Google’s online ventures are usually anything but under the radar. Yet recently, in what may be a game-changing play, the search engine giant quietly entered the third-party lead provider business for car dealerships.

The beta version of Google Comparison Ads for Autos (which is unofficially being referred to as “Google Cars” within the industry) was launched to very little fanfare a few weeks ago in the San…

Check it out folks...

Just hit the newswire folks… 9:00pm PST

TrueCar Launches National Compliance Campaign and Pro-Industry Product Changes

Sweeping changes include a more balanced advertising approach, revised billing model in some states, consumer membership program, and formation of a Dealer Advisory Council

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — TrueCar, Inc., which is devoted to bringing innovation to the car buying…

Thought this was an intersting article about TrueCar from the LA Times yesterday.

[LINK]

Honda in fight with TrueCar.com over prices displayed online

Honda has told its dealers that it won't give them advertising allowances if they offer vehicles below invoice on TrueCar.com.

Just saw this article on TechCrunch about CarWoo. One of the main things in this whole TrueCar scenario (other than data) was TrueCar's goal of removing salespeople from the process.

I thought this part of the article was interesting.

"That’s the promise of CarWoo, a startup that looks to take the stressful negotiation tactics and pushy salespeople out of the equation, allowing consumers to buy their car online with a relatively small amount…

Most dealerships and businesses in general know that it's bad practice to bad-mouth your competition. That being said, I know of and have heard plenty of salespeople and managers using their online reviews to help close a deal by comparing them to their competitors online reviews. This practice is similar if not exactly the same. You are leveraging negative comments about your competitor left by other people (who you are representing as real - we all know fake reviews exist) to your positive…

Google announced yesterday via its blog, that it had instituted a feature in Google search and GMail ad transparency. This change will give consumers the ability to see why ads are being delivered (ie. what previous searches triggered the ads) as well as the ability to block ads from a particular company/advertiser. This option is available for all…

If you are looking for a solid addition to your team and feel that my experience, knowledge and abilities are a great fit, here are 40 reasons why you should consider me.

In my days with HomeNet Automotive, a new feature was released that allowed our customers to upload live video into their inventory for distribution to the third-party websites that would allow it.

Being in sales, I wanted to have a real video in which I could show potential clients the possibilities and an actual example of what one would look like so I enlisted help from a friend of mine who's a GM at a nearby dealer group to…

Make sure to…

I’ve been following closely, and reporting on, the recent uptick in activity being taken by the National Labor Relations Board in pursuing complaints related to employee terminations due to social media use. All of the previous articles, including the…

UPDATE: 9/19/11 - The Digital Dealer Webinar scheduled for 9/22/11 with Phil Zelinger has been postponed until after the 11th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition. Stay tuned for more details. 

Digital Dealer Webinar: How to Sell More with Less Using Technology Driven Processes Powered By Social Media

Date: 9/22/2011 at 11:30am EST -…

(Originally published on Dealer magazine)

I've been seeing a lot of posts lately about upcoming fall conferences and events. These posts are typically not altruistic. They're written by people with vested interests in specific events, whether that's because they're a speaker or they're the host. Now it's our turn.

For people interested in learning and are considering attending one of these events and aren't sure which to attend, I've created a graphic comparison of the three events specifically being held in October 2011 that…

If you've never heard of Erik Qualman, Keynote speaker for the 11th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition, check out this video. 

Erik Qualman has recently advised/given keynotes with the following: Coach, Facebook, UGG Australia, Starbucks,…

Register now for the next Digital Dealer Webinar for $99 - Click Here to Register

Thursday, August 25, 2011 11:30 am 

Eastern…

Hey DealerElite members,

The 11th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition is having a sweepstakes for a FREE registration to the conference. Anyone is eligible to win so I encourage all dE members to enter! CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

 …

Erik Qualman, keynote speaker for the 11th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition, would like to welcome YOU to attend with a personal message.

What's his keynote going to be about?

Socialnomics: It's a People Driven Economy,…

In a class action lawsuit filed on June 21, 2011 against AutoNation (Santa Clara Superior Court, entitled Lilly v. AutoNation, Case No. 1-11-CV-203569), attorneys are claiming that AutoNation is in violation of the California Labor Code by misclassifying commissioned sales reps as exempt from overtime and, in addition, issuing deduct vouchers post-sale for losses in commissionable gross due to repair or…