Dealer.com—Car Dealer Website Solutions, SEM and SEO

December 2006

• Dealer.com Offers Google Base Exports

  December 6, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – Dealer.com, the Burlington, VT-based auto industry eMarketing services company, today said it is the first company to automatically link its customers' inventory to Google Base, the year-old platform that started out as a kind of under the radar way to search for specific types of content, including vehicles–but now has far more utility for advertisers.

  (complete article)

November 2006

• How Google Base Replaces Autos ClassifiedsDealer.com's CTO urges auto dealers to take advantage of free advertising with a new way to post their inventory and garner local, qualified leads.

  November 27, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – The way we buy and sell vehicles has dramatically changed. Instead of circling cars in the Sunday classifieds, more and more consumers are beginning their search online, and many of them begin with Google.

  In order to reach these qualified buyers, the automotive industry will spend $1.95 billion in online advertising this year -- an increase of 35 percent from last year -- according to market research firm eMarketer. Auto dealers are increasing their online exposure through pay-per-click advertising, third-party lead generation and other web marketing programs, but few are taking advantage of a new, free advertising tool called Google Base.

  Google Base is a free service that allows users to post and search categorized content, including vehicles. Dealers can create listings for each vehicle in their inventory and describe them with what Google refers to as attributes. An attribute is a word or phrase that helps describe the characteristics and qualities of a vehicle, such as make, model, location, condition, price, color, year, vehicle type and mileage. The more relevant attributes you include, the more likely searchers are to find the vehicles you want to sell.

  In fact, based on your vehicle's relevance, users may also find it in their results on Froogle, Google Maps and even the main Google web search. Each vehicle listing can be linked to your website, giving your dealership -- and all its inventory -- additional exposure to millions of people. Best of all, Google Base is entirely free.

  Meanwhile, pay-per-click costs are rising steadily. You can blow your entire budget bidding on high-priced keywords such as "Toyota" and "Camry," or you can spend absolutely nothing to list them as attributes when you upload your inventory to Google Base. Using well-defined attributes makes it easier for Google to match search queries to your inventory, increases your chances of appearing at the top of their organic search results and can deliver the same targeted traffic as expensive search-marketing strategies at no cost.

  Cars.com, Automotive.com and a few other portals are already taking advantage of Google Base, but for the most part, individual dealerships are not-- even though they are the ones who stand to benefit most from the local, qualified leads it generates. Portal listings on Google Base take consumers to the portal's website rather than the dealer's sites. That's lost website traffic for dealers-- lost traffic that could see all of your inventory rather than just one portal listing. Posting inventory on portals is fee-based; posting inventory on Google Base is free, and it is just one more way to drive traffic to your website and sell more cars.

  When users type "2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 06770" (year, make, model and zip code) into Google's main search engine, two links appear at the top of the results. These links take shoppers to CAM Motors Chevrolet, a Dealer.com client whose inventory is automatically posted to Google Base on a daily basis.

  The first link, "Product search results for 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 06770", directs searchers to Froogle. Although there is a link to see all of the local results, CAM Motors Chevrolet has the only listings featured on the opening page. The listings appear with pictures of specific inventory and links to those cars on CAM's website.

  The second link, "2005 Chevrolet Silverado SS - $32,995.00 - CAM Motors Chevrolet", states the dealer's name in a very prominent position within the search results, and it takes potential customers directly to the vehicle on CAM's website. That's only one click from the main Google search engine to specific vehicle details on its website, and it was absolutely free.

  Whether you have 100 vehicles on your lot or 2,000, your inventory can be part of the largest and most utilized search engine in the world, giving you additional exposure to millions of people each day. Auto dealers uploading their inventory to Google Base will continue to see their inventory become more discoverable as Google finds new ways to integrate Google Base listings into its main search engine. If you have the knowledge, you can set up an automatic feed to post your inventory on Google Base as it becomes available. If not, make sure you work with an automotive-marketing company that can.

  Rick Gibbs is vice president and CTO of Dealer.com. Read full bio.

• Dealer.com Named 'Coolest Company' by Interface Tech News

  November 27, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – Dealer.com, a leading provider of eMarketing solutions that increase online sales and marketing effectiveness for auto dealerships, announced today that it was named a "Coolest Company" by Interface Tech News in the 2006 Technologist's Technology Guide. Dealer.com was one of three companies honored in its category and the only Vermont-based company to be recognized.

  Interface Tech News presents awards to companies that are breaking the mold with their business model, corporate philosophy or employee programs within its region. To be eligible, the companies must be located in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, or Northern Massachusetts.

  “We are honored to be recognized as one of the “Coolest Companies” by Interface Tech News, said Rick Gibbs, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Dealer.com. “This award demonstrates Dealer.com's dedication to producing world-class products for the automotive industry, as well as our commitment to the economic growth of Vermont.”

  Dealer.com offers automotive dealers a suite of eMarketing web based solutions and tools proven to strategically reach customers online. The company offers its customers the only fully-integrated web solution including web site development, search engine marketing, search engine optimization and lead management.

  Based in Burlington, Vermont, Dealer.com employs more than 100 people and has partnered with the state of Vermont and Vermont HITEC to develop an apprentice program to create technology based jobs for Vermonters. The program has been a huge success; with 32 of Dealer.com's full-time employees being graduates of the program.

  Dealer.com's award-winning products include SmartSites™, professionally designed Web sites helping auto dealers reach their customers through inventory information, photos and online brochures; LeadMachineTM, a fully integrated lead management tool allowing auto dealers to track ROI, sales person success rates and generate detailed efficiency reports; and, PowerMailTM Pro, a broadcast email tool enabling dealers to communicate with customers regarding inventory, promotions and factory incentive emails. Dealer.com's DOMINATOR™, is a search engine marketing program designed to drive local, high quality traffic to dealership Web sites through carefully chosen keywords.

• Dealer.com Adjusts to Growth

  November 7, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – Dealer.com announced that is has doubled its account management team and reorganized the team under three account managers.

  Dealer.com said it made the changes to deal with its rapid growth. The company reported that its revenue was up nearly 50 percent in the first three quarters of 2006 compared to the same period last year.

  Dealer.com's SmartSites Web site helps dealers reach their customers through inventory information, photos and online brochures, and it provides consumers the ability to select features, technical specifications and VIN decoded options, the company said. Dealer.com also offers the Dominator search engine, a marketing program designed to drive consumers to dealer sites through carefully chosen keywords, running through search engines such as Google and Yahoo!

  "Dealer.com is a double-victory," said Delisa Alvis, marketing director of Southern Hospitality Auto Group in Chesapeake, Va. "We're reaching more consumers less expensively, and much more effectively. We can now measure and track the huge volume of phone calls and leads generated by Dominator. And Dealer.com has the resources to help us keep our dealer brands well-positioned on the Internet while extending our local-market advantages.

  "The bottom line is we're selling far more vehicles than we did before. And that makes our sales people and owners happy."

October 2006

• Automated Response Technology, ExplainedDealer.com's VP and CTO explores the art of a responsive, intention-based marketing campaign that uses targeted content to turn more inventory and generate higher profits.

  October 30, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – Imagine a sales rep who can memorize and keep track of countless details about what each and every customer is looking for in a vehicle. Mark wants a blue Volvo wagon with less than 50,000 miles and has to have a sunroof. Jane is holding out for a price reduction on last year's Camry. Mike has his heart set on a manual five-speed 2004 Mustang, and he can only spend $14,000. Now, imagine that this sales rep immediately notifies customers when inventory becomes available that matches or is similar to their requests. And the best part is, he or she works for free-- 24 hours a day, seven days a week with no breaks. You'd hire this person in a split second, right?

  With customer relationship marketing techniques applied to today's sophisticated automated-response technology (ART), this imaginary sales rep becomes a reality. Using simple yet comprehensive input forms, automotive website visitors create vehicle-search requests based on their own unique criteria. Sales reps can also create search requests in response to phone-ups and floor traffic. Any number of specifications, including brand, price, features, monthly payments and more, can be entered. Immediately after this information is captured, ART scans current inventory and displays vehicles that match or are similar to visitors' requests. And if there is no matching inventory, the request will not be forgotten-- as inventory turns, ART remembers the criteria and automatically sends a personalized email -- like this one from Checkered Flag Motor Car Corporation -- with vehicle information and photos that correspond to the customer's original specifications.

  Rather than blindly sending emails that annoy prospective buyers, ART acts as an intelligent customer-decisioning program. It profiles each customer, remembers the company's history with them and, in essence, creates an intention-based marketing campaign with targeted content, such as personalized email, special offers and coupons related to their vehicle preferences. Dealer.com customer feedback indicates that consumers appreciate automatic notifications when the model they desire arrives on the lot or is priced more attractively. They also find suggestions for similar vehicles valuable. There is no hassle from a live salesperson, content is relevant and the customer can opt out at any time.

  Customers aren't the only ones who benefit. Using complex algorithms and artificial intelligence, ART thinks like a seasoned sales rep. Dealer logic recognizes that if a customer is interested in a Honda Accord under $15,000, then (s)he may also be interested in the $14,500 Toyota Camry just added to inventory from a trade-in. Offering alternatives gives dealers a chance to move stock more quickly.

  ART also provides dealers with information that leads to smart buying decisions. If, for example, 22 customers are searching for used 4WD SUVs between $12,000 and $15,000, then the dealer needs to make sure that they are in stock and prominently displayed both online and on the lot. The dealer should now consider taking 4WD SUVs in trade and buying them at auction. When new inventory is added, the 22 customers will get notified with media-rich emails, bringing them back as potential buyers.

  This advanced technology, which includes dealer logic and intention-based and customer relationship marketing, will drive sales and shorten sales cycles. ART always follows up with customers and tracks them down rather than waiting for them to return. It tirelessly works to instantly notify customers of price reductions and new inventory that match their interests. For dealers, it means no matter where they are or what they're doing -- away from the office, working with customers or spending time with friends and family -- leads are automatically being generated, managed, serviced and tracked.

  Rick Gibbs is vice president and CTO of Dealer.com, a leading provider of automotive e-business marketing. You can contact Dealer.com by visiting www.dealer.com or calling 888-894-8989. Read full bio.

• Car Dealers Work to Draw Those Online Tire-Kickers

  October 25, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – When it comes to marketing, auto dealers may be the born experts on pennants, spinner signs and the refined art of the inflatable gorilla. But it's doubtful anyone would ever consider most of them skilled in the arts of online promotion.

  But a September study from J.D. Power and Associates finds that auto dealers are gradually stepping up their use of search engine marketing, paid and organic, to bring prospective customers onto both the lot and the Web site. The study concluded that 33% of auto dealers now deploy some kind of search marketing on their Web presence: 75% of that group optimize their sites for natural search, while 57% use paid search ads.

  The survey of 1,010 dealers also found that while only about a third use some form of search marketing, 80% of those who do report that it increases Web visits by bringing prospects directly to the site rather than funneling them through an online buying service. That allows dealers to convey additional messages about the quality of their service, finance and aftermarket departments.

  “Dealers are starting to recognize just how important and valuable their Web site is, especially considering that the best leads dealers receive often originate from their sites,” said Min Cho, senior analyst of digital marketing solutions at J.D. Power.

  Jeff Clark, currently search engine marketing sales director for Dealer.com, which provides SEM, e-business consulting and lead management to independent and franchised auto dealers, says that it isn't always easy to get dealers excited about online marketing. “Most dealers equate having a Web site with having an e-presence,” he says. “They don't necessarily understand the factors that go into having a great site: the ability to keep it updated and functional, to change it to meet the needs of consumers, and how to promote it, measure and manage what they're doing online.”

  But they need to, Clark says, because dealers' marketing costs are growing all the time, with rising prices for print ads, broadcast and mail. In light of those incursions on their margins and with the knowledge that some 70% of consumers start their car-buying process with some online research, more dealers are coming to see the value of connecting quickly and smoothly with those in-market shoppers through their own Web pages.

  Burlington VTbased Dealer.com offers an integrated solution that handles both Web site construction and keyword campaigns. “We build, frame and stock Web sites with content that is designed to be search-engine friendly,” Clark says. “For one thing, we offer full HTML backup for sites that use a lot of Flash animation, which the search engines can't read. We also offer dynamic optimization to accommodate the constant changes in search algorithms, because it takes a lot of continuous work to keep users at the top of natural results for their categories.”

  For paid search, Dealer.com offers the Dominator search marketing platform of 8,000 chosen keywords customized to the client's geographical market, inventory and consumer demographic. (There is, Clark points out, a real difference between marketing to a Ford customer and to a high-end Bentley buyer.) Individual dealer focus also comes in for consideration: special financing, parts and service departments, or an interest in stressing pre-owned sales.

  Dominator sets a baseline budget for keeping the client dealer's Web site visible in pay-per-click ads across all the major engines, then drills down to find the specific terms with the highest return on investment. Often this involves adding specific modifiers to brand terms to reduce their cost.

  “Obviously, the most popular terms are also some of the most expensive,” Clark says. “We're looking for the highest ROI within that dealer's subset of key terms. For instance, for a Ford dealer, ‘Ford F-150' is very popular and could cost upwards of $3 or $4 per click. But ‘Ford F-150 Boston Massachusetts' with the relevant ZIP code added could cost us one third that price.”

  Since auto dealers are even more interested than most online marketers in leads, not clicks, Dealer.com's platform mixes proprietary and third-party technology to track e-mail and phone calls produced by Web visits. “Traffic's one thing, but we take that approach one step further,” Clark says. “We want to make sure that consumer's contacting the dealer and that we have proof of that. Unique visitors and hits to the site are only part of the job.”

  One of Dealer.com's most recent Web marketing efforts was the launch of a new Web site for Checkered Flag Motor Car Corp., a family-owned dealership group of foreign car brands in the Hampton Roads VA market. The company needed to swap its old, somewhat unwieldy and underperforming Web site built on inflexible templates for something that would allow better inventory capture—in other words, be more responsive to customer inquiries about pricing and availability of stock.

  Dealer.com was able to bring the new CheckeredFlag.com site up in just three weeks, largely due to its proprietary CarFinder application that lets customers enter specs for new or used vehicles—brand, price, features, warranty terms, monthly payments, etc.—and sift through a dealer's current inventory to find matches.

  As new items are added to that inventory that line up with the shopper's requirements, CarFinder is also able to send out permissioned e-mail notifications to draw those shoppers back to the site with data and photos.

  Clark says auto dealers who have long been accustomed to using third-party lead generation services are gradually coming to recognize that a good Web site and a good search marketing program can ease their reliance on those outside sources.

  “They're very used to third-party services and getting a name, address and phone number,” he says. “They know when they sell to those prospects. But the more insightful ones also know that there are challenges to that model and ask why they should pay a $20 or $25 retail price [for leads] when they can get measurable results online for half that cost point, or even less. There's still a value to third-party lead systems, but I think dealers' education level [about direct online marketing] has gone up. They're more willing to learn.”

• Automotive CRM From Dealer.com Released for Checkered Flag

  October 18, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – First Coffee's quite a fan of CRM for the automotive industry, so it's good to hear news like that today from Dealer.com, a Burlington, Vermont-based vendor of eMarketing products in the automotive industry. The vendor has announced its success in launching the revitalized CheckeredFlag.com -- in less than three weeks.

  Using its SmartSite technology, Dealer.com built Checkered Flag's most complex site to date, with products for Checkered Flag's need for superior inventory management and tools with which to provide customer service.

  Checkered Flag Motor Car Corporation, a family owned and operated dealership group serving Hampton Roads, Virginia, sells a lot of foreign cars down there -- over 1,000 cars per month at its five dealerships. Checkered Flag approached Dealer.com after internal surveys showed that more than 80 percent of its customers use the Internet as a search tool prior to purchasing a vehicle.

  Which to First Coffee would be a red flag -- sorry, guys -- for lots of other car dealerships to get serious about CRM, but mysteriously, it seems most don't want to bother. Anyway, Checkered Flag saw the need to update its existing website -- a system that had become increasingly difficult to manage, particularly in capturing current inventory and overcoming design and functionality limitations imposed by rigid website templates.

  Another company doing good work in this space is Autobytel Inc., an automotive CRM vendor, which was recently named to Deloitte and Touche's Technology Fast 50 Program for Orange County, a ranking of technology, media, telecommunications and life sciences companies in the area by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP.

  In 1995 Autobytel was one of the first companies to sell CRM to auto dealers, which is still kind of an ugly, Rodney Dangerfield stepchild in CRM, it's not an area that's been looked at by established vendors yet. Autobytel sells its Web Control customer management system, Retention Performance Marketing service reminder program, Special Finance Leads, and AIC data center to auto dealers.

  Checkered Flag's Dealer.com-built website came online mid-September with the functionality Checkered Flag was seeking, and the speed and success of the design and build process.

  The most critical aspect of the new site is inventory management. Dealer.com used its proprietary CarFinder technology to enable customers to custom "build" or enter specifications for new or used vehicles. Customers can enter any number of specifications -- brand, price, features, best warranties, monthly payments, and more. The system then scans current inventory across Checkered Flag's dealerships and displays every vehicle in inventory that matches the search or may suit the customer's needs.

  As vehicles are added to inventory, CarFinder automatically sends e-mail to the customer with information and photos about any new matches.

  With Dealer.com's support, Checkered Flag plans to integrate the body shop, service and parts, finance and outside vendors into CheckeredFlag.com. Future integration with the dealership's CRM and sales force management systems will further enhance sales and customer retention efforts.

  And last month, after what company official say are three years of testing and development, 5square.com has released completely integrated software that manages the entire process of selling a car.

  For some reason selling cars isn't one of the tasks that's covered by much of the CRM studies, except at the high end like tracking Mercedes' service programs, one feels it's almost like it's too dirty shirt of an industry to merit serious coverage. That's puzzling to this reporter, since it's one of the industries well-suited to CRM, one in which customer loyalty is of great importance.

  The Web-based system automates every part of the sales process, including lead management, CRM, showroom control, desking, F&I, inventory, customer marketing campaigns, and dealership analytics. It guides the sales team on every lead and every deal, improving sales processes, customer satisfaction, and closing ratios, and integrates with both ADP and Reynolds and Reynolds DMS systems.

  NADA statistics show that the average dealer spent $571 in 2005 on advertising and lead generation for each new vehicle sold. This investment dwarfs the cost of all management systems combined -- DMS, CRM, Desking, F&I, etc.

  David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. For more articles please visit David Sims' columnist page.

• Va.– Based Dealer Group Gains New Site with Help of Dealer.com

  October 17, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – Dealer.com, an e-marketing solutions provider, announced today it has launched a new site for CheckeredFlag.com, a family-owned dealership group based in Hampton Roads, Va. Using its SmartSite technology, Dealer.com said it built Checkered Flag's most complex site to date, featuring solutions designed to meet the company's need for inventory management and tools.

  Checkered Flag Motor Car Corp. said it is a leading force in the sale of foreign brands in the Hampton Roads area, selling more than 1,000 cars per month at its five dealerships.

  Checkered Flag said it approached Dealer.com after internal surveys showed that more than 80 percent of its customers use the Internet as a search tool prior to purchasing a vehicle. Checkered Flag said it saw the need to update its existing Web site, which is a system that had become increasingly difficult to manage, particularly in capturing current inventory and overcoming design and functionality limitations imposed by rigid Web site templates.

  "Our goal was to build a best-of-breed solution that incorporates all the features customers need -- accurate and current inventory, accurate prices, research tools, financial calculators, quick-response mechanisms to inquiries and more," said Alex Snyder, Checkered Flag's director of e-commerce. "We were immediately convinced that Dealer.com would meet our needs."

  The most critical aspect of the new site is inventory management, according to the dealership group. Dealer.com used its proprietary CarFinder technology to enable customers to custom build or enter specifications for new or used vehicles. Customers can enter any number of specifications, including brand, price, features, best warranties, monthly payments and more, the store highlighted. The system then scans current inventory across Checkered Flag's dealerships and displays every vehicle in inventory that matches the search or may suit the customer's needs.

  As vehicles are added to inventory, CarFinder automatically sends an e-mail to the customer with information and photos about any new matches.

  "We strive to meet and exceed our customers' expectations," said Mark Bonfigli, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Dealer.com. "The speed with which we were able to launch the new CheckeredFlag.com is an example of the unparalleled service we provide to all our customers -- professionally designed and built Web sites, which allow dealers to better service their customers, while also managing leads and inventory -- all within a time frame that suits our clients' needs."

  With Dealer.com's support, Checkered Flag plans to integrate the body shop, service and parts, F&I department and outside vendors into CheckeredFlag.com. Future integration with the dealership's CRM and sales force management systems will further enhance sales and customer retention efforts, according to both companies.

June 2006

• Dominator Search Engine Advertising Works!

  June 15, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – According to Dennis Gailbraith, senior director of online marketing solutions at J.D. Power & Associates, 67 percent of new-vehicle buyers are using the Internet to make car-buying decisions. Research demonstrates that today's buyers will invest considerable time online before they ever approach a dealership.

  While these statistics certainly aren't surprises, it's also obvious why dealerships are exploring marketing advantages inherent in technology to stay in step with today's savvy consumers.

  For the past three years, a leading automotive technology marketing company, Dealer.com, has provided a proprietary search engine marketing program called Dominator designed to help dealerships reach consumers less expensively and more effectively.

  Dealer.com's Dominator has driven the cost per lead in many instances to less than $8. But the national average for Dominator is under $11 per contact. When factored over thousands of annual leads, up to fifty-percent savings to dealerships is substantial.

  But the cost value isn't the only advantage of Dominator. The program also drastically increases efficiency.

  Dominator constantly monitors more than 8,000 key words in all major search engines and makes appropriate updates every 30 minutes around the clock to ensure that Dealer.com subscribers are most prominently found by online customers. The entire process is explained in a simple and quick video found at http://dealer.com/why_dominator.htm.

  "No other web solutions provider can offer dealers an on-line marketing process as productive as Dominator," says Mike Lane, Dealer.com's chief operating officer. "Our system actually measures performance on each key word. Better yet, it generates unique leads, thus the dealer's closing rate is vastly increased when compared to third-party lead-providers or conventional advertising.

  "Dominator also has intricate safeguards built in to automatically protect our subscribers from hackers or anyone who would attempt to misuse the process."

  That's good news for dealers like Curry Acura in Scarsdale, NY. GM Michael Miele hired Dealer.com last year to employ the Dominator's search engine marketing technology for his dealership.

  "Our store generated an additional 190 leads in the first month with only $1,500 of search engine market advertising," he said. "At less than $8 a piece to produce a highly-qualified lead, I'd call Dominator a doubly strong value.

  "We can track every dollar spent and how that translates to each related call and e-mail lead from the Dominator search engine ads. Dominator allows us to know precisely what results we're getting, something we can't accurately measure from TV, radio or print advertising," added Miele.

  For a small independent dealer like John Eleftherakis, of John's Auto Sales in Somerville, MA, the cost-effectiveness and high efficiency of on-line marketing is unbeatable. He employed Dealer.com five years ago to develop and build his dealership's custom website. He cites that single decision as the turning-point in his profitability.

  "Our store had a 20-percent increase in sales the first year, and our leads more than doubled," Eleftherakis said. "Dealer.com knows our business inside-out and created a website that's easy for consumers to navigate, while being specifically tailored to meet the needs of our dealership."

  Dealer.com offers the only fully integrated website solution that includes Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and Lead Management. Services include award-winning automotive dealer website development, user-friendly lead management tools, and the most proven local search engine advertising solutions available.

February 2006

• Dealer.com Announces Integrated Search Engine Marketing solution that Drives, Captures and Manages Leads

  February 9, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – Dealer.com Websystems, a leading provider of automotive e-business marketing solutions, announced today it is releasing its newest version of Integrated Technology Solutions at the NADA conference in Orlando. This latest release from the NADA award winning company is said to be the only fully integrated website solution that includes Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and Lead Management.

  Dealers can now Drive automotive buyers to their websites with DOMINATOR™ Search Marketing, Capture them with SmartSites™ dealer websites and Manage them with LeadMachine™ Lead Manager.

  With the industry buzz circulating around internet advertising solutions, Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization, dealerships like Sport Chevrolet in Maryland are realizing immediate impact with the Dealer.com solution.

  "We didn't realize how much internet traffic we were missing until we started using the DOMINATOR™ program, states Chris Sommer, Internet Sales Manager with Sport Chevrolet. "We have seen increased sales to all areas of the dealership."

  Keith O'Brien of Kia West Chester in Pennsylvania says, "A year ago, I watched my competition's Internet Dept. consistently beat my numbers. Now I have "DOMINATOR™" and the playing field is tilted in my favor. If your Internet Dept. is looking for an edge, Dealer.com's DOMINATOR™ can give you that edge!".

  Dealers today, across the country, continue to be challenged with increasing operational costs while looking for creative ways to position themselves in front of the ever-growing population of internet auto shopping and buying consumers.

  "There is no secret that dealers are seeking ways to be more effective and efficient in their overall advertising and marketing initiatives. More importantly, dealers now have the tools to measure, track and adjust successes in ALL profit centers, with the ability to monitor each ad dollar being spent. We are excited to share how our fully integrated solutions respond to this need," states Mark Bonfigli, Founder and CEO of Dealer.com. The integrated Drive, Capture and Manage solution offered by Dealer.com clearly does this!"

• Dealer.com and DealerTrack® Announce Website and Finance App Integration for Auto Dealers

  February 9, 2006 – BURLINGTON, VT – Dealer.com Websystems, a leading provider of online e-business marketing solutions for the automotive industry, announced today that it is partnering with DealerTrack®, a leading provider of on-demand software and data solutions to automotive dealers.

  DealerTrack's WebsitePlus™ product allows dealers to easily store and manage credit application data submitted by customers on a dealer's website. This capability allows dealers to pre-qualify credit application leads, separating the serious prospects from the "tire kickers."

  Expanding on this unique opportunity, Dealer.com is integrating its own suite of SmartSites™ dealer websites into DealerTrack. With a comprehensive collection of finance application forms to choose from, dealers using SmartSites™ will benefit by having their credit application lead data funneled directly to their Dealer.com lead manager as well as into their DealerTrack account for instant processing and management.

  "We are very excited about this relationship as it now allows thousands of our dealers to have seamless and instant integration with DealerTrack any time a website customer submits a finance application. We wanted to work with DealerTrack because they are a leader in the space and have the tools our dealers demand. We are very proud to be the first website provider to offer this capability. Our dealer clients will now save countless hours of manual data entry" said Mark Bonfigli, President and CEO of Dealer.com.

  About DealerTrack (www.dealertrack.com)

  DealerTrack is a leading provider of on-demand software and data solutions for the automotive retail industry in the United States. DealerTrack utilizes the Internet to link automotive dealers with banks, finance companies, credit unions and other financing sources, and other service and information providers, such as the major credit reporting agencies. DealerTrack has established a network of active relationships with over 21,000 automotive dealers, including over 80% of all franchised dealers; over 200 financing sources, including the 20 largest independent financing sources in the United States and nine captive financing sources; and a number of other service and information providers to the automotive retail industry. DealerTrack's credit application processing product enables dealers to automate and accelerate the indirect automotive financing process by increasing the speed of communications between these dealers and their financing sources. DealerTrack's integrated subscription-based software products and services enable automotive dealer customers to receive valuable consumer leads, compare various financing and leasing options and programs, sell insurance and other aftermarket products, document compliance with certain laws and execute financing contracts electronically.