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Industry News in the Last 24 |
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January 26, 2010 |
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 A Tale Of Two Car Markets
GM struggles to stay afloat in its home market, but China sales will reach 2+ million and the automaker outpaces its competitors there. GM has experienced a 67 percent rise in China sales in 2009, while the overall market has seen a rise of 46 percent.
Forbes.com, January 25, 2010
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 Revamped Brands are Key to Chrysler Turnaround
Improved quality and exciting new models are part of the strategy needed to ensure a successful Chrysler turnaround plan. In interview, Dodge brand chief Ralph Gilles, designer of Chrysler 300 and 2009 Dodge Ram pickup, feels confident the company has the right stuff to make it work.
Detroit News, January 25, 2010
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 Over 900 Car Dealers Try to Get Businesses Back
The cost high and the outcome uncertain, but Chrysler dealer Michael Wolf, Plymouth, WI, is one of several hundred Chrysler and GM dealers fighting to retain a business he and his wife have owned for 22 years, having at times achieved the highest customer service rating in the country.
MSNBC.msn.com, January 24, 2010
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WHAT'S SIGNIFICANT THIS WEEK IN THE NEWS |
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Rebuilding Floorplan Financing
NADA officials are working to help dealers secure floorplanning and commercial real estate loans. Auction companies have helped with some used-vehicle financing, but franchise dealers need new-vehicle financing.
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Major Cities will be the First Electric-Car Hubs, Study Says
Electric vehicles sold by 2015 will primarily be plug-in hybrids and concentrated in large cities. Establishing a recharging network will be critical to success on all electric vehicles even though most recharging will happen at home.
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A Glimpse at Trends for 2010
Chrysler is showing off its large stalwarts such as Chrysler 300 , but the fuel-efficient Ford Fiesta and Chevrolet Cruze won out for its two crosstown competitors. Engines that save fuel but don't sacrifice performance are taking center stage in 2010.
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 Tips for Creating an Effective Mobile Presence for Your Store
Today’s on-the-go car buyers want on-the-go access to information about the vehicles they’re considering. A website optimized for today’s portable internet devices allows you to reach them with your listings and positions you to win their business. Let’s look at three tips to help you connect with in-market buyers.
1. Be ready for the small screen
Create a pleasant shopping experience for your prospects by including only the most essential information. Rather than offering everything from your store’s traditional website, focus on the basics: your full inventory and your telephone and email contact information. Shopping tools such as payment calculators and directions to your dealership also are useful.
2. Keep the clicks to a minimum
Connect car buyers to your inventory as quickly as possible. Tools that refine their search results based on make/model combinations, mileage, model year, and price allow customers to begin looking at actual vehicles within a few moments.
3. Ensure your inventory is current and complete
Help car buyers make a purchase from your store by featuring all the vehicles you carry. As they weigh their options and move toward a decision, shoppers often shift from new, used, and certified to find the right fit. Your mobile site should feature all your options.
Ralph D. Ebersole, director of training for DealerAdvantage, can be reached at www.cars.com.
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 Dealers -- Optimize Your Paid Search Advertising
Internet search engines have become an integral part of the American, and global, shopping scene. Car shopping is no exception. When properly done, paid placement ads put the consumer and the dealer in touch with each other quickly and effectively. This study brings out some valuable and interesting information on the used vehicle market in the U.S. and how effectively these ads are at reaching consumers and driving them into your dealership. Click here or click on the image to hone in on the results of 992 in-house dealer sites, online properties by manufacturers and OEMs and 3rd-party dealer site-builders.
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 First Automotive Dealer Inventory Facebook App Available!
GOSO, a web and social media marketing suite on the forefront of social media innovations for the automotive industry, is proud to unveil a new Facebook application for automotive dealers that will allow them to seamlessly connect their inventory to their Facebook Page. The new application is the first of its kind and it pulls up-to-date inventory from their dealer management system. The Facebook application is currently available to dealerships accepted into GOSO’s invitation-only BETA program. The Facebook application and GOSO’s entire suite of tools and services will be publicly available in Spring of 2010. You can request a BETA invite by visiting our website at www.goso.com.
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Automated Customer Approval Process Builds Trust
Come Visit us at NADA Booth #590
ClearMechanic enables service personnel to visually present repair needs while automating the customer approval process. The simple-to-use online platform automatically associates videos and repair explanations with the problem area providing visibility during the repair, resulting in higher up-sell conversions and a strong ROI for service centers. We'll be demonstrating the system during the convention in Orlando! To schedule a demo contact Brad Simmons.
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Most Comprehensive CRM Solution Available Today
Visit Us At Booth #2833 While At NADA!
DealerSocket automotive CRM solution allows dealers to save time, save money, and improve sales staff effectiveness with the power to manage sales, service, CSI and marketing in one complete tool for all dealership departments. One solution produces results you’ll see every month through increased sales, better service, higher gross -- saving you time and reducing your advertising expenses. More info available at www.dealersocket.com.
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WAAI Spirit of Leadership Awards Luncheon Held at NADA
Marilynn Youngs To Be Honored at WAAI
The 11th Annual Spirit of Leadership Awards luncheon will take place at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on February 13, 2010. One of the recipients to be honored is Marilynn Youngs, senior director of NADA University in Marketing and Sales.
Founded in 1995, Women's Automotive Association International recognizes outstanding women for their professional achievements. More reservation info at www.waai.com.
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 100 Ways To Measure Social Media
By Avi Savar
The topic of Social Media Marketing ROI is hotter than ever. With most brands now mandated to develop a social strategy, marketers are searching for ways to validate, justify and measure their efforts. MediaPost’s David Berkowitz wrote a great list of 100 things they can start with! OK, so you don’t really need to worry about all 100 — but it just goes to show you that there’s a lot Social Marketing can give back in the form of data. All of which is measurable and quantifiable.
Some entries can be interpreted several ways. Depending on how you define them, some of these metrics may seem redundant, while others may seem so broad that they can be broken out further. Many of these can be combined with each other to create new metrics that can then be tracked over time. It’s a start, though, so dive in and consider which ones may apply to programs you’re working on.
If there’s anyone out there left who says you can’t measure social media, here are a hundred answers...!
Avi Savar is a marketing specialist and can be reached at avis@bigfuel.com. David Berkowitz can be reached at www.360i.com.
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Automotive Internet Media Re-launches Autosales.com
Automotive Internet Media Inc. (AIM), provider of leads to the auto industry, has re-launched Autosales.com. Every day millions of people use search engines such as Google and Yahoo to search for new and used vehicles. Provides dealerships ability to reach customers they otherwise would be missing lack of high search ranking, own their brand in their respective market. More info at AIM or AutoSales.
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DealerSocket Acquires Carmind
Leading automotive CRM provider DealerSocket completed acquisition of Carmind, provider of online sales training tools, to be marketed as a product line inside the DealerSocket suite of products. Features scientifically-developed multimedia courses on consistent weekly basis with 100% measured results to ensure dealers of the best sales and service opportunities. Carmind CEO says "We're car guys ourselves" giving them an advantage for dealers and consumers. For more info visit DealerSocket or www.carmind.com.
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New Service Solution to Visually Sell Auto Repairs
ClearMechanic Inc., provider of web-based solutions for automotive service centers, adds platform that helps visually sell repair jobs through use of pictures, video libraries and more, raising service approvals significantly. Visibility during repair gives customers more confidence in their decisions, resulting in higher up-sell conversions and strong ROI. More info at ClearMechanic.
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