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INDEPENDENT DEALER O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E O H I O I N D E P E N D E N T A U T O M O B I L E D E A L E R S A S S O C I AT I O N
KEEPING YOUR WEBSITE AHEAD OF THE CURVE ALSO Business, Family & Quality PLUS OIADA Golf Tournament Results
DALLAS, TEXAS Permit No. 2079
PAID
PRSRT Standard U.S. Postage V I S I T
U S
A T
W W W . O H I A D A . O R G
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INSIDE MAGAZINECONTENTS 10 12 14 18
Keeping Your Website Ahead of the Curve Business, Family & Quality From PC to Pocket: Connecting with Shoppers OIADA Golf Tournament Results
THE CURRENT STATE OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY John McElroy is host of the long-running "Autoline Detroit" television program, covering all aspects of the automotive industry. In this presentation, McElroy provides a thorough and insightful review of where we've been, where we now are, and where our industry is headed. Taped at the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association's Annual Conference.
CATCH THIS ON WWW.NIADA.TV
ADVERTISERSINDEX ADESA, Inc...................................................................5 AutoTrader.com ............................................Back Cover Cars.com .......................................... Inside Front Cover Columbus Fair Auto Auction..........................................9 Corry Auto Dealers Exchange ....................................15 Dealer Funding ............................................................7 Diamond Warranty Corporation ..................................3 Friendly Finance Corporation .................................... 13 Manheim.com ............................................................11 SmartAuction .................................... Inside Back Cover Western General / Protective ....................................17 NATIONAL INDEPENDENT AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION WWW.NIADA.COM • WWW.NIADA.TV NIADA HEADQUARTERS: 2521 BROWN BLVD. • ARLINGTON, TX 76006-5203 PHONE (817) 640-3838 FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION CONTACT: TROY GRAFF (800) 682-3837 OR TROY@NIADA.COM. THE OHIO INDEPENDENT DEALER NEWS IS PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY BY THE NATIONAL INDEPENDENT AUTOMOBILE DEALERSASSOCIATION SERVICES CORPORATION, 2521 BROWN BLVD., ARLINGTON, TX 76006-5203; PHONE (817) 640-3838. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT DALLAS, TX AND AT ADDITIONAL OFFICES. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO NIADA STATE PUBLICATIONS, 2521 BROWN BLVD., ARLINGTON, TX 76006-5203. THE STATEMENTS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF OHIO INDEPENDENT DEALER NEWS, THE OHIO INDEPENDENT AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION, OR THE NATIONAL INDEPENDENT AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION. LIKEWISE, THE APPEARANCE OF ADVERTISERS, OR THEIR IDENTIFICATION AS MEMBERS OF OIADA OR NIADA, DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ENDORSEMENT OF THE PRODUCTS OR SERVICES FEATURED. COPYRIGHT 2010 BY NIADA SERVICES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
STATE MAGAZINE MGR./SALES: Troy Graff • troy@niada.com EDITOR: Mike Harbour • mharbour@niada.com ART/PRODUCTION MGR.: Christy Haynes • christy@niada.com PRINTING: Nieman Printing FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER CONTACT JAMES R. MITCHELL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OIADA • 2040 BRICE ROAD • SUITE #110 REYNOLDSBURG, OH 43068 PO BOX 216 • BRICE, OH 43109-0216 OFFICE: 614-863-5800 • CELL: 614-436-3393 • FAX: 614-863-5801 JRMITCH49@AOL.COM • WWW.OHIADA.ORG
DON’T FORGET TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR IMPORTANT INFO: w w w. o h i a d a . o r g
vAuto becomes part of AutoTrader.com AutoTrader.com and vAuto announced in September an agreement under which AutoTrader.com will acquire vAuto, the automotive retail industry’s leading provider of advanced software tools for used vehicle management, pricing and inventory optimization. The terms of the deal are
not being disclosed. vAuto will operate as a subsidiary of AutoTrader.com and the two companies will operate largely independently, although they will collaborate in the areas of product development and customer training. Going forward, dealer customers of both AutoTrader.com and vAuto can expect to see enhancements to both companies’ products and services, such as more real-time, market demand-driven tools that will benefit their businesses. “Over the past decade, the Internet has enabled consumers to have a tremendously more transparent view of used vehicle availability and pricing on a local, regional and national basis,” said AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry. “This change in the way consumers shop for cars has created a strong need for dealers to efficiently manage and merchandise their vehicles in a way that ensures they remain competitive. As a result of these trends, the many dealers who use third party classifieds sites like AutoTrader.com and who also employ stateof-the-art inventory management and pricing tools like vAuto are generating strong growth and profitability even in the face of a soft automotive market.” vAuto will maintain its management team; founder Dale Pollak and president Keith Jezek will remain with the company at its headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill. “I am excited to see vAuto join forces with AutoTrader.com because our two companies share a common passion for helping dealers leverage the Internet through strong product innovation and customer service,” said Pollak. “Together we are intent on ensuring that customers of both vAuto and AutoTrader.com will continue to benefit from the expertise and consulting services that they’ve come to depend on and trust. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, which also owns auction giant Manheim.
WESTERN FUNDING TO USE LOANPLUS PRODUCTS ProconGPS, Inc., the leader in asset management solutions for the automotive finance industry, announced in September it will provide its lineup of customized LoanPlus GPS product offerings and services by Western Funding, Inc., of Las Vegas, Nev. The LoanPlus brand of GPS technology by
the Lender Services division of ProconGPS, Inc., provides customized programming, Web services, account management support and state-of-the-art electronics to finance companies and banks. “We sincerely appreciate being selected by Western Funding to assist them across the country with our LoanPlus GPS product services,” said Jim Giammarco, executive vice president of ProconGPS, Inc. “Western Funding has been a valuable financial resource to dealers for over 48 years and we are very pleased to help them continue in that tradition.” Western Funding purchases automotive contracts primarily from independent dealers in the Buy Here-Pay Here (BHPH) market. “We are excited about our alliance with ProconGPS and their LoanPlus GPS device and servicing provided by the Lender Services division,” said Gary Shannon, vice president of sales and marketing for Western Funding. “Our partnership with ProconGPS will be a tremendous help in building our presence within the independent dealer marketplace.”
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BY JAMES R. MITCHELL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
“JUST ONE MORE” Recently, I met with a young man who had called our office and asked for help. He was a newly licensed used
car dealer in Ohio and had many questions on how to legally do business because he wanted to succeed in the new venture. Sitting there with him, I realized once again how important it was for all newly licensed independent dealers, and many of the veterans, to have a source to access answers to questions and a place to count on to provide help……always. This meeting was certainly not a unique request, nor is it new. I personally spend an average of 75,000-plus minutes on my cell phone every year, most of which are used helping our members. We spend hours upon hours helping dealers in many other ways, such as providing programs to increase profits or programs that aide in reducing the expenses in a dealer’s business. However, after my meeting with this particular young man, I got into my car, hit the highway, set my cruise control and began the two-hour trek back to the office. On my return trip I couldn’t help but remember that every time I answered one of this dealer’s questions, his response was the same: “Just one more question, Jim.” I realize the huge importance of education, as I have personally spent many thousands of dollars during earlier years paying for my son, step-son, step-daughter and wife to attend college. I also realize how important it is to know the laws and regulations in conducting a business successfully, having been involved in five of my own over the years. Now here was a person who was so hungry for knowledge he was ready to spend all day and all night learning how to do things legal and proper. But it was the statement he repeated that was stuck in my head; “Just one more question, Jim.” All dealers have faced this consideration many times throughout their careers. Remember when you were a salesperson and to get that monthly bonus, all you needed was just one more sale? Or how about when you were in management and the boss announced there was going to be a contest with a big bonus if you sold a certain amount of cars, so here it was, the
end of the month, and all you needed was just one more sale? As a dealer, you may have looked at your end-of-year statement and touted you would’ve had a profitable year if you could’ve sold just one more vehicle every month. The statement “just one more” has meant the difference between winning and losing and success and failure but it can also mean the difference between growth and stagnation. This brings us back to the purpose of this article and why it is entitled “Just One More.” On my return trip to the office, all of a sudden I started to think like the young dealer saying over and over, “just one more, just one more.” All of a sudden, you could see the light bulb above my head glow bright. The OIADA is constantly trying to sign up more members every day, but somehow we need to get this message of becoming a member out to all independent used car dealers throughout the state. How can this be done with the utmost efficiency and success? “Just one more” began to represent a thought that all we need as an association is just one more; if every one of our current members would simply sign up one more dealer, we could become a force within our industry. The OIADA would be able to help many more dealers as they themselves strive for success. This is actually a very simple thing to do for every member who cares about their industry and their chosen profession. Very simply put, sign up just one new member before the end of the year. That doesn’t sound so hard, does it? I’ve been doing it for seven years and I have signed up hundreds. The OIADA has a total of 587 members right now and we work hard every day to help all of our men and women by providing them with the biggest and best return on their investment. First of all, we need to ask the question; should every dealer licensed to sell used vehicles in Ohio become a member of the OIADA? The answer is simple; why not? It’s your duty to be active within your industry and, in particular, to support your dealer association which, after all, supports you. If it’s not out of
I REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO KNOW THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS IN CONDUCTING A BUSINESS SUCCESSFULLY, HAVING BEEN INVOLVED IN FIVE OF MY OWN OVER THE YEARS------J ames R . Mit ch ell
your duty to support your industry, how about the duty to yourself and to your family? Used vehicle dealers deserve to avail themselves to all avenues providing an opportunity of being a success. The OIADA is a one-stop place for all of your questions and needs. There are programs that provide opportunities for dealers to increase the income per retail unit (IPRU) sold by more than $500. There are other programs designed to reduce expenses by as much as $8,000 per year. That’s equal to the average profit on selling at least 12 more vehicles per year. And, in addition to all the profit potential, a member of the OIADA has the power of knowledge in the palm of their hand because any member can contact the OIADA for answers to questions and help with any other needs that may arise. There are some statistics all of you non-members need to understand, digest, and then take serious inventory of your future goals. Ask yourself one question: do I want to succeed or just exist? These statements are representative of Ohio independent used vehicle dealers. C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 8
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• “JUST ONE MORE”
FACT: More than 800 used car dealers close their doors every year. FACT: The biggest reason independent dealers get sued is for non-compliant paperwork.
FACT: Most used vehicle dealers are undercapitalized, which causes the majority of business failures.
FACT: If you are an independent dealer in Ohio, but aren’t a member of the OIADA, you need to ask our members WHY THEY BELONG.
The OIADA has been operational since 1983 with one purpose in mind: organize and help the independent used vehicle dealers in Ohio and provide top-notch education programs, superior programs designed to assist in the dealer’s profitability and protect the dealer’s best interests legislatively. To date, we have accomplished almost every goal we’ve established. The only goal missed was for the OIADA to legislate mandatory pre-licensing education. This one piece of new legislation would have set the standards higher for all individuals who apply for a used vehicle dealer license. Unfortunately, there was a great deal of opposition from the franchised dealer association and quite frankly, there are more members of the
OADA than there are in the OIADA. Larger numbers will always prevail. We have seen to it every independent dealer in Ohio will receive our bimonthly magazine so there are many of you reading this article who think you’re already a part of the OIADA. The truth of the matter is really quite simple: you can’t get something for nothing! If you want all of the benefits, programs, discounts and answers to all of your questions, there is a price to pay. It’s an insignificant price, but nonetheless, the payment of membership dues is necessary and required to be a part of the best help for an independent dealer since the Internet. To make it easy for all members of the OIADA to spread the good news help is available, and to sign up just one more member, there is a membership application available in every issue of Independent Dealer Magazine. If the application seems to be too burdensome, simply go to www.ohiada.org to download the application or simply navigate to the BUY NOW segment and pay online to become a member immediately. We are all members of organizations such as our community church, the VFW, The Eagles, AAA, Country Clubs and more. Why not invest in your future for less than a daily cup of coffee and not only do your duty but do what is best for you, your business and your family?
TO MAKE IT EASY FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE OIADA TO SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS HELP IS AVAILABLE, AND TO SIGN UP JUST ONE MORE MEMBER, THERE IS A MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION AVAILABLE IN EVERY ISSUE OF INDEPENDENT DEALER MAGAZINE.
AUCTION DIRECTORY ABC – Detroit/Toledo 9797 Fremont Pike Perrysburg, OH 43551 Phone: (419) 872-0872 www.auctionbroadcasting.com
Columbus Fair Auto Auction 4700 Groveport Road Columbus, OH 43207 Phone: (614) 497-2000 www.cfaa.com
ADESA Cincinnati/Dayton 4400 William C. Good Boulevard Franklin, OH 45005 Phone: (937) 746-4000 www.adesa.com
Manheim Cincinnati 4969 Mulhauser Road Hamilton, OH 45011 Phone: (513) 874-9310 www.cincyaa.com
Manheim Ohio Corry Auto Dealers Exchange Phone: (800) 776-0411 www.corryade.com
3905 Jackson Pike Grove City, OH 43123 Phone: (614) 871-2771 www.ohioautoauction.net
Complete Auto Auction ADESA Cleveland 210 East Twinsburg Road Northfield, OH 44067 Phone: (330) 467-8280 www.adesa.com
Edward Broesamie 21799 Northwest Parkway Marysville, OH 43040 Phone: (937) 642-1937 www.completeautoauction.com
Akron Auto Auction
Greater Cleveland
2471 Ley Drive Akron, OH 44319 Phone: (330) 773-8245 www.akronautoauction.com
Auto Auction 5801 Engle Road Cleveland, OH 44142 Phone: (216) 433-7777 www.gcaacars.com
Montpelier Auto Auction of Ohio, LLC 14125 County Road M-50 Ohio Turnpike Exit 13 Montpelier, OH 43543 Phone: (419) 485-3101 www.premier-auctions.com
Value Auto Auction LLC 3776 St Rte 93 NE Crooksville, OH 43731 Phone: 740-982-3030 Fax: 740-982-3055 Email: zvalueautoauction @yahoo.com
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YOURWEBSITE Keeping Your Website Ahead of the Curve Technology has advanced and changed more in the last ten years than it has in the last 100 years combined.
This is mainly due to the Internet era and things are looking like they’ll only speed up from here. When consumers purchase a vehicle from your dealership, the first thing they have the option to do is to make it their own by adding custom accessories. Websites are very similar, and there are many aftermarket accessories you also can add on to your site to make it unique. Making sure your site and computer are up to date is easier than you think, and doing so will allow you the ability to get the maximum benefit with the least amount of effort. Over the last several years, website providers have been slowly shifting the ability and power over to the webmaster or site owner. This puts you in the driver’s seat by allowing you more access to add functionality by editing the content, changing out photos and even adding simple HTML code. If your website provider does not allow you to edit content on your site, you still can utilize the items listed below by having your site provider add them for you.
BROWS ER UPDAT ES Now you can’t put the cart in front of the horse, as they say, so we need to start with updating the browser you use on your computer. This is how you log on to the Internet. The following is a list of the latest browsers so you can determine if you either want to update the version you have now or switch to a different browser. Knowing what your potential customer is using on his or her computer might help you make a decision on what browser you should use, too. We’ve included a list of the latest versions of the top five browsers so you may download the correct version for your computer. You can find these free downloads by simply searching for the below listed items in any search engine: 1. Internet Explorer: version 8 2. Mozilla Firefox: version 3.6.10 3. Google Chrome: automatic updates 4. Safari: version 5 5. Opera: version 10.6.2
By updating to the latest version or even switching to a different browser, you’ll have the ability to keep all of the content saved in your old browser and transfer it to the new version or new browser of your choice along with your favorite websites. Now that your operating system is up to date and in place, let’s make sure you have the ability to correctly track the results your site is bringing to your dealership.
WEBSITE TRACK ING TO O L S Most sites do come with an analytics section, but Google has developed a free tracking system called Google Analytics that’s 100-percent free and can be installed by your website administrator. This tracking system is far more in depth than what’s traditionally provided by your website provider. You can create a free account with Google and gain free access to this tracking system by visiting www.google.com/analytics. This system will allow you to track visitors viewing your website in extreme detail including, but not limited, to the following: • Mobile visitor tracking • Data benchmarking • Internal site search features • Flash tracking • Video and social network application tracking • Advanced segmentation of data • Advanced analysis tools • Analytics intelligence • Custom reporting • Custom set variables • Easy-to-use dashboards • Data exports to transfer all data from the system to spreadsheets
It is impossible to improve upon the re-
sults of your website if you don’t know them. This system will allow you to view any of the data from your site visitors, as well as set up goals for your website traffic so you can reach the desired benchmarks you set for your company with ease.
SO CIAL MEDIA SHARING TO O LS Social media is going viral on the Internet and dealers need to take advantage of it.
Despite many articles you’ve read, just having a Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn account is not going to sell you more cars. The real power of social media is allowing your customers www.AddThis.com to share your inventory online to the friends in their social network. www.AddToAny.com Take advantage of the fact Billy has 2,500 friends and when his www.ShareThis.com friends or family place a vehicle from your dealership on his social networking page, your dealership is instantly exposed to everyone in his network. There are many free tools in the marketplace you add to your site if your provider hasn’t already implemented them for you. The following is a list of the top three sites where you can get free sharing tools to add to your website. By simply adding these sharing tools to your site, you are opening up your dealership to the masses and allowing yourself to make a viral jump in the social media realm.
ADDING A BL OG TO Y O UR SITE Search engines love to see site growth on the weekly visits to your dealership site, as well as links from valuable sources connecting to it. Offsite blogs are great for both of these, as you can link to your dealership site from your blog. Most blogs allow you to have a section you can paste into your site to showcase the most recent blog posting to your potential customers. Because search engines try to match the words people are typing into them to websites, adding automotive related terms in your blog will help tremendously with search engine optimization (SEO). Here is a list of the top 3 free websites that you can sign up for and link to your dealership website. The above listed sites allow you to create your own blog for your dealership as well as customize the design to implement your dealership graphical logos to match the current branding of your dealership. The more avenues that you give the internet with content pertaining to your dealership, the larger the footprint that you will leave on the internet.
MANAG ING Y OUR SO CIAL MEDIA With all of the social media tools available online, it can become a painstaking process to make sure you keep them all up to date. Between Twitter, Facebook, My-
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By Michael D. Jackson, CEO, Auto Search Technologies, Inc. (949) 608-0809 (Direct Line) mjackson@autosearchtech.com
NIADA.COM ALL NEW FOR YOU!
Space, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, FriendFeed, MSN Messenger, AIM Messenger, Google Talk and Yahoo! Chat, you could easily spend all day just updating your social media outlets as you jump from site to site. That’s where www.Yoono.com comes in; it’s a social media management platform that’s free and allows you the ability to update all your social media www.Blogger.com outlets with one of the mouse. Yoono.com offers a browser add-on (recommended) specifically for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers; however, for different browsers, you can download a desk- www.WordPress.com top application for Windows (Internet Explorer), Macintosh (Apple), Linux or USB to manage all of your social media channels. www.MyBlogSite.com This tool allows you to update your status across the board as well as share links, images, videos and stay connected on all of your Yoono.com instant messaging channels. Time equals money, and money equals time. The more of both you save will allow you the ability to work more efficiently and accomplish more for your dealership on a daily basis. Making sure you’re utilizing all of the above listed features in your website will tremendously increase your results. By simply setting site traffic goals and staying aware of amount of traffic you’re receiving, you’ll be able to improve upon it on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis.
NIADA has unveiled a brand new website that’s easy to navigate and offers many new technologically-advanced features for dealer members. Among them: • The entire NIADA membership roster is now included on the home page via a state map, and dealer members can opt-in to add more contact info to their online membership listing. • All state magazines published by NIADA can now be viewed inclusive of advertisements. The magazines also will be archived on the site. Plus, those same state associations will have direct links from their websites to our site promoting readership of their particular state magazine. To view these magazines go to http://www.niada.com/state_magazines.php • NIADA National Corporate Partners (NCP) will now have the ability to add a company or product-specific video next to their NCP description.
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Business, Family & Quality
(In the Retail Auto Industry?)
BY ROD A. HEASLEY Charter Warranty/Autosave
Some time ago, while reading an article in the Wall Street Journal on the quality of family life experienced by high-energy entrepreneurs, some common denominators became obvious. The article talked about several
incidents in which aggressive business owners significantly (and often permanently) damaged their family lives in order to spend more time making the business successful. There is a belief the retail auto business most certainly qualifies as one of America’s most time-intensive, owner-involved businesses. Operating a car dealership demands a tremendous time commitment because of the many aspects and varied nature of the business, such as lengthy operating hours, heavy risk exposure, and extreme stress factors. Many dealers spend as many as 80 hours a week at the dealership or on the road for business-related activities (auctions, meetings, training seminars, etc.) at a time when their families are young. Statistics show owners 25 to 39 years old begin 56 percent of the nation’s businesses. Is it any wonder children in these families often live through their most impressionable years competing with the business for their father’s attention? Then, is it any wonder so many successor-candidates and dealer-fathers have difficulty communicating with each other? After personally spending more than 25 years in auto dealerships, if you asked me to say one word that caused the vast majority of issues at the store, it would be communications. At the end of the day, the problems and situations that normally occurred always involved a breakdown in communications between employees and departments within the dealership. Experts in the field state proper business practices and quality dynamics begin at the very outset of the dealership. It is in these early years long-term habits and positive relationships are established which, unless properly handled and negotiated, can cause irreparable damage to the family life and the business if a successor is in the future plans. For those of us who’ve traveled down this road, let’s recognize the fact and state nothing less than total commitment to an auto dealership is most vital during its early years. At this stage, all family members need to acknowledge this commit-
ment, because obviously the stakes are high. The real problem is many of these early commitments are quite seductive because of newfound power and control, but they are allowed to continue long after they are needed. Please do not fail to see here that, even in our industry, there is life after work. Remember, you are not alone at the top. You can learn from the mistakes of many who have already traveled your path. Most of us spend long hours for countless years chasing a buck while rationalizing the damage to family relationships by saying, “I want my children to have all the things I didn’t,” or, “I have to protect all that I have worked so hard for,” or, “My family and friends just don’t understand what it takes to make this place profitable.” I’m a self-proclaimed expert on this subject and one of those who built a very successful career in this business over a 25-year period, yet it partially eroded my own personal family life. I’ve used some of the very excuses listed above and even added some of my own to the list. The difference is now it’s time to admit all of those noble reasons for selling my soul to the company store were nothing but 100percent cop-outs. Obviously, it takes a rare breed and a special type of individual to persevere in the auto industry and many times, the real motivation is we’re obsessed with winning. So do not be fooled into believing that obsessive commitment to the dealership can be beneficial for the overall well being of you and your family relationships. That mindset is, obviously, a fallacy. Balance and quality time are buzz words which we’ve started to hear in recent years. Unfortunately, it’s not soon enough for my two kids to have some semblance of a normal family life, but soon enough to force me to create some very special bonding situations with them. This simple priority change has greatly enriched my life and caused me to reposition my attitude. It’s time to begin to fully appreciate and understand the simple things in life. Balance (for the purpose of this article) is the manner in which our time is divided between business pursuits and quality family interaction. Now being fully convinced the important part of this balancing act between business and family is not necessarily equal, I realistically know the
business will win the largest piece of the time, hands down. That’s OK, but the real factor here is quality time! What real purpose is served here if you declare you’re leaving work early some day, go home and spend that newfound time flicking through the channels of your big screen TV or waste hours surfing the Net? Please show me the logic in staying away from the dealership on a given Saturday, but spend it playing a round of golf with some industry friends, while the other members of your immediate family carry on their own individual pursuits of happiness without you being involved. In conclusion, allow me to suggest some self-evaluation. Let’s put on those objective glasses, stand upright, look into that mirror and say, “Life is too short and there is life after work.” Remember that your in-box will always be full of e-mails and there is no need to kill yourself trying to empty it daily. Let each one of us take a few minutes at the start of every day and make sure our priorities in life are in order. If you’re able to reposition your thinking and prioritize the really important issues of the day, chances are good you’ll realize there are enough hours in the day to be successful in business and successful in your family relationships. All the success, all the goals and objectives you accomplish and every rung of that ladder you’re climbing will be much more rewarding with your family in tow. Mr. Dealer, look at that calendar, block off some quality family time, make the plans and DO IT NOW! Yesterday is ashes, tomorrow is wood, but only today does the flame burn brightly! Let’s make finding a solution a higher priority than placing blame. Rod A. Heasley National Director of Sales Charter Warranty/Autosave Division RO D HEAS L EY I S T HE DIRECTOR OF SALES I N T H E U S A N D C A N A D A F O R C H A RT E R WA R R A N T Y / A U T O S AV E D I V I S I O N . A U T O S AV E I S T H E N AT I O N A L LY R E C O G N I Z E D “ORIGINAL” 5 YEAR/100,000 MILE E N G I N E A N D T R A N S M I S S I O N WA R R A N T Y PRO G RAM . RO D HAS O VER 26 YEARS AU T O M O T I V E I N D U S T RY E X P E R I E N C E I N R E TA I L S A L E S & M A N A G E M E N T O P E R A T I O N S , A N D M O T I VAT I O N A L A U T O S A L E S T RAI NI NG . RO D CAN B E REACHED AT 800684-1175 OR RODH@AUTOSAVE.COM.
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>> on-the-go access
Cars.com Extends Online Chat to Mobile Devices to Help Dealers Connect with Shoppers
Cars.com dealers using the company’s free online chat functionality can now communicate with customers from their Internet-enabled smartphones. The company added on-the-go access to its chat platform to create new opportunities for dealers to connect with buyers. “Mobile chat allows salespeople to be more responsive to shoppers' inquiries, even if they've stepped away from their desk," said Michael Page, Cars.com vice president of advertising products. "Dealers can respond at shoppers' convenience, giving them the information they need to take the next step toward a purchase. With the popularity of smartphones in the store, dealers can use this capability to enhance their customer service and sell more cars." At Buster Miles Chevrolet Dealership in
Heflin, Ala., sales consultant Phil Amason said he appreciates the immediacy of chat. "It’s definitely been a plus for our store. It’s a better way for customers to reach us live and for us to respond. They get immediate access to the information they need, and I think that’s really key.” Amason, who added online chat about a year ago, reported an increase in business after he began testing the new mobile chat enhancement. “I was able to accept two chats last month that I would not have been available for if it weren't for mobile chat. I know this resulted in two sales. They were two hard, trackable sales," he said. “In my experience, appointment rates are higher with live chat compared to traditional email and phone appointments. There seems to be a better quality interaction because of minimal delay in response."
Dealers interested in adding chat functionality to their online advertising package can contact their sales representative. To help dealership sales teams incorporate chat into their sales process, Cars.com presented “Chat Up Your Inventory: Leverage Chat to Reach In-Market Shoppers and Win Sales" through its DealerADvantage Live webinar series. A recording of the free workshop is available at http://dealers.cars.com/live. Cars.com launched online chat for its customers in January 2009 at no additional charge as a way to help dealers connect with more online shoppers. The technology is delivered through a partnership with Contact At Once! Mobile chat capabilities are made available as part of a renewed agreement, also announced last month, between the two companies.
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FROM PC TO POCKET: CONNECTING WITH SHOPPERS ON THE MOVE Internet access from mobile devices is a hot topic for automotive marketers. It’s also an important one. Mobile Web growth is so strong, it’s suggested mobile usage will overtake traditional Web access from wired devices (desktops and laptops) in just three years. That means you need to start thiking today about how this technology might affect your business in the near future. First, let’s define the mobile Web. It refers to any browser-based access to the Internet or Web applications (or apps) using a mobile device. There are many different types of mobile devices, but by this time next year, smart phones (i.e., the iPhone, Blackberry, Android, etc.) will be the dominant type of phone. This information is important because smart phones are the most efficient and effective mobile devices for accessing the Internet. More importantly, it’s on the smart phone where advertising and shopper engagement can happen. Now let’s talk about how consumers use mobile devices as part of the vehicle shopping process. At any given time, about 50 million Americans are shopping for a car, and up to 6.2 million are using their mobile phones during that process. However, there are some key differences in shopping behavior when car shoppers are on the go versus using a PC or laptop from their home or office. FOR EXAMPLE, MOBILE SHOPPERS ARE TYPICALLY: • Closer to making a purchase • More likely to be looking at content related to their final selection and/or purchase • Not close to a PC and therefore not conducting extensive research In addition, the mobile shopping cycle appears to complement the traditional online shopping cycle. According to AutoTrader.com site statistics, online traffic from a laptop or PC is the highest at the beginning of the week and gradually declines as the weekend approaches. But how does mobile Web use compare? AutoTrader.com site usage also shows a dramatic increase in mobile access to our site over the weekend. This information reveals there is a natural continuity between the research that car shoppers are doing Monday through Friday and their trips to dealerships at the weekend. The most valuable thing you can do as a dealer is develop a strategy to stay connected to vehicle shoppers when they take that shopping experience from their PC to their pocket.
MOBILE CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR DEALERSHIP TALK TO YOUR WEBSITE PROVIDER Ask your website vendor if your site is mobile device-friendly. Go ahead and check it out from your own phone. What do you see? As you evolve your dealership for the future, think about optimizing your virtual showroom for the mobile web. KEEP YOUR LISTINGS IN FRONT OF IN-MARKET CAR SHOPPERS WHEREVER THEY ARE Make sure your inventory is listed on third-party sites that offer a satisfying mobile web experience for car shoppers. Independent sites such as AutoTrader.com have streamlined mobile sites that allow dealers to stay connected to in-market shoppers when they go mobile. ENSURE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION IS FRONT AND CENTER ON YOUR DEALERSHIP SITE Remember earlier when I mentioned consumers aren’t conducting extensive research on their mobile phones but instead are more likely to be in the final stages of making a purchase decision? What if that decision was to walk into your dealership but they need to look up your street address or phone number from their mobile device? Make it easy for them. Keep your dealership contact information prominent on your homepage. Even from wired devices, consumers don’t like to navigate through several pages to find basic information, and they’re even less likely to do it on their cell phone where the screen is small and the page loading time is slower.
“
At any given time, about 50 million Americans are shopping for a car, and up to 6.2 MILLION are using their mobile phones during that process.
6.2
BASIC BLOCKING AND TACKLING IS STILL THE MOST IMPORTANT THING Advances in the technology for the mobile web are great opportunities for dealers to stay connected to car shoppers during all stages of the shopping process. However, effective online merchandising should be the higher priority before investing time and money in mobile platforms. Tori Morandi has more than 10 years of experience as a public speaker and expert trainer as well as extensive in-dealership experience. As an industry educator for AutoTrader.com, she covers what's happening in the automotive market, consumer car shopping behavior, emerging trends, and what's new with advertising and marketing on the Internet.
BY TORI MORANDI, manager of industry education, AutoTrader.com 14 THE INDEPENDENT DEALER
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SECURITY ALERT
URGENT MESSAGE FOR ALL AUCTION MEMBERS
Manheim Corporate Security
Date: Aug. 18, 2010
TO: All GM’s and AGM’s
CC: All Front Office Managers and All Security Managers
FROM: Alan Walker, Director Corporate Security
STATUS: High Importance
ISSUE: Interstate Suspect Alert #3
Suspect: PRICE, Shawn D. - Black Male Adult, 5ft 11 ins tall 230 lbs. D.O.B. 09/13/74 (It is believed this suspect is the same person who was using the name, Marcus EDWARDS and a fake IL DL pictured in prior alerts)
Our Interstate Suspects have struck again. The suspect listed above is using a fake Wisconsin Drivers License as identification. He stole 3 vehicles from Nashville Auto Auction TN in the evening of Monday August 16th. The gate releases had been left at security after 3 separate phone calls had been placed to the front office requesting No Sale releases. His description matches the person who is responsible for vehicle thefts from our auctions in Fredericksburg VA, Manheim PA and Atlanta GA. This is preventable; if you have all personnel who receive phone requests for No Sale Releases from an individual they do know, confirm the request with the Dealership/Owner using contact info from our records.
ATTN: BUYERS WE GOTCARS!! WEEKLY DEALER CONSIGNMENT FEATURING: HARTLEY BUICK/HONDA – HUMES C/P/D A. CRIVELLI DEALERSHIPS – PADDOCK CHEVY TOM CLARK CHEVY – CUNNINGHAM
WEEKLY FLEET CONSIGNMENTS FEATURING:
PLUS MANY OTHER NATIONAL ACCOUNTS
www.corryade.com
1-800-776-0411
“SERVICE IS THE KEY”@CORRYADE www.auctionaccess.com
AFFILLIATIONS: NAAA, EAAA, NIADA, PIADA, NYIADA, OIADA, AFLA, IARA, TPC MGMT.
ATTN: SELLERS BE A PARTOFIT!!
• WE GOT CARS • WWW.CORRYADE.COM • WE GOT CARS • 1-800-776-0411 • WE GOT CARS • WWW.CORRYADE.COM • WE GOT CARS • 1-800-776-0411 •
W E GOT C AR S • WW W.C OR RYAD E.C OM • W E GOT C A R S • 1-800-776-0411
• WE GOT CARS • WWW.CORRYADE.COM • WE GOT CARS • 1-800-776-0411 • WE GOT CARS • WWW.CORRYADE.COM • WE GOT CARS • 1-800-776-0411 •
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W E GOT C ARS • W W W.COR RYA D E.C OM • W E GOT C A RS • 1-800-776-0411
PITTSBURGH / WHEELING W. VA BUFFALO / ROCHESTER • ERIE CLEVELAND / YOUNGSTOWN 15
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The Internet Minute KEYS TO ONLINE MERCHANDISING SUCCESS
OIADA IS ONCE AGAIN PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE CONTINUATION OF ELECTRONIC MERCHANT SYSTEMS AS A “PREFERRED PARTNER” FOR OUR MEMBERS. What if your smart phone took plastic? Imagine if your business could use it as a mobile credit card processor, a swipe-and-go system for ringing up payments wherever you roam. Who might want to use a mobile credit card reader? The guy who comes to your home to detail your car, the repairman who comes to fix a broken faucet, the person who does your landscaping or snow removal. Businesses can now process credit cards without using dedicated wireless devices. Mobile ePay allows you to process credit cards directly from your mobile phone with your existing cellular carrier. The most popular phones on the market can now be your credit card terminal. HOW IT WORKS Businesses using iPhones, Blackberrys, Androids, or Windows Mobile phones download the Mobile ePay application for free from their respective phone’s App Store, and Electronic Merchant Systems supplies a Mobile ePay license key that connects the phone application with an EMS-supplied payment gateway. The convenience and savings achieved by swiping a credit card is also available with either a Bluetooth-connected or iPhone Cradle peripheral. The Mobile ePay software has an extremely user-friendly interface accessed on the phone via a business-defined PIN entry. The intuitive select-and-click interface allows businesses to quickly and easily process sales, credit, voids, authorization and captures on credit cards as well as view the records of transactions right on the phone.
SECURITY Businesses need not worry about what happens if their phone gets lost, stolen or breaks – Mobile ePay puts all these worries to rest. The transactions processed through the Mobile ePay software on their phone are always stored on the payment gateway and not on the phone. This means the business will never lose any of its transactions because they’re all securely stored on the gateway. All transactions being processed through the Mobile ePay software are 100-percent secure. When the software sends out the transactions from the phone to the payment gateway, it passes all the data through a secure socket layer (SSL) which ensures all data is properly encrypted and cannot be compromised. The software is also password/PIN protected and install-key validated so if the phone is ever lost, or falls into the wrong hands, the software can be revoked on the gateway level and no one can use it. VPOS FUNCTIONALITY Mobile ePay businesses also have access to the payment gateway’s Virtual Point of Sale (VPOS). This allows additional users back at the office to run transactions and pull reports via an internet-connected computer. Since all transactions done through the business’s mobile phone route through the payment gateway, the system captures and stores all transactions securely and generates reports and statistics on these transactions in real-time. Businesses with multiple phones or multiple users for every phone can tell which transaction came from which phone and from which user. Mobile phones are rapidly morphing into multi-functional devices, so for the small-ticket mobile business with a smart phone in their pocket, the EMS Mobile ePay application is a great fit!
Autotrader.com is dedicated to helping independent dealers succeed in all forms of their Internet advertising.
Here’s an overview of best practices that can be implemented into your dealership’s website as well as your listings on third party, independent sites like Autotrader.com. Great photos can motivate customers to stop, look and, ultimately, buy. Use multiple pictures to give a virtual walkaround of the vehicle and help sell the features to shoppers. Listings with more photos perform significantly better than listings without photos. Having a single photo will more than double a click-thru rate (100– 120 percent). Each additional photo will increase your click through rate by about 5 percent. Show a variety of interior and exterior shots. The car you are taking a picture of should be the only one in the photo – don’t take pictures of the car while it is in inventory line! Light up the dash when taking interior photos and let the customer see if there are any controls on the steering wheel. Don’t just take a picture of the rims on a car, but turn the wheel to the right to give a good shot of the rim and the amount of tread on the tire. Show a minimum of nine pictures the shopper would want to see. Don’t rely on a VIN explosion system to market your car. Tell the story: each vehicle is unique and it should be portrayed in your comments. This isn’t the newspaper, so get wordy! How does the car look, feel and sound? Does it still have that new car smell? Has that vehicle won any awards? Is it a one owner? Are there any aftermarket options? Give the customer peace of mind and tell them any repairs you have done to get the vehicle ready for sale. Focus on how the vehicle can meet the customer’s needs. Include the price! Listings without a price turn customers off because they think the vehicle costs too much. Listings with price receive 580 percent more clicks on the Autotrader.com Search Results Page and 650 percent more on the Vehicles Detail Page. Shoppers aren’t always looking for the lowest price – just a fair one. Do your homework, use a market comparison tool and price your vehicles competitively within your market. Be consistent with pricing, use the same price for each vehicle through all forms of advertising. For more information on how Autotrader.com works for you, contact your local Advertising Consultant! Submitted by Cricket Miller and Joe Ciardelli, Autotrader.com
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THE HELICOPTER BALL DROP Tops the 11th Annual OIADA Golf Tournament Friday, Aug. 13, 2010, will go down in OIADA history as a day to remember. The 11th Annual OIADA Golf Tournament started out with clear skies, lots to drink, a lot of money and prizes to win and the first-ever Helicopter Ball Drop. The golf gods were merciful and gave us a great, very hot day to play. Every year, we do our best to see that everyone has a great time at this event with plenty of games, prizes, food, drink and fun. We have been truly blessed to have great weather for the 11th straight year and we thank God for his blessings. We also have been blessed with the continuous help from many sponsors that made this day special for everyone. It costs a great deal of money to put on a fundraiser like this one and it’s because of sponsors like ours that every year is better than the next. If you’re a dealer trying to be successful in this industry, contact one or all of the sponsors listed below and I know they’ll do everything in their power to help you. These companies support you daily so please give them a call and see why they are the best at what they do in our industry. These companies make up the who’s who in the car business in the state of Ohio and the majority of them do business on a national level as well. Here they are, the best of the best and the main reason for our success
GOLD SPONSORS Columbus Fair Auto Auction * Manheim Ohio Auto Auction *AutoTrader.com National Auto Care * Adesa Cleveland Auto Auction *Adesa Cincinnati Auto Auction
SILVER SPONSORS AutoZone*Manheim Cincinnati Auto Auction*The Milby Group CompManagement*CompManagement Health Systems*Diamond Warranty Cars.Com *Huntington Insurance *Motorists Mutual Insurance Group
BRONZE SPONSORS Alpha Omega Group *AFC *ABC Toledo Auto Auction*Corry Auto Dealers Exchange Chase Custom Finance*Car Financial Services*Columbus Finance*Route One Floor Plans Inc / BHPH Funding*Electronic Merchant Systems*Credit Acceptance Corp Smart Auction*DSC*Grafmiller & Davis Insurance Agency*Ohio Auto Delivery McMurray, Petersen & Schuster*Nationwide Acceptance*Value Auto Auction Frazer*Passtime*Automotive Business Consultants*Westlake Financial
SPECIAL DOOR PRIZES Guardian Finance Company*First Bank of Ohio*Dana & Pariser Co., LPA*Cars.Com Motorists Mutual Insurance Group*Edward Jones*AutoSave*Sentry*Auto Zone This years’ event rewarded attendees with personalized coolers, hats, golf balls, tees, more than a dozen contests, money rewards, golf equipment, several door prizes a great tournament course to play, heavenly weather, gourmet food, drinks and more fun than a carnival.
Trophies were presented to four places this year, First Place Champions, Second Place, Third Place and Last Place.
THE FIRST PLACE WINNERS WERE: Steve Cummings, Rob Wellnitz, Nick VanSky and Bob Black
THE SECOND PLACE FOURSOME WAS: John Gallicchio, Dan Columbini, George Smith, Matt Neuman
THE THIRD PLACE FOURSOME WAS: Shaun Petersen, Umi Saito, John Hay, Frank Tyo The last place finishers worked very hard to score as well as they did. Each player got a turn on every shot on every hole and they got to take the best shot of the four to play. Even with all those handicaps against them they were able to turn in the highest score of the day and walk away with the last place trophies. This foursome was comprised of: David Napier, Steve Sofocleous, Phil Courtney, Eddie Poirrier Last but certainly not least are the unselfish individuals who come to the OIADA Annual Golf Tournament and don’t play golf. These are the volunteers representing many different companies and dealerships who come to help us every year just so they can do what they can for the cause or as we all say “For the Firm.”
REGISTERED VOLUNTEERS Jack Rees - USGA Rules Official Brad LeBlanc – Alpha Omega Group Brady Bulger – Automotive Business Consultants Sarah Mendenhall – Grafmiller & Davis Insurance Agency J. R. Jones – Passtime Theresa Heasley - AUTOSAVE Anna Newman – The Milby Group Steve Rybalt – Car Financial Services LJ Marhefka – LJ King & Associates Susan Marhefka – LJ King & Associates And our very own BOBBY VAUGHAN owner of Vaughan Motor Car Company Thank you to everyone who attended and we hope that you all had a great time. Thank you to all the volunteers, the management and employees of the Little Turtle Golf Club and especially to all the Sponsors who made it all possible. See you all next year.
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BEST PRACTICES
FOR GETTING YOUR CUSTOMERS FINANCED BY GEORGE HARTMAN Director, national business development, RouteOne LLC
George Hartman is the director of national business development at RouteOne LLC, a free, online credit application management service for franchised and independent dealers nationwide. RouteOne’s credit platform allows automotive dealers to submit credit applications to a wide variety of lenders, including prime, sub-prime, banks and credit unions. RouteOne offers dealers a vast array of F&I tools including credit bureau access, DSP integration, free reporting, and a host of subscription-based tools, with no long-term fees or contracts required at any time. RouteOne offers dealers a common platform for all their credit application financing needs. More information is available by contacting Hartman directly at 248-862-7050 or ghartman@routeone.com. Dealers may also contact RouteOne Sales Support at 866-933-0663 or salessupport@routeone.com.
In this economy, it’s imperative that your dealership take advantage of every opportunity to get your customers financed. Each deal is unique, but your best chance to fund each and every deal is to pay attention to the basics. Let’s focus on
a key tenet: your finance source selection and partnership. Know the finance source policies. Knowing and following your finance sources’ guidelines for receiving applications can make or break your approval success rate. Additionally, understanding how to package your final deal will also speed your funding. Find out your finance sources’ policies regarding cash down, credit scores and scoring models, model year/mileage restrictions, PTI, and LTV. What about the lender’s book value (which book do they advance on?) Is your value accurate? Verify contract accuracy. Verify the accuracy of your contract prior to submission to the finance source. Are you sending the customer application to the finance source most likely to fund that candidate? Check customer quality, vehicle selection and advance sought. Create a complete funding package. Know the stipulations prior to delivery! Always create a checklist, whether packaging the deal on your own or providing to a clerk. Make sure you include all relevant data. Verify all stipulations prior to sending, and verify that all standard documents are included, complete and accurate. For example, a promissory note for $500 down could cost you time and effort to track down, maybe even a $500 write off. The missing stipulations for POI could cost your dealership $25,000 in funding, or worse, loss of an approval due to expiration - not to mention the frustration if the bank decides not to re-approve! Ensure your customer meets program guidelines. In times past, ’cash was king’. This is not necessarily true anymore. It’s possible that your customer could meet 99 percent of minimum pro-
gram guidelines – but missing that one percent could cost you the deal! So make it easy on yourself. Don’t submit a deal with $250 cash down knowing the program minimum is $500. You may not receive a counter offer for an additional $250 down - you may just receive an “automated turn down”. (Did you know some finance sources have policies which prevent them from rehashing a turndown?) Avoid “shot gunning” deals. Shot gunning does not work to your advantage or speed your process. Actually, it does just the opposite. These days, finance sources are very tightly managing risk and cost. As a result, look to book and risk portfolio management are more critical than ever. Build relationships. It’s important for you, the dealer, to build a solid relationship with your lenders. Get to know them and request that they provide you or your staff the training, education or feedback needed to have a successful partnership. Be accurate. Avoid vehicle value errors or ‘power booking’, ‘grossing up,’ or otherwise enhancing the truth. It may seem harmless to round up an applicant’s income to the nearest “x”, or even provide a luxury vehicle with all of the bells and whistles, but it is not in either your, or the finance sources’, best interest. Your customer could have provided an application for credit using a different income at a different location, thus creating a discrepancy. This could delay your approval, create additional stipulations or worse, cause a decline. Additionally, many finance sources are now completing their own customer interviews, either at random or generated based on the finance source’s risk assessment of your dealership’s performance or repossession rate. The ‘power booked’ car may have provided a nice advance and appearance of profit to your dealership, but if a discrepancy is found, you could be charged back, or even lose a finance source. Most importantly, communicate with your lenders at every turn. It’s never too late to be a great partner. Good selling!
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New Industry Insight Series Educates Dealers with Free Seminars In an effort to keep dealers up-to-date on the latest tools, technology and buying/selling trends in an ever-changing marketplace, NADA University and ADESA have teamed up to present a series of free lunchtime educational seminars called “Industry Insight.”
ADESA’s Tom Kontos, president of customer strategies and analytics, was one of a panel of four experts giving industry views to dealers during the first Industry Insights seminar entitled, “What’s Now? What’s Next?” held at ADESA Dallas on September 15. Kontos talked about the used car market’s vehicle supply for rental, lease, repos and dealer consignment. He explained that the remarketing industry obtains supply from a broad array of sources so that it’s not dependent on any one outlet—which, as a result, have kept auction volumes relatively constant. However, the mix of vehicles has shifted. The turnover of rental fleets was at its lowest in 2009, but has begun to rebound somewhat this year. Fleet sales in 2010 are an indicator of future increases in wholesale used vehicle supply in the lane and online. Through August, total sales volume for rental, commercial and government vehicles has increased about 39 percent from 2009. Kontos added both new vehicle sales and lease penetration are on the rise as well as new vehicle lease origination. This means there will likely be more off-lease vehicles on the market in about three years. Kontos noted off-lease volumes will drop slightly this year and then fall significantly during 2011 through 2012. After that, off-lease volumes should begin to recover. As credit tightened
and new vehicle sales fell, auto loans and outstanding leases declined. Kontos said, “It’s no surprise that repos reached an alltime high during the recession—but this should begin to taper as the economy improves.” Speaking of economic recovery, Kontos said new and used vehicles sales in 2010 are significantly improved from last year. For both the U.S. and Canada, Kontos pointed out that new vehicle sales are up—and that truck sales have grown more than car sales. Since bottoming in November 2008, average wholesale prices have firmed and are likely to continue to be up on a year-overyear basis, albeit more moderately and with typical seasonal ups and downs, during 2010. Tim Zierden, ADESA’s vice president of dealer sales and services, facilitated the event’s lively discussion. Other industry experts who spoke at ADESA Dallas during the “Industry Insight” seminar were:
■ Les Abrams, NADA Academy instructor, who discussed used vehicle inventories and today’s best practices ■ Dale Pollak, vAuto’s chairman and founder, who talked about new technologies, and ■ George Heppe, GigglePop’s president and owner, who explained new mobile Developments.
Attendance at the seminar was favorable with about 50 dealers participating. Please contact NADA University at (800) 557-6232 for information about future Industry Insight events.
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PO Box 216 • Brice, OH 43109-0216 -OR- Fax to: 614-863-5801
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OIADA MEMBER BENEFIT VENDOR GUIDE AUCTION - FEE- DISCOUNTS
INSURANCE
DEALERSHIP LIABILITY INSURANCE GRAFMILLER & DAVIS INSURANCE SARAH MENDENHALL 103-A COMMERCE PARK DRIVE WESTERVILLE, OH 43082 TEL: 614-818-9467 SARAH@GRAFINS.COM
MEDICAL INSURANCE WELLS FARGO INSURANCE SERVICES, USA, INC JAMIE ZELEWICZ 580 N. FOURTH STREET COLUMBUS, OH 43215 TEL: 614-324-2821 JAMIE_ZELEWICZ@WELLSFARGOIS.COM
WORKERS COMP GROUP INSURANCE COMPMANAGEMENT INC. GENNY HART 6377 EMERALD PKWY DUBLIN, OH 43017 TEL: 800-825-6755 GENNY.HART@SEDGWICKCMS.COM
LIFE – DISABILITY – RETIREMENT INSURANCE MUTUAL OF OMAHA INSURANCE CO. 8800 LYRA DRIVE, SUITE 530 COLUMBUS, OH 43240 TEL: (614)785-1122 CHRISTIAN.FOOTE@MUTUALOFOMAHA.COM
CREDIT CARD PROCESSING ELECTRONIC MERCHANT SYSTEMS 5005 ROCKSIDE ROAD PENTHOUSE 100 INDEPENDENCE, OHIO 44131 TEL: 888.558.4367 HTTP://WWW.EMSCORPORATE.COM
INTERNET, WEBSITE, COMPANIES
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
AUTOTRADER.COM COLUMBUS, OHIO TONY PHILLIPS 614-989-0467 TONY.PHILLIPS@AUTOTRADER.COM HIGHER TURNOVER, LLC ROBERT "JAKE" JACOBSON 22 BROOK LANE SHELBURNE VT 05482 TEL: 800-430-2119 INFO@HIGHERTURNOVER.COM
INTELLINETICS JIM PERRY 2190 DIVIDEND DRIVE COLUMBUS, OH 43228-3806 TEL: 614-921-8170 JPERRY@INTELLINETICS.COM
WAYNE REAVES COMPUTER SYSTEMS WAYNE REAVES 6211 THOMASTON RD. MACON, GA 31220 TEL: 478-474-8779 JASON@WAYNEREAVES.COM
FORMS – DEALER
AUTOMOTIVE DEALER RESOURCES NANCY CHAPMAN 55 E. LONG LAKE ROAD TROY, MI 48085 TEL: 800-364-8833 NCHAPMAN@MIADA.COM
GPS – STARTER INTERRUPT PASSTIME J R JONES 861 SOUTHPARK DR. SUITE #200 LITTLETON, CO 80120 TEL: 877-PASS-TIME JJONES@PASSTIMEUSA.COM
VEHICLE LOCATOR SERVICE EBUY AUTO.COM FRANK WERTENBACH 160 CLIFTON DR SUITE C WARREN OH 44484 TEL: 330-974-0109 FWERTENBACH@EBUYAUTO.COM
AUTOMOTIVE PARTS PROGRAM AUTO ZONE TOM EDGERTON 463 WATERBURY CT STE B GAHANNA, OH 43230 TEL: 614-475-2621 TOM.EDGERTON@AUTOZONE.COM
SERVICE CONTRACTS A U L CORPORATION KEVIN CULLOP 1250 MAIN ST, STE 300 NAPA, CA 94559 TEL: 800-826-3207 EXT - 215 KCULLOP@AULCORP.COM
DIAMOND WARRANTY CORPORATION SAMUEL MCARTHUR/JIM LIMONGELLI 9 N MAIN ST PITTSTON, PA 18640 TEL: 570-602-2820 ROSIEBISKY@AOL.COM THE MILBY GROUP MIKE MILBY 210 PERSHING DR. SUITE A LANCASTER, OH 43130 TEL: 740-652-9942 MIKEMILBY@MILBYGROUP.COM NATIONAL AUTO CARE CHRISTINA SCHRANK 575 WESTAR XING WESTERVILLE, OH 43082 TEL: 800-548-1825 CSCHRANK@NACSOLUTION.COM
DEALER SUPPLIES & DISPLAYS DISPLAYABILITY.COM TOM WILLIAMS P.O. BOX 100 EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, MO 64024 TEL: 816.630.5550 TOM@DISPLAYABILITY.COM
AUTOSAVE-CHARTER WARRANTY COMPANY ROD HEASLEY 29108 LORIE LANE WIXOM, MI 48393 TEL: 800-684-1175 RODH@AUTOSAVE.COM
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS Thomas Smith Smittys’ Auto Sales 668 S. 7th Street Greenfield, OH 45123 Tel: 937-981-4317 Fax: 937-481-9317 Cell: 937-218-3658 Email: tommy4317@yahoo.com
Past Chairman
Thomas Onesti Car Port PO Box 9943 Youngstown, OH 44513 Tel: 330-726-6633 Fax: 330-726-2633 Cell: 330-565-6833 Email: tomocarport@aol.com
Chairman
Jay North Jay North LLC 501 E. Columbia Street Springfield, OH 45503 Tel: 937-325-3748 Fax: 937-398-1075 Cell: 937-206-0575 Email: htron435@yahoo.com
President
Ron Haus Ron Haus Auto Group, Inc. 4141 Boardman Canfield Road Canfield, Oh 44406 Tel: 330-702-4287 Fax: 330-627-9777 Cell: 330-565-4422 Email: chrisjhaus@aol.com
Vice President
Daniel Reel Reel’s Auto Sales LLC 547 East Main Street Orwell, OH 44076 Tel: 440-437-5893 Fax: 440-437-5758 Cell: 440-319-1247 Email: danreel@hotmail.com
Secretary
Mark Meadows Miracle Motor Mart 2380 Morse Road Columbus, OH 43229 Tel: 614-437-0037 Fax: 614-337-1063 Cell: 614-348-6503 Email: dmarkmeadows@aol.com
Treasurer
James R. Mitchell, OIADA PO Box 216 Brice, OH 43109 Tel: 614-436-3393 Fax: 614-916-3023 Email: jrmitch49@aol.com
Executive Director
Jeff Rader Rader Car Company 1429 Schrock Road Columbus, OH 43229 Tel: 614-888-3111 Fax: 614-888-3811 Cell: 614-582-1822 Email: jeff@radercarco.com
John Remy Remy’s Auto Group 58905 US 50 McArthur, OH 45651 Tel: 740-596-4694 Fax: 740-740-596-5526 Cell: 740-395-4214 Email: jremy@remysauto.com
Robert Vaughan Vaughan Motor Car Company 808 Parsons Avenue Columbus, OH 43206 Tel: 614-444-7839 Fax: 614-444-1133 Cell: 614-565-5682 Email: sales@vaughanmotors.com
Ty Whittenburg CarMax Auto Superstores 2700 Farmers Dr. Columbus, OH 43235 Tel: 614-799-8077 Fax: 614-799-6547 Cell: 614-493-8294 Email: Manager_7176- SAW_Location_General@carmax.com Terry Reineke Rino’s Auto Sales Inc 1610 Industrial Pkwy Celina, OH 45822 Tel: 419-586-6161 Fax: 419-586-8700 Cell: 419-305-4009 Email: rinos@bright.net
Robert Fahey Fairdale Auto Sales 6209 Glenn Rd. Cambridge, OH 43725 Tel: 740-432-4185 Fax: 740-435-0765 Cell: 740-607-4011 Email: r_fahey@yahoo.com
George Polce Jenroc Auto, Inc. 101 N. Tuscarawas Ave Dover, OH 44622 Tel: 330-364-2525 Fax: 330-364-6726 Cell: 330-268-4724 Email: Jenroc@wilkshire.net
Shawn R. Payne Autos Direct Online, Inc 5212 Mills Industrial Parkway North Ridgeville, OH 44039 Tel: 440-327-9780 Fax: 440-815-2100 Cell: 216-219-5926 Email: autosdirectonline@gmail.com Lauren Bowden Thomas Bowden Motors 1426 South Main Street Bellfontaine, OH 43311 Tel: 937-593-0014 Fax: 937-593-0514 Cell: 914-216-4994 Email: bowdenmotorslauren@ embarqmail.com
Randy Griesdorn Complete Automotive Repair & Sales, Inc. 123 East Main Street Coldwater, OH 45828 Tel: 419-678-3969 Fax: 419-678-3575 Cell: 419-852-331 Email: cars@hometowncable.net
FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER CONTACT JAMES R. MITCHELL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OIADA • 2040 BRICE ROAD • SUITE #110 REYNOLDSBURG, OH 43068 PO BOX 216 • BRICE, OH 43109-0216 OFFICE: 614-863-5800 • CELL: 614-436-3393 • FAX: 614-863-5801 JRMITCH49@AOL.COM • WWW.OHIADA.ORG
What DRIVES Consumers Toward Certain Models?
BY AU TO R E M A R K E T I N G STA F F
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Given a choice of five factors, 37 percent of consumers indicated their decision to buy a vehicle was most heavily affected by the model’s quality, according to a recent CarMax survey. The poll, done via telephone, posed the following question to respondents: “Which of the following factors most influences your car-buying decision?” Following quality, the second most-cited factor was safety, as 28 percent counted it as their top choice. Twentytwo percent claimed the biggest influence was safety, while environmental or green factors were cited by 6 percent of respondents. Four percent pointed to the vehicle’s resale value. Breaking it down by gender, 43 percent of men said quality was most important, while 34 percent said the same. Quality was No. 1 for both males and females. Interestingly enough, this is a change from what women claimed was the top factor a year ago, when they pointed to price. That particular survey was done online, officials noted. “We want consumers to get the most for their money, and buying a used vehicle is a great way to get more car for less,” stated Rod Baker, who is vice president of service operations for the Phoenix region. “It’s why we put our cars through a rigorous Certified Quality Inspection, checking more than 125 points to meet our high-quality standards,” he added. Ipsos Public Affairs did the polling for CarMax, contacting over 1,000 adults in the U.S. This was done between Aug. 19 and Aug. 22. Just three consumers did not respond.
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W E B I N A R
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FEDERAL ADVOCATES LOBBYING REPORT WHITE HOUSE REFORM REQUEST On September 23 and September 29, Federal Advocates was contacted by the White House, which is trying to organize and schedule a meeting to include “people who are working to setup the CFPB.” This meeting is in response to a letter sent by NIADA to President Obama requesting “the opportunity to work with you to reform our industry in common-sense ways that achieve real safeguards for consumers, that promote accountability and transparency, and that really work.”
SMALL BUSINESS JOBS AND CREDIT ACT OF 2010 On September 23, the House passed the Senate-passed bill, which includes an increase in the amount the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Dealer Floor Plan Financing program can guarantee. This permits the SBA to guarantee bank and finance company loans up to $5 million, which should help, the committee believes, expand dealer access to floorplan lines of credit. We worked with Louisiana Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu’s committee and personal staff, in conjunction with others, on this. This bill may be the subject of subsequent meetings with Capitol Hill and the SBA on how the
WALL STREET/CONSUMER FINANCIAL SERVICES REFORM BILL On September 21, Keith Whann and Federal Advocates met with staff of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): James Dolan, assistant director; Carole Reynolds, senior attorney, Division of Financial Practices; Rebecca Kuehn, assistant director, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection; Katherine Worthman, attorney, Division of Financial Practices; and Daniel Hanks, attorney, Division of Marketing Practices. The meeting covered implementation of the above bill and its impact on the auto industry. Following discussion of various issues, including Buy HerePay Here issues, with NIADA General Counsel Keith Whann leading the discussion and answering various questions as to how the auto industry segments work, which also covered the auto auction process, it was decided to schedule another half day session in the following weeks to allow for a more detailed discussion of issues. To review, on July 22, President Obama signed into law the so-called Wall Street Reform Bill. As reported previously, the new law exempts certain auto dealers from increased oversight with respect to dealer-assisted financing. To get to that result, advocacy activities over the past month included numerous meetings, strategy phone conference calls, letters, talking points, legislative alerts and more. The law does grant increased powers to the FTC regarding dealer oversight. Also, it requires coordination with the Defense Department (DOD) to ensure service members and their families are treated fairly by automobile dealers.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Regarding the issue of “how to ensure that service members and their families are treated fairly by automobile dealers,” Keith Whann and Federal Advocates also met on September 21 with Frank Emery of the Defense Department’s Family Policy Outreach Directorate. Whann relayed a specific example of how he helped a service member at Fort Bragg, N.C., regarding an automobile situation, working with the base Judge Advocate General’s office and others. He also talked about a plan for a special program to teach dealers on how to deal fairly with service members and their families. Emery mentioned a November conference in Denver where Keith could give a presentation. Details are to be finalized at a later date.
FEDERAL ADVOCATES IS NIADA’S GOVERNMENTAL ADVOCACY PARTNER. To read past lobbying reports, visit http://www.niada.com/legislative_and_legal.php
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