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 | | | January 31, 2008 | | |  U.S. Issues New Child Seat Ratings System
Federal regulators will unveil a new rating system for child safety seats designed to help parents choose the easiest-to-use seats and require manufacturers to meet tougher standards.
Detroit Free Press, January 30, 2008 | | | |  NADA Convention Draws Closer
Well-known industry leaders, as well as TV and news personalities, are preparing to present at next weekend's National Automobile Dealers Association's Convention and Expo. NADA officials indicate this will be their best convention yet.
Auto Remarketing, January 30, 2008 | | | |  Rebound Progress Still Lags for GM
GM has made laudable progress but is still falling well short of a full-fledged turnaround.
The Detroit News, January 30, 2008 | |
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| | | WHAT'S SIGNIFICANT THIS WEEK IN THE NEWS | | | All Hourly Workers at Ford Getting Buyout Offer
Ford is offering 54K hourly workers buyout and early retirement packages in a cost-cutting effort. Retiring workers would be replaced with lower-paid workers. Ford says its losses for 2007 were narrowed, but this year's outlook remains bleak. CEO Alan Mulally says company on track to make profit in 2009.
| | | | Automotive Broadcasting Network, CBS Strike Deal to Help Dealers
The Automotive Broadcasting Network will be launching a marketing channel just for dealers. This private TV network will be in partnership with CBS, which will provide entertainment clips. The ABN will also broadcast auto-related segments and advertising. | | | | Industry Experts Meet at Washington Auto Show Green Conference
Environmental issues are undoubtedly some of the most pressing in the auto industry. Such matters as petroleum displacement, fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction are concerns voiced by consumers, government and automakers alike. To tackle these challenges, various industry and environmental experts examined some of these issues at the Green Car Summit at the Washington Auto Show's International Media Day. | |
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| Should dealers be talking price early on? | | Research and practices at major dealer consolidators shows that withholding the price of a new vehicle from a prospective customer is a diminishing practice. |
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|  Organic Leads Are Healthier
Why not add a process to your playbook to allow you to drive unsold phone-ups and unsold floor-ups back in as Internet leads? This often happens anyway, without us even knowing about it, so why not plan for it? If you use dedicated Internet salespeople, they will appreciate the quality of the leads and the accompanying historical information from the existing customer database. More importantly, a steady diet of these “free-range” leads will allow you to cut back on your intake of the more expensive, lower quality, third-party leads.
Finding “free-range” leads
The first step to finding your “free-range” leads is to divide your leads into four separate categories:
• New organic leads
• New provider leads
• Be-back organic leads
• Be-back provider leads
The easiest to control are the "be-back" organic leads. These leads consist of second time buyers, frequent service customers, and even multiple time walk-ins. These leads are free for the asking if you can drive them to your Website.
Integrate with your CRM
One of the biggest benefits of working be-back organic leads is that you can manage the flow of these leads to focus on new or used vehicles. How many prospects were in your showroom in the last 120 days looking for a new truck? How many were over in your pre-owned center looking for an economy car because of the rising gas prices? Your CRM should not only supply you with the answers but should give you the tools to guide those customers to your Website.
Take advantage of your organic free-range leads—they will be great customers and they don’t even know it yet!
Bryan Anderson is the founder and general manager of Autobase, Inc. He can be reached at banderson@autobase.net">banderson@autobase.net or call 888-396-5911.
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|  AutoRevenue (founded 2001) has one simple philosophy: Be the ONLY dealers’ partner proven to reduce expenses while increasing revenue and CSI and requiring no additional personnel, hardware or software.
Our management team has over 250 years of combined experience cultivating high integrity relationships with dealers across the country. Our collective reputations have allowed us to become the fastest growing multi-channel communications company in the industry.
We do what we say we are going to do...provide! Call us at 413-243-4800 or visit www.autorevenue.com.
You will see exciting concepts by visiting the AutoRevenue Booth #5735!
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Credit Card Charges in the Merchant Account at Your Dealership
All dealers - particularly if they have high usage from customers using a credit card to pay charges in the service department or part of a part of an F&I solution to sell a car – are concerned about the transaction fee on Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Discover. Why are credit card fees so high? Is there a better solution? What are the alternatives? Click on the image to find out some answers to questions and to gain some solutions to reducing, if not eliminating, the high cost of processing credit card transactions in your dealership. | | |  | | 
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AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION (AIADA)
Annual Membership Luncheon
SAN FRANCISCO MARRIOTT HOTEL
Yerba Buena Ballroom
Monday, February 11
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
AIADA's 38th Annual Meeting and Luncheon Program
Date: Monday, February 11, 2007
Time: 11:30a.m.-12:00p.m. (reception); 12:00p.m.-1:30p.m. (luncheon)
Location: Yerba Buena Ballroom, San Francisco Marriott (San Francisco, CA)
Meeting & Luncheon Highlights
Our Year in Review, presented by 2007 Chairman John Hawkins
Passing of the Gavel, to 2008 Chairman Jim Hudson
Keynote Speaker, Mr. Jim Lentz , president of Toyota Motor Sales, USA
David F. Mungenast Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation
REGISTER ONLINE Advanced Registration: $50/ticket At the door: $60/ticket
To submit your information via fax, click here to download the appropriate form
Questions? Please contact Jermaine Perry at 1-800-GO-AIADA or send us an email for more information. |  | | 
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Golden Gate Bridge
The best thing to do is to walk across it--and back—you can do it and you will never forget it.
The second best thing to do is drive across it slowly in the right lane. Stop for a long look at the bay and San Francisco and the Bay Bridge to Oakland—then keep going down the hill to the right to Sausalito. You will find great restaurants, shops, and the charm of this exclusive town. There's another world just beyond the bridge, where city lights and the sheer energy of San Francisco are transformed into the unhurried pace of a hundred small towns and countless country lanes.
Don’t miss a drive through the Presidio on the way back to reality, NADA and the bustle in the chill of downtown San Francisco. | 
TRAINING SESSION
Joe Verde's “Total Training Solution"
How to Increase Sales, Finance, and Service Grosses
In this fast-paced workshop, you’ll learn to close deals you never could before in every department with every customer! You can’t afford to miss a unit sale or give up any gross in Sales, Finance or Service and Joe Verde will show you how to turn salespeople into unbeatable power closers.
• Sat 2/09 11:00am RM 3006
• Sun 2/10 3:30pm RM 3006
• Mon 2/11 10:30am RM 3006
• Tues 2/12 11:00am RM 274 & 276
Verde Bunch at Booth 5265 N or go to www.joeverde.com | 
Franchise Meetings Set For NADA
Monday February 11, 2008
Acura 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 3010W
Buick/Pontiac/GMC 8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. 304S & 306S
Hyundai 8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. 3010W
Hummer/Cad/Saab 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 303S
Infiniti 8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. 110 N
Nissan 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 304S & 306S
Porsche 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. 111N
Subaru 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. 3000W
Toyota 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Gatewy BLRM 104S
Click here to check for more listings or industryrelations@nada.org">more information on franchise meetings
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