autotrader . com
director of public relations andrew nicolai 949. 293. 5241 andrew. nicolai @ urltoken
urltoken customer ops awards recognition event is an annual event held in atlanta, georgia .
sr. public relations manager brenna buehler 949. 267. 4781 brenna. buehler @ urltoken
for inquiries related to this message please contact support. for sales inquiries, please visit urltoken
urltoken offers solutions for the insurance industry, app developers, web publishers and state governments .
since 2005, carfax vehicle history reports have been available with vehicles listed for sale on urltoken. online shoppers have free access to these reports directly from hundreds of thousands of urltoken vehicle listings .
cox enterprises inc. will sell a 25 percent interest in its urltoken unit to providence equity partners .
urltoken said that mr. johnson and his executive team would remain in place and that kelley blue book would remain in its headquarters in irvine, calif. , and operate as a subsidiary of urltoken .
accelerate response to technical issues: urltoken needed all site issues to be resolved as quickly as possible .
expressing an interest in reaching female car buyers, urltoken has announced two initiatives directly targeted at them .
atlanta, may 23, 2013 / prnewswire / — today, urltoken ® announced that it has entered into an agreement with experian automotive which will enable dealers to utilize autocheck® vehicle history reports when merchandising their inventory on urltoken. beginning in september, dealers who subscribe to experian automotive’s autocheck product will have the option of utilizing those vehicle history reports on the urltoken site. this non - exclusive partnership is a step designed to facilitate choice for urltoken ’s dealer customers and allow other vehicle history report providers to work with urltoken in a similar manner .
the new campaign establishes urltoken as the leader in the online certified category, based on having the most certified partners and the most certified inventory ,
said clark wood, vice president of marketing, urltoken .
online advertising continues to reach our target demographic by building nationwide awareness of certified and urltoken' s offerings .
jimbo – the differences between the deal announced by urltoken and the leveraged buyout / private equity deals, like simmons, quoted in the ny times story are profound. most importantly urltoken will still be controlled by cox enterprises .
here are a few of our besties dressed in the # ccoty. who wore it best? # nyfw urltoken
atlanta, may 23, 2013 / prnewswire / - - today, urltoken ® announced that it has entered into an agreement with experian automotive which will enable dealers to utilize autocheck® vehicle history reports when merchandising their inventory on urltoken. beginning in september, dealers who subscribe to experian automotive' s autocheck product will have the option of utilizing those vehicle history reports on the urltoken site. this non - exclusive partnership is a step designed to facilitate choice for urltoken' s dealer customers and allow other vehicle history report providers to work with urltoken in a similar manner .
urltoken announced it has a deal to acquire kelley blue book (and two sister companies, cdmdata and cdm dealer services). in a news release, urltoken said that the deal should close by the end of the year .
urltoken offers engaging turn - key and custom advertising opportunities providing advertisers with precision - targeted, cross - platform solutions .
for further information: julie shipp, public relations manager, 404 - 568 - 7914, julie. shipp @ urltoken
urltoken, the number one automotive classifieds site on the planet, announced today its ongoing commitment to nationwide brand marketing and advertising with its launch of a new online certified ad campaign. the new campaign contains fresh creative elements and is running throughout the urltoken web site (urltoken) and on partner sites such as aol, netscape, compuserve and aol local .
[ … ] this post was mentioned on twitter by jeff kershner and pacific dealer, richard. richard said: urltoken is sold to providence equity partners: cox enterprises inc. will sell a 25 percent interest in its … urltoken [ … ]
empower employees: tuttle wanted urltoken employees to be self - sufficient when it came to understanding and using akamai cloud services .
autotrader is a cox automotive™ brand. cox automotive is a subsidiary of cox enterprises. for more information, please visit urltoken .
contact: louise barr of autotrader. com, + 1 - 404 - 843 - 5943, or louise. barr @ urltoken
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urltoken
& gt; ralph paglia on twitter counter. com & lt; / a & gt ;
the agreement between urltoken and experian is being hailed as a victory for dealers who are angry about carfax' s perceived stranglehold on vehicle history reporting .
announcement is part of strategy to provide dealers with a choice as to which vehicle history report provider they utilize in merchandising their inventory on the urltoken site .
for further information: lou laste, 404 - 568 - 7791 (o) (m) 404 - 693 - 2771, lou. laste @ urltoken
carfax and urltoken have a marketing agreement that requires dealers to use carfax vehicle history reports if they include such a report with their used - vehicle listings .
as a long - time akamai customer, urltoken has implemented a number of akamai cloud services over the years. however, over time it became clear that numerous departments within urltoken could better understand the services being used, additional services available to them under their current contract and how to engage these services. mark tuttle, senior manager of engineering for urltoken, found himself fielding every internal question about issues or concerns related to akamai cloud services, whether real or perceived .
as the largest automotive marketplace, urltoken has more than 4 million new and used car listings with more than 17 million unique visitors each month. through this agreement with carfax, urltoken is empowering its large and diverse customer base of nearly 20, 000 dealerships with choice in this important aspect of merchandising their listings .
find out how urltoken is providing enhanced vehicle valuations that provide the most objective, frequently updated, market - driven, and reliable new and used car prices .
this certification attests to the fact that urltoken and its customer service leaders have successfully balanced efficiency and effectiveness in their operations. by optimizing their cost components and their ability to satisfy cus­tomers, urltoken exemplifies best practices in a very important consumer products sector ,
said bruce belfiore, ceo and senior research executive of benchmarkportal .
as the largest automotive marketplace, urltoken has the most listings and the highest number of unique visitors each month. additionally, the company also has a large and diverse customer base, with nearly 20, 000 dealerships. through listening to customer feedback, urltoken recognized that there was a growing need among its dealer customers to select which vehicle history report service they wish to utilize on the urltoken site. by entering into a non - exclusive relationship with one of those providers, urltoken is moving toward empowering dealer customers with more choice in this important aspect of merchandising their listings, thereby continuing to deliver on its mission of making car buying and selling easier .
starting in september, dealers will be allowed to post used vehicles on urltoken with experian automotive' s autocheck vehicle history reports in addition to reports from carfax inc .
for further information: lou laste, 404 - 568 - 7791 (o), or (m) 404 - 693 - 2771, lou. laste @ urltoken
urltoken is a majority - owned subsidiary of manheim auctions, inc. , the world' s largest operator of wholesale auto auctions since 1945. manheim auctions, a wholly owned subsidiary of media conglomerate cox enterprises, inc. , is urltoken' s principal stockholder and a key investor along with landmark communications, adp, inc. , ebay, inc, and the venture capital firm kleiner perkins caufield & byers. for more information, visit urltoken or call 1 - 800 - 353 - 9350 .
urltoken websites transcend the traditional boundaries of online “lead generation” through cox automotive’s accelerate digital retailing technolog, which allows you to start and make complete deals online, on every device .
as a result of urltoken' s tremendous brand recognition, the company has set and broken traffic records to its site, reaching more than 7 million unique monthly visitors, conducting more than 30 million vehicle searches per month from a database of 2. 1 million new, used and certified per - owned vehicles. urltoken' s on - going user profile and site satisfaction studies have shown consumer demand for certified is on the rise. one out of two urltoken site users indicated they are likely to search for a certified vehicle .
centreville, va. and atlanta, aug. 28, 2013 — urltoken and carfax today announced the renewal of their eight - year partnership that allows dealers to include carfax vehicle history reports on their urltoken listings. today, carfax has more than 27, 000 dealers who already choose to offer free carfax reports to build consumer confidence in their inventory listings .
shoppers browse differently on mobile devices than they do on computers. urltoken websites are responsive with server - side elements, a truly mobile - first approach to website design that delivers the flexibility to customize mobile experiences based on mobile shopping behaviors. similar to other ecommerce experiences like apple or amazon, urltoken websites maximize user experience on every device without sacrificing speed or search ranking .
launched in 1998, urltoken is the internet’s leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information website. with a goal of connecting buyers and sellers in the automotive marketplace, urltoken lists about 3 million new, used and certified pre - owned vehicles for sale from thousands of auto dealers and private sellers. through urltoken, consumers can buy and sell their autos and access a robust research and compare portal, and dealers can access a community site allowing them to manage their online inventory. major car manufacturers and dealers place ads on the site to reach the more than 15 million unique monthly visitors .
three distinct banner ad looks convey the message that urltoken, with thirteen certified partners including acura, audi, chrysler, dodge, ford, general motors, honda, jeep, lexus, lincoln, mercury, plymouth and toyota, has the largest aggregate online inventory of certified cars. visitors to urltoken can search for certified only or, within a larger search, pull out the certified listings .
the we [ heart ] you! campaign was a full year program that was kicked off at the annual awards event where urltoken appreciated their customer ops division on a quarterly basis through activities and mementos .
john gray, president of experian, says september will be the first time in recent history that its vehicle reports will be included in urltoken listings. more than 12, 000 dealerships subscribe to autocheck, gray says .
creating an unique environment where urltoken can highlight some of their top employees in the customer ops division is just one of the many ways they honor and recognize the importance each and every person is to their operation as a whole .
new research conducted by urltoken indicates that 80 percent of vehicle purchases are influenced by women, a surprisingly high number that demonstrates the importance to female consumers, who account for over 50 percent of vehicle buyers in the united states .
chip perry, urltoken president and chief executive officer, said the partnership with providence equity would help the online business pursue “many organic growth opportunities, as well as strategic acquisitions, that will help improve the products and services we offer. ”
perhaps this says more about cox than about urltoken. atc has been profitable for years, but has been been paying back the huge initial investment cox and it' s other investors made at the beginning. this influx of capital dramatically speeds up that repayment. much of cox' s portfolio is made up of businesses in shrinking segments; newspapers, tv, radio, auto auctions, etc. urltoken is a rare commodity for them: a business unit with a growing valuation .
experian' s agreement with urltoken comes a month after the owners of 120 auto dealerships filed a federal lawsuit against carfax alleging that carfax engages in anti - competitive practices and violates antitrust laws. the suit seeks damages of more than $ 50 million .
as part of its premium service & support contract, urltoken has access to formal training conducted by akamai experts. many urltoken employees have taken advantage of instructor - led courses that provide hands - on training designed to help akamai customers extract the most value from their akamai investment. “through akamai training, our employees have increased their knowledge about the akamai platform and how to use it most effectively. plus, the premium service & support team is available to help our technical personnel put their training into action, ” explains tuttle .
enjoy the industry’s most secure online retailing experience through site - wide https encryption. now included on all urltoken websites, this technology safeguards customer data across every page of your website, ensuring security and conﬁdentiality throughout a shopper’s digital journey—from online form submissions to ﬁnancial queries and deals .
urltoken has been, and i think will continue to be, a media success story. when other media outlets were seeing drops in advertising revenue during the tough economy, atc was holding it' s own. with a recovery they could easily be back to double - digit growth rates .
thanks to a recent tweet by @ ericmiltsch of dealer teamwork, i learned of this new development: urltoken i' m not seeing it so far for any of my dealer - customers, how about you all? if... google my business keyword report, anyone seeing this yet ?
‘many of our dealer customers use urltoken to merchandise their vehicles to potential used car buyers, ’ said bill eager, vice president of carfax. ‘offering carfax reports, like pictures, videos, vehicle details and a price, is a key component in our dealer customers’ efforts to advertise their vehicles. ’
atlanta, june 6, 2013 / prnewswire / - - urltoken, the ultimate automotive marketplace, recently announced that it has achieved the prestigious
center of excellence
certification by benchmarkportal, placing its consumer and specialty sales customer service call center in the top ten percent as surveyed for efficiency and effectiveness .
urltoken didn’t say, though an early valuation of the company by a banker cited in a september story by the financial times said it was from $ 500 million to $ 1 billion. the wall street journal reiterated that ballpark figure on monday, calling the deal a “ $ 500 million - plus acquisition. ”
as the world’s largest and most trusted cloud delivery platform, akamai makes it easier for its customers to provide the best and most secure digital experiences on any device, anytime, anywhere. akamai’s massively distributed platform is unparalleled in scale, giving customers superior performance and threat protection. akamai’s portfolio of web and mobile performance, cloud security, enterprise access, and video delivery solutions are supported by exceptional customer service and 24 / 7 / 365 monitoring. to learn why the top financial institutions, online retail leaders, media and entertainment providers, and government organizations trust akamai, please visit urltoken, urltoken, or @ akamai on twitter .
most websites are built with either a responsive design or a server - side detection approach, which delivers device - specific content. urltoken websites combine responsive elements with server - side technology. this mobile - first philosophy gives our clients unmatched flexibility to configure the mobile and desktop experiences based on how shoppers use these devices .
based on extensive quantitative research and quantitative testing, urltoken vehicle deal pages enhance one of the most critical steps in the shopper journey—the vdp view—by incorporating intuitive mobile - ﬁrst design with an integrated digital retailing experience. the result is a best - in - class inventory experience for every vehicle and a transparent gateway to more deals .
separately, urltoken reported it landed a financing arrangement with goldman sachs lending partners llc and wells fargo bank to provide $ 525million in senior secured revolving credit and term loan facilities. the facilities will be used to fund the redemption of certain shares of autotrader’s outstanding capital stock and for working capital and other general corporate purposes of the company .
our analytics platform was built to ensure you know exactly who is visiting your website, and help you deliver content that moves those shoppers closer to a purchase. part of nvision, cox automotive’s all new end - to - end performance hub, urltoken analytics deliver insight into customer buying intent with data - driven behavioral analytics and groundbreaking marketing attribution .
at coggin ford, we agree, the color black demands a certain level of respect - - no matter how you wear it. whether you' re on the runway or the road, this color adds an element of sleek sophistication that cannot be denied. no wonder urltoken named it the car color of the year during new york fashion week 2015 .
it' s great news; it' s a victory for the industry that urltoken is now allowing dealers to choose which vehicle history report company they want to do business with ,
says jeremy alicandri, vice president of corporate development at habberstad auto group, in huntington station, n. y. his dealerships are among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against carfax .
earning this award is a great achievement for urltoken' s customer service team ,
said pat dennis, director of customer service for consumer and specialty sales .
this recognition is a testament to our continued investments in our people, development and technology. i am very proud of our team members, who are the foundation to building stronger relationships with our customers .
urltoken allows you to create and control a complete virtual showroom. our mobile - ﬁrst website platform delivers unmatched mobile and desktop ﬂexibility, comprehensive inventory merchandising, personalized shopper experiences, accelerate digital retailing, and groundbreaking connectivity with autotrader®, kelley blue book®, vauto®, dealertrack®, and other cox automotive solutions. this unrivaled combination transcends traditional website limitations, allowing you to optimize every aspect of your digital marketing strategy .
“the internet has become a primary marketing channel for auto dealers and manufacturers to reach and influence consumers during the vehicle purchase process, ” said chip perry, president and chief executive of urltoken. “we believe our two companies are well positioned in this very competitive environment to help the industry adopt and embrace new tools and technologies that will drive higher levels of efficiency and profitability among both dealers and manufacturers over the next decade. ”
accelerate digital retailing delivers the ultimate virtual showroom experience, creating an uninterrupted and transparent path to purchase. available across urltoken websites, autotrader, and kelley blue book, accelerate digital retailing gives prospective buyers a seamless online shopping process regardless of their digital journey, while you control key the stages of the deal - making experience. the result is an online to in - store sales workflow that saves customers time and sells cars faster .
ads also focus on building awareness of the certified category as a whole by linking visitors to the educational section of the urltoken site. car shoppers can research what a certified car is, compare certified programs and learn about the benefits of owning a certified car. these include extended warranties, special financing, roadside assistance and the general peace of mind that comes from purchasing a vehicle that has passed a rigorous manufacturer - backed inspection .
founded in 1997, autotrader, which owns the urltoken and kelley blue book brands, has grown into the largest digital automotive marketplace in the united states. it has benefited in recent years from car sales that have outpaced the economic recovery. for all of 2013, u. s. auto sales are expected to have finished near 15. 6 million, up about 8 percent from 2012, making it the strongest year for vehicle sales since 2007 .
jason manning - i am fascinated by your comment... having led the development of a very customized configuration of urltoken while building out adp' s social media marketing operations center in scottsdale, i began to imagine what it would be like to take advantage of the
app store
that salesforce has cultivated for a car dealership. their may be more substance to what you allude to then most would be willing to admit from within the auto industry !
as i write this story, i am listing to sean stapleton’s amplified voice as he explains the power of having one system that integrates all of a dealer’s internet marketing, website, crm, desking, finance and service in one platform that is accessible via the web or a mobile phone. it is an impressive vision and i can understand why dealers want it and why urltoken wanted to be the company to bring it to them. from both a revenue development and a dealer satisfaction perspective, it makes a lot of sense .
alex was born into the car business. his family owns a group of stores in virginia where he held a multitude of positions since he first cut the grass there in 1989. dealerrefresh caught his attention in 2006 and he has been a part of the community ever since. in 2010 alex joined urltoken to help put a dealer' s spin on products; where he got a front row seat to converse with over 13, 000 dealers and watch 2 acquisitions totaling over $ 5 billion. today, alex lives in vermont and works to make dealerrefresh amazing !
contact centers and their managers who wish to implement best practices and attain world - class performance in their industry have a unique opportunity to certify their call centers. benchmarkportal' s rigorous certification process has the advantage of referencing all performance goals to their best practice database of thousands of contact centers. thus, contact centers will be held to performance levels that will improve their competitive position, not just force them to adhere to an arbitrary standard. please follow the link to discover what the steps to certification are and how they will improve your center' s performance. urltoken call - center - certification .
while i was working as a speaker at the vinsolutions sponsored “internet battle plan” 3 day dealer training workshop in kansas city on wednesday may 18 th, sean stapleton (vinsolutions chief sales officer) approached me and said he wanted to update me on an important announcement regarding vinsolutions… he then told me about the urltoken acquisition of vinsolutions and showed me the autotrader issued press release announcing the deal. was i surprised? not really... my initial perception and response to mr. stapleton was along the lines of “well, that makes more sense than most of the acquisitions i have been privy to, and congratulations on a job well done. ”
this makes a lot of sense because autotrader is also an entrepreneurial high growth technology company so they probably have a better understanding of how to maintain the momentum of the companies they bought rather than scaring the management away. after speaking with dale pollack (vauto) during the automotive leadership roundtable awards in miami, and with joe vraneza (kbb), combined with observing what autotrader has done so far with their kelley blue book and vauto acquisitions… this is one auto industry observer (me) who believes that chip perry (autotrader) knows what he is doing by purchasing vinsolutions and how to get the most out of the company in the long term .
sometimes i forget that autotrader has not always been the market dominating internet advertising company that it is today and that just like vauto and vinsolutions it was a start up internet company that has experienced extraordinary growth in a short period of time. as a result it seems chip perry knows exactly how to help the companies he has bought to scale through the different stages of growth they will most definitely experience with autotrader’s support. chip is definitely one of our industry’s most innovative thought leaders and this acquisition could have more impact than any other he has made so far because of the impact of all the technology in every department of the dealership: new, used, finance, service, parts, bdc, internet and marketing .
while i was speaking with sean wolfington, a vinsolutions shareholder and entrepreneur, he described what vinsolutions offers dealers as a “dealer marketing system” that is every bit as significant to the dealership as their “dealer management system” .
wolfington stated “most dealers spend too much money with too many companies who do online marketing; search, banner ads, websites, crm, desking, finance etc and the systems don’t integrate. vinsolutions has grown so fast because dealers like an “all - in - one” dealership marketing system that gives them everything they need for less money and it is integrated with whatever dms system the dealer choses to use... ”
autotrader' s digital advertising has consistently delivered a lot of leads and sales to dealers and now they can give their dealers a system to convert more leads to sales and that helps them generate their own leads to all their profit centers: new, used, finance, service and parts .
as i continued to discuss the events of the day, and all the things that must have happened leading up to the announcement by autotrader that they had agreed to acquire vinsolutions, sean wolfington went on to say; “mike dullea (ceo) and matt watson (cto) built an extraordinary technology platform and leadership team with talented guys like kendall billman and sean stapelton, the best salesperson in the industry... they are the best at what they do and dullea is a relentless leader who had the vision to build a fantastic company and team. ”
oops... you need to stop
lurking
on adm and become a more genuine automotive professional by completing your membership registration. as a registered adm member, you can post comments, publish your own articles (be a star !) and start forum discussions. stop being an online
peeping tom
and join adm right now !
yep, they' re going to ruin it. i can tell already, sniffing around into vs .
i think we' ve become automotive centric as well mike and i really appreciate your response. i' ve been a fan of vinsolutions for quite some time even though i have only test driven your crm and monitored the design of your dealer sites. i' m impressed. while the automotive industry has become
specialized
in many aspects, i feel
specialized
will move forward to
customized .
a customized crm, site, inventory manager etc is what i look forward to in my dealer' s future and the automotive industry as a whole .
i' ll have that and that and that and that and let' s also include that .
i believe dealers will soon see the need to become customized in each unique market with vendors that will supply their unique solutions and secure their dealer' s data. i' m sure your company will evolve to that level. i' m sure competition will keep your there .
i only have a concern about the data leak that could happen or could be happening when autotrader acquires a business (vauto, homenet, kbb and now vinsolutions in a short span of time). the terms
affiliate ,
partner ,
subsidiary ,
and so on are ways that data can leak back to the consumer. i am well aware of how automotive vendor contracts are written and have great concerns with these acquisitions. as a dealer, watching autotrader continue to provide the consumer
reality check
sale data, makes me concerned that dealers may be losing control of their data through vendor products and creative or deceptive contracts and new acquisitions by vendors etc .
thank you again for your response. i really appreciate you taking the time .
jason - i have to admit i also once thought that these open source solutions and companies like salesforce could be used in automotive but reality is: no oem certifications + no dms certifications + no vin decoding + crm' s that are not built around vin numbers that know when a car is sold and attach service data = no use in the automotive space .
i am the ceo at vinsolutions and as matt mentioned we use salesforce - why? our system is so automotive centric it does not perform in any other industries and is built specifically for transacting automotive sales and service - so we had to go elsewhere even though we built our own product .
good luck with your vision and if you would like to speak about this at anytime just let me know .
@ matt, ultimate control is ultimate power. carmax enjoys ultimate control with their internal custom systems. i' ve experienced them first hand. i believe i can find support to help with the design and ultimate control costs. i' m also considering sugarcrm for the same low cost purpose. zoho has a
drag and drop
design feature that makes things even easier for an ultra low cost. these customizations are appetizing to a dealer who has a market, customer base and strategy that requires a specific direction. i' m not so sure that
one size fits all
fits anymore. there is too much technology and low cost choices to consider .
i am the first person to negotiate and grind autotrader rates at every opportunity, but i am also smart enough to know that if their product was truly over priced, as many dealers would not have purchased it .
@ jason manning: absolutely a good point. salesforce automation in vehicle retail has suffered more than a bit from tailored solutions that don' t play well together. i think of the dms access by a crm as an example of that - - and so the solutions from outside this vertical market run up on a lot of data and interface barriers. some examples are how the dms data is integrated, whether it is a two - way interface, what formats (xml, etc .) to lead providers expect, how is email (including attachments) handled, and is there a custom report facility available. and more, as i start to think about it, but i' m long - winded enough here. : )
if you would like another opinion or set of eyes on what you are considering, just let me know .
auto trader and vin a perfect marriage. two over priced products that are good at selling dealers but don' t perform. dealers are enraged at at and personal experience with vins lies that they where not in this to sell it. con grads to the put together artists at vin for the profit they got from at. some one needed to get back what at has raped from dealers over the years. say what you got to say to get the cash. congradutions, i' m jealous of what they got but disgusted with how they got it .
ralph you heard me say this at the battle plan this week
diaa
.
atc has a lot of data, it remains to be seen if they can turn that data into information, activate it and then act on it. only time will tell .
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cox automotive was born from an idea to connect the global automotive industry with one unified game - changer and transform the way the world buys, owns and sells cars .
higher interest rates, tighter credit standards and a record number of off - lease vehicles are creating a fiercely competitive used car market for 2018. learn how you can turn this into an opportunity to fuel used car sales .
it' s a bird. it' s a plane. it' s superman !
by day, derek rich is a content developer for the cox automotive product design and usability group. but then he quietly slips out the door, makes a superhero transformation and emerges as superman to visit sick kids in local children’s hospitals with the cosplay volunteers of atlanta organization .
bringing together a disparate set of it systems into a single centrally controlled platform gives a european manufacturer unprecedented global inventory management capability while providing its dealers across europe with unparalleled access to the vehicles and disposal options critical for long - term success .
cox automotive’s connected operations is the industry’s only solution that integrates trade - in appraisal, crm, dms, f & i and fixed ops into an easy - to - use connected workflow .
community service is a daily part of work at cox automotive, so it seemed only natural that manheim australia would take its partnership with a local charity to the next level .
together, our connected brands provide a comprehensive set of products and services that simplify the process, minimize friction and enable the smart, connected and enjoyable experience all car buyers and sellers expect .
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the crm is a relatively recent addition to the automotive dealership, but it’s already revolutionized the way dealers connect with their custome ...
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that salesperson who just texted you he was quitting just cost you $ 15, 000. that’s the average cost to a dealership to lose an employee. 1 of course ...
the 2018 car buyer journey study explores how consumers complete the entire vehicle purchase process by exploring when, where and how consumers deci ...
cox automotive is the only company in the world that offers a complete set of solutions for the automotive dealer. we go further to connect pillars of our industry to drive results for our full universe of clients, including dealers, lenders, oems and consumers. from inventory and marketing to sales and service — through each stage of a car’s life — we’re connected to the process .
this is a few days old now and i’m not sure of any immediate impact it could have, but figured some might want to know .
cox will maintain majority ownership and operating control of autotrader. com, an online auto classifieds marketplace. providence’s ownership will have no impact on day - to - day operations, but the private equity firm will get two seats on autotrader. com’s board of directors .
cox said the deal gives it access to additional investment capital and expertise to help accelerate autotrader. com’s growth .
“this agreement demonstrates our commitment to autotrader. com’s continued success and will speed its future growth as the leader in the online auto space, ” said jimmy hayes, president and ceo of cox enterprises, in a news release. “providence equity has a strong track record of working with communications, media and internet companies to promote growth and encourage strategic expansion. ”
i’m the founder of dealerrefresh. i got my start in the dealer business when i was 18. from there i' ve worked throughout several departments within fixed to variable ops. whether it’s managing the desk, perfecting sales process or studying online marketing and media trends, i absolutely love this business and the challenges it brings. on top of keeping up with dealerrefresh, i consult with dealerships and key industry businesses. my passion has been and continues to be helping dealers leverage new media to sell and improve customer service .
private equity loves businesses with recurring revenue streams. companies like pest control, lawn fertilization, cleaning companies, etc. i' m sure that is what is prompting this investment. they probably see some opportunities to cut costs and boost cash flow while maintaining and / or growing the recurring income stream. should be interesting to watch play out…
they will load it up with debt and cash out while the business will go bankrupt .
cox has been having a very hard time selling autotrader, they' ve had them on the market since 2008, and all the major players like yahoo, comcast, google, aol, msn, kbb have not been interested .
atc didn' t need to sell 25% to an equity investor. kleiner perkins could have easily jumped up with more cash (for more equity) if they thought the company was in peril and / or believed it was a good investment. the fact kp didn' t jump in for the extra 25% is very telling. ed brooks is right for the most part. he spent time with atc and understands the culture of the company. at the inception of atc, the board moved people from the atlanta newspaper company (cox owned) to run the show. these were died in the wool newspaper people. i believe some of the early years provided slower growth than the investors liked. in the past few years, some of the old newspaper executives have moved on and retired. this has left openings near the top for younger / faster blood .
take the fact kp didn' t want the other 25% coupled with the assumption atc can get a substantial line of credit from just about anyone. since kp has been there since the beginning; do they simply not trust the guys with a half billion more (?). there is more here than we' re being told. and that' s their choice. when you run in the corporate circles that the executives at cox run around in…you know a lot of people with a lot of money. this could have just been a' sweetheart' deal. maybe it' s just that simple .
one can do a lot of damage with $ 525mm. it' s my assumption atc is recognizing the upward shift in the auto industry and they are going into acquisition mode. and why not? that' s what i would do. if in fact atc goes on a buying spree (and chooses the right acquisitions), then i applaud providence for their investment. atc has the name recognition and talent pool to pull off some serious revenue and profit generators. i' d look to buy dms / crm and mend them into the at software. could be an intersting summer .
i hope one day that the
magazine
, will return. its been a year since it dissolved, and i miss working for one of the best jobs of my life. only wishfull thinking. thanks for the memories .
autotrader is a cash cow but their business model is not sustainable as the market shifts to a pay for performance model. they know that and are smart enough to use that money to start to buy assets like kbb to create some sort of competitive advantage
a: to buy them out. atc’s floor management fucked over many employees! !
i recently convinced the owner of my company to start a b2b sales program. i will be selling used tires (with a b2b discount) directly to companies across the lower 48 - hopefully utilizing our website to stream line sales and shipping directly to my customers. where i need the help: i... where do i [ … ]
if there is a recent post similar to this one i apologize - feel free to reply with the link to that thread and i' ll shut up and go away hello all, this post could get real long so i am going to try and keep it as brief as possible. our group has been [ … ]
hi everyone! it' s my first time posting in here but i' ve found the threads to be very helpful. i wanted to ask the question of best lead sources based on your experience with them on a platform where i feel i' ll get the most honest and helpful answers. i' m the bdc / digital manager for the... best [ … ]
what if there was a way to auto - magically improve leads? for a moment, forget about how to do this and think of attributes that could be added to make the lead better for buyer and seller. attributes like: prior customer? been on your site before? car shopping sites... what would it take to make a [ … ]
i' ll try to keep this first post up to date with the various site hosting companies, so post up if i' m missing something. i' ll also try to list them alphabetically and include the name of their products. asl internet auto - corner autofunds autofusion all auto network autoonemedia autorevo... listing of all the dealership website hosting companies
kelley blue book, the company so intertwined with the process of valuating cars and trucks for buyers and sellers that it became part of the american vernacular, has been sold .
“the future that lies before us is full of potential, ” paul johnson, kelley blue book’s president and chief executive, said in a statement. “we are proud of the kelley blue book brand and our many accomplishments over the past 84 years. ”
kelley blue book was founded 1926 when les kelley, a mechanic, build a car dealership and printed a price sheet to circulate to lenders. other dealers asked for the list, and kelley sold it by subscription for $ 15 a year. kelley retired in the 1960s and the company stopped selling cars, according to a 1996 story in the times. the cook family of los angeles bought the price guide and hired the kelleys to run the business .
a team of new york times contributors blogs about news, trends and all things automotive. check back for insight, photos, reviews of cars and more. and remember to join the conversation — you can comment on the cars, offer your own reviews, and post questions in our reader comment area .
the regular features of this blog, including monday motorsports, the wheelies news briefs and reports on auto industry developments including vehicle recalls and technology updates, can now be found on the automobiles web page. read more…
you may not be able to tell the difference while you’re driving, but acura’s new 4 - wheel steering system moves the front and rear wheels in concert to improve high - speed steering response. read more…
general motors hasn’t offered a diesel passenger car since the diesel - powered chevette chugged unceremoniously into its lineup in 1986. but the company is back with its efficient chevrolet cruze turbo diesel. read more…
toyota announced a recall on thursday of 803, 000 camry, avalon and venza models for a problem related to air bags caused by spider webs. read more…
a journey across sunny italy, sampling “the most sublime noise ever to enter the ear of man” — the throaty engine of a ferrari, in this case the ff gt. read more…
autotrader was recognized as the top company for new - vehicle and used - vehicle leads in the 12th annual dealers' choice awards, announced by the publishers of auto dealer monthly. voted on exclusively by dealers and dealership personnel, the program recognizes the industry' s best product and service providers. read the full story here .
frost & sullivan has announced 44 world - class companies as winners of the 2015 cio impact awards. each nominated project was evaluated by a panel of expert judges that included award - winning chief information officers and frost & sullivan researchers. awards are being presented to the teams that led the highest - scoring projects in eight categories: enterprise social netowrking, advanced software development, enterprise architecture, mibility, cloud comuting, unified communciations nd collaboration, data and network resilience and advanced analytics and big data. autotrader won a 2015 cio impact award in the project category of advanced analytics and big data. read the full story here .
autotrader was recognized as the top company for new - vehicle and used - vehicle leads in the 11th annual dealers' choice awards, announced by the publishers of auto dealer monthly. voted on exclusively by dealers and dealership personnel, the program recognizes the industry' s best product and service providers. read the full story here .
autotrader has received the
highest rated
used car advertising award in the sixth annual drivingsales dealer satisfaction awards, presented at a special event in conjunction with the 2015 national automobile dealers association (nada) convention & expo. read the full story here .
autotrader was named a winner of the achievers 50 most engaged workplaces in north america for 2015. the annual award honors the top 50 employers in north america that are leading innovation in engaging employees and making their workplaces more productive. applicants are evaluated based on: communication, leadership, culture, rewards and recognition, professional and personal growth, accountability and performance, vision and values and corporate social responsiblity .
autotrader was named a recipient of benchmarkportal' s prestigious
center of excellence
certification for consecutive years. this accolade places autotrader' s consumer and specialty sales customer service call center in the top 10 percent of those surveyed .
© 2014 autotrader, inc. all rights reserved .
autotrader
is a registered trademark of tpi holdings, inc. used under exclusive license .
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autotrader.com , inc. is an online marketplace for car shoppers and sellers . it aggregates millions of new , used , and certified second-hand cars from thousands of dealers and private sellers . the site also provides users with automotive reviews , shopping advice , and comparison tools for car financing and insurance information . the firm is based in atlanta , georgia , and has been featured in the new york times , businessweek , and abc news . 
autotrader.com, inc. is an online marketplace for car shoppers and sellers. it aggregates millions of new, used, and certified second-hand cars from thousands of dealers and private sellers. the site also provides users with automotive reviews, shopping advice, and comparison tools for car financing and insurance information. the firm is based in atlanta, georgia, and has been featured in the new york times, businessweek, and abc news.
autotrader.com, inc. is an online marketplace for car shoppers and sellers. it aggregates millions of new, used, and certified second-hand cars from thousands of dealers and private sellers. the site also provides users with automotive reviews, shopping advice, and comparison tools for car financing and insurance information. the firm is based in atlanta, georgia, and has been featured in the new york times, businessweek, and abc news.