Archive for March, 2010
By Jesse Biter
President & CEO
HomeNet Automotive
Dealer Marketing Magazine, April 2010
There is no doubt that the internet is rapidly elevating the savvy of consumers, and dramatically changing this industry as a result. Shoppers and businesses alike are consuming huge amounts of compiled data online. Why? Because the internet has revealed the inequities and monopolies of—not just local marketplaces—individual businesses… your business.
We complain about shoppers who come in armed with their reports and prices and vehicle histories and rankings and ratings, but they’re growing, not only in numbers, but in the depth of their level of intelligence, too. If every consumer were treated equally on buying identical cars there would be no reason for us to protect the details of the transaction, and consumers know this. That’s why they’re so hungry for the data the Internet has made available, aggregated and cross-compiled in ways that lift that veil.
Without geographical boundaries, the internet has shortened and widened the supply chain. Anyone can find anything online and buy it without a middle man at a huge savings.
The internet is forcing greater and greater transparency in every industry, and the online-educated consumer (over 80% of car shoppers, according to Edmunds.com) will reward those businesses who meet them where they’re going with their purchase. And, that needs to be you!
Innovation and progress will naturally crush industries that no longer align to adopted technologies… as it sprouts new ones. The entire retail sector has had to add massive online operations, local warehouses, etc. to meet the savvy consumer online. Remember standing in line at Blockbuster every week? Yet, with a local warehousing/ home delivery business model, Netflix did Blockbuster in.
The auto industry needs to change the way it operates to survive, as well.
Put yourself in the shoes of the consumer looking for a white 2010 WhateverXL. When you can find one 100 miles away for $600 less, what is going to make you buy at home? The same things that did when you bought cars by going from showroom to showroom: somehow, the local dealer has to convey trustworthiness, quality service, and customer care. How does he do that in the age of the Internet?
Transparency. His vehicle display pages show 30 or more photos, including close-ups of any scratches. There’s a video of every car. In fact, there’s a video of the finance manager on the incentives page genuinely saying, “Yes, times are tough, but come on in, and together we’ll see what we can do to get you into the car you want.” There’s a vehicle history report and an extended warranty on every used car. There are testimonials from customers everywhere. They say nice things about the dealership on Facebook. And, yes, there is pricing transparency.
To meet those savvy consumers where they are, growing numbers of savvy dealers are using technologies and data just as wisely. They’re attracting educated shoppers while arming their salespeople with the same—and better—information than those consumers bring to the negotiating table.
You have far more data available to you about every customer who visits your website and enters your showroom than they will ever have on you. Imagine how differently you would negotiate if you could pull up on your screen—as you prepare for an appointment with a buyer—that this individual has a credit score of 790, has visited your website eight times in the last month, you know all the cars they’ve bookmarked—or even looked at, you know what incentives they’ve printed out, you know what trade-in they were quoted by your online appraisal tool, and what other cars are in their driveway. You know how many leads you’ve gotten in the last month on that model that have converted to sales and at what margin. You even know how area dealers are pricing and selling that model.
Stop imagining and start taking advantage of it.
Jesse Biter is President & CEO of HomeNet Automotive, which makes the Inventory Online (IOL) Internet Marketing Suite of solutions that helps tens of thousands of dealers sell more cars and save time in the process. He can be reached at 877-738-3313.
March 18th, 2010
HomeNet Receives “Top Rated” Award for Dealer Satisfaction in Inventory Pricing Tool Category
West Chester, PA (March 2, 2010) — HomeNet Automotive has won a “Top Rated” Inventory Pricing Tool award in the 2009 DrivingSales.com Vendor Ratings Awards, beating out several other companies for the honors.
The 2009 DrivingSales Vendor Ratings Awards, presented at the 2010 NADA Convention and Expo, measure satisfaction with vendors by allowing dealers to rate and review their vendors online at DrivingSales.com. Only vendors who achieved top rankings in dealer satisfaction in each category, as determined by the thousands of dealers who are part of the DrivingSales.com community, received awards.
"There is no greater honor than to have HomeNet's customers validate our total market solutions and services with this top rating," said Jesse Biter, CEO of HomeNet Automotive. "We continue to be blessed with loyal customers, innovative partners, and dedicated and enthusiastic employees, allowing us to deliver best-in-class solutions to help the industry save time and sell more cars."
“We are proud to present this award to HomeNet Automotive which has achieved a standard of excellence that is clearly resonating with dealers,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. “This year’s award winners have won recognition in one of the most challenging years on record for our industry. We salute them for their ongoing commitment to provide value to their dealer clients.”
About HomeNet Automotive
HomeNet Automotive helps the automobile industry save time and sell more vehicles and is proud to be recognized as a “Top 10 in 2010 Companies to Watch” by AutoSuccess Magazine.. It is the leading provider of inventory merchandising, management and marketing services, led by its flagship product, Inventory Online (IOL) Internet Marketing Suite. IOL is a web-based vehicle marketing solution that helps tens of thousands of automotive dealers to engage buyers online and bring them into the showroom ready to buy by streamlining the process of converting raw vehicle data into consumer-friendly and emotional online ads. With 135 employees, HomeNet has garnered a spot on the "Inc. 1000" for the second year in a row, its third recognition by the prestigious magazine in as many years. HomeNet is a private company based in West Chester, PA, with offices across the U.S. For more information, please visit www.homenetauto.com, call 877-738-3313, or email salesteam@homenetauto.com.
About DrivingSales Vendor Ratings and Awards
DrivingSales Vendor Ratings are the industry’s first and only neutral, comprehensive vendor rating forum, featuring real-time peer reviews and honest competitor comparisons – searchable by category, company or rating – and are one of the most popular features of DrivingSales.com, which is the auto industry’s leading social media platform and largest online community. Vendor Ratings Awards are awarded to the vendors who receive the top rankings in their category. For the awards, dealers are asked to rate their vendors on a 1-5 star scale, including whether they would recommend the vendor product to colleagues, and why they would or would not recommend the product. All survey-takers are verified to ensure that they are actual dealership employees.
March 2nd, 2010
March 2, 2010 (West Chester, PA) — HomeNet Automotive has added Susan Burke as VP of Product & Strategy to its top leadership team. Most recently a contractor for HomeNet, and previously Director of Product Marketing with ADP, Ms. Burke is a highly accomplished product, marketing and strategy professional with extensive background in traditional software platforms as well as digital and mobile technologies.
A standout among many notable achievements in her 16 years in the automotive industry, Ms. Burke was part of the team that conceived, defined, and launched the first automotive, internet shopping site, Autoconnect.com.
In addition to other key marketing roles where she successfully launched products to global markets, Ms. Burke brings many years of Product Management experience with Accenture, formerly known as Anderson Consulting, ADP Dealer Services, and Sun Microsystems.
“Having Susan’s depth of strategic, analytical, and business process experience will be critical to manage HomeNet’s explosive growth,” said Jesse Biter, President of HomeNet Automotive. “In 2010, we are delivering several game-changing and best-in-class solutions to the marketplace. Susan is essential to ensure we most effectively manage every step—from conception through development to launch and beyond.”
A former board member of the American Marketing Association, Ms. Burke holds a Computer Science and Math degree from Michigan State University, and an MBA from DePaul University. In her spare time, Ms. Burke enjoys spending time with her two children and husband in Michigan and is an active volunteer with The Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW) and the American Cancer Society.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to lead Homenet’s product strategy, taking advantage of new technologies and exploiting gaps that currently exist in the market to produce new products and services for dealers,” adds Ms. Burke. “The next few years are very important for the retail automotive marketplace, and Homenet will be there supporting our clients with inventory management and marketing solutions that will help them succeed in selling more vehicles to more customers.”
About HomeNet Automotive: HomeNet Automotive helps the automobile industry save time and sell more vehicles and is proud to be recognized as a “Top 10 in 2010 Companies to Watch” by AutoSuccess Magazine. It is the leading provider of inventory merchandising, management and marketing services, led by its flagship product, Inventory Online (IOL) Internet Marketing Suite. IOL is a web-based vehicle marketing solution that helps tens of thousands of automotive dealers to engage buyers online and bring them into the showroom ready to buy by streamlining the process of converting raw vehicle data into consumer-friendly and emotional online ads. With 135 employees, HomeNet has garnered a spot on the "Inc. 1000" for the second year in a row, its third recognition by the prestigious magazine in as many years. HomeNet is a private company based in West Chester, PA, with offices across the U.S. For more information, please visit www.homenetauto.com or call 877-738-3313.
March 2nd, 2010
