IRVINE, Calif. — Kelley Blue Book is looking to aid any vehicle owner who wants to unload a unit through a new tool launched last week to enhance sales activity through numerous online sites and social networks.

KBB believes its Seller's Toolkit, featuring the all-new LiveValue system, is the first of its kind. Officials explained the Seller's Toolkit is a fully integrated sales method with the latest online technologies to help consumers move their vehicles on high-traffic websites, social networks, via e-mail or even a personal blog.

Here's how Kelley Blue Book thinks it has catapulted traditional private-party sales methods into the 21st century.

Executives explained the Seller's Toolkit includes a digitally connected window sticker, Facebook integration, an embeddable widget, dynamic images and a direct link that users can share online. They noted it's all enhanced with LiveValue information.

Users with Facebook profiles can notify their network of their vehicles for sale via the integrated share feature. The Seller's Toolkit also can provide sellers with the option to add a custom tab to their Facebook profile reading "Car for Sale," and features all of the details provided in the digital window sticker.

If the seller has a blog, the new tool is designed for one-click sharing to a number of online locations such as Blogger, WordPress or anywhere a widget can be embedded.

KBB mentioned a dynamically generated image is available for places that feature image linking such as Craigslist. The user also can save the image and upload it directly to sell-it-yourself websites.

For e-mail, Instant Messenger or Twitter, the Seller's Toolkit can provide the seller with a direct link feature, generating a shortened URL that takes buyers to Kelley Blue Book's pre-configured Pricing Report on Kbb.com.
With electronic, customizable and printable window stickers from Kelley Blue Book Seller's Toolkit, private-party sellers can print a "For Sale" sign for the window of their vehicle. They also can create and send a digital window sticker with customized descriptions and photos to high-traffic websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Craigslist or personal blogs.

Officials also contend Kelley Blue Book's patent pending LiveValue system can give potential buyers access to real-time, up-to-the-minute Blue Book Values as listed on Kbb.com.

By displaying the latest values in listings through the aforementioned channels, the company thinks sellers can instill confidence in potential buyers looking for a fair deal.

Officials reiterated that values are updated weekly. With the LiveValue system, these values are represented in real-time from Bbb.com within the offered tools.

LiveValue can provide real-time Kelley Blue Book Values via three methods integrated into the Seller's Toolkit window sticker: generated quick response codes, text messaging and voice call services.

KBB explained quick response codes are two-dimensional bar codes often used in mobile tagging. In the case of the Seller's Toolkit, they can contain all of the configured vehicle information.

Once scanned via a smartphone, the code can take potential buyers to a pre-configured mobile report page for the selected vehicle, containing more information about the vehicle for sale and links to the Kbb.com mobile site.

The text messaging feature of the window sticker can allow shoppers using a mobile phone to send the provided LiveValue ID to a specific short code number. Once received, the LiveValue system sends another text message to the user with the appropriate up-to-date Kelley Blue Book Private Party Value and other information, such as year, make, model, mileage and condition.

The final integration to the new window sticker is the voice calling service. Using any phone, buyers now can have the ability to get the Kelley Blue Book Private Party Value via an automated phone service.

A user can call Kelley Blue Book's toll-free number, and after a short welcome message, they are prompted to input the vehicle-specific LiveValue ID, followed by the pound sign. The system then can use an automated voice to read back the most up-to-date Private Party Value and other vehicle information such as year, make, model and condition.

According to a recent study, KBB contends about 1.3 million private-party offers made on vehicles via social networking sites equated to 785,000 sales during 2008. The study also indicated that last year the number of offers increased to 1.9 million, resulting in nearly 1.3 million sales.

"Projecting the full year, that means social networking sales will top 2 million units on 2.96 million offers, making the need for a free, all-inclusive tool like Kelley Blue Book's all-new Seller's Toolkit more valuable than ever before," company officials insisted.

For more information or to access Kelley Blue Book's Seller's Toolkit, visit www.kbb.com/sellers-toolkit or www.facebook.com/kbb.

"Before private party sellers spend a dime on online listings that typically fail to drive interest, they should consider the advantages and capabilities of Kelley Blue Book's Seller's Toolkit with LiveValue," explained Justin Yaros, executive vice president of product design and development for Kelley Blue Book.

"The easy-to-use intelligent technology and design that supports this product gives sellers the upper hand in online listings," Yaros continued.

"Seller's Toolkit offers sellers an enhanced social method for listing vehicles for sale while providing buyers with peace of mind that comes with the availability of the most recent Blue Book Values," he concluded.