Crystal Hartwell's Blog (559)

Auto Industry Experiences Monumental Shifts in Public Auto Retail Valuations, according to The Blue Sky Report™ released by Kerrigan Advisors

New report analyzes dealership buy/sell activity for Q1 2016; overall activity, including multi-dealership transactions, size of groups coming into market and luxury import transactions, continues to rise; publics’ blue sky multiples decline: valuations at parity or below many private acquisition opportunities

 

Irvine, CA, June 7, 2016 – U.S. dealership buy/sell activity…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on June 7, 2016 at 10:19am — No Comments

The KAR Index™ Drops 9% in Two Weeks

Index from Kerrigan Advisors shows high inventory levels, gross margin compression, and weak sales forecasts depressing public auto retailer valuations

 

 

Irvine, CA, May 18, 2016 – Kerrigan Advisors today announced that The KAR Index™ (The Kerrigan Auto Retail Index) has dropped 9% - from 496.82 to 452.49 – in just the last two weeks, indicating depressed public auto…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on May 18, 2016 at 11:23am — No Comments

CallSource Expands Management Team



 

Appointment of key marketing and sales execs, Robin Schweitzer and Bill Bauwens, adds 35+ years of sales and marketing expertise to leading call management company

 

Westlake Village, CA – May 12, 2016 – CallSource today announced the appointment of two veteran sales and marketing executives to its management team. Robin Schweitzer brings a 20-year record of marketing success to her role as Marketing Director for…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on May 12, 2016 at 12:32pm — No Comments

Gubagoo ChatSmart Presented with DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Award

 

Gubagoo ChatSmart received a “Top Rated” Award for Dealer Satisfaction in the Chat Products Category

 

West Palm Beach, FL – April 26, 2016 – Gubagoo ChatSmart is the recipient of a “Top Rated” Chat Products award in the seventh annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards.

 

“We are honored to receive a DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Award for ChatSmart,”…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on April 26, 2016 at 10:28am — No Comments

Gubagoo Launches RESQ: A Revolutionary New Way to Take Control of Your Chat, Text and Phone Calls

 

The new RESQ app – powered by Gubagoo – gives dealerships unprecedented visibility and control into off-showroom sales conversations, including calls, texts and chats

 

West Palm Beach, FL – March 31, 2016 – Gubagoo today announced the launch of RESQ, a landmark new application that will change the way dealerships use…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on March 31, 2016 at 11:38am — No Comments

CallSource Announces Industry’s First End-to-End Call Management System for Auto Dealers

 Call-to-appointment ratios rise to 30% and higher, far outpacing industry average of 8%, report early adopters of patented Sales Performance Management (SPM)

 

Westlake Village, CA – March 31st, 2016 – CallSource today launched its patented Sales Performance Management (SPM) system, the first end-to-end call…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on March 31, 2016 at 11:35am — No Comments

CarStory Market Reports Adopted by Over 6,000 Dealers; Dealer Group Reports Up to a 27% Increase in Used Vehicle Lead Submissions

 

Over 15 million consumers have used reports to discover their perfect car directly on a dealers website

 

Austin, Texas – March 31st, 2016 – CarStory today announced that its Market Reports, which launched last year during NADA, are adopted by over 6,000 dealers, including over 50% of the Top 10…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on March 31, 2016 at 11:29am — No Comments

The KAR Index™: Is Historic Upcycle for Auto Retail Stocks Over?

 

 

New index from Kerrigan Advisors tracks the seven auto retail publics to identify and assess the drivers impacting changes in their valuations, with implications for both public and private auto retailers

 

Irvine, CA, March 31, 2016 – Kerrigan Advisors today announced the inaugural release of…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on March 31, 2016 at 11:22am — No Comments

Finance Pre-qualification Added to eLEND Solutions’ ID DriveTM: Sales Process Dramatically Shortened with Soft-Pull Credit Report from Driver’s License Scan

Early dealer results show 36% closing ratios, higher customer satisfaction and a 1- to 2-hour reduction in traditionally lengthy sales process

 

Foothill Ranch, CA – March 30, 2016 – eLEND Solutions™, today announced that its popular ID authentication program now instantly and automatically converts a driver’s license scan into a consumer consented soft pull credit pre-qualification application, without…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on March 30, 2016 at 11:22am — No Comments

Andrew Lumsden Joins Vast as Vice President of Data Products

 

Former VP of Product for Chrome charged with further innovating Vast and CarStorys data and analytics offerings

 

Austin, TX, March 29, 2016 – Andrew Lumsden, the former Vice President of Product for Chrome, has joined Vast, as Vice President of Data Products, the Company announced today. Lumsden, an automotive data veteran who has lent his innovative vision…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on March 29, 2016 at 11:30am — No Comments

Website Rankings and Conversions Increase with Dealership Switch to .Cars URL

 

 Study shows new automotive domain improves over 50% of search rankings

 

 

Santa Monica, CA – March 28, 2016 – A new dealership case study conducted by independent SEO experts GlobeRunner reveals that new automotive-specific domain names, .Cars, .Car, and .Auto (“.Cars”), are lifting search rankings, conversions, and traffic.

 

Since launching in…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on March 28, 2016 at 10:28am — No Comments

U.S. Dealership Buy/Sells Hit Record Highs in 2015: New Entrants Drive 29% of Sales, according to The Blue Sky Report™ released by Kerrigan Advisors

 

Dealership valuations skyrocket; Van Tuyl, Berkshire Hathaway acquisitions have major impact; new entrants outpace publics by over 4 to 1

 

 

Irvine, CA, March 9, 2016 – U.S. dealership buy/sell activity reached record highs in 2015[1], with activity by new entrants outpacing public company acquisitions by over four to one, according to The Blue Sky…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on March 9, 2016 at 11:00am — No Comments

Dealers Seeing Huge Spike in Inbound Calls, But Less Than 40% Confident They Manage Calls Effectively

 

CallSource survey shows that over 1/3 of dealers believe they lose 1 in 5 sales calls to a competitor

 

Westlake Village, CA – March 1, 2016 A new survey of dealerships from CallSource shows that dealers are still ignoring their ringing phones, despite the fact that the…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on March 1, 2016 at 12:25pm — No Comments

Vast® Closes $14 Million Investment from Capital One Growth Ventures

Austin, TX - February 09, 2016 -Vast, the data-as-a-service platform for autos and real estate, today announced a $14 million investment from Capital One Growth Ventures. Vast connects buyers and sellers of cars and homes through…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on February 9, 2016 at 11:30am — No Comments

.Cars / .Car / .Auto Domains Globally Launch into General Availability

 

Santa Monica, CA -- January 20, 2016 – Cars Registry, a joint venture between XYZ and Uniregistry, today announced public availability of its domains ending in .Cars, .Car, and .Auto. Dealerships, manufacturers, and all other businesses can now register auto-specific domains on a first-come, first-served…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on January 20, 2016 at 10:13am — No Comments

3+ Hour Vehicle Transaction Times Still the Norm, But Vendor Cooperation Could Help Says Auto Dealer Survey

 

 

40% of dealers report start-to-finish transaction time of 3 hours or more in eLEND Solutions survey; lack of vendor integration and data exchange seen as key obstacle to faster process by majority of dealership respondents

 

Foothill Ranch, CA – January 13, 2016 – A new survey of dealerships from eLEND Solutions™ shows that dealers continue to struggle with…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on January 13, 2016 at 10:24am — No Comments

.Cars / .Car / .Auto Domains Open Registration to General Public Today

Cars Registry’s Early Registration Begins with Automotive Domains like Hybrid.Cars, Midsize.Car, and Dallas.Auto Now Available; First-Come, First-Served

Santa Monica, CA -- January 12, 2016 – Cars Registry, a joint venture between XYZ and Uniregistry, today announced the first opportunity for the…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on January 12, 2016 at 10:14am — No Comments

Patent Awarded to CarStory Market Reports’ Technology

 

Patent covers similarities engine that enables CarStory Market Reports to automatically generate relevant and like vehicle recommendations to car buyers, helping facilitate a better, more informed car selling/buying experience

 

Austin,…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on December 9, 2015 at 5:11pm — No Comments

eLEND Solutions Continues Expansion: Joins DealerVault’s Premier Network; Appoints Chief Sales Officer; Doubles Office Space

Company names Pogo Parr as Chief Sales Officer and doubles office space to manage extensive growth plans

Mission Viejo, CA – December 2, 2015 – eLEND Solutions™, a technology company delivering integrated credit, identification and finance solutions to auto dealers, announced it has joined DealerVault’s Premier Network. DealerVault is a first-of-its-kind…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on December 2, 2015 at 1:00pm — No Comments

New Domains .Cars, .Car, and .Auto Launching Specifically for the Auto Industry

Cars Registry makes shorter and more memorable domain names available to trademark holders exclusively through January 12

Santa Monica, CA -- December 2, 2015 – Cars Registry, a joint venture between XYZ and Uniregistry, today announced the availability of three new domain extensions: .Cars,…

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Added by Crystal Hartwell on December 2, 2015 at 12:16pm — No Comments

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