Latest activity

Aug 22, 2008

Funny Joe. I hope my boss doesn't see this and starts to think that budget we have looks like a limitless one!

How far away is the new site?

Alex Snyder · Aug 21, 2008

1. Where do you work and what is the URL for your dealership(s). Feel free to list multiple URL's.

Sun Auto Group in Syracuse New York. Visit us at: UsedCarKing.com

2. How did you get into the Automotive Business?

I loved cars ever since I was a kid. I belonged to SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) and was quite good at ice racing (it always use to be cold enough to race on frozen lakes back then!).

Business Summary: I was a pioneer in Auto Accessories retail, my 1st store was a 3 bay garage behind a house and 6 years later I had and ran it up to a multi-million dollar operation that grew to 3 stores. I cashed out in 94.

In 95, I became an online stock trader (there were NO online brokerages in 94). I paid the rent as a self-employed stock trader till 2000. During that period, I taught myself computers and how to build web sites. Worked for AOL in Personal Finance area. I assisted in a successful startup; SuperTraders.com (Run by a real stock picking Genius Jim DePorre). In 2001, I built a site for a local Chevrolet store and was recruited to be their marketing director with an offer that I couldn’t turn down (its fun to say that!). Recently, I moved to Sun AutoGroup, the UsedCarKing.com. THE big fish in our small market and a 110% believer in all things internet.

3. What are you currently driving, and if you could have any other car what would that be?

Current: 06 Silverado 4x4 Crew (leased… thank God!).

Dreaming of: AC Cobra. As old as I am, but waaaay better looking.

4. What are you currently working on? What's your big push?

A totally new web site. Built for SEO, video galore, CSS, dynamic content generator and so much more. Totally cutting edge (stay tuned). After that I am going to beat CRM or die trying. vAUTO needs my attention too.

5. How would you rate the relationship between your Internet efforts and the traditional dealership departments on a scale of 1 to 10? If you answered anything less than 10, what would you like to do to improve those relationships?

Sun Auto Group is not your father’s dealership . The internet is mission critical here. We have >1,000 used units on the ground, the reps use the site as part of their qualifying and presentation. The owner’s son (Todd Caputo) is young and gifted entrepreneur. He has his foot jammed on the throttle and his instincts are on the money, time and time again.

6. If you had a limitless budget, how would you structure your department?

see CheckeredFlag.com <snicker> Gotcha Alex!

7. What is your favorite thing about the Internet side of this industry?

I don’t see where this all ends! Hahaha… love it!

8. What is your favorite thing about Dealer Refresh?

The brains. Lotsa smart players here.

9. Joe, you used to be on the vendor side of the aisle, if there is one thing you can tell dealers about how to deal with vendors, what would that be?

I’ve been to Vegas at least 25 times, to SEMA, CES and NADA. I’ve worked both sides of the aisle, as a buyer and a seller. There is no one way I deal with all vendors. The most important vendors are the mission criticals with complex items and have a lot of promise in it. And even here there are no 2 alike. Lets look at 2 & compare my web builder HomeNet(HN) and my CRM provider ReyRey.

With HN, I take on a partner mentality. They committed to my big vision and they’re killing themselves to executing it to as close as I drew it up. Flowers of gratitude to Jesse B’s team, Matt, Tammy, Chris, Mike and more. They are effort-ing above and beyond the call of duty.

With ReyRey, go ahead and try to warm up to that vendor. NOT.
Hahaha… hey! No hate mail from your R&R troopers! Seriously, ReyRey’s CRM is mission critical, yet the reps can’t help you with the day to day issues. No partnering feel here, so, the sales guys get a lil’ bit o’ Junk Yard Dog from me. Yet (I’ve said it here before) ReyRey’s tech support is world class. All that being said, why does it take 400 hours to master R&R’s CRM platform? Can any dealer be using more than 5% of its potential… oh oh… I’m rambling again.

I’d say the most valuable tool in vendor relations is knowing which vendor can help you reach your goals, then make that vendor your partner. Sell that vendor your vision with a smile and back slapping enthusiasm and you’ll find above average service and someone who gives a sh*t about you, because you need them. And in the end, tell me, who doesn’t like to be needed?

10. What do you do outside of work?

I am a golf Junkie. Tiger calls me when Elin (his wife) wants him to do yard work.

Ain’t Photoshop grand? Oh. I’m the guy in the back

Dealer Refresh wants to thank Joe Pistell for his continued contributions and support! Good luck on the new website Joe, and please stay away from Photoshop

If anyone has questions or comments for Joe, please leave those after the article on this page: click here (the normal comment spot).

Nov 29, 2008

This is all the more reason why dealerships should be focused on driving more traffic to their website and keeping it there. We know statistically that we will close more deals to website based customers. The question is, how do we attract a customer to submit a lead so we can get more leads? This is where RedNumbat does the trick. Visit www.rednumbat.com and check it out for yourselves.

Stan

Aug 22, 2008

During my days at the Auto Group, I spent 2 months fully researching a good quality 3rd party lead provider & most of all a good local rep.

I had picked up Dealix as that initial 3rd party. To my luck they did very well for me, maybe it was my consistent follow up and not stop calling until they told me " STOP CALLING".

My closing ratio at the time was very well.

I never had a problem with getting credited back for them also. My rep was in the Detroit area and still to this day makes the time to come up here in Northern Michigan to visit. Actually he will be up here this weekend. Surprisingly again! He emailed me to hang out and chat!

It is hard to find a good rep from a good 3rd party lead provider that is more concerned about helping with the dealerships success than his paycheck!

Thanks Jason Porter @ Dealix!

Other than that, I speak highly of Dealix and it all comes down on how savvy the Internet Manager is on closing those appointments with a 3rd party lead!

There is my 2 sense .......

tomwhitejr · Aug 21, 2008

Let's be clear here: third-party lead providers have a place in your marketing efforts PROVIDED you have the processes and people in place to handle the leads. I sell between 30 to 50 vehicles a month from third-party leads. I don't believe you can arbitrarily place all of these providers under one heading either.

Gary appears to be a business person trying to do things the right way and I applaud him for contributing to the dialogue. I have access to hundreds of lead providers through wholesale exchanges, and Gary's company shows up in exactly none of them. This would lead me to believe he is actually generating his leads through his own efforts and not re-selling leads bought off an exchange.

I run both a car dealership AND a lead generation company. I am completely aware of the crap that is going on with many lead providers. I still purchase, on average, $15,000 in third party leads per month. I might not be the brightest guy on the planet, but at a $276 average cost per sale, this is a marketing effort I can't afford to not be in.

Again, all leads are not created equal. Unfortunately, you have to weed through a ton of bad providers to find the guys trying to do things the right way.

As always, my two cents...

Tom

Aug 21, 2008

Dear Jeff,

To set the record straight, I told Dealix that we did not wish to be paid for this lead - it did come through our site.

I have no explanation for this, only conjecture. After reading your allegations, I wonder if this consumer was sent some kind of e-mail solicitation from someone else promising him that someone would pay him $5 for a lead. At that time, we had content on our site dealing with issues for people looking to trade-in for more fuel efficient cars during this oil crisis. That likely brought him to a web page where he confused our site with those who had sent him an incentive type e-mail. We have never had those kind of ads or e-mail enticements. I just don't know what is going on here. If the consumer said he wasn't even in the market, how else did this happen? I simply don't know.

We are just a small business This isn't my main living. I have no financial or other reasons to engage in this type of marketing activity. I started NCA as a hobby business and I have been upfront with all our accounts about this. I don't even have the staff to do the accounting necessary to pay people $5.00 per lead. We've done okay since late 2005. If we were engaging in this type of marketing practice, either paying people ourselves or sending them into a dealer who unknowingly was expected to pay them $5.00, we'd have been history in relatively short order. There was, nor is, no reason for us to try such a foolish and risky marketing strategy. Even if I needed the money that bad, that would be the last way to try to get it. Word travels fast, as we are seeing now.

I hate this type of thing as much as you do.

Thanks for the opportunity to clarify this issue. I have a long day(s) ahead of me.

Sincerely,

Gary Moran
NCA

Paul Rushing · Aug 21, 2008

Sounds like lead arbitrage sources not doing a good job of covering their tracks. It is very possible that someone is getting paid to fill out lead forms, not saying that New Car America is doing it.

In the affiliate world there is such a thing as "incentive" promotion. If you have got leads where people were trying to get a free Razor phone in the past they were funneled through an incentive site.

@Gary - If the lead houses are only paying you $10 a lead I suggest you get with some of the affiliate networks. I am being paid $12.50 per lead through one and $14 through another and do not have to worry about returns or bad press, justified or not.

Aug 20, 2008

this is a pretty pointed attack with a total lack of evidence. i don't feel that a domain whois is much research.

you've outed this michael guy--are you encouraging each of your readers to contact him personally and ask a few questions?

gary has commented twice--he seems to be a guy willing to engage in dialog. someone brought up paul r, and i can't help but think about the dealerrefresh commenters agreeing that a simple phone call could have avoided a big stink just 2 or 3 weeks ago.

i digress. hey, here's a fact.

the dealerrefresh and newcaramerica websites were both started in late 2005. gary's first blog post wasn't until a few months after jeff's, but he was using his real name to sign each one just like his comments above. if he's scam, i don't know why.

no press is bad press, right?

michaelrodriguez · Aug 20, 2008

Thanks for the heads up Jeff! Policing the scams that comes our way falls on us as the managers ALL THE TIME.

Owner: "What is this invoice for $999"

Internet Manager: "Let me look into it"

(intenet manager scrambling, wasting time to find if this is a legit claim or not)

Internet Manager 2 hours later: "Boss throw it away, its another bogus attempt to scam money from us"

Thanks again for the information Jeff,

Michael

Aug 20, 2008

Dear Readers,

The more I thought about it, the more inclined I am to speak to the veracity of this site and its claims.

Think about the math for this preposterous claim. Apparently Jeff Kershner hasn't. He states that his conversation "proved the provider (New Car America) was possibly paying people to fill out their leads request forms at $5.00 per form. New Car America apparently recruits employees with “work from home ads”."
Who in their right minds would pay someone $5.00 just to fill out a lead that may have already cost more in advertising fees than the less than $10.00 they likely would be paid to sell the lead. The margins are already pathetically small. Five dollars on top would mean the company was selling at a loss.

How do you "prove" something and then use the word "possibly"? You're proving a possibility? You can't prove a possibility. It wouldn't be a possibility if it could be proven. These words appear to smack of some kind of sabatoge launched against NCA.

Where are the "work from home" ads? Who else out there has ever filled out a lead from NCA and was written a check from us for $5.00? Who else out there am I paying to "work at home"? The answer is NO ONE. Jeff needed to find the facts before he attempted to destroy someone's business and reputation. There are laws against slander and libel. Show me an NCA check I wrote to someone?

The insult to my last name is childish and boring - I've heard it before as, I'm sure, has the family of the late Jim Moran, owners of the largest Toytoa dealership in the country.

The undignified language, unfounded and libelous accusations and the ludicrous and erroneous logic of this site speak for its innacuracy and invalidity.

Thank you, readers, for the opportunity to print a rebuttal. We will be watching closely for any other false and damaging claims made by this site.

Sincerely,

Gary Moran
CEO
New Car America

Aug 20, 2008

Jeff,

Do we need send our good friend Paul R. after these guys?

Eric

Chip Grueter · Aug 20, 2008

"Distance: Customer is approx. 19.6961722717323 mi. from you"

19.6961722717323 mi.

That's accurate to 10trillionth of a mile.

That's like accurate down to a specific white blood cell of that lead.

Aug 20, 2008

Dear Readers,

This claim is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. We never told anyone we would pay them for a lead. We have never paid or claimed we would pay anyone for a lead. We have no "work from home" programs and we do not pay anyone for anything like that. We are a small blog site. We feel that this was mistaken identity. And what kind of site is this to defame someone's character and business - check the language, tone and the ridiculous five dollar bill at the top.

Sincerely

Gary Moran
CEO
New Car America Inc.

Aug 20, 2008

Third party "lead mills" involved in scamming????? Shocking!!!!

Aug 20, 2008

Wow! Nice catch.

Aug 20, 2008

That is one of the reasons I stopped buying 3rd party leads, I would say stop buying them all together and put all that money into name branding, if you do that you will sell more vehicles at a higher gross profit. Go ahead try it, dont be scared.

Wei Yang · Aug 20, 2008

Does anyone else find it funny that the guy's last name from Moran?

tomwhitejr · Aug 21, 2008

"The strong performance of AutoTrader.com for two consecutive years is founded on its most notable strengths -- the quality of leads and the amount of contact with the dealership -- both of which are especially important to dealers."

The quality of leads provided by AutoTrader are not statistically different from any other legitimate lead provider in my opinion. I measure quality on relevance of the data submitted and NOT the final outcome of the lead. As long as I have valid contact information from a lead, the rest of the equation is up to my process and people.

The amount of contact between AutoTrader and my dealership is minimal and absolutely worthless. My account "manager" has little bearing on my success with the platform. I certainly wouldn't include contact with AutoTrader as one of my bell-weathers on happiness with the product.

JD Powers is an antiquated beast we have to put up with, but I would caution everyone to think about your own situations before giving much weight to anything they have to say (unless, of course, they run your SSI/CSI programs).

For the record, I use both AutoTrader and cars.com and have success with both. I believe that my success is more about my pricing models and quality of my inventory listings than anything the two platforms provide (other than reach).

Aug 21, 2008

How did JD Power go about determining these findings?

Who did they actually survey?

Does anyone know?

I do put stock in JD Power studies. They administer all of our OEM CSI surveys and we live and die by those results. But I know who get those surveys.

Aug 21, 2008

How did JD Power go about determining these findings?

Who did they actually survey?

Does anyone know?

I do put stock in JD Power studies. They administer all of our OEM CSI surveys and we live and die by those results. But I know who get those surveys.

Aug 21, 2008

I don't put any stock in what the lower 99% of this industry thinks/says about vendors, and I don't think anyone on this board should either.

Aug 20, 2008

Cars.com overtakes Autotrader on the used side of the satisfaction game and Autotrader takes the new side. Anyone ever spoken to a customer who bought a vehicle strictly off of a JD Power reccomendation? Case closed, it's all PR. I can smell the ink drying as we speak on the new Autotrader lit & ads in the trade rags promoting their new car position w/this, same old song & dance if you ask me.

Aug 20, 2008

If autotrader is the best in new vehicle satisfaction and results, then I would hate to see the worst. Does anyone have any success with new vehicles via the internet except with their brand sites?

Aug 20, 2008

I agree with Alex!

Aug 20, 2008

Guess that $100M spent over 3 months was for new cars?

Nice post!

Latest activity

Latest activity

Filter