ADESA wants to help its clients, so on Tuesday the auction company announced the launch of its new Purchases Page for U.S. buyers.
KAR Global explained the new page is designed to streamline online self-checkout and expand post-sale capabilities, enabling customers to view and manage all their ADESA Simulcast and Simulcast+ purchases in one centralized place.
“With the ADESA Purchases Page, we’ve greatly upgraded the speed and simplicity of our post-sale experience so dealers can get retail-ready vehicles on their lots faster than ever,” said John Hammer, president of ADESA and chief commercial officer of KAR Global.
“Our new Purchases Page emulates the experience of leading consumer ecommerce platforms, where the entire purchase process from start to finish is centralized and streamlined,” Hammer continued in a news release. “Customers can go from purchase to delivery in just a few clicks, saving time and taking the stress out of sourcing fresh inventory.”
ADESA highlighted the Purchases Page boasts a simplified overview, enabling customers to manage all dealership purchases in one place with the ability to toggle between individual or multiple rooftops.
When checking out, customers can order transportation, add services like post-sale inspections and receive vehicle release forms instantly when they pay with ACH or a floorplan.
ADESA then mentioned buyers also have more convenient access to their post-sale documents with the ability to download all purchase history, details and reports directly from the page.
The company said dealers also can identify which purchases need their immediate attention and select a vehicle to instantly view the cost and fee details, title information, bill of sale and invoice.
“We asked our customers what they wanted in their checkout and post-sale experience, and the all-new ADESA purchasing experience embraces their feedback,” said Rick Griskie, president of digital marketplaces at KAR Global. “We’re incredibly proud of the close collaboration with our buyers — our teams are obsessed with raising the bar and building an ever-better customer experience across our digital marketplaces.
“With these new integrations and simplifications, we’re continuing to fulfill our commitment to make wholesale easy so our customers can be more successful,” Griskie added.
The ADESA Purchases Page is one of several recent new offerings rolled out by ADESA to enhance its digital marketplaces and vehicle logistics centers.
In September, ADESA launched streamlined OBD2 scans as part of its new inspection process. Earlier, the company announced an all-new inspections technology platform and enhanced vehicle undercarriage imaging.
Together with new features like ADESA’s proprietary “% to Retail” indicator, “these powerful innovations foster buyer confidence and cultivate a more vibrant marketplace that optimizes outcomes for both sellers and buyers,” according to the company.
To learn more about the ADESA Purchases Page, watch this online video or visit ADESA.com/Purchases.
Robin Hill has worn, and wears, a number of hats.
Hill, who was an honoree in Auto Remarketing’s inaugural Women in Retail program in 2019, is an ordained minister, motivational speaker and is a client advisor at Hendrick Lexus Charlotte.
She’s also an author, with one book, titled “Urban Joy,” published in 2013 and another, titled “The Making of a Beast,” on the way shortly.
In talking with Hill about the books in mid-January, a theme of positive-thinking connects the two works — though the first leans more to the inspirational and spiritual, and the second incorporates that into the role of a salesperson, based on her descriptions of the books.
So, what inspired this automotive salesperson to get into writing books?
“In all honesty, I hated English (growing up), and so this part of my life did not come until I got much older and much wiser. Experience and just some of the outcomes of the experiences really inspired me to not be selfish and to share,” Hill said in the January phone interview.
“And the reason why i wanted to share and not be selfish is because I know what it feels like not knowing and not having anyone there to hold my hand and to help me through a lot of what I experienced,” she said.
Sharing her own experiences — and those of others — along with scriptures, is the essence of her first book, Hill explains. The title is a metaphor for one’s soul being a city, she said.
“And there dwells your mind, your will and your emotions,” she said.
Through looking at her experiences and others’ lives, Hill said she has found that “joy was always the better choice.”
“And not too many people really focus on joy. Everybody took their life as it came. It's almost like a rollercoaster. Some days you're up; some days you're down. It all depends on the circumstance, “she said.
What’s often so sorely needed is positivity amid the challenges.
“We have to have that heightened level of joy to be able to go through it in a very wholesome and successful way,” Hill said. “And so, I tackled a number of things in 'Urban Joy' as far as sickness, death, bad relationships, catastrophic events — different things that I personally have experienced” as well as stories from others, she said.
“It's inspirational… it's more on a Biblical, spiritual level. And I have a lot of scriptures in there to help people who are looking for something, another source outside of Robin and her experiences,” she said.
Hill also examines “the misconceptions of what people think joy is,” be it material things or depending on others for happiness.
“You are responsible for your emotional state. Not anybody else. I put a lot of heavy (emphasis) on that, so that (readers) will understand that they don't need or have to depend on so many things outside of themselves,” Hill said. “And that's also part of the metaphor of it being ‘Urban’ — that inner city of yourself.”
With “The Making of a Beast,” Hill continues that theme of positivity, but weaves it into sales, she said.
“I call myself the ‘joy specialist.’ And because I focus a lot of joy, I focus a lot on positivity, ‘The Making of a Beast’ has a lot to do with being positive,” Hill said. “Because in the world of sales in the automotive business … there's so many things — things and people — that will or have potential to discourage you. There are people who would have done great in sales, but because they just kept getting hit from one end to the other, they would just quit — quit before they really know that true potential of them (being) a beast in sales.”
All too often, salespeople don’t get enough holistic training and are thrown onto the sales floor with the mantra of “sell, sell, sell!” Hill said.
Given the stress and workload, being a successful salesperson requires a solid foundation first, she said.
"And so ‘The Making of a Beast’ definitely assists in (helping to form) the whole person. Their mind, their will, their emotions — how are they mentally? how are they physically? How are they socially, emotionally, financially, spiritually?” Hill said.
“That's never really covered in the sales world. They give all these different (training sessions), but if you're giving the training on a person who is not mentally sound, you need to discover whether this is true,” she said.
“I mean, so many mistakes have been made on customers because of the lack of this type of training or discovery.”
And for the salesperson, it can lead to burnout or worse, she said. With “The Making of a Beast,” Hill aims to help folks avoid the “spiraling down” in health, finances or socially.
And what about aspiring authors? What advice would she have for those looking to write a book of their own?
“Don't just write just to write. Have passion about what you're writing. And then also, whatever you do, even when it comes to writing, it all should have something to do with care and well-being of others,” Hill said. “It just shouldn't be that you want your name in lights … or because somebody else did it. Or (that) it will give you more recognition. To me, that type of stuff doesn't really go far.”
More information on “Urban Joy” can be found here; more info on “The Making of a Beast” can be found here.
Many participants in a recent consumer sentiment study show a keen interest in car shopping, and they enjoy the process.
But when price negotiations begin, their feelings turn decidedly negative.
“What should be a fun and exciting experience for consumers, continues to be a source of angst and stress,” automotive research and vehicle listings marketplace company CarEdge wrote in a news release.
CarEdge released the study, saying the study's main message is the following: Consumers love vehicle “shopping” but hate vehicle “buying.”
Those consumers wished to avoid interactions and negotiations with the salesperson and finance manager. More than half of the respondents would prefer that someone would negotiate for them, or actually choose the vehicle for them.
Study participants were 321 CarEdge site visitors during February and March who had visited the site’s research pages. Seventy-seven percent of the participants consider themselves interested in cars or car enthusiasts, and 76% are actively shopping for a vehicle. Of those shopping, 41% intend to purchase within two to three weeks, and 31% within the next two to three months.
Sixty-seven percent conduct a great deal of research before making a vehicle purchase.
Additional respondents’ comments showed that they wanted more pricing transparency, less post-purchase up-sells and fulfillment of advertised prices.
“With almost half of respondents wishing to avoid dealerships completely, it is evident that there is an ongoing opportunity to find a vehicle purchasing process that results in a better customer experience,” CarEdge said.
But the study revealed some good news: Seventy percent of participants actually enjoy shopping for a vehicle, and 47% feel they purchased their vehicle at a fair price.
But on the negative side, 29% felt taken advantage of or had negative feelings toward the dealership. Forty-four percent would like to avoid dealerships completely. Thirty-eight percent have to search for a dealer they like, and only 18% are loyal to a specific dealer. More than one in four felt that they received a bad deal and were unhappy with the final sales price.
Survey participants also showed little loyalty for a particular dealer. Fewer than one out of five said they considered a specific dealer as their preferred resource for vehicle purchases.
Additional survey insights:
— 60% said negotiating with the salesperson and the post-purchase paperwork were their least-favorite parts of the vehicle purchase process
— 52% would like to outsource the price negotiation process or vehicle selection process to someone else
— 88% would find vehicle recommendations from an independent third party to be helpful or they would consider it.
CarEdge said that with almost half of respondents wishing to avoid dealerships completely, an ongoing opportunity exists to find a vehicle purchasing process that provides a better customer experience.
“As traditional dealers turn to online and home-delivery purchasing options, it will be essential for them to review their customer buying process to ensure that they are delivering pleasant experiences that result in repeat customers,” CarEdge said. “While several new business models are attempting to correct this problem, it is apparent that more work needs to be done within the industry.”
Carwiser, which says it offers the only national online marketplace where dealers compete to purchase used vehicles from consumer sellers, now has an integration with Black Book as well as an advisory board with five industry experts who collectively have vast experience.
On Tuesday, Black Book announced the integration of its valuation and enhanced vehicle matching VIN-decoding data into CarwiserXchange 2.0, the rebranded moniker of Carwiser’s platform.
Carwiser also introduced its advisory board, which is comprised of five key industry members, including:
— Mark Boyd, board member of Boost Acquisition and former LotLinx board member and chief sales officer of Cargigi before it was sold to eBay
— Ron Frey, who has had advisory and executive roles with JM Family Enterprises, CDK Global, CU Direct, TrueCar and AutoNation
— Mitch Golub, founder and former president of Cars.com
— Steve Greenfield, chief executive officer and founder of Automotive Ventures
— Tony Hoang, president at Tonka Venture Capital and founder and former chief executive officer of Cargigi and the head of the U.S. vehicles marketplace at eBay
The company recapped that CarwiserXchange 2.0 is a comprehensive solution for dealers that connects in-market vehicle sellers with potential buyers, namely online and franchise dealerships.
Carwiser explained that dealers can set their buying preferences and receive notifications when a vehicle matches their specific preferences and as another dealer has made an offer on a vehicle they want. The dealer can dig into the details of that specific vehicle — including its Black Book valuation — and respond with a compelling and winning offer.
“Black Book’s industry leading valuation and VIN Decoding data will allow dealers to make informed decisions without leaving the CarwiserXchange 2.0 platform,” Black Book executive vice president of revenue Jared Kalfus said in a news release. “This will help a dealer buy right and buy quicker.”
In addition to a variety of notifications to get dealers engaged, CarwiserXchange 2.0 also can provide dealers with more communication support and education.
“We want to help dealers learn what is important to them, their unique business, and of course their customer base,” Carwiser CEO Patrick Howell said. “If they want to see how they can do a better job of buying cars, we’ll walk them through how they can do that. If they want to see what available inventory in the marketplace might work better for them, we can help them as well.
“We want to have a partnership with our dealer customers, and our new and improved platform allows us to do that,” Howell went on to say.
To get more information about CarwiserXchange 2.0, send a message to [email protected] or call (858) 829-9488.
Ally Financial, Greensboro Auto Auction and the Hiester Automotive Group are working together, while fueled by some of their passions: classic-car restoration, helping people in need and lifting up the next generation of technicians.
John Hiester, owner of Hiester Automotive Group in Fuquay-Varina, N.C., led a project that highlighted another example of how dealers across the country got inventive throughout 2020 to keep American drivers on the road and their staffs safely working and motivated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to COVID-19, the nationwide shortage of mechanics was one of the biggest management obstacles faced by American dealers, so it was an abrupt change to suddenly have too many service techs and too few cars to fix.
“Back in the spring when the work slowed, my mechanics asked if they’d lose their jobs,” Hiester said in a news release distributed by Ally on Tuesday. “I thought, ‘Why not buy some classic cars and have my teams restore them?’ I love classic cars, but my team never works on them because they are always busy with customers. It was a good way to keep them employed so they could support their families.”
Hiester purchased more than a dozen classic cars, including a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner, 1972 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible and a 1978 Jeep J10 truck in various states of disrepair. The mechanics were paired up in small teams to restore the classic autos.
Service technician Anthony Pompey said he appreciated the steady work and that the project helped “keep my mind off the news and the pandemic. I worried less about losing family or getting sick myself.”
Hiester Auto Group is one of approximately 18,500 dealer customers doing business with Ally Financial. When the finance company heard about what Hiester was orchestrating, it got involved.
“All of us at Ally were really moved by John’s commitment to do it right for his employees because it mirrored our own values in keeping team members both safe and employed,” Ally chief marketing and PR officer Andrea Brimmer said. “We wanted to support his ingenuity and shine a light on the important role service techs play in the auto business.”
Inspired by Hiester’s initiative, Brimmer said the Ally Foundation will support efforts to recruit and train the next generation of auto mechanics by donating $25,000 to the North Carolina Auto Dealers Foundation.
According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, the industry requires 76,000 new technicians every year and technical colleges and training programs only graduate about half that number.
Brimmer didn’t stop with the donation.
Brimmer connected the Hiester team with reality show host and celebrity car customizer Danny Koker of History Channel’s “Counting Cars.” Koker, based in Las Vegas, served as a virtual coach to the Hiester mechanics while also documenting the renovation process for a new web-based video series called “Count’s Kulture.”
The series began streaming in early December on Koker’s YouTube channel. Car enthusiasts are encouraged to follow the restoration competition online and vote for their favorite.
And the wholesale market is involved in this entire project, too.
According to the news release, Hiester plans to auction the winning vehicle at the Greensboro Auto Auction in Greensboro, N.C., with the proceeds donated to a charity selected by his mechanics.
Especially if you reside within the city limits, you can have beauty products, burritos or beer brought to your front door with just a couple of taps on your smartphone.
To help the service providers who need a vehicle to deliver those items, TrueCar and HyreCar announced a new partnership on Wednesday, targeting the car-sharing marketplace for ridesharing, food and package delivery services.
The companies highlighted that launch of the HyreCar Auto Buying Program powered by TrueCar addresses the vehicle purchase needs of drivers and owners that work in the mobility and transportation industry.
HyreCar said its Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) marketplace generates tens of thousands of potential automotive purchase and rental leads per month. The partnership will leverage TrueCar’s online vehicle research, trade-in, pricing and payment tools.
TrueCar explained its national dealer network of more than 14,000 stores now can assist HyreCar customers to acquire a new or used vehicle or to sell or trade-in their vehicle.
Additionally, the TrueCar partnership will support HyreCar’s Earn to Own program for qualified HyreCar customers.
“HyreCar customers rent, sell and buy vehicles. The TrueCar partnership offers a seamless way to address this significant market in a relevant and effective manner for dealers and customers,” HyreCar chief executive officer Joe Furnari said in a news release.
“Additionally, TrueCar helps create awareness that vehicle dealers can benefit from serving the Mobility-as-a-Service industry via HyreCar’s platform,” added Furnari, who also mentioned that the partnership will potentially grow to include special OEM offers and dedicated vehicle finance solutions.
Brian Allan is senior vice president at HyreCar and a former general manager at Galpin Motors. Allan described what the partnership could mean for stores.
“From a dealer’s perspective, I am excited about the TrueCar partnership because vehicle dealers are best suited to serve mobility customers and the entire dealer ecosystem benefits from this under-served customer segment,” Allan said.
Furthermore, TrueCar president and chief executive officer Mike Darrow elaborated about why the company is embarking on this partnership.
“We’re excited to make car buying easier for HyreCar’s car-sharing community and to help them in their journey to find a safe, reliable, and affordable vehicle that is not only used as a personal vehicle, but one that’s also used to earn their livelihood,” Darrow said.
“We are also very pleased to offer TrueCar dealer partners a new channel to sell and acquire vehicles through the HyreCar marketplace,” he went on to say.
The HyreCar Auto Buying Program can be accessed at https://hyrecar.truecar.com.
On Thursday, which was Data Privacy Day, Privacy4Cars founder Andrea Amico joined the Auto Remarketing Podcast to discuss the top data privacy concerns in automotive, including how dealers and auto auctions may be impacted.
Amico shared his advice for the industry and how his company is helping auto auctions scrub personal data from vehicles set to be remarketed.
To listen to the entire conversation, click on the link available below, or visit the Auto Remarketing Podcast page.
Download and subscribe to the Auto Remarketing Podcast on iTunes or on Google Play.
Social advocacy platform Quantum5 has appointed Germain Toyota of Naples general manager Brian Kramer to its advisory board.
Quantum5, which says it transforms dealership training through its lifetime value model, described Kramer as an industry thought leader for digital transformation.
For Germain, Kramer served in several different roles before he became a general manager of a Mercedes-Benz store at age 24.
Kramer also served as general manager at two AutoNation dealerships.
He said Germain Toyota has worked with Quantum5 and its co-founder and chief executive officer David O’Brien to teach Germain’s sales and service teams how to think critically rather than simply following a script.
Germain Toyota of Naples was the No. 1 Certified Pre-Owned Volume Dealer in Southwest Florida for 2019 and 2020.
During that time, the dealership retailed more than 10,000 vehicles. Quantum5 described Kramer’s team as being a leader in areas such as digital retail, virtual F&I, remote appraisals, and remote/offsite transactions.
“The rise of COVID-19 is accelerating our industry’s move to digital retail, which, in turn, will require a new set of skills,” Kramer said in a news release.
Kramer also said, “I am especially pleased to join the Quantum5 board, because of our shared vision of changing the consumer experience to better fit the times.”
The National Automobile Dealers Association has named a vice president of education and training. Filling the newly created role is Camron Wilson, who has been with NADA since 2014.
She will head up all education and training programs and will lead NADA/ATD Academy operations, the association said in a news release. NADA Academy chair Michael Hayes continues in that post and will work alongside Wilson.
“Camron brings a wealth of knowledge and proven track record to NADA’s dealer education offerings,” NADA president and chief executive officer Mike Stanton said in a news release. “She has been integral to the dealer operations department and to the highest levels of the organization. Her talent and dedication make her a natural addition to our leadership team.”
Wilson has been in the auto industry for nearly 20 years, including time with Dealer Product Services and Ford Motor Co.
Her first role at NADA was as director of training and business development. Wilson’s accomplishments so far include leading the launch and development of the NADA Professional Series.
That educational program focuses on new and promising managers in sales, office, parts and service.
“Dealers are the backbone of the auto industry,” said Wilson. “My goal is to educate and prepare the next generation of auto dealers and employees to run profitable dealerships, and to help dealers build employee career paths in order to entice newcomers into compelling dealership careers.”
Carketa closed a $1.375 million seed round financing in September, and the Utah-based software company finished 2020 by launching an addition to its suite of dealer products.
The company announced the addition of the Carketa Digital Condition Report to its suite of valuation, connect and reconditioning applications creating an “Acquisition to Sell” ecosystem. With these tools, Carketa said it is creating what it believes is the first dealer operating system.
Founded in 2019, Carketa develops SaaS software tools to automate a dealer’s inventory flow. Now with Carketa Connect, Carketa Valuation and Carketa Digital Condition Reports, Carketa’s solution is an integrated dealer tool from acquisition to sale.
With CarKeta Recon, dealers can upload their inventory from any dealer management software and actively manage inventory through recon from auction to customer.
Carketa Valuation handheld and online app with a Chrome extension can help a dealer buy and sell at the right price for their market.
Carketa Connect can allow dealers to post their vehicles online the moment they are acquired at auction. Customers and the sales department can track a vehicle through the recon process and dealers often can sell a vehicle before it’s on the front line.
Carketa’s Digital Condition Report is a 200-point inspection system detailing a vehicle’s current mechanical and cosmetic condition woven into the recon process. As a vehicle is reconditioned, the steps are integrated into the digital condition report capturing fixed and replaced value helping hold the gross line up, and the finance department close deals.
The company pointed out dealers buy remotely at auction using a condition report. With a Carketa Digital Condition Report, a consumer can buy remotely too, according to Carketa chief executive officer Brady Thurgood.
“Carketa is the only solution in the auto industry providing real-time quality rating built into a condition report,” Thurgood said in a news release. “With Carketa’s Accuracy Rating a consumer has confidence in your dealership. Dealers can sell remotely on any ad platform.”
A dealer who uses the solution described his experiences in that same release. Clay Hagedorn is the owner of TruWorth Cars in North Carolina and recently started using CarKeta Recon after a long search for an online digital condition report.
“I saw immediate results selling online and now referring Carketa to all my friend’s owning car dealerships,” Hagedorn said. “This is just what I needed to expand my geographic area.”
For more details, call (855) 955-1254 or visit carketa.com.
