Who has seen CARFAX’s NEW Price Calculator?

CarFax has apparently decided to take it upon themselves to determine how their own CarFax history report “should” effect the price of your dealers inventory.

Why even go there?

Stick to your core product CarFax – History Reports NOT Pricing!!

I can see me yanking CarFax off my website real soon.

Is it time to consider AutoCheck??

Carfax vs. AutoCheck

What do you guys & ladies think of this??

We also have a discussion over on the forum about this. Feel free to share your thoughts here and in the forums.

CarFax Car Values and their NEW Price Calculator

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Contact At Once! and Cobalt Partner to Extend Cobalt’s Digital Marketing Platform with Dealer Chat

Atlanta, GA and Seattle, WA – April 27, 2010 – Contact At Once!, LLC, the leading provider of dealer chat software that moves online lookers into live conversations with car dealerships, announced today a partnership with Cobalt, the leading provider of digital marketing solutions to the retail automotive industry, to offer an integrated version of ContactAtOnce! dealer chat software with Cobalt’s dealer website solutions. Dealers adding ContactAtOnce! to their Cobalt digital marketing platform will be able to support more shoppers natural communications preferences, increasing total sales opportunities generated by their advertising investments. With this partnership Cobalt results reporting will now include chat-based opportunities as it does email leads, phone leads and walk-in intent.

More than three quarters of all shoppers use the Internet before visiting a dealer, leveraging a rapidly expanding portfolio of communications methods and devices. Research confirms that shoppers will engage more with dealers that support the type of communications methods they prefer, increasing total sales opportunities. This solution takes dealer chat technology to a new level by making it easy for dealer sales personnel to use, personalizing it for consumers with real images of dealership staff, and eliminating the need for expensive, less effective external call centers through “presence aware” smart technology that knows when dealership personnel are ready and able to chat.

Dealers have the expectation that their partners should report on the business return from the dealer’s investments in that partner. Unlike the superficial integration that typically exists when chat software is added to dealer websites, ContactAtOnce! is integrated into Cobalt’s digital marketing platform to optimize the conversion of online car shoppers into leads and to consolidate lead measurement and reporting. This allows Cobalt to discuss the total performance of a dealer’s digital marketing effort regardless of consumer contact method.

“ContactAtOnce! chat encourages online shoppers to connect and converse with our dealerships,” said Wayne Ussery, Director of Internet Marketing for the Jim Ellis Auto Dealerships that include Chevrolet, Buick-GMC, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Saab, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Audi and Porsche franchises. “Many of our stores receive 50 or more chat requests each month.” The Jim Ellis Automotive Group ranked #8 in the most recent “Ward’s e-Dealer 100” list of the top performing dealerships as measured by Internet sales.

“We’re thrilled that an industry leader like Cobalt recognized the advanced capabilities of Contact At Once! and chose us as a partner,” said John Hanger, President and CEO. “This is the first partnership of its kind for Cobalt,” said Chris Reed, Cobalt’s Chief Marketing Officer. “This type of partnership provides our customers with the flexibility and choice they desire to optimize the performance of their digital marketing without sacrificing the integrated performance reporting and service delivery they value from Cobalt.”

The integrated ContactatOnce! solution is available immediately. Cobalt customers should contact their Cobalt Sales representative or Contact At Once! to request a presentation. Information on the solution can be found at www.cobalt.com/marketplace.

About Contact At Once!, LLC:
Contact At Once!, LLC is the leading provider of dealer chat software and internet marketing tools for automotive sales, apartment leasing, and other industries where consumers conduct research online before visiting a dealership or office. The ContactAtOnce! service increases the conversion of website visitors into live conversations with sales people by utilizing a suite of technologies such as presence, IM/chat, VoIP telephony, video chat and text messaging, resulting in increased revenue and a better return on marketing expenditures. ContactAtOnce! is the only solution with features specifically for vertical search websites and over 40 such sites, along with thousands of merchant businesses, are using it today. Find out more at www.contactatonce.com.

About Cobalt
Cobalt is North America’s leading provider of digital marketing solutions to the automotive industry. For more than fifteen years, Cobalt’s mission has been to help automobile dealers and manufacturers increase their retailing effectiveness and profitability through cutting-edge digital marketing platforms, solutions and advertising. Cobalt currently provides marketing services to nearly half of the automotive dealerships in the United States as well as automotive dealers in Canada and Mexico. Cobalt’s digital marketing services are endorsed by two-thirds of the world’s major automotive manufacturers.

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DealerRater Reveals “Hassle-Free” Car-Buying Experience Most Important in Latest Poll

Waltham, MA (April 26, 2010) – DealerRater, the nation’s premier car dealer review Web site, surveyed a sample of 5,530 reviewers on which of six factors ranked highest in their car purchase decision. The poll choices included hassle-free shopping, low price, prompt attention, location of dealer, service promise and dealer reputation. Respondents were also given the choice to select “other” and share a factor of their own not included in our list.

“Nearly half of the respondents made it clear that both a relaxed car-buying experience and working with a dealer with a stellar reputation are tops on their wish lists,” noted Chip Grueter, president of DealerRater. “These top two criteria fit perfectly into the overall mission of DealerRater, which is to provide an efficient point of entry for customers through free classified vehicle leads and give dealers tools to effectively manage their online reputation.”

Based on the poll results, the most important factor to consumers in their car-buying decision is a “hassle-free” shopping experience, a response given by 30% of the poll respondents. Dealerships who can effectively streamline the car purchase process, apply just the right amount of pressure while allowing customers to feel that they are in control, and provide a seamless path from start to finish are clearly advantaged and in demand.

The next most popular factor, according to nearly 20% of the poll respondents, was dealer reputation. DealerRater allows customers to post their reviews of car dealerships to its website, effectively helping to inform other users who are reading the reviews as part of a purchase decision. DealerRater provides tools for dealers to manage their reputation through its Certified Dealer program. Reputation management has become one of the most critical components of effective online marketing, and the poll results clearly reinforce this.

Low prices (15% of respondents), prompt attention (10% of respondents), service promise (6% of respondents), and dealer location (3% of respondents) rounded out the poll responses that offered a specific factor. Approximately 16% of those surveyed, however, chose the “Other” option and specifically mentioned one or more factors that weren’t named in the poll. “Honesty and integrity at every step of the buying process” was the response of one such respondent, a sentiment echoed by a number of others. Another noted that “the knowledgeable and expertise of the sales staff is very important.”

About DealerRater
DealerRater was founded in 2002 as the first car dealer review Web site worldwide. DealerRater is committed to providing a central collection point for informative reviews. The site currently features more than 24,000 US and International car dealers and more than 100,000 user reviews. DealerRater provides the opportunity for users to search for car dealerships, read current reviews, write their own review, and find car deals – all for free. Car dealers are rated on the criteria of customer service, quality of work, friendliness, price and overall experience. DealerRater users also have the option to recommend the dealer to other users and provide a descriptive review. Web site users and car dealerships may post free auto classified ads. DealerRater visitors may request vehicle quotes and Certified Dealers receive free vehicle leads.

About Chip Grueter
Chip Grueter is the president of DealerRater. Mr. Grueter founded the company in 2002 as a way for Web site users to share their sales and service experiences at automotive dealerships with other Web site users. Mr. Grueter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College. Mr. Grueter’s favorite dealership customer service perk is free vehicle loaners.

For DealerRater information or to interview Chip Grueter, please contact Michelle Oldershaw at 800.266.9455 or visit www.DealerRater.com.

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DealerRefresh welcomes new sponsor – Client~ConneXion

Client~ConneXion knows how important web traffic is to your dealership website. They also know it’s even more important to “Stop the Shop” to those same website visitors. That’s the philosophy that they’ve built their business on.

Their Live Web Chat Application truly “UPs”every Web Visitor!

It’s like having a greeter on your website just waiting to help the next customer. And the customers appreciate the immediate attention and service.

Not only do they automatically greet every visitor, they also hand you a crystal ball into your customer’s shop. By delivering the Behavioral Analytics to every visitor, Client~ConneXion dealers are able Co-Navigate with their customers, and are tuned in to where they came from and what they are shopping for before ever speaking to them. Their Onsite Accountability Training program assists both Sales and Service staff to stay in front of their customers. The Live Web Chat Application allows your dealership the ability to assist your customers live, when the iron is hot.

Client~ConneXion also offers the SFE Procurement Program, an After-Hours Lead Response Solution geared to the GM dealers OneSource leads Standards for Excellence program.

About Client~ConneXion

Client~ConneXion is a software solution firm based out of Dallas, TX that specializes in providing a Live Web Chat Application that pro-actively engages and “UP’s” every web visitor for auto dealers throughout the country. Client~ConneXion Founder, Timothy Michael, feels that “consumers expect instant attention and by accommodating their need for a quick response, it typically stops the shop and we’re happy to provide that solution through the SFE Procurement Program or via the Live Web Chat. Instant contact and response is what we’ve built our business on.”

For more information visit www.ClientConneXion.com

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We’re trying to gauge what the average Internet Sales Manager or Director is making across the country.  Answer the poll on the DealerRefresh forums:  http://forum.dealerrefresh.com/f40/pay-internet-sales-manager-director-903.html

Poll results as of April 28th at 3:33 PM EST.

This could be your opportunity to show your boss that you’re under-valued.  Regardless of where you fall in the current poll, the more people who answer it the more accurate the numbers become.

Thank you for taking the time!

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