Auto Dealer Monthly Magazine is the daily operations publication serving the retail automotive industry. This automotive publication serves dealer principals, officers and general managers with the latest best practices.
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AND THE WINNERS ARE...
New Vehicle Internet Lead Provider
The first provider in the New Vehicle Internet Lead Provider category which stood out above the rest with a higher- than-average score is Autobytel, returning to the top three for the first time since 2008. This year Autobytel claimed its first-ever Diamond Award in this category. "Autobytel is extremely pleased to win the coveted Dealers' Choice Diamond Award in the New Vehicle Internet Lead Provider category. The award is especially meaningful to us since it was chosen directly by deal- ers," said Stephen D. Lind, executive vice president of corporate develop- ment at Autobytel. "Autobytel has worked diligently to provide our dealer members and OEM partners the utmost in service, products and purchase requests to connect them with in-mar- ket customers to help them sell more vehicles. We are proud that our hard work is paying off for our dealers and thank them for their continued support of all we are doing."
This year marks the second consecutive Platinum Award for AutoTrader.com. The company is also the only provider
T
he Website Design/Provider segment is a crowded space with over 60 different
companies represented this year. While there are many companies nominated each year, only six providers have been recognized in eight years. This year, like last, only two providers
scored above the group average to earn
an award. As website design continues to evolve, providers are now putting more emphasis on social media
integration and mobile websites.
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in the category to win an award all eight years of the Dealers' Choice Awards. "This award is a testament to the strength of the partnership we have with our dealer customers across the country. We sincerely thank all of the dealers who voted for us. We will never take your support for granted," said Jeff Perkins, director of customer marketing for AutoTrader.com.
Dealix (a Division of Cobalt) maintained its position in the top three for a second year in a row, earning the provider the title of Double-Gold Award-winner.
Used Vehicle Internet Lead Provider
The Diamond Award in the Used Vehicle Internet Lead Provider category went to Cars.com, earning the provider Double-Diamond status in the category. "As car shoppers increasingly turn to consumer-generated content and do more on mobile devices than ever before, Cars.com has evolved, being among the first to offer consumer reviews and robust mobile tools. As a result, we're connecting more qualified, ready-to-buy car shoppers with our dealer partners and giving them the power to differentiate their stores and their inventory to win more consumer engagement," said Mitch Golub, president of Cars.com. "We're deeply honored that our dealer customers continue to recognize the power of our consumer-centric business model."
Holding onto the Platinum Award for the second consecutive year is Auto- Trader.com, making the company a Double-Platinum Winner in two categories this year. "We are constantly consulting with our dealers about our products, our marketing, our research and much more," stated Jeff Perkins, director of customer marketing for AutoTrader.com. "It is this commitment – to listen to our dealers and to continually evolve our offerings to meet
their changing needs – that sets Auto- Trader.com apart from the competition."
Special Finance Lead Provider
After a fourth-place finish last year, DealerLink leaped to the front of the pack to take the Diamond Award this year, the company's best showing since winning the Diamond Award in the Dealers' Choice Awards' inaugural year of 2005. "When your clients/customers acknowledge your hard work and sincere best efforts to provide a quality product at a fair price, it doesn't get any better than that … Even including the inaugural Diamond Dealers' Choice Award and the others we have been fortunate to win over the years, I must say I personally find this the most rewarding given what we, as well as our dealer partners, have gone through over recent years," said Tim Parker, president of DealerLink. "The great news is I am seeing positive outlooks and attitudes from dealers all over the country … I would like to say a huge thank-you to all our dealer friends who were kind enough to vote for us."
Only a tenth of a point behind DealerLink was Auto Credit Express, a previous Gold Award winner from 2010, making it back to the top three this year with the Platinum Award.
CarsDirect.com claimed a spot in the top three with the Gold Award. "Quality of traffic and a large media presence are the two key items we prioritize over everything else and that we remained committed to over the past couple of years," said Todd Dearborn, vice presi- dent of dealer relations and automotive sales at CarsDirect. "We are always refining our traffic sources in our constant pursuit of the best quality."
Car.com (Autobytel) and Cars.com both received above-average scores and finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
