Just because a customer ends up not buying a car from a particular dealership doesn't mean that store can't get the vehicle owner's ensuing service work. To win that business requires heads-up marketing that uses information from a dealership's...
A growing number of car buyers are using website consumer reviews to decide which auto dealerships to visit. Car buyers want to know how a store stacks up, says Kathy Kimmel, director-training for Cars.com. Nearly one in three used-car Internet...
Autobytel Inc., a provider of automotive online consumer purchase requests and marketing resources, has acquired privately held Cyber Ventures Inc. and Autotropolis Inc. The two Tampa, FL, entities generate and sell high-volume in-market consumer...
When it comes to customer-relationship management, too many dealers are leaving money on the table, says Steve Lane, an instructor with the National Automobile Dealers Assn.'s Dealer Academy. Inadequate training with CRM tools and technology, lack...
Internet sales-lead provider Dealix is now working with AOL Autos to carry all UsedCars.com dealers' inventory within the AOL Autos marketplace. Dealix UsedCars.com customers will receive placement in search results, giving them access to online...
Each week our company e-mystery shops dealerships all over the country and we find right and wrong ways to assist customers who submit online inquiries. A recent shopping project I completed for a 20 Group was telling in how some Internet sales...
A good email subject line is like a good book cover. It looks interesting enough to open. Auto dealers should keep that in mind when using emails to communicate with customers. Emails with dull subject lines typically end up unread and in the e...
Auto retailing, like every industry today, is being forced to measure and account for their marketing spending. In an economic climate where dealerships may be working hard just to sell enough cars to keep their business afloat, dealers especially...
Among the 77% of new-vehicle buyers who use the Internet in the shopping process, more than two-thirds visit at least one auto maker website in the six months leading up to purchase, while nearly 80% visit at least one third-party website. So says...
Someone from a Detroit auto consultancy was recently overheard giving a new hire a quick characterization of dealer-auto maker relations. They hate each other, he told her. Well, it's more complicated than that. Sometimes, the two groups see eye...