Industry News & Trends

Eric Miltsch Joins DrivingSales

Eric Miltsch DrivingSales Announcement

Congratulations to Mr. Miltsch!

I know, this is a little dated. Shame on me for not getting this posted sooner. Thought to my defense, I have been quite the busy person here lately.

Eric – seriously, HUGE CONGRATS!!

I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Eric over the last several years. Not only is Eric a true gentlemen one of the nicest guys you would ever meet, he’s also a true “Change Agent“.

Like many of us here on DealerRefresh over the last 7 years (yes, DR will be 7 years old come May), Eric has made a big jump. Something that’s never really easy for any of us. It takes courage to make a big change. It’s often too easy to keep doing what you do. It’s easy to get comfy in a position, especially when at the end of the day you enjoy what you do. But for many of us, there comes a time for change. A time where you want to stretch your own boundaries.

Eric has courage and has made this change.

Eric has made the jump over to DrivingSales and is now the Director of Product Strategy. Eric will be in charge of enhancing and developing the DrivingSales’ product and services suite which includes the DrivingSales industry networking website, DrivingSales vendor ratings, dealership-oriented data integration and business intelligence products, as well as professional education and training programs.

I have no doubt Eric will be a real Rock Star and bring all of this skills and expertise to the growing DrivingSales team.

Thanks for all you do for the industry Eric. I’m sure we’ll talk soon.

Oh – if you’re not already, be sure to follow Eric on Twitter – @emiltsch

Follow the jump for the full press release..

DrivingSales today announced that technology and digital marketing expert Eric Miltsch has been named Director of Product Strategy for the company. Miltsch is charged with further enhancing and developing DrivingSales’ product and services suite, which includes the largest car dealer social network; the auto industry’s only unbiased, comprehensive vendor ratings platform; dealership-oriented data integration and business intelligence products, as well as professional education and training programs — all focused on making dealerships more profitable, while also providing benefit to automakers and the industry as a whole.

“Eric is a leader in innovative digital marketing and technology for dealerships, both in vision and in practice. He doesn’t just talk the talk but he has walked the walk, on the ground and in the dealership, helping make Auction Direct one of the fastest-growing and most successful used car dealerships in the country,” said DrivingSales founder and CEO Jared Hamilton. “We are proud to welcome Eric to the team. He is a long time friend of DrivingSales and a true evangelist for improving dealership access to the best and most innovative digital strategies and information available. We look forward to seeing him put his passion into action for the thousands of dealers in the DrivingSales community.”

DrivingSales provides comprehensive professional resources for the automotive retail segment including DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesTV, DrivingSales University, DrivingSales Executive Summit, and Dealership Innovation Guide.

Prior to joining DrivingSales, Miltsch directed successful digital experiences for Auction Direct USA, one of the nation’s fastest growing used vehicle dealerships, which was also named the #1 Independent Retailer in the US in 2010 and 2011. Miltsch also wrote for WhyBuyUsedCars.com, Auction Direct’s used car blog and his personal blog, WhatDidEricSay.com, one of the first blogs focused on location-based marketing concepts and strategies.

“I am excited to join DrivingSales, whose positive impact on the $500 billion auto industry and its auto dealer community has been profound: today, one in every three dealerships has a member in DrivingSales,” said Miltsch “I look forward to working with the DrivingSales team on its mission to expedite and improve information flow to car dealers – in a digital universe that moves at the speed of light – by creating the industry’s most effective and accessible profit-building data management, education and best practices resources and products.”

Miltsch is a frequent contributor to the retail automotive community presenting his views on the latest digital marketing strategies and technology trends at respected industry events such as the DrivingSales Executive Summit, National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA), Thought Leader Summit, Internet Battle Plan, RIT Social Media & Communication Symposium, and the JD Power Automotive Internet Roundtable. His written work has been published and cited in various publications including The Dealership Innovation Guide, Automotive News, Auto Dealer Monthly, and Used Car News. He is also co-creator of CarZar, the first location-based, photo sharing automotive application.

About DrivingSales.com
DrivingSales
is a business intelligence data company that includes the auto industry’s largest car dealer social network. Dedicated to the dealer community, DrivingSales leverages its social networking platform to collect and route business intelligence and market data around the $500 billion automotive industry, all to make dealerships more profitable, while also providing benefit to automakers and the industry as a whole. Approximately, one in every three dealerships in the United States has a registered member in the DrivingSales community.

Founder of DealerRefresh - 20+ Years of dealership Sales, Management, Training, Marketing and Leadership.
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    emiltsch
  • March 13, 2012
Jeff - thanks for being the class act that you've always been & sharing this news w/the community. I have you to thank for being one of the driving forces behind so many of the great people I've met in our business over the years
 
You said it perfectly, it was time for a change to do even more great stuff. I look forward to sharing these things with everyone throughout the year & beyond.
 
Keep doing what you're doing Jeff. I hope to catch up with you soon. Very soon. :)
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    JQ
  • March 14, 2012
Congrats Eric!!  Good luck!!
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    emiltsch
  • March 14, 2012
@EleyDuke @dealerrefresh Hey, thx Eley - appreciated the mention.
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    EleyDuke
  • March 14, 2012
@emiltsch @dealerrefresh anytime Eric, I appreciate all you have given to our industry, and really look forward to much more! Kick some ass!
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    johnmeplz
  • March 14, 2012
Congrats @emiltsch , can't wait to see you in action! I will definitely contact you this week!
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    emiltsch
  • March 14, 2012
@johnmeplz - thanks John, cool to meet you at NADA, love what you guys are doing!
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    emiltsch
  • March 14, 2012
@JQ Thank you!
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    KevinFrye
  • March 15, 2012
Congrats Eric, you are one of the true all-stars in this industry!
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    emiltsch
  • March 15, 2012
 @KevinFrye Hi Kevin - mighty kind of you. Thanks man.
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    JoePistell
  • March 15, 2012
WTG Eric!  Glad to see you being upwardly mobile ;-)  Can't wait to see where you want to go!  I'll be watching for the fun to begin!
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    emiltsch
  • March 15, 2012
 @JoePistell Thank you Joe! I'll definitely keep you posted, always love to hear your thoughts & views on things.
 
Plus, the upstate NY region is yours to take over now!
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