SARASOTA, Fla. -

Dealers United has announced a company milestone in its vendor vetting services, which are designed to help leverage the buying power of individual dealerships.

Surpassing the company’s own projections, Dealers United members now represent 4,000 dealer rooftops, the company reports, four months after its official launch at the NADA 2012 convention in February.

Dealers United acts as a business development arm for private dealerships and dealer groups by researching vendors and negotiating their services at a substantial discount. Members receive monthly offerings at discounted prices from fully-vetted vendors.

The first member deal revealed in April, SEO services from KPA, brought Dealer United members 53 percent off services from the industry provider, the company reports.

Its second member deal announced in May, first party lead generation services from HookLogic, brought more than 60 percent off the set-up and an additional 31 percent off the monthly service to Dealers United members, the firm reported.

“Dealers United’s vendor vetting process impressed us, so we signed up and waited for the first deal,” said Paul Schnell, eCommerce director at Wilsonville Toyota. “We’re already seeing results from our new SEO vendor, KPA.

"The deal didn’t stop at a low monthly rate. Setup fees and length of term were also negotiated quite nicely in our favor. All in all, we got exactly what we wanted, a great product at a great price.”

“We knew Dealers United would answer a need in the industry, but even we are surprised at the rate in which the membership numbers are growing,” said Jesse Biter, co-founder of Dealers United. “Our intense vetting process has helped find best-in-class service providers like KPA and HookLogic, providers that not only give our members the best deal, but fully deliver, and that has helped generate significant excitement.”