Articles for Internet Dealer Stories
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Moving a dealership is certainly never easy, but it can be an even bigger problem to move it online. And, what happens when you also change the name of a dealership? Oscar Vanderkooij, IT director for Goodson Acura and Audi Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently faced both of these situations.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Imagine a customer coming in completely ready to purchase and driving off the lot in a new vehicle just an hour later—with no hassle or negotiation. This is the reality every day at driversselect. Writer Alexandra Barlow looks at the dealership's successful business model overhaul.
Monday, August 01, 2011
Hines Park Lincoln implemented a business development center in 2004 to better manage Internet leads. The success of that department helped the dealership achieve the title “Lincoln Internet Dealer of the Year” in 2009 and 2010 from FordDirect.
Friday, February 25, 2011
In southeast Ohio, the Don Wood Automotive is building a nationwide Web presence for its parts and accessories business. Learn about Dealer Jeff Wood’s strategy to further build his Internet empire, which currently encompasses 39 URLs, and his online parts and accessories business.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Jennifer Murphy - One doesn’t have to be tech-savvy to understand the popularity of social media. Lisa Cryder, the owner/general manager at Lebanon Ford Lincoln Mercury realized social media could be a powerful business tool—one her Lebanon, Ohio, dealership stood to benefit from.
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Jennifer Murphy - Generally speaking, heated seats aren’t a popular option when purchasing a car in Florida. At Century Motors in Pompano Beach, Fla., Dealer Frank Fuzy said, “You can turn a heated seat on in South Florida … and it’s hard to tell if that heated seat gets warm.”
Monday, July 05, 2010
Jennifer Murphy - “My focus is really just the entire online experience … building our online brand, getting that footprint out through as many different channels as possible. Obviously, with the explosion of all the social channels, that makes it a lot easier, especially with all the other platforms we have,” said Miltsch.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Kimberly Long - Riding out the rough waves of the economy hasn’t been a breeze for anyone, but Phil Smith Acura in Pompano Beach, Fla., seems to be weathering the storm quite nicely. The store, which has been a part of Phil Smith Automotive Group for three years, focuses intently on attracting and engaging customers online.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Kimberly Long - “It was one of those middle-of-the-night ideas,” said Amy Schlueter, vice president of Schlueter Automotive Group in Waterloo, Ontario, referring to their innovative new campaign, the Twitter Test Drive.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Kimberly Long - Nearly every dealership these days seems to have some kind of online presence, although to varying degrees. Some have just a Web site, while others have a Web site and listings on sites like AutoTrader.com or cars.com.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Jennifer Murphy - Almost a decade ago, the owners of Gentilini Motors in Woodbine, N.J., began to notice traditional advertising trailing off and the Internet catching on. “The Internet was becoming more of a craze. It was becoming more prevalent in everybody’s household,” said Paul Gentilini, co-owner. In 2000, Gentilini Motors’ focus shifted to building an online presence ...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The last month the store topped 600 was September 2008. Its three-month average for December ‘08, January ‘09 and February ‘09 was about 350 units per month, and while those three months are typically the slowest months of the year at Toyota Sunnyvale, Scott Pettitt, direct sales director, said the dip in sales was also partially due to market conditions. The direct sales department, which is similar to an
Monday, July 13, 2009
When he was growing up, Matthew Haiken had no doubt about the career he wanted to pursue. “I wanted to be a car dealer from a very young age … I love the business, every aspect of it. I love the competitiveness, the entrepreneurial spirit,” he said. In fact, he started attending 20 group meetings at the age of 16. “I loved being around car dealers; to me they were ...
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Internet can be incredibly rewarding with proper nurturing and commitment, and Anthony Bartoli, Internet director and sales manager at Behlmann Pontiac Buick GMC, treats the Internet department like a child—a method that has proved successful at more than one dealership in St. Louis, Mo.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Kimberly Long - Mountain View has been steadily working toward a stronger online presence for several years, striving to mold efforts into what Erwin described as “a full-fledged, go-after-it, no-holds-barred concept of e-commerce.” That concept has developed into a ...
Thursday, July 03, 2008
John Carroll - These days, just about everyone working for Granger Motors in tiny Granger, Iowa, has almost universal access to the Web. Anyone responding to a vehicle on the Web page is ringing right into the mobile number of the Web sales manager...
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Jennifer Rincon - Before the Web site or even the sales process could be modified, Bell, at Hagar’s urging, decided to clean house. His first instinct was to gather all the third-party leads and the handfuls of phone numbers, and unify all...
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Daymond Decker - According to statistics provided by Honda, 80 percent of typical Honda buyers first turn to the Internet to conduct online research...
Friday, December 14, 2007
Daymond Decker - With an effective digital marketing strategy, complete with the right technology, tools and extensive training, McDaniel and the BDC department at Kerry Toyota are giving the competition a run for their money...
Friday, November 30, 2007
Jennifer Murphy - Bill Finocchiaro, president of Peruzzi Toyota in Hatfield, Pa., has been experiencing online success since he expanded his Internet department and adopted new processes for the department. “I knew there was more out there;