to do the report halfway through the third month and then quit. I had them trained in the right habits and it had direct
impact on their paycheck. From that point on I only sporadically did a test on the first day lead handling when I thought things
were getting lax, but I rarely found issues. Handling Internet leads in a quick and timely manner now became second nature
and the ROI (return on investment) reports attested to that.
Craig Criswell is the president of Internet Certified Dealer, a consulting and training organization for the automotive industry.
ICD now offers online self-paced courses and webinars to assist dealers all over the country.

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Technology to Help you Avoid Report Fatigue

by : Jim Skeans

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All dealership management systems providers presently do a wonderful job of including built-in reports that offer users and
management all of the important, basic transaction based data one will ever need. But a common obstacle to utilization of all
of this wonderful data is that while there is a report for everything, there are just, well, too many reports. There are so many
reports and often with overlapping presentations of the same data that it is easy to end up spending more time on “truth
analysis” than on data analysis, which can spin off into a lot of time spent roaming the aisles of “report mart” in search of that
one report that will bring it all together.
What works better is a single group of “official” reports that provide a consistent set of metrics and information needed to
evaluate performance as a basis for developing plans of action designed to improve performance. Of course the source of this
“official” information must be impeccable. Hopefully we all agree that it is the accounting department’s role to provide and
maintain the single version of the financial truth of operations.
Each department generates valuable data directly from transactions, immediately at the time of transaction. But it is important
that everyone agrees that until the accounting department has audited and processed these transactions into the general
ledger, these preliminary reports are subject to adjustment. So, while they are important as a guide and extremely useful, they
should not be considered the absolute truth. My favorite source for delivery of the truth is the general ledger trial balance.
While the TB provides accurate, detailed to the account number (and blessed by accounting) reporting, it is a bit too basic and
flat in its presentation for most financial analysis uses. That is where the power of the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet comes in.
To me one of the most important reasons to use Excel is its power to communicate. Excel’s basic formatting options, along
with its more advanced, conditional formatting, presents your information in a stunning and more comprehensive
communication of your message.
Excel provides the power of over 200 functions that can be used to perform calculations on actual data downloaded from your
DMS, turning your TB into a super financial statement. To me one of the most powerful aspects of this process is mixing and
in a very dynamic way, actual data with forecast or budget data.
For example, I just finished a project for a client with a nine-dealership, prefixed TB that when download into Excel, allows us
to not only automatically generate a detailed (with summary page) actual to budget analysis, it also allows for quickly updating
the budget with actual sales data for a more meaningful expense analysis.
The uses for downloading data into an Excel spreadsheet are quite lengthy. Downloading data into spreadsheets for
calculating commission payouts, whole dealership or departmental breakeven analysis, cash flow and cash position analysis,
as well as forecasting is only the tip of the iceberg.
A good place to start is downloading the trial balance. If you need help, let us know.
For ADP Users

For w.e.b.Suite users run AGRB or AGRM, view and select the Excel icon for automatic download to Excel. Otherwise, using
Reflections logging function print the balance sheet AGRB or income statement AGRM to the screen for automatically
downloading to the PC or print to the screen and select all, copy and paste into Excel. With systems having the HOLDQ
printer function, choose the HOLDQ as the printer destination, which will send the report to SPJ and hold it for you to EDIT
PRINT JOB by listing the report to the screen for edit, copy table and paste into Excel or save the display as a text file for
importing into Excel. Submitted by Jim Skeans of Jim Skeans Consulting Group LLC
For ARKONA Users

ARKONA uses a basic, bulletproof print to disk process. You will need the P2F.exe file available for download from ftp://
downloads:arkona213@ftp2.arkona.com. Download and install per instructions. From the File menu choose Printer setup and
from the Printer: dialog box choose the: Print to Disk option. When using the print to disk option the report can be found in the
“Arkona P2F Files” folder located on your desktop. Submitted by Sandi Jerome of Sandi Jerome Computer Consulting
For Reynolds & Reynolds ERA System Users

Run job 0370 and when the job is finished choose N to accept, put the job on hold and then Y to accept. Select the Report
Download Wizard icon or select Download Report Wizard from the Run menu. Choose Excel as the target file and choose
your report from hold entry window. Don’t forget to verify the download options and adjust the report columns as needed.
Before selecting finish be sure to select save setting as a template on the initial download or if any changes have been made
to columns or download options settings.
For Reynolds & Reynolds POWER (UCS) System Users

Reynolds’ (former UCS) customers using the POWER system can use the G/L Data Export function to download all G/L
account balance data, including budgets and historical balances, to an Excel file. To access the G/L Data Export screen,
simply click the G/L Data Export link on the Management Accounting (MAC) Main Menu screen or select MAC Functions – G/
L Data Export. Enter the path and file name for the location you want to store the file on your PC, and then press F12. Once
the message window displays that the export is complete, click the OK button. The downloaded balance information can then
be used to create reports, charts, and tables in Excel. Submitted by Landis Martin, Marketing Supervisor Reynolds &
Reynolds Company
For Dubuque Data Services Users

With the Customer Report Generator running for Advantage, open the created report "Trial Balance Report Export" into the
report generator. From the Toolbar, go to Files then to Export, then to Export Report. Select the format Separated Values
(CSV), click OK on the next screen to accept defaults, then select the directory you wish to save the report. Give the report a
name; click save. Submitted by Luke Behnke, Dubuque Data Applications Form Development
For ARG Users

For Executive Assistant users open Microsoft Excel and select File, Open and from the My Documents/ Businessline folder
choose the “Trail Balance.xls” file. After entering your ID and password the trial balance data will be automatically downloaded
to your PC and fully populate the Excel spreadsheet. Submitted by JoAnne Beringer of On-Site Services Inc.
Jim Skeans is the president of Jim Skeans Consulting Group LLC and has been in the automobile business for more than 25
years. Jim is a former senior consultant for an international automotive consulting group and has served in all of the traditional
dealership management and staff positions as well as director position with a large national dealership group.
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Dealer Magazine | April 2007
You Had to be There

by : Mike Roscoe

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“There” being the 2007 AAISP Digital Dealer Convention & Exposition. And if you didn’t go, or at least send your top Internet/e-
Commerce/ CRM/BDC person, you just messed up big time.
Here’s what you missed: over 400 attendees, 39 exhibitors, and over 170 dealership personnel in attendance. It was huge.
Oh, sure, since the original conference chairman dropped out in November, and the interim conference chairman dropped out
three weeks before the conference, there were some…bumps along the way. But I turned it over to my most trusted “go to”
guy…me. And with a little help from some conference professionals I contracted with late (OK, a lot of help), the response
we’ve gotten from attendees and exhibitors is that it was a smashing success.
Now, no question the tracks were laid at last year’s conference for this one to be great. And many dealership attendees were
second-time attendees, having benefited so much by attending last year’s conference. But the response was so positive…the
vibe so strong, I can’t believe your dealership(s) weren’t represented.
So do yourself a big favor…next time we do one of these conferences…get somebody from your dealership there! I put them
to work. This was not a vacation; these guys and gals worked hard. From 7:30am - 5:00pm, they were in workshops,
seminars, panel discussions…and in between breakfast, break, lunch, break, they were networking with their peers and
checking out the latest technology, applications and solutions at the exhibit booths. Even at the cocktail receptions each night
(only one hour…to keep ‘em fresh for the next day), these Internet sales managers, CRM/BDC managers, e-Commerce
directors, et al, were voraciously gathering information and data to help them do what they were hired to do…sell more cars.
Several of the exhibitors commented that this conference was better for them than the NADA Conference & Exposition
because there were many more of the people they want to talk to in attendance. A dealer commented that the dealership
attendees at the conference are the GMs of the future. Think about it.
Information on our next event will be out shortly. When you see it, sign somebody up from your store(s) immediately! This
conference actually sold out for both attendees and exhibitors. Don’t miss this valuable resource for the third time.
BTW, the guy on the cover, Lee Beaman…sold me a car. Actually, John Schmitz sold me the car, but I bought it from Beaman
Toyota – a 2007 4-Runner for my daughter Christina. My first car was a broken down Mercury Capri (“The sexy European”)
back in ’76; she gets a $30,000 brand new ride. Oh well, I guess it’s true; girls are for spoiling.
It’s interesting though, this is the third vehicle in a row I’ve bought sight unseen and without having driven it. Who’s got the
time? Six years ago I bought my 1995 Mercedes E 320 Cabriolet from Saphura Long at Long Mercedes of Chattanooga after
talking to her about it on the phone. Drove down to Chattanooga, bought it, drove it home. Three years ago I bought Amie’s
Escalade at Andrews Cadillac near home. Called Curry Andrews, picked one out, signed the papers, that’s it. And with the 4-
Runner, I talked to the GM, got the price I wanted, and bought it without ever driving it.
Now, of course, not everybody publishes Dealer magazine, so it might not be quite so simple. But everybody wants to buy
cars like this. That’s what the AAISP Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition is all about.
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CRM and Relationships: It is all about what you

know or don’t know
by : Chuck Barker

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Would you agree that great people drive greatness and without good people your business is just a sound check getting ready
for the real show? I do, and that is the message I wish to expound upon. There is a new concept that the new market
economy is taking stock in people. Without motivated, well-trained salespeople, CRM loses its most important component –
the relationship. Consider this – without first building solid relationships, it’s difficult to have loyal customers to manage. While
obvious, this reality is often overlooked. The solution is either re-tooling your current sales team, or finding a new one
equipped to build lasting customer relationships.
Now, if you haven’t been living on the Lost Island for the last few years, you’ve likely viewed the TV commercials for
eHarmony.com. Yep, I’m comparing automobile retail to online dating because eHarmony.com has a truly remarkable feature.
Behavioral profiling, like the method utilized by eHarmony, serves as a foundation for deep, lasting relationships. If behavioral
profiling is strong enough to launch long, loving marriages, its positive impact on your people and your customers could
possibly be outstanding as well. And while behavioral profiling can improve just about anything that involves people, we’re
going to delve into two specific situations for you to use in your dealership today.
Behavioral profiling for your employees

There are essentially four types of behavioral profiles, each having sub-profiles with various attribute traits. However, for the
most part each of the four major profiles are easily identified and there in lies the secrets or instructions in how to deal with
each exactly the way they want to be treated. Each behavioral profile has its strengths, as well as its weaknesses. As a
manger it’s vital that you understand the behavioral profile of each person belonging to your staff. This insight will help you
affirm each person’s positive actions, and alter his or her negative traits. Thus, help them be more successful in the long run.
Does your dealership have people who just don’t get along, or a team that just doesn’t seem to gel? If this is the case, the
solution may be found by utilizing the first step of behavioral profiling – awareness. As a manager, you should implement a
behavioral profiling program. Through the utilization of this type of program, each of your employees will learn about their own
behavior tendencies, and how their tendencies impact the people they interact with daily.
This will have a greater rippling effect than you would probably imagine because, by in large, most people aren’t aware how
much their actions, language choices, and verbal- and non-verbal communications affect how their communications are
received. The result of this hit-or-miss interpersonal connectivity prevents a group from totally harmonizing, and creates
unnecessary animosity among teammates. Once your people grasp the concept, continue to challenge each person to modify
his interpersonal communications to create harmony.
Managerial tip: The mouth can be used either as a weapon or a tool, hurting relationships or building them. Sadly, it is often
easier to destroy than to build, and most people have received more destructive comments than those that built them. Every
person you meet today is either a demolition site or a construction opportunity. Your words will make a difference. Will they be
weapons for destruction or tools for construction?
Behavioral profiling for your customers

The most basic foundation for selling vehicles is building relationships with your customers. If you don’t believe this, stop
reading this article and head back out to coerce and hammer on another fresh up. However, if you’re one of the many
dealerships to embrace this concept, behavioral profiling may be the missing link. Ten years ago, customer relationship
software was touted as the key to building and keeping relationships, and it’s taken most of that time for people to realize
CRM software is only a 10 percent part of the solution. CRM software is there to facilitate and help your people and
processes. The missing link, however, was and continues to be the human element, and more importantly, modifiable
interpersonal communication.
So here’s the solution: train your sales staff to identify its own and each customer’s behavioral profile and adjust its message
accordingly. If they can effectively, in a repeatable manner, practice active listening and message modification, everything will
get better! Sales will go up because more leads will be converted to completed deals. Gross margins will increase because
the focus of conversation will be moved off the topic of price and onto the relationship part of the business. And CSI will go
through the roof because customers will be sold directly at the level they are comfortable buying.
Getting started
If you have a regular training firm, give them a call to ask if they offer a course emphasizing behavioral or personality profiling
with communication adaptability. However, if you don’t have a training firm, or if your firm doesn’t have an applicable course,
send me an e-mail and I can point you in the right direction. The most import item to take from this article is that you need to
start embracing behavioral profiling while you’re still ahead of the curve. Make it a great place to work and your customers will

make it a great place to buy.
They are looking and watching.
Chuck Barker’s experience ranges from an executive with a Fortune 200 computer corporation to the automobile business.
He has held positions as business development manager, sales manager, acting GM, ADP executive regional manager
specializing in CRM and his own current company, Impact Marketing & Consulting Group, LLC, located in Virginia. His firm
delivers CRM process strategies, 21st century CRM sales training, CRM e-business deployment and CRM management
leadership workshops. More information can be located at his web site: www.impactgroupcrm.com.
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What Happens When your Phone Stops

Ringing?
by : David Hein

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As the market begins to pick up with advertising and sales in full swing, many dealerships are throwing money and customers
out the door with unstructured phone-up and Internet contact processes. There are simple ways to know where you stand and
how to capture more sales today.
The typical dealership has invested in development and training to make sure those salespeople, BDC staff and others are
prepared and qualified to handle customers when they call into the store. The industry overall spends close to a hundred
million dollars each year training their staffs. That is an important fact because it demonstrates that dealerships across North
America value their employees and invest in their development and growth. This investment will and should continue as we
grow into a stronger and more vibrant market.
After trainers leave the showroom, what is left? Was there lasting impact? Do you have ongoing value in the skills that are left
behind? In most cases the answer is yes. In every case, the benefit from training can be prolonged with just a few simple
steps.
Before you read any further, pick up your cell phone and call into the dealership as a customer from your most popular ad.
Listen to the call as a real buyer and ask/listen for the following:
• Did the receptionist answer the phone in a pleasant manner?
• Were you routed to the sales/BDC department quickly?
• How long were you on hold?
• When answered, did your dealership representative introduce himself or herself?
• Did the salesperson do anything to build rapport with the customer?
• Was anything said that helps to separate your dealership from anyone else in the market (excluding inventory or pricing)?
• Were you asked to set a time to come into the dealership?
• Did the salesperson ask for the correct spelling of your name, the best number to reach you during the day and for your e-
mail address?
• Do you feel good about how your dealership is represented on the phone?
As part of my daily activity, I shop 10 dealerships on the phone and 10 online. The experience is consistent regardless of
when or where I call, and rest assured that your Internet follow-up techniques are similar to how you handle phone-ups.
So, what can you do to make a difference? First of all, call your training company and thank it for the work it is doing. If you
were not investing in your staff, things would be much worse, you only need to call a few of the dealerships down the road to
see how bad it could be.
Making a difference starts with you. There is no magic and no easy way, but you can affect change today. First, make a quick
calculation of your cost per opportunity in your dealership:
1. Total advertising dollars spent last month:
2. Total number of ups logged:
3. Total number of Internet leads:
4. Total number of phone-ups:
Add lines 2, 3 and 4; those are the opportunities that were created by your advertising last month. Next, divide that number by
your total advertising expense. Now you have your opportunity cost, or the cost of each opportunity that you have in the given
month.

In studies that my company has performed, we have found that the average dealership spends $74 per opportunity. The
range is typically between $50 and $167, but the average dealership we have studied is spending $74 to make the phone ring
once.
In your managers’ meeting today, call your dealership on speakerphone. Have your managers listen for the same things you
just did. Then ask them why and what can be done about it. The room may be a little quieter than you would hope; that is ok.
Next, share with them your opportunity cost in the dealership and then suggest that your managers hold small group meetings
with the sales staff and review the call you listened to.
Because of the simple fact that you do not have as much control over the customer on a phone call as you do in the
showroom (it is even less when you look at e-mail), it is important that your phone calls focus on two simple ways to arrive at
an appointment. One – build rapport with the customers so they want to listen to you and two – sell the dealership, not the car!
The next biggest problem is that the typical dealership does not get enough phone calls in a given day to train your staff to
handle the calls well. Most likely they are not role-playing or warming up while the phone is ringing and therefore they are not
prepared to handle the calls effectively. That is why BDCs have become so prevalent in recent years. Even if you have a
BDC, you probably do not receive enough calls throughout the day to ensure that your staff is truly professional at handling
your phone ups.
You must create an environment where your dealership is continually focused on the importance and value of your phone ups.
This environment should be conducive to spontaneous role-playing and competitions on effectively handling calls. If you have
a call monitoring service, give everyone access to the calls and encourage that everyone listen to and evaluate your calls
publicly. You can probably find a call scoring system by searching for “call score card” on google.com. This is what the best
professional contact centers and outsourced BDCs do and it is how they keep their staffs better than everyone at any time.
Face it; cars are not easy to sell. If you try and sell cars over the phone, you will see fewer customers in your showroom and
you will sell fewer cars. You know how expensive it is to make your phone ring; you cannot afford to miss the opportunity
when it comes.
Sleep, eat and breathe opportunity cost with your managers and ask everyone how they are making sure they are ready for
the next opportunity that calls.
Dave Hein is president and CEO of yourDealer.net, a business development center service and consulting firm servicing
dealerships throughout North America. Mr. Hein has been providing dealerships in-depth training and support services for the
past 15 years through companies such as ADP, Proquest Co., AuctionAuto, Traver Technologies and other leading
automotive service businesses.
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Starting a Business Development Center

by : Rick McLey

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There must be a plan and sufficient resources to implement a sound business development plan. Those resources include
investment in several areas.
First, a training budget designed to equip managers and staff in business development skills and application. The heart of
change is rooted in mental ascension beyond ego, keying on purpose and reward. Lots of people in dealerships say they’ll
change, but continue in paths of mediocrity. Change imposed is often change opposed. Real changes come from mental
ownership, benefit and buy in. It is evidenced in results.
Second, there needs to be an ongoing commitment toward recruiting and developing the next generation of sales consultants
and managers. We’re in the people business before we’re in the car business. These consultants and managers will be
recruited, selected and trained, with heavy emphasis on developing skills that create self-generated sales opportunities.
Third, a commitment to cultural change is necessary. Different for difference sake is a waste. Difference by design is the
dealership of the next millennium. The sensitive guy approach is a great starting point. Anchoring new branding to
management generated core values and mission statements will create a host climate for accelerated customer satisfaction.
Some proven strategies

In the case of multiple locations, allow each general manager and their key managers to participate in the design and creation
of their business development process. Some may want rooms, some may want outsourced follow up, and some may have
other ideas. If they design it, build it and take ownership of it, they will become participants and beneficiaries. They must be
guided in that process, but allowed latitude to personalize for their store and staff.
Automate each store’s data collection process for opportunities to do business. There’s incredibly inexpensive leading edge
software out there, for just hundreds of dollars each month. It will track every phone and incoming opportunity. To do anything
less is penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Remove logging of showroom traffic as an option in sales consultants’ and managers’ job descriptions – it needs to be a
requirement. Outline the benefits then hold everyone accountable. Gain control of incoming phone opportunities with a center
staffed by specialists trained to set appointments. Begin developing existing staff and hiring new sales consultants who
understand the term “wait” is not in their job description. Create new job descriptions that change the opportunity
enhancement paradigm for both sales consultants and managers. Fund this by creating a training and development
certification program for both new and existing staff. Initiate a value-based tuition and reimbursement program linked to tenure
and job performance. Again, it’s the people business, and it behooves us to develop our greatest asset, our people. Teach
managers to lead, teach salespeople to create opportunities, create environments for value clarification and mission
statements in each store. Raise customer satisfaction and productivity by reducing turnover. In doing so, you have truly
accomplished business and dealership development.
Rick McLey is the president of ADSI in Denver, Colorado.
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It’s No Flash in the Pan

by : Jason Ezell

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As the Internet has developed and grown, users have been continually enjoying a vibrant rich media experience. I’d like to
take a minute and bring some of our readers up to speed with some background. The term rich media refers to the
technologies that bring a web page to life. In the beginning there was text and only text. It was good for getting information,
but very boring. Along came simple animated graphic files to spice things up a bit. You remember those images with a
construction worker digging a hole and the text saying, “Under Construction,” and those annoying blinking banner ads. Then
the world started to change in 1996 with the debut of a software program called Future Splash Animator. Microsoft and Disney
immediately jumped on the technology and used it to create a TV-like experience on the Internet. But, remember in those
days most users were still using dial-up modems, so it took a long time to download and enjoy these graphics.
Fast-forward to today, that program is now called Adobe Flash, and just about every computer in the world comes with the
Flash player already installed on the system. Today a majority of users in the United States are on broadband connections,
which make for a much more robust experience when surfing the web. Now, let’s move to dealership web design.
At the recent NADA event in Las Vegas, I heard a speaker say to dealers in the audience that if your web developer uses
Flash for your web site you should fire him. That stopped me in my tracks. This Luddite was sharing misinformation with an
audience that in all likelihood were technophobes unaware of the facts regarding the topic.
In reality the speaker was partially correct, but it’s like saying, “All cars are gas guzzlers.” We all know that some cars are and
some are not. If a developer uses Flash for most of the site and does not integrate with regular code (HTML) or alternatives
like Coldfusion, then there could be issues with recognition with various search engines and the optimization of the site for
search engine marketing. This was indeed the situation when some web developers jumped on the Flash bandwagon early
on, and created “pretty sites” without the underlying architecture to please the search engine spiders. Most developers now
working in the automotive arena are aware of this and have redesigned their sites to take advantage of the technology to both
maximize visibility in search engines and to give the user a more dynamic experience on the dealers’ site.
I was surfing the web recently and guess which auto groups are using Flash on their dealer websites? The list includes
AutoNation, Asbury Automotive Group, United Auto Group, Sonic Automotive, the Hendrick Automotive Group, and many
more of the top regional dealerships across the country. These are the top dealer groups in the country and I find it hard to
believe they would use a technology that would inhibit search engines from finding all the valuable information on their sites.
The cutting-edge dealers using Flash recognize where and how it enhances the visit to their sites. Many are using an
introductory video of the owner welcoming the user to the site and speaking briefly about their commitment to their customers.
Others showcase their inventory and utilize a virtual slide show to show off those vehicles. The Flash or rich media experience
also lets dealers put on their creative thinking caps.
One dealer, Nelson Mazda in Tulsa, Oklahoma, uses this technology to highlight the new Mazda CX-7. When a user comes to
its home page (www.nelsonmazdaok.com) they see the new CX-7 driving across the screen. It goes through the main section,
which is a photograph of the new showroom taken at night. Navigation links above and below the main area are not blocked
by the Flash image, so users can easily click to view inventory, build a vehicle or obtain information on the service
department.
Another area where dealers are leveraging the power of Flash is on their vehicle configurator. Flash creates a smooth
process, showing off various color choices, interior choices and works quickly to prepare the specifications and pricing for the
consumer. A click on the Quick Quote link allows the user to enter some info and submit the request to the dealer. Keeping
clicks to a minimum maximizes the experience and keeps users from abandoning the site.
New ways are being found all the time on how companies can provide a better online experience for their prospects and
customers. What you want to remember is technology is there to support the solid foundation that you have built for your
company and your brand. It is not a crutch that can overcome other issues that you have within your business. As Obi-wan
said to Luke Skywalker, “Use the Force wisely.”
Jason Ezell is one of Dealerskins’ original founders. Since the company’s acquisition by Trader Publishing in 2005, Jason
serves as national sales director. He is on the board of directors for the AAISP and vendor representative on the J.D.Power
Internet Roundtable.

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Bring in the Robots

by : Sandi Jerome

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Can you replace your employees with robots? For every dealer who has had to fire an employee for theft or misconduct – I’m
sure they were excited with the recent prediction by Bill Gates that robots will lead the next major technology front. He
forecasted that the robot industry will grow the way computers did 20 years ago and be accepted in most homes and
businesses.
I had read Gates’ article in Scientific American before going to NADA this year and I was amazed to see new technology that
was performing very robot-like. The first was a new vehicle inventory and tracking solution. Anybody who has taken a physical
used inventory in Minnesota in January (like I have) would appreciate sending a robot out to do that job. MyDealerLot (www.
mydealerlot.com) has developed a real-time wi-fi vehicle tracking solution that uses radio wave technology (RFID) in
conjunction with a dealership’s existing wireless network infrastructure, to provide an “always-on” view of a dealership’s
inventory. What this means for you is that MyDealerLot tracks the inventory on your lot so you don’t have to send humans out
there to do it. Tags affixed to your vehicle’s rear-view mirrors beacon signals back to a wall-mounted device that creates a
graphical map of your dealership lot online. You can check it from anywhere and at any time – even from home. The system
helps your sales staff locate vehicles, tells you when a vehicle has been taken out for a test drive and can even help with
audits by showing the exact date and time a vehicle was sold and out of your store. It also provides marketing tools and
analytical reports for future forecasting – another thing that humans hate doing.
Few employees like making follow-up or telemarketing calls, and nobody likes stuffing envelopes or typing e-mails. CIMA
Systems (www.cimasystems.net) has automated this process to enable you to continually communicate with your customers
in the method the customer prefers, by e-mail, phone call or text message. The system draws customer information in from a
DMS and uses it to send automated marketing and service campaigns to customers in their chosen communication style. If
the customer prefers a phone call, CIMA will automatically call the customer with a pre-recorded message.
E-mail? An e-mail will be sent with the information. It can even text message a cell phone if that’s the way the customer wants
to be contacted. Better yet, customers can then schedule their next service appointment online or over the phone; all without
having to wait on hold for your overworked service advisor or receptionist. In addition, using CIMA ServiceDriver, customers
can pick and choose the services they need completed in the service bay from an online menu that does everything from
tabulate the estimated cost of repairs to run audio/video clips of different procedures. Does this mean that CIMA will replace
our service advisors? Probably not yet – but for the busy customer, this new technology will do to service write up what ATMs
did for bank tellers.
Not many of your employees like to write, so creating a newsletter is a painful chore. To solve this problem, IMakeNews (IMN)
(www.imakenews.com) sends dealerships pre-written lifestyle content articles in e-newsletter format. The dealer can either
accept the articles as-is or enter his own customized dealership articles. After approval, they upload the list and voila – IMN
sends the dealership-branded newsletter to each customer. The system even enables a customer to opt out of future mailings
and takes them off the list. In addition, the system gives customers buttons such as “Schedule a Service Appointment” or
“Schedule a Test Drive” throughout the content, giving dealerships additional leads from right within the newsletter, with no
work needed on the dealer’s part.
I still remember when I was an accounts payable clerk and brought a big stack of checks into my boss’s office for signing. He
would complain about having to sign all those checks without even thinking about how much effort it took for me to type (yes,
before check writer software,) tear apart and later post into the computer. A new system on the market, Zevez,(www.zevez.
com) enables you to not only automate the check writing process, but eliminate signing them too! With a new interface to your
DMS system, Zevez will pay vendors automatically via your credit card. The best part is while you’re automating your
payables, you’re racking up credit card reward points. This means that instead of staying late to sign checks, you’ll be jumping
on the next flight to the Bahamas.
Are these new automated processes the start of Gates’ forecasted robot generation? Let’s hope so. I never enjoyed being an
accounts payable clerk, but I did love the jobs that made profit for the dealership – like F&I and fixed operations manager. If
we can automate the positions that are hard to recruit, train, and retain staff for, we can trim our employees down to only
those who generate gross profit and love what they do. Bring in the robots!
Sandi Jerome is a former controller, CFO, system administrator, F&I, assistant GM, and fixed operations manager with over
30 years experience in the automotive industry. She is the owner of Sandi Jerome Computer Consulting.

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Digital Dealer e-mail

by : Digital Dealer

Email This Article
Digital Dealer welcomes your letters and after verification will run them signed or unsigned. Letters may be edited for
space and clarity. Send letters to sjerome@DigitalDealer-magazine.com.
Industry Expert Feedback

Hi Sandi,
It’s nice to see that you are back! I am working for an owner of a dealership who has some different ideas than mine on how
an Internet department is supposed to run and operate. He has asked me to come up with a different pay plan. I would really
appreciate your help.
I read your article in the February 2006 Digital Dealer titled “Pay Plans for the Internet Manager” and was hoping you could
send the results of the CSI scores and the gross profit averages from that article.
Thank you for your time; I do appreciate it.
Joe Trani
Internet Sales Manager
Dayton Toyota/Scion
Dayton, NJ
jtrani@daytonauto.net
Hi Joe,
It’s great to be back! To see how the pay plan worked out, just visit www.sandijerome.com and click on Pay Plan Wizard, then

click on View Contents and scroll down to Paul’s case study. Good luck with your own pay plan.
Thanks!
Sandi
Dear Michael Waldrop,

I am the Internet manager at Honda of Ocala. I took over the Internet department on December 15, 2006. At that time our
Internet department was doing around seven to 12 cars per month and using many third-party lead providers. In the month of
December we sold 44 cars. In January we sold 49 cars (with only one lead provider). In February we sold 53 cars and are
promoting the web site more so than buying third-party leads. The biggest problem that I am having now is that I have to
argue with the new car managers on every other sold vehicle as to whether the customer is an Internet customer or not, even
though I have proof of my department sending price quotes as well as e-mail.
How can you determine if someone is an Internet customer or not?

Thank you,
Jose Alonso
Internet Manager
Honda of Ocala
Ocala, FL
jalonso@hondaofocala.com
Jose,
Congratulations on your success in growing an Internet department that quickly. Unfortunately, there is always going to be
resistance when there is a dramatic increase in sales. Time will heal all wounds. You are on the right track in supplying
backup to all of your deals. Just make sure that you have good CRM that will allow you to print off the original lead and track
your incoming phone calls. Your sales managers will soon realize that your success is actually part of their pay plan and you
will start to get the support that is deserved.
To answer your question, we define an Internet sale as a sale (1) to a customer who either initiates a traceable contact (i.e. an
Internet lead management system) with the dealership via the Internet, and receives information and other follow-up from an
Internet sales team member, or contacts an Internet sales team member by e-mail, phone, or personal contact because of
information obtained on the Internet and (2) for which an Internet sales team member receives at least 50 percent
compensation. Reports are generated by the comptrollers.
Please feel free to contact me with any further questions.

Michael Waldrop
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Digital Dealer Industry & Tech News

by : Digital Dealer

Email This Article
MPK Automotive Systems partners with bridgeSpeak

MPK Automotive Systems, developer of a Microsoft-based dealer management system (DMS), has partnered with
bridgeSpeak to bring franchised automotive dealers a convenient and powerful way to connect their DMS with their phone
system to help improve all aspects of customer communication.
bridgeSpeak is a leading provider of speech-enabled interactive voice response (IVR) solutions for auto dealers.
bridgeSpeak’s Automotive Retail (AR) solution is built on Microsoft Speech Server, an IVR and speech recognition platform.
bridgeSpeak AR unifies a dealership’s computer and phone systems, automating inbound calls, streamlining service
scheduling and enabling proactive customer communications.
bridgeSpeak’s speech-enabled inbound auto attendant helps ensure that every customer call is promptly and consistently
answered and quickly directed to the right person or department. Another component of the system generates outbound
service appointment reminder calls to customers, helping minimize service downtime. bridgeSpeak’s outbound calling feature
also integrates with dealers’ promotions and customer databases, enabling each communication to include relevant
promotional offers. bridgeSpeak also contacts customers regarding recalls, special orders and other offerings.
MPK’s full suite of fully integrated DMS modules, including accounting, sales, parts, service, payroll, CRM and F&I menu
selling work together with bridgeSpeak’s certified speech applications, helping to deliver information quickly and accurately to
the people who need it most. Being able to communicate real-time postings and up-to-the-minute access to financial,
customer and vehicle information helps MPK’s DMS provide a positive return on investment (ROI) for both the dealership and
the customer. www.bridgespeak.com
www.mpkauto.com
5square.com adds new automated follow-up tool

5square.com, which delivers sales process automation software to automotive dealerships, has released an automated follow-
up tool. The new tool is built right into the overall 5square.com web-based system and greatly expands upon the previous
follow-up functionality. It includes features specifically requested by dealers to help improve prospect follow-up that to date
have not been available in sales process software.
The new tool is the first of its kind to specifically link each lead to an automated follow-up schedule that allows dealerships to
tailor follow-up by lead source and the reason the customer left. It ties directly into how the dealership is spending to get
prospects into the store and then targets why they leave to get them back into the store. The tool forces more discipline inside
the store as management can set a specific follow-up schedule, which automatically enforces follow-up.
When a customer leaves without making a purchase, the reason they have left is logged into the computer: conducting more
research, credit challenged, bringing back spouse, etc., and a pull down menu directly links to a follow-up schedule. For
instance, the credit challenged individual can be offered credit-counseling services.
The follow-up schedule is also linked to the source the lead originally came from: a newspaper ad, AAA, OEM, web site, etc.,
and a schedule of follow-up events is tied to how that specific buyer behaves with a schedule of calls, tailored e-mails and
letters. E-mails and letters are sent automatically with no salesperson intervention. For telephone calls the task appears
automatically on their work plan to prompt them to place the call. The salesperson simply clicks on the icon and it pulls up the
customer record so the call can be made. www.5square.com
AutoSoft dealers benefit from enhanced Ford factory integration

Oxlo Systems Inc., the operator of the leading dealer integration network, and AutoSoft International, Inc., North America’s
third largest dealer management system (DMS) vendor and one of four DMS vendors recently selected by GM to provide
integrated dealership management systems (IDMS) in North America, have announced the availability of a new enhanced
integration to Ford Motor Company’s dealer communications system.
Oxlo and AutoSoft announced their plans in December, and as scheduled in that previous announcement, they began a pilot
in January running live dealer operational data through the new managed Internet communications package, along with four
new interfaces to Ford.
The enhanced communications package for AutoSoft’s Ford dealers replaces the current VPN solution with managed Internet
communications. AutoSoft is now out of pilot and actively offering this new solution to its Ford dealers. www.autosoft-asi.com
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IMN Loyalty Driver - newsletters auto dealerships, manage lists, send as HTML email, track results.
Loyalty Driver™
Welcome to Loyalty Driver - the customized e-

newsletter service created by IMN just for
successful automotive dealerships like yours
Customized to Build
Your Brand Loyalty Driver is an affordable online
How Loyalty Driver
communications tool that lets you:
Works
■ Keep in touch with customers
Anatomy of an e-
on a regular basis
Newsletter
■ Send customers valuable
Frequently Asked information and promotions
Questions about your dealership and your
vehicles
Getting Started
■ Grow loyalty to both your retail
Press Room business and your service bays
■ Track where customers are in
their automobile buying cycle
■ Build new customer
relationships through an
embedded referral function
If you're like most dealerships, you

don't have the resources on staff to
deliver a professional e-newsletter on
a regular basis with meaningful and
timely promotions and articles.
Loyalty Driver solves the problem

and lets you take full advantage of
the Internet - the most efficient and
effective tool for showing your
customers their business means a lot
to you.
Better yet, we do all the work behind

the scenes while you get all the
brand recognition and credit.
http://loyaltydriver.imninc.com/ (1 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:13:55 PM]

IMN Loyalty Driver - newsletters auto dealerships, manage lists, send as HTML email, track results.
"We take e-Commerce very seriously at The Herb

Chambers Companies and to that end our Internet
vehicle sales have increased steadily month over
month. This is due in large part to the training, tools
and services we employ to communicate regularly with
our growing existing and new customer base. Among
them is the use of content-rich "lifestyle" e-newsletters,
emailed monthly to our opt-in subscriber base. Since
Internet marketing focuses on leveraging sales by
driving customers and prospects to our web site to
begin the sales cycle - we've seen as much as a 33%
increase in our monthly unique visitors to our web site
originating from our e-newsletter program. And that
translates into additional sales."
Jay Gubala
E-Commerce General Manager
The Herb Chambers Companies
© 2007 iMakeNews, Inc. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Email Policy
IMN Loyalty Driver is a Trademark of iMakeNews, Inc.
http://loyaltydriver.imninc.com/ (2 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:13:55 PM]

Digital Dealer Newsletter
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 Issue 15 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 15
AAISP Digital Dealer Conference & Expo Highlights
Speaker notes: Dale Pollack of vAuto

More than 87 percent of all car buyers use the Internet prior to purchasing an automobile, so it’s
crucial for dealers to connect the Internet and their pre-owned departments. Dale Pollack, chairman
of vAuto, revealed what he called “three killer strategies” to achieve used vehicle Internet success
at this year’s AAISP Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition.
[FULL STORY]
News
Interactive tools gaining ground in vehicle shoppers arsenal Digital Dealer Survey
A recent report by CapGemini shows auto shoppers are increasing the tools they use when looking
for the perfect new vehicle. Not surprisingly, the highest rated sources for new vehicle research Do you currently use
pay-per-click (PPC)
were manufacturer Web sites (45 percent) and dealer Web sites (43 percent). What is surprising, advertising to promote
however, is the emergence of interactive tools like RSS feeds and blogs on the scene and how your dealership?
vehicle shoppers are using these tools to make their final decision before purchase.
[FULL STORY]
If so, what do you use?
Google AdWords
Yahoo! Search
Marketing
Other
All of the above
Submit
New York Times introduces new auto blog, vehicle content
This week NYTimes.com announced the relaunch of its Automobiles site including: expanded See results next week
content from both The New York Times and trusted industry sources, as well as a new listings
section and a new vertical navigation.
[FULL STORY]
http://www.digitaldealernewsletter.com/ (1 of 5) [4/17/2007 8:14:07 PM]

AutoNation to label fuel-efficient vehicles

AutoNation Inc., the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based automotive retailer, in response to increasing
consumer demand for vehicles that are fuel efficient or offer other environmentally friendly
emerging technologies, will launch its E-Vehicle program in partnership with consumer Web site
Edmunds.com. The company has 327 dealership franchises in 16 states.
[FULL STORY]
Take our Web poll

We'd like to hear from you. Let us know what you think about the current topic by taking the poll at
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Motormouth Audio to launch online sales pitches

Eatontown, New Jersey-based Motormouth Audio, provider of audio selling tools for dealership
Web sites was recently featured in the New York Times article, "The Sales Pitch, Minus Salesmen"
for their soon to be launched line of studio-produced audio sales pitches. According to the article,
Motormouth Audio plans to produce a pitch for almost every manufacturer and should appear
online in May. Visit Motormouth Audio for more information.
Byrider still cruising one year after tragedy

Although the accidental death of J.D. Byrider founder Jim DeVoe was a year ago today, the nation’s
oldest and largest used-car franchise and finance company reports that his legacy is stronger than
ever. Byrider posted record sales and customer satisfaction levels in the past year, licensed an
unprecedented number of dealerships, and took steps to attract an increasing number of new-car
dealers as franchisees.
[FULL STORY]

AutoTrader.com enhances customization of popular site feature

AutoTrader.com announced several enhancements to its popular MyAutoTrader.com feature—a
function that allows consumers to save vehicles and searches to their own personal “shopping
cart”—to provide car shoppers with additional convenience and flexibility throughout the car
shopping process. The over 850,000 registered users of MyAutoTrader.com will now have the
opportunity to receive e-mail alerts when newly-listed cars are added to the site and will also have SUBSCRIBE
the option to filter searches to reveal only recently-posted vehicles to the site. Click to read the Email Address:
announcement.
✔
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Dealerskins partners with DealerCentric Solutions
Dealerskins, provider of automotive dealer Web solutions, announced a partnership and integration
with DealerCentric Solutions (DCS) to incorporate the DCS "Get Pre-Approved in Seconds" City:
program into its Web sites. The program pre-approves customers online within seconds, based on
Dealer defined credit criteria. The "Quick App" is customized to the look of the Dealer's Web site
and can be integrated into Lead Generation and CRM systems. Click to read the announcement.
State/Province/Region
Postal Code:
Phone Number:
Submit
ARCHIVE
NADAguides and Experian extend partnership Issue 14
NADAguides.com and Experian Automotive announced they have extended their partnership April 4, 2007
through December 2009. With this extended relationship, NADAguides.com visitors will continue to Vol. 2 Issue 14
have access to Experian Automotive's leading AutoCheck(R) vehicle history information which Issue 13
leverages the Experian National Vehicle database to power NADAguides.com Vehicle History March 29, 2007
Reports. Click to read the announcement. Vol. 2 Issue 13
Issue 12
March 22, 2007
Vol. 2 Issue 12
[MORE]

Akrona partners with AskPatty.com to help dealers reach women

Dealer management system provider, Akrona has partnered with AskPatty.com, an
automotive Web site for women, to provide dealerships with more comprehensive sales and
marketing packages as well as an improved programs to reach out to female car shoppers. Click to
read the announcement.
The Best of Digital Dealer magazine
If it's not working, just change channels

by Jim Roche
We have just closed the books on 2006. When the data are published we will see that we had yet
another hyper-competitive year, with dealers spending nearly $8 billion dollars in order to attain and
retain customers.
This will average approximately $470 per new vehicle sold. This is a huge drain
on profit margins and therefore competitiveness – dealers must find a way to
simultaneously reduce this expense while increasing its effectiveness. Read
more.
Dealer Advocate
Playing with the short stack

by Jim Ziegler
Debbie and I just got back from the 2007 NADA Convention in Las Vegas. What an incredible
experience. It doesn’t get any better than this. The convention is the one event
that highlights our year. And nothing is more fun than writing
the convention article every year. This is my play-by-play of
what I saw and heard...complete with Ziegler commentary...
as well as telling which old friends I bumped into and what
new friends I made. Let me warn you in advance, I may
have more than one snifter of Louis XIII Cognac before I get
to the end, so there’s a possibility the sarcasm may
incrementally escalate. In Dealer magazine
On the Web

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Sell More Vehicles to Women! CRM That Buzzes

April 2007 Current Issue

Digital Dealer Interview

Will your Internet Department Sink or Swim?

First Day ROI

What Happens When your Phone Stops Ringing?

Starting a Business Development Center

It’s No Flash in the Pan

http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/index.asp?page=7 (2 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:04 PM]

FREE Weekly eNewsletters Sell More Vehicles to Women!

Current Articles In Our Current Issue

The Ostrich Says, "Its All Your Fault"

Crafting a Buy/Sell Agreement to Avoid Litigation

Mike Shaw : Mike Shaw Automotive Group

http://www.dealer-magazine.com/ (1 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:28 PM]

It would not have much impact

It would help our bottom line

The Risks of Spot Delivery It would hurt future sales

http://www.dealer-magazine.com/ (2 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:28 PM]

Lista: Making Workspace Work Wake Up Your Parts Inventory

Current Articles In Our Current Issue

Customer Follow-up: The Key to a Busy Service Department

It's All About the Skills

http://dfo-magazine.com/ (1 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:40 PM]

You Have a Need for Speed View Previous Polls

A Dearth of Tow Trucks and Other Current Trends

http://dfo-magazine.com/ (2 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:40 PM]

Sell More Vehicles to Women! CRM That Buzzes

Current Articles In Our Current Issue

What Kind of Customer Do You Want?

Nice Guys Finish First

http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/ (1 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:42 PM]

Elliott Bourne III - Internet Manager, Honda of Bowie

http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/ (2 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:42 PM]

Sell More Vehicles to Women! CRM That Buzzes

2007 Back Issues

January 2007 Digital Dealer

February 2007 Digital Dealer

March 2007 Digital Dealer

April 2007 Digital Dealer

2006 Back Issues

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May 2006 Digital Dealer Vote

July 2006 Digital Dealer View Previous Polls

August 2006 Digital Dealer

September 2006 Digital Dealer

October 2006 Digital Dealer

November 2006 Digital Dealer

December 2006 Digital Dealer

2005 Back Issues

August 2005 Digital Dealer

September 2005 Digital Dealer

October 2005 Digital Dealer

November 2005 Digital Dealer

December 2005 Digital Dealer

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Sell More Vehicles to Women! CRM That Buzzes

Auto Industry Calender of Events In Our Current Issue

Industry Events Consumer Events

October 4- 8, 2006 - Aneheim, CA

http://www.digitaldealer-magazine.com/index.asp?page=2 (1 of 2) [4/17/2007 8:11:48 PM]

Annual SEMA Show for the Specialty Automotive Equipment