Dealer Specialties Introduces Vehicle Manager

According to a press release, Dealer Specialties, a division of Dominion Dealer Solutions, recently announced the launch of Vehicle Manager, an Internet-based inventory management application for dealers. New features in Vehicle Manager include: Inventory Management —Access to Administration Tools —Automated Inventory Rules —Price Comparison Tool —Moving Inventory —Categorizing and Sorting Inventories Inventory Marketing —Vehicle Brochures —Vehicle Videos (VeVos) —Global Vehicle Marketing Text —Web2Print Vehicle Manager is available immediately and is offered in a variety of different package options for every dealer need. One thing that sticks out for me is the Price Comparison Tool. DataOne Software is the only company I know that has something like this. Depending on the strength of this tool in their new system, this could be a big competitive advantage for DS. Notice also the Vehicle Videos (VeVos). This is a new technology product offered by only a couple other companies that I know of - Unity Works! Media and SiSter Technologies. This feature as well will help boost the Dealer Specialties product. If you are using this new Vehicle Manager by Dealer Specialties or if you have seen it in action please share yoru thoughts and experience.

Automobile hobbyists, check out Hemmings Auto Blogs

Here is a cool blog for car hobbyists. I am not one myself but Hemmings is a known name in the enthusiast market and this blog is simple and sharp. The pictures are crisp. The content is exciting. The people on this project are sure to be having a great time journaling all this fun stuff about car collecting. >> Click here to enjoy more of Hemmings I will probably add this to the Blogroll.

Lanelogic Launches Dealer Network Expansion

DALLAS — Following a successful pilot program in the Southwest and the Midwest, lanelogic announced Wednesday that it was expanding its proprietary dealer-to-dealer trading network to an additional 21 states over the next 90 days. This expansion represents the addition of more than 300 pre-signed dealerships to its dealer network. read more | digg story

Key words and key findings in a competitive SEM race

Today I came across a web page so out of the ordinary that I had to post an entry on it. The extraordinary part is not so much the site itself, but locating a bedfellow such as I did on this rare site. The site is called MailBucket and the bedfellow is a Cold Fusion developer that although I do not know him per se, I do know his company. To locate something obscure like this and with such a close degree of separation, is not out of the ordinary. Ad Words, Key Words, and SEM This is something to keep in mind when putting together SEM campaigns. Competing for popular ad words is expensive. Buying ad words that are well paced with these high-priced ones can be rewarding too. You can often get more click-throughs per $1 with these words as well. For instance, you want traffic with users searching for KEYWORD X. The purchase price for that keyword is $1 per click. The purchase price for KEYWORD Y, which generates about 90% the click-through rates of X, is 75% the price of KEYWORD X. Dollar for dollar that is a better return. Purchasing keywords in lower positions can generate equally as much traffic and costs much less.

PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 9 -- Chrome Systems Inc., the industry leader in automotive data, today announced the introduction of an all new Automotive Description Service (ADS). ADS is a Chrome-hosted web service with the ability to deliver more accurate and comprehensive vehicle descriptions than the VIN decoder products currently on the market. ADS allows users to: Use detailed descriptions to make used inventory look as good as new inventory Conduct robust inventory searches on dealer and consumer websites by providing normalized vehicle names, equipment descriptions, and color descriptions Improve VIN decoding to increase the accuracy of vehicle valuations Normalize inventory for website and database analytics Easily and automatically map vehicle data among various data sources. If you are using the new ADS or have information to share about this new Chrome product, please post your comments now.

Dealer Specialties, Inc. Contracts with AT&T for New Data Communications Center

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) announced today a new three-year contract with Dealer Specialties Inc., the nation's leading used vehicle data and photo collection company with headquarters in Monroe, Ohio. AT&T Ohio will provide Dealer Specialties with reliable, nationwide data connectivity through Managed Internet Service (MIS) with a managed router for its hosting center at the company's headquarters, which houses mission-critical applications used by Dealer Specialties' customers and employees. The service will be able to accommodate growth in Dealer Specialties' volume of transactions plus additional applications including Web-based inventory management tools and automotive dealer Web sites, which support the company's business. In addition, this solution will provide Dealer Specialties with additional hosting capacity and also will align with AT&T's customer-focused convergence strategy, enabling Dealer Specialties to scale their nationwide Web application offerings for the automotive industry. "We have valued our relationship with AT&T since we started in 1989. AT&T has consistently delivered reliable solutions that have met our business goals," said George Nenni, vice president and general manager of Dealer Specialties Inc. "When it came to picking a telecommunications provider for our needs, there really was no contest." Source Article from AT&T