BlogPro Automotive Has Moved!!!

Please visit www.blogproautomotive.com for the latest postings and to post comments on any entries. This blog is no longer in use. Because of the Blogger upgrade, I was not able to import the entries and comments from this blog to the new one, so I added all the entries manually. Unfortunately, I was not able to restore everyone's comments. When Wordpress supports the new Blogger system I should be able to do something, but in the meantime, please know I am sorry for this. Thank you for your support and/or for stopping by. Click here to visit the new live blog.

A 5-Point Plan for Autos Growth

Charisma! Communications' president Laurie Halter examines the top automotive marketing trends that you'll need to know to keep up with your competitors in 2007. She talks about search engine marketing; email marketing; two-way communication between dealers and customers; blogs as a marketing tool; and behavioral targeting. read more | digg story

Arkona Completes Integration With Gulf States Toyota

Arkona appears to be making quite a name for itself these days. The recent deal in place with Gulf States Toyota shows that this DMS provider is a real player. Earlier this month a communications interface that was developed jointly between GST and Arkona which means that every GST Toyota dealership can now migrate to Arkona’s DMS, providing "immediate costs savings and improved operating efficiencies from their current legacy solutions". The major points of integration include: • Parts Orders – Electronically transfer stock orders and supplemental orders • Parts Return – Automatically download parts returns • Financial Statement Reporting – Simplify preparation and submission of financial statements Arkona has continually enhanced its DMS to meet the requirements of key OEM partners. The integration with the Gulf States Toyota organization required extensive programming, certification testing, and several months of cooperative effort between the Gulf States Toyota, Kinsel Toyota as the pilot dealership, and Arkona. Press Release on Arkona Website