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SOCIALDEALER announced the hiring of Jeff Clark as Chief Sales Officer, an automotive and military veteran who previously held the same position at DealerOn, a digital marketing provider. The announcement highlights Clark's extensive background in automotive sales leadership and his responsibility for overseeing sales operations and business development. This represents a significant executive move for SOCIALDEALER to strengthen its sales leadership within the competitive automotive technology sector.
RefreshFriday Episode 17 brings together Ed Brooks and Jasen Rice to discuss how third-party automotive listing sites like Cars.com, AutoTrader, and CarGurus have shifted from simple price-based ranking to algorithm-driven search results. The conversation focuses on whether dealers can actively optimize their inventory listings for better placement on these platforms, much like SEO for traditional search engines. The episode aired live on Facebook and offered in-depth tactical insight for dealers looking to maximize visibility on the industry's largest third-party marketplaces.
A 2009 press release announces DealerRefresh's launch of a forum connecting car dealers and vendors for networking, marketing, and information sharing during the auto industry's economic struggles. The thread drew minimal substantive engagement, with only generic guest replies, suggesting it was more of a promotional announcement than a discussion starter. The key takeaway is that DealerRefresh positioned itself early as a 24/7 digital hub for automotive internet sales professionals.
Jeff Kershner promotes episode 17 of RefreshFriday, a live Facebook series featuring Shaun 'Niff' Kniffin of Germain Motor Company discussing the future of customer experience in automotive retail. Kniffin shares his philosophy on how dealers should evolve their customer interactions and identifies key obstacles currently holding the industry back. The session promises both strategic insights and a lighthearted rapid-fire Q&A segment at the end.
Fidelis PPM partnered with Fixed Ops Pros to boost maintenance upsells by bundling a comprehensive vehicle fluids check and diagnostics report into their prepaid maintenance plans, resulting in an 87% increase in repair order upsell revenue for participating dealers. The strategy capitalizes on the fact that a significant majority of vehicle owners neglect recommended maintenance, creating opportunities for dealers to identify and sell additional services once fluid issues are diagnosed. The key insight is that diagnostic transparency (bundled reporting) drives higher service attachment rates compared to traditional upsells.
A promotional post inviting dealers to a webinar hosted by DealerRefresh and Honcker, a startup platform aimed at helping dealerships grow their lease portfolios. The session, scheduled for June 5th at 1:00 PM EST, features Jeff and Alex discussing how Honcker works. The thread offers little discussion beyond the announcement, positioning Honcker as a straightforward addition for any lease-offering dealer.
DealerRefresh's RefreshFriday Episode 16 features Nick Cybela of FlowFound, described as a pioneer in bringing virtual reality technology into dealership showrooms. The episode promises a deep dive into how VR can transform the car-buying experience and aims to answer any dealer questions about adopting the technology. The thread serves primarily as a promotional announcement for the live Facebook event, with the core insight being that VR is positioned as an imminent and practical showroom tool worth serious dealer attention.
RefreshFriday episode 14 features Mike Markette discussing National Fix the Phones Month, a May initiative focused on improving how auto dealerships handle inbound calls. Key topics include CallRevu study statistics, Saturday call recording reviews, why dealers only convert appointments 36% of the time, and the future role of AI in phone handling. The episode aims to help dealers and managers identify coaching gaps and adopt best practices to improve phone performance.
Fidelis PPM, a prepaid maintenance plan provider for independent and BHPH dealers, partnered with GetWrench.com to offer remote at-home or at-work vehicle repair services as a no-charge upgrade to their existing plans. This addition aims to give dealers a competitive market advantage by enhancing customer value without additional cost. The service complements Fidelis's discount-priced maintenance offerings (oil, filter, and tire rotation) that dealers can pre-load or sell to customers.
Kevin Frye, a well-known automotive digital marketing figure, shares his first-hand review of Digital Dealer 24 held in Orlando, blending personal anecdotes with conference takeaways. The post opens with a humorous account of escaping a late-season snowstorm before diving into observations about the event, its sessions, and industry trends. It serves as both a recap for those who attended and a useful preview of themes for those considering future Digital Dealer conferences.
This thread announces a RefreshFriday Facebook Live event on April 13th featuring JP Ostiguy of Zanchin Automotive Group and John Colban of Authntk WalkAroundVideo. The discussion centers on how video has driven significant sales increases at Zanchin and the group's expansion of video into the service department. The event promises practical insights from two practitioners with deep, real-world experience in automotive video strategy.
This thread discusses Waymo's aggressive advancement in autonomous vehicle technology and its potential threat to the traditional car dealership model, with particular focus on Waymo's partnerships (Honda), regulatory approvals in Arizona, and competitive positioning against Uber and other self-driving startups like Argo AI and Aurora. While acknowledging Waymo's technical competence and cautious approach, participants debate the timeline for impact, with some arguing major disruption to dealers could occur sooner than expected, while others contend widespread adoption outside major cities is at least a decade away. The thread serves as a cautionary heads-up for dealers to monitor autonomous vehicle developments, particularly Waymo's expansion and the emergence of well-funded competitors.
Friendemic, a social media marketing firm, posted a job opening for a San Diego Client Strategy Specialist requiring BDC experience at $45,000-$65,000 annually, but faced pushback from forum members who argued the salary was too low for experienced BDC professionals. The discussion revealed tension between the company's budget constraints and market expectations, with experienced BDC/BDR personnel capable of earning significantly more in traditional dealership roles.
Elise Kephart announces her new private group workshop in San Diego featuring her proven Internet Sales and BDC process for dealership managers and general managers. The post generates interest from community moderators Jeff Kershner and Alex Snyder, who invite her to participate in an upcoming RefreshFriday webinar to discuss the workshop and share video content. Kephart accepts the invitation and the moderators arrange to coordinate scheduling details via private message.
Jeff Kershner announces a RefreshFriday live broadcast featuring Matt Murray, GM of Automotive at Podium and former Cox Automotive/Dealer.com OEM partnerships leader. The conversation focuses on reputation management, including how reviews affect SEO, which review platforms matter most, and how dealers can gauge when they have enough reviews. The thread is a straightforward event announcement with no extended discussion or debate.
The thread draws on a metaphor from Cars.com CEO Alex Vetter — a foggy, sharply bending road mural outside his conference room — to frame the auto industry's current moment of deep uncertainty. The core insight is that for the first time in decades, industry leaders cannot clearly see what lies ahead and must rely on intuition and experience rather than reliable data to navigate. It sets the stage for a broader conversation about the unprecedented challenges facing automotive professionals today.
Alex Snyder announces a Refresh Friday live broadcast featuring Cliff Banks, known as automotive's Nostradamus, joining Jeff and Alex on March 30th at 1:00 PM EST on the DealerRefresh Facebook page. The conversation is set to cover major industry topics including CDK's Fortellis project, ongoing lawsuits with Authenticom and Cox Automotive, NADA, 2018 acquisitions, digital retailing, and the future of dealerships. The thread is essentially a promotional announcement with no follow-up discussion, pointing viewers to Facebook live and YouTube for the full content.
MaximTrak Technologies launched FLITE ENGAGE, a new online retail platform designed to streamline the F&I experience by engaging consumers earlier in the buying cycle through OEM, dealer, and third-party websites. The solution offers a brandable, configurable platform that provides transparent and efficient digital transactions across mobile and showroom environments. The announcement positions FLITE ENGAGE as a tool for dealerships seeking to optimize consumer engagement and F&I processes in the increasingly digital automotive retail landscape.
Forum members discuss their attendance and expectations for the 2018 NADA show, with vendors sharing booth locations and giveaways (Vicimus at 2170C offering Bumper campaign drawings, AutoSweet bringing candy and Nobu dinner drawings). A substantive debate emerges between dealer Ryan Everson and vendor Dave Lemmon about post-show follow-up etiquette, with Everson advocating that vendors should only contact interested dealers rather than make unsolicited calls, a perspective other dealers strongly endorse.
Dealers debate whether new online car sales startups like Beepi, Vroom, and Carvana pose a genuine threat to traditional dealerships or represent another failed disruptive venture. Chris Leslie argues dealerships are suffering from "The Innovator's Dilemma" and drawing parallels to how the newspaper industry dismissed digital disruption, suggesting complacency could lead to significant market upheaval. The thread suggests a critical question remains whether these startups have finally figured out the missing consumer connection that traditional dealers have overlooked.
Fidelis PPM announced in March 2018 that it added complimentary auto deductible reimbursement coverage to its prepaid maintenance (PPM) programs, giving dealers a new competitive advantage to attract customers. The enhanced benefit packages help dealerships drive service volume and customer retention while offering customers discounted routine maintenance and financial protection. The announcement targets new-car dealers, independent dealers, and Buy-Here-Pay-Here operations looking to differentiate their PPM offerings in the market.
Kevin Frye, eCommerce Director of the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, has been named the 2018 Lighthouse Award recipient by PCG Companies, an honor recognizing leaders making significant positive impacts on the automotive industry through innovation and thought leadership. The thread features congratulations from community members and fellow previous award winners, with Frye reflecting on how DealerRefresh served as a central hub for industry pioneers to exchange eCommerce ideas. The key insight is that this award celebrates not just individual achievement but also the collaborative spirit of automotive industry professionals who have shaped digital transformation in the sector.