Articles for 2010 DCA
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Overall dealer satisfaction with new vehicle leads has improved over last year; however, this category was a polarized one. The award winners’ scores were well above average, while all others seemingly fell by the wayside with below-average scores.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Similar to the New Vehicle Internet Lead category, the group average and individual scores were higher this year. Of course, it is reasonable to consider the possibility that dealers tend to feel more satisfied with their lead provider when they are able to get more deals bought, so the freeing-up of capital in the financing market might have positively influenced dealer sentiment toward their lead providers. Interestingly, the top three companies last year returned to their same positions this year.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The average score in the Special Finance Lead Provider category jumped almost 10 points, to 97 (the highest in three years). The results of the SF Lead Provider category illuminate an uptick in dealers’ satisfaction in the SF market.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
In the ever-changing Internet realm, dealers expect a lot from a Web provider. They regularly express their satisfaction in the Dealers’ Choice Awards for three particular providers, as evidenced by the same three companies winning awards for the past three years.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The group average in this category saw a jump of nearly eight points over last year, and while only two providers scored above average in 2009, four providers turned in above-average showings this year —the most ever in this category.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Annually, the CRM Tool category is a competitive category with many players. This year, one company returned to the top three, two newcomers scored awards and two additional companies scored higher-than-average, garnering honorable mention in a category that’s only seen three above-average companies in the past couple years.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
A category that has remained fairly constant over the past six years is Direct Mail. The group average, although it has slightly declined over the years, hasn’t varied much, and Strategic Marketing, Triple Diamond winner, has won the Diamond Award every year since the Awards began in 2005.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Only two companies scored high enough to beat the group average this year, and both were in the top spots in last year’s awards.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Similar to the Sales Trainer category, the F&I Trainer category has had a regular winner since the awards began. For the sixth consecutive year United Development Systems (UDS) has won the Diamond Award, scoring its highest score yet this year with 132.7 (more than 18 points higher than the group average) and maintaining its Triple Diamond status.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Last year, KainAutomotive.com received the highest score ever in any category (150.8). Amazingly, the Triple Diamond Award winner beat its own record by over five points and now has the highest score of any provider in the six-year history of the Dealers’ Choice Awards (156).
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Over the past few years, the Desking Software category has been dominated by the same three companies. DealerTrack has won an award in this category every year since 2007 and took home the Diamond Award for 2010, after two back-to-back Platinum Awards in ‘08 and ‘09.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Dealers who voted in this category were happier than most, with a group average just shy of 113. CNA National, a Triple Diamond Award winner, took home the Diamond Award for the sixth consecutive year, posting the highest score ever in this category—a 141.5. Also, CNA National was the only returning company in the top three in this category.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
This year, only two companies scored high enough to win an award in the Service Contracts – Reinsurance category, and there was quite a point spread between the award-winning companies and the group average.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Apparently, dealers representing top import manufacturers are quite satisfied with their captives, as the top two companies in this category received the second- and third-highest scores in the entire Dealers’ Choice Awards and improved their scores by about 22 points each.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
As great dealers know, financing is all about relationships. With the changes in the market over the past year, it seems that many dealers are turning more to sources a little closer to home like local banks and credit unions. The exception to that trend is reflected in BB&T’s receipt of the Diamond Award for the second consecutive year.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
While the average score in the Subprime Credit Finance category was down slightly, two award-winners from last year’s awards returned with improved scores. The Diamond Award winner, Regional Acceptance, scored a 125.7, which is notable for two reasons...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Despite the increasing popularity of online auctions, dealers still find a lot of value in attending brick-and-mortar auctions. Used car buyers can’t exactly kick the tires and listen to the engines of potential inventory with a mouse or keyboard. However, after spiking last year at 113.9, the group average took a significant dip of about 15 points this year to 98.7.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
While the group average in this category was virtually unchanged from last year, there were a couple of dramatic shifts in position. After a two-year absence in this category of the Dealers’ Choice Awards, ADESA triumphantly roared back to claim the Diamond Award for the first time ever and seems to have significantly improved its relationship with dealers.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
This category earned one of the higher group averages in this year’s awards, reflecting a great amount of satisfaction among dealers. These inventory management providers are wildly popular with dealers because they allow dealers to plan their inventory based on market conditions and speed up inventory turn...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The interesting thing about dealers’ relationships with their data management systems is that while dealers will express extreme dissatisfaction when a DMS does not function as they feel it should, there are no bonus points awarded by dealers when a DMS functions well; it’s simply what dealers expect, which could explain why the group average in this category tends to stay on the low side nearly every year.