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 4×4 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).

Share the wealth!

Be careful! Dealix is/was purchasing leads from a lead provider “New Car America” and it could be a scam.

My good friend and dealer owner brought this to my attention after speaking to a CUSTOMER (over the phone) that filled out the lead form. The phone conversation with the gentlemen that apparently filled out the lead form, supposedly confirmed that he was being paid to fill out leads request forms at $5.00 per form. The gentlemen went as far to say that he got the job by answering to a “work from home” ad.

• I did a little research and found their actual website.

http://www.newcaramerica.com/

Taken from their “About Us” page.

“NewCarAmerica.com is committed to providing consumers direct access to automobile dealers across the United States. Our automobile directory helps our users quickly find dealers in their area. Thru the use of the latest technology, such as our new car quote service and daily Blog on topics effecting today’s car and truck buyers, we provide the fastest information available to help you buy your next car or truck.”

• I did some more research and found their registration information.

Registration Service Provided By: BuffaloWeb Services, LLC

Visit: http://www.buffalowebhosting.com
Domain name: newcaramerica.com

Registrant Contact:
NewcarAmerica, Inc.
(I did remove the personal contact information)

• Here is a copy of the lead from Dealix.

————————————–
DEALIX CORPORATION SALES LEAD
————————————–
Michael Hopkins has asked to be contacted specifically by your dealership regarding the 2008 Nissan Titan 4WD below. Please contact them as soon as possible.
————————————–
Lead No.:    1217054999
Received On: 8/3/2008 12:02:00 PM (PST)
————————————–
CUSTOMER INFORMATION:

Name:        Michael Hopkins
Address:     Valley View Ave
City:        Lewistown
State:       PA
Zip:         17044
Distance:    Customer is approx. 19.6961722717323 mi. from you
E-mail:      mshopp69@yahoo.com
Phone:
Best Time:   Morning
Purchase Time Frame:  Within 2 weeks
————————————–
REQUESTED VEHICLE:

Year:         2008
Make:         Nissan
Model:        Titan 4WD
Trim:         XE Crew Cab Short Bed
Engine:       Not Specified
Transmission: Not Specified
Ext. Color:   No Preference
Int. Color:   No Preference
————————————–
ADDITIONAL INFO AND CUSTOMER NOTES:

No Trade-In Specified.
Payment Method: Cash
SPECIAL NOTES ON THIS LEAD:
Customer is approx. 19.7 mi. from you.
————————————–
CONTACT DEALIX:

Your Dealix Service Representative is:
Steve C. Diacont, 412-727-7857 (removed email)

It’s our goal to send you the very best sales leads in the business.
————————————–

After bringing this to Dealix’s attention, they did say they researched the lead and too called the customer to confirm that the gentlemen was indeed being paid to fill out the lead forms.

Props to Dealix for doing the research (I guess?) and for crediting the dealer for all the leads that had came from New Car America. It still concerns me that Dealix would even buy leads from a lead generator like this, just look at the website.

• Here is a copy of the email from the support rep at Dealix (take notice to his signature..he.).

Hi Jeff,

These are the 4 leads that you received from New Car America, i have compd them.  I will stay on top of this and let you know when we have a resolution.

(see attached)

Thank You
Steve Diacont
Delaix
412-980-8377

This is total crap! I encourage EVERYONE that is purchasing leads from Dealix or ANY 3rd Party Lead provider to be sure you’re NOT careful buying leads from New Car America.

Share the wealth!

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: AutoTrader.com and Cars.com Each Rank Highest in Satisfying Dealers With Online Vehicle Buying Services in Their Respective Segments

J.D. Power and Associates WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Aug. 19 — Among online buying services, AutoTrader.com ranks highest in satisfying dealers with new-vehicle leads, while Cars.com ranks highest in satisfying dealers with used-vehicle leads, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Dealer Satisfaction with Online Buying Services Study(SM) released today.

The study, which measures dealer satisfaction with online buying services, ranks vehicle-lead providers in two segments: independent new-vehicle and independent used-vehicle. Within those segments, four factors measure overall dealer satisfaction with online lead providers: business generation; dealer support/service; competitiveness of fees; and transmission of leads. An additional factor, advertising, is also included in the independent used-vehicle lead segment.

AutoTrader.com ranks highest in dealer satisfaction with online new-vehicle lead providers for a second consecutive year, performing particularly well in the business generation, dealer support/service and transmission of leads factors. Following AutoTrader.com in the segment rankings and performing above industry average are Cars.com, Dealix and AutoUSA, respectively.

In the used-vehicle lead segment, Cars.com achieves high ratings from dealers in the areas of business generation and transmission of leads. AutoTrader.com follows Cars.com in the used-vehicle-lead segment rankings and performs well in the areas of dealer support/service and advertising.

“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,” said Jon Osborn, research director at J.D. Power and Associates. “Cars.com has been steadily improving in the used-vehicle-lead segment rankings during the past two years, so it is not surprising that the service improves from its second-rank position in 2007 to earn the highest rank in 2008.”

The study finds that overall satisfaction in the used-vehicle lead segment has declined considerably in 2008, averaging 581 on a 1,000-point scale, compared with 613 in 2007. The decline is driven primarily by decreases in satisfaction within the business generation factor, specifically in the areas of the quality and quantity of leads.

The study also finds that the average number of online lead providers that dealers subscribe to has increased steadily in recent years — from 5.6 in 2006 to 6.8 in 2008. In addition, approximately one-half (53%) of dealers report subscribing to a lead notification program, which instantaneously alerts dealers to an incoming lead via cell phone voice or text messages. Dealers who subscribe to lead notification programs tend to have high levels of satisfaction with the services. Approximately two-thirds of subscribing dealers “completely agree” that lead notification programs work well and believe that they are worth participating in.

“As both new- and used-vehicle sales decline, it is now more important than ever for dealers to cast as wide a net as possible toward the limited supply of vehicle shoppers, which is one reason why dealers are increasing their use of online lead providers in the hopes of generating more traffic and sales for their dealerships,” said Osborn. “Also, dealers use vehicle lead notification systems to try to differentiate themselves from their competitors through faster lead response times. In this highly competitive industry, creating even a slight edge over other dealers is critical during a period of slow sales.”

The 2008 Dealer Satisfaction with Online Buying Services Study is based on 4,141 dealer evaluations of the online buying services they use. The study was fielded in April and May 2008.

Share the wealth!

Just a quick note to say THANKS to the current eight sponsors. Their contributions are helping pay for the new redesign that should be right around the corner. And a portion of all proceeds are going also being donated to the “Believe in Tomorrow Children’s Foundation”. Be sure to pay the sponsors a visit to see what they have to offer.

Contact At Once – Live Chat for Car Dealers

Dealerpeak – Dealer websites, CRM and desking software

AutoMotion – Video Test Drives

CarFolks – Car Dealer Ship Ratings and Reviews

TKCarsites – Car Dealer Websites and SEO

BlackBook Online – Dealer Website Trade-in Appraisal tool

Dealer Rater – Car Dealer Reviews and Dealer Certification

Web2Cars – FREE used inventory listings

If you are interested in advertising on DealerRefresh, click here for more information.

On a side note, I am really sorry if there seems to have been a lack of posts from myself here lately. My only excuse is that I have been swamped. I promise to get back on the trail here. Thanks to Alex for picking up my slack (humm, I think I’ve said that one before).

Another side note, it was about 9 years ago when I was selling vdubs for Sharrett Volkswagen. Every VW I sold, I would take a photo of the new owner and their Volkswagen and would publish their photo on my “vwrep.com” website under a “drivers found” section. I also had vinyl stickers made with the vwrep.com URL and placed the sticker on the back corner winder of every Volkswagen I sold.

Today, I had paid a visit to the dealer to get an estimate on some bumper damage. As I was looking out the window, I saw a Jetta with one of those damn vwrep.com stickers STILL in the back corner window. Boy did that bring a smile to my face, so I took a photo of it. I sold that car over 8 years ago! I thought that was neat and worthy of a quick note.

Share the wealth!

This is something Seth Godin posted on his blog yesterday.  I thought it needed to be shared. 

Link to the original article.

Patience.

Google was a very good search engine for two years before you started using it.

The iPod was a dud.

I wrote Unleashing the Ideavirus 8 years ago. A few authors tried similar ideas but it didn’t work right away. So they gave up. Boingboing is one of the most popular blogs in the world because they never gave up.

The irony of the web is that the tactics work really quickly. You
friend someone on Facebook and two minutes later, they friend you back.
Bang.

But the strategy still takes forever. The strategy is the hard part, not the tactics.

I discovered a lucky secret the hard way about thirty years ago: you
can outlast the other guys if you try. If you stick at stuff that bores
them, it accrues. Drip, drip, drip you win.

It still takes ten years to become a success, web or no web. The
frustrating part is that you see your tactics fail right away. The good
news is that over time, you get the satisfaction of watching those
tactics succeed right away.

The trap: Show up at a new social network, invest two hours, be
really aggressive with people, make some noise and then leave in
disgust.

The trap: Use all your money to build a fancy website and leave no
money or patience for the hundred revisions you’ll need to do.

The trap: read the tech blogs and fall in love with the
bleeding-edge hip sites and lose focus on the long-term players that
deliver real value.

The trap: sprint all day and run out of energy before the marathon even starts.

The media wants overnight successes (so they have someone to tear
down). Ignore them. Ignore the early adopter critics that never have
enough to play with. Ignore your investors that want proven tactics and
predictable instant results. Listen instead to your real customers, to
your vision and make something for the long haul. Because that’s how
long it’s going to take, guys.

Share the wealth!