Automotive Internet Sales, Marketing and Training Tools :: DealerRefresh

Bonita Stewart of DaimlerChrysler Joins Google

Google's again beefing-up its relationship with the automotive industry by hiring Bonita Stewart of DaimlerChrysler.

Google has appointed Bonita Stewart as director of the automotive vertical at Google. Stewart is responsible for leading a national team that develops and manages Google's relationships with automotive marketers.

Stewart joins Google from DaimlerChrysler where she was director of Chrysler Group Interactive Communications.

"I'm excited to bring my interactive experience with a major auto brand to Google," said Bonita Stewart in a statement.

Here is is a link to an older iMedia article featuring Bonita Stewart.

Trademark your dealership's name?

Hello,

I am a new Internet Sales Manager for Don Elliott Autoworld. When I started in Dec. the department was not performing. I have managed to turn things around and last month I sold 30% of the dealerships sales. I am always trying to find ways to to something better.

My question that I have is; our dealers name is being bought by several of our competitors and companies such as Dealix and so forth. I have been trying to do some research on getting a Trademark or Service Mark on the Name Don Elliott. My dealer feels that I can do it and that there is no need for legal assistance.

I have investigated the process for this and I am wondering if this even help? Should or can I Trademark the phrase Don Elliott Wharton TX. Does it matter if I included the town and state or should it just be the Owners Name?

If you could please help or give some guidance.

Thanks,

Heather Koudela

Microsoft getting into the DMS business!

Microsoft's Dealer Management System (DMS) plans pilot projects in early 2007.

"Microsoft initially wants to work with dealers who have a strong interest in innovating the business processes in their dealerships, including optimizing the sales or service processes."

This could be interesting...

Click here for the entire Article

45% of the U.S. population visits an automotive website

An interesting new study from Yahoo and comScore. The study looks at searcher behavior in the automotive segment.

Over a 3 month period, they were able to determine that 45% of the U.S. population visits an automotive website. This amounts to 716 million unique visits.

"We were incredibly surprised at just how large this market is"

The study goes on to talk about the “three types” of automotive websites and how these companies conflict with each other in the search engines (like how I have a huge conflict with automotive.com and dealix’s dealernet.com websites, shadowing what I consider to be my territory in the natural listings in the search engines).

It also shows that most users are visiting the OEM websites more than the second tier aggregators.” This is why I think that it’s becoming increasingly more important for the Manufacturers to design their websites even more towards converting the customer into a lead.

The study also noted ”Despite the large numbers of users visiting automotive web sites, 6% engaged in actual shopping behavior.”

Follow this link to the article (if this link does not work use the one below)

Click here to read the article in PDF

Mosley Automotive Group "Online Sales Success Workshop"

Last week I attended the Mosley Automotive Group "Online Sales Success Workshop". 

First, let me thank Cory Mosley for the opportunity to attend his seminar and to meet him and his staff. The seminar was informative, especially for the beginning to intermediate ISM or the GSM or GM who is finally realizing that the industry is changing and it’s time to get on board and understand this stuff.

Cory began the seminar with a brief summary of the topics that were going to be touched on throughout the day. I found Cory to be an impressive speaker who does a nice job of holding your attention. He keeps you in the real world, touching on stories of his past as an ISM; stories with which we can all empathize.

The day flowed well from one speaker to the next. Speakers included;
•Cory Mosley himself
•Leonard Satisk from Mosley Automotive
•Jeff Clark from Dealer.com
•Joe Vraneza from Kely Blue Book
•Darrell Steele from OnStation
and a few others, with each having over an hour to discuss their topic of expertise. No one seemed out to just pitch their product, which was refreshing. There were a few plugs here and there, of course, but they were lithe and inviting.

Lunch was particularly enjoyable; Cory had us sit at designated tables and prescribed us with a task that encouraged everyone to interact. Conversations at my table ranged from SEM and CRM to process and marketing. There is nothing better than having the opportunity to speak with colleagues. I know I starve for conversation with others in the same position as myself. At most dealerships it’s not as if you can step over to the next ISM desk or even slide into the GM’s office to talk about ISM and dealer technology. Because most are still lost on the subject, the conversation ends quickly.

One idea that struck a chord with me is to ask your customer if they want the “Internet Special” or the “Manager Monthly Special Price”. Placing a time restraint on the price can give you an idea of where the customer is mentally. I’m not going to get into this too deeply…find out when the seminar is going to be in your area www.moselyautomotive.com and pay attention when Leonard Satisky is speaking. It’s good stuff!

The seminar lasted the entire scheduled time. There was no leaving early…Cory had the day filled, which is nice when you spend good money to attend a seminar like this. I love going to these seminars for a little recharging; and you can always pick up something new or something you forgot. This one was no exception. If you’re a beginning or intermediate ISM or a GM, take the time to attend! Thanks, Cory!