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ORLANDO, Fla-- February 14, 2010 --Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq: ABTL) today announced that its new Quality
Advantage Program, launched today at the 2010 NADA Convention and Expo,
introduces an industry first: an “Incremental Sales Only” policy,
designed specifically to eliminate the industry-wide problem of
duplicate leads for dealerships and to ensure that each lead an
Autobytel member dealer receives is incremental, even if it means
returning an Autobytel lead in favor of a competitor’s lead.
“Quality Advantage raises the bar in our industry by offering a firm
policy designed to ensure incremental sales and remove the headache and
resource drain that duplicate leads can cause, regardless of the
provider,” said Autobytel COO Mark Garms. “Nine out of ten dealers say
that third-party leads are a critical part of their business generation
-- but the same percentage rank better de-duplication of leads as an
improvement they would like to see from their third-party providers.
Autobytel has listened. And Quality Advantage delivers.”
According to Autobytel analysis, 11% of online leads sent to dealers are
customers the dealer has already received in the previous 30 days.
Quality Advantage is designed to drop that percentage to zero.
Available at no extra cost as part of the overall Autobytel new car
program, Quality Advantage provides real-time lead duplicate
identification (for all incoming leads – including the dealership’s own
website) and stress-free lead return through an easy-to-use online tool.
And, unlike other industry providers who provide only a seven-day window
for lead return and credit, member dealers can return Autobytel leads
anytime within the month and as far out as three days past the end of
the month in which the lead was delivered. Autobytel leads can be
returned for the following reasons: 1) the dealer is unable to contact
the consumer, 2) an underage consumer, and 3) the consumer is not
in-market.
Additionally, Autobytel takes the reconciliation work out of the
dealer’s hands by notifying each source of duplicate leads so that they
can be removed from the dealer’s bill without the dealer lifting a
finger.
“The company’s commitment to making sure their leads are valid,
qualified, and in-market before they reach my dealership is what
has contributed to our higher ROI and improved closing ratios for the
Internet department,” said Merlin Froyd, Internet Manager of Sunrise
Ford in North Hollywood, CA. “Their lead return policy is head and
shoulders above any other lead provider and gives us the flexibility to
evaluate and return those leads within the month – stress free.”
How Quality Advantage Works
Quality Advantage’s online lead return and de-duplication technology not
only enforces Autobytel’s “Incremental Sales Only” policy, but should
significantly reduce the amount of time that a dealer or ISM spends
reconciling billing, so that he/she can focus on selling cars.
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Autobytel’s Quality Advantage system is automatically alerted as soon
as a lead reaches a dealership from any lead source.
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Quality Advantage assesses the lead and, if it is a duplicate,
notifies the source with a request to remove the lead from the
dealer’s bill.
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Autobytel notifies the dealership of the leads which are duplicates.
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The lead that “clocks in” first is considered the valid lead.
Quality Advantage - in combination with the company’s just announced
iControl and Email Manger Deluxe programs - is part of Autobytel’s
mission to create a new standard for third-party leads that 1. Provides
dealers with greater control and 2. Enables the best of its value-added
programs and lead treatments to apply to all online leads, at no extra
cost, regardless of source.
About Autobytel
Autobytel Inc. (NASDAQ: ABTL), a leading automotive marketing services
company, pioneered the automotive Internet when it launched
Autobytel.com in 1995. Since then, the company has helped tens of
millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands
of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers, and helped every major
automaker market its brand online. Today, through its flagship website
Autobytel.com®, its network of automotive sites including Autoweb.com®,
AutoSite.com®, Car.comsm, CarSmart.com®, CarTV.com®, and
MyRide.com,® and its respected online partners, Autobytel continues its
dedication to innovating the industry’s highest quality Internet
programs to provide consumers with a comprehensive and positive
automotive research and purchasing experience, and auto dealers, dealer
groups and auto manufacturers with one of the industry’s most productive
and cost-effective customer referral and marketing programs.
Contacts
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