Over at CNNMoney.com they released an article outlining some of the ideas on the table where the government wants to encourage consumers to buy new cars. Check it out:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/23/autos/government_car_incentives/index.htm?postversion=2009012909

Well not quite, but I did get a picture with Rameu Sodoukjuo at the DealerTrack NADA party.

My second day at NADA was full of partner meetings so I had limited time to shoot pics, but here is what I saw.

St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square

St Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square (2)

Jackson Square

A gang of Segways.  At this point I knew I saw it all in New Orleans.

Street bands seem to be on every street here.

Terry Bradshaw and Otto from Manheim in the DealerTrack booth.

Biggest News at NADA: AutoRevo partner JMsolutions is acquired by DealerTrack!!

DEALERTRACK ACQUIRES AAX INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SUITE CREATING THE INDUSTRY’S MOST COMPLETE INVENTORY SOLUTION

Lake Success, NY, January 23, 2009 ─ DealerTrack Holdings (Nasdaq: TRAK), a leading provider of on-demand software and data solutions for the U.S. automotive retail industry, today announced that it has acquired the AAX® suite of inventory management solutions and other assets from JM Dealer Services, Inc.. The AAX inventory management suite will be marketed in conjunction with the current DealerTrack inventory management solution, InventoryPro™.  DealerTrack will now offer the industry’s most complete set of inventory management solutions.

Launched in 2002, AAX is the industry’s leading solution with a wide variety of users, including the nation’s top six dealer groups. AAX has delivered strong used vehicle profit growth for their dealership customers coupling insightful analysis of transaction data with the industry’s most successful in-store inventory management consulting services.

“Building upon our current assets, including InventoryPro and data and analytic services provided by Chrome® and ALG®, the acquisition of AAX now positions DealerTrack as the industry’s most complete and best-in-class inventory management solution provider,” said Mark O’Neil, chairman and chief executive officer of DealerTrack. “We see inventory management as one of the fastest growing and most important segments within the dealership technology market and we believe we are well positioned to lead this growth. Additionally, we look forward to broadening our relationship with JM Family Enterprises, Inc. (parent company of JM Dealer Services) beyond inventory management.” 

“We are very proud of how our associates have developed the AAX suite of inventory management solutions into the recognized leader in the marketplace,” said Colin Brown, president and chief executive officer of JM Family Enterprises.  “DealerTrack is a great fit and we look forward to working with them as a technology partner.”

Separately, DealerTrack has further enhanced InventoryPro with the inclusion of additional transaction data and expanded analytic capabilities provided by ALG and the ability to update internet pricing.  With these additions, InventoryPro has become an even stronger fully featured solution offered at an attractive price.

PriceDriver® will be introduced at NADA as a stand-alone product which allows dealers to see current market pricing for vehicles in a clear and detailed format.  Moving forward,  DealerTrack will be offering three unique inventory management solutions for a dealer to choose from: AAX, InventoryPro and PriceDriver.  

O’Neil stated, “We are really excited about the position this acquisition gives us in inventory management.  With the AAX team’s strong industry knowledge and DealerTrack’s best-in-class technology capability we look forward to growing both platforms to help our dealers succeed no matter what their business demands.”

DealerTrack will provide additional details on the transaction on its upcoming fourth quarter and full year 2008 financial results conference call on February 19, 2009.

About DealerTrack (www.dealertrack.com)

DealerTrack Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRAK) is a leading provider of on-demand software and data solutions for the U.S. automotive retail industry. Our solutions enable dealers to receive consumer leads, submit credit applications, compare financing and leasing options, sell insurance, vehicle accessories and other aftermarket products, document compliance, and execute financing contracts electronically. In addition, the DealerTrack DMS (dealer management system) is used by dealerships nationwide. Over 20,000 dealers, 700 financing sources, and many other service and information providers are active in the DealerTrack network. For more information, visit www.dealertrack.com.

The kick off of the NADA Convention and Expo in New Orleans was a great start!  Here are some initial photos to share:

The AutoRevo Foundation (AutoRevoFoundation.org) is set to race with the Make-A-Wish Foundation!  Race for Wishes is set for Saturday, March 7, 2009 at Williams Square in Irving, TX (Las Colinas for you locals).  Join us in helping children get their wishes in 2009.  There are plenty of opportunities to participate.  We need race volunteers, sponsors, participants, donations, and most of all your ENERGY (and car dealers have a lot of it)!

All the tools you will need to register, join a team, send emails or sponsor are right on the website!

First… Sign up as an individual or as a team with your friends, family or organization.

Second… Create and personalize your own web page.

Third… Attain your fundraising goal by sending personalized e-mails to your friends and family asking for their support.

Finally… Take BIG strides to help make wishes come true for our local North Texas children!

Click Here for the Race for Wishes homepage.

Ok, let’s state the obvious and get it out of the way.  You fill in the blank: We are witnessing the __________ economic time since the Great Depression.  Glad we got that out of the way.

Most are calling it a recession.  I’m calling it a Revolution!

Wikipedia defines a revolution as: a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.  Their results include major changes in culture, economy, and socio-political institutions.

Do you see a revolution going on around your dealership?  Do you see a revolution with the way customers are shopping your inventory?  The answer comes with a resounding YES!  Let’s break down the definition:

Fundamental change: consumers are changing the core elements of the shopping process.  One example is the use of comparison pricing tools given to the consumer by sites such as Vast.com, Oodle, Edmonds, and many others.  We then say pricing tools become the golden egg for car dealerships to competitively pricing inventory.  There were many elements leading up to this change and many since, but the principal is fundamental change.

Relatively short period of time: a recession is defined as a decrease in a country’s GDP for at least two quarters.  Mmmmm…I think we have covered the two quarters.  Certainly the OEMs didn’t help anyone with their timing of financial assistance needs, but we are there.

Major changes in culture, economy, and socio-political institutions: There is definitely a different culture created for the consumer and in the dealership sales process.  I don’t need to go into the economy part (enough said).  Finally we set history this November in politics with the election of Barack Obama.  The political climate has certainly changed as President Elect Obama will be solving challenges  he never dreamed of through his campaign.  Isn’t it so true that all of us are interrupted by the uncertainty of life.

Since we are talking revolution I had to look up “revolutionary“.  To paraphrase again from wikipedia:   A revolutionary has no private interests, no affairs, sentiments, ties, property nor even a name of his own. His entire being is devoured by one purpose (sell cars), one thought (sell cars), one passion (sell cars) - the revolution.  Heart and soul, not merely by word but by deed, he has severed every link with the social order and with the entire civilized world (working 80 hour weeks in the car business); with the laws, good manners, conventions, and morality of that world.

Is that us or what!?  I see our industry as FULL of revolutionaries!  Bring it on, we will survive!

I would say after being a business owner the number one challenge faced is dealing with uncertainty.  We plan, strategize, and move to change an industry but many times we encounter so much uncertainty that it challenges the plan or strategy.  So to counter the “Revolution” definition I tell our dealers it is simple:

1. Master the “Fundamentals” of selling a car online (with AutoRevo of course).  Not the way it was, but the way it is NOW.
2. Make “Major Changes” in your business.  Example: put your General Manager back in front of the customer.  Get them out of their office on a Saturday looking at leads data reports (that is for Monday morning).
3. Leverage the “Revolutionaries” at your store.  Cut the bottom 10% performers immediately and meet with your best resources to communicate the game plan.

The reality that businesses and dealerships are not run in straight lines is more evident than ever today.   Accept the uncertainty as a part of business and life.  Getting to your goal may have a different path than anticipated, but you still get there.

Do you have your own dealer certification program?  Now you can show it on your AutoRevo dealer website and more!  Upload your own certified logo (or have our design team design you one), describe the warranty, and display on each vehicle. 

OEM Certified car sales have become increasingly popular across almost all major brands.  So popular that many of our dealer groups have created an in-house certification on units that would not qualify for the OEM certification.  Many of these dealer certified cars come with a short-term warranty and/or guarantee (1 month / 1,000 miles, satisfaction guarantee, free service, etc).

So how easy is it to setup in AutoRevo?

1. Go to Settings > Warranties in your AutoRevo account
2. Upload your dealer certified logo
3. When loading or editing a vehicle select Dealer Certified

Done!  Now it appears on your dealer website and eBay Motors listings.

Want to know more?  Call a representative today at 888.311.REVO (7386)!

Bill Berry, our National Sales Director, was out of the office for the last two weeks, taking some much-needed holiday vacation time… Little did he know he’d have a surprise waiting for him when he came back…

You can also check it out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TigrDKaBLv4