Corey,

Thank you for the SEO compliment.

You are right with Ryan Auto Mall inventory, it is a TK site but they are not using TK Inventory. However, you can check out our inventory solution at: http://tkcarsites.com/list_inv.html

We are custom, and do offer zero click inventory but it is ultimately up to the dealer to make that selection. Call us at 714.937.1239 if you would like a tour of zero click inventory.

We do appreciate your comments.

Todd,

Every company has suppliers. Even manufacturers get many components for their cars from the same suppliers yet you would not be able to tell unless you worked for a manufacturer.

For example, many manufacturers use the same software for their navigation systems yet the look, feel and navigation is different because each of them has different specifications. You may find certain ones are easier to use because of these specifications.

Because you are in the industry, you are aware that many providers use Homenet, yet from an end users point of view, they all have a different look and different navigation. This is due to the specifications provided by the website provider to Homenet.

The problem with many providers is they forget about the end user or they test products on individuals in the automotive industry. We are confident our display and details page is the most user friendly in the industry and we challenge anyone to test ours against our competition with users outside the automotive industry. Thats what TK does prior to releasing any product. TK tests with individuals using a company that focuses on people from all age groups, occupations and education levels.

Richard, I disagree. Your company is decent at SEO, but to say that your inventory system is the "easiest to use" is way off target.

I went to one of your featured dealers, Ryan AutoMall (http://www.ryanautomall.com/Used_Cadillac_Chevrolet_Cars.html). Here are the problems that I encountered...

1. It takes 4 clicks to even find cars for sale. I have to first close the pop up window. Then click Find a Vehicle, then Used Inventory. You should look into what some of your competitors are advertising as "one-click" inventory.

2. How many pictures does this car have? I don't know unless I click the car and count them myself. Your competitors will tell me before I even click on a car.

2. If I click any vehicle, it loads into a frame on the right hand side of the page. The vehicle page is too wide for this frame, and I can't see the "New Search" box. If I widen my browser to eliminate the horizontal scroll bar, the top of the layout breaks.

3. I can't read any of the text under the heading "Vehicle Inquiry" because of the choice of colors used on this part of the page.

I challenge YOU to compare TK Carsites inventory listings and detail pages to other providers from the END USERS POINT OF VIEW.

What so special about TK Carsites inventory module? It not even TK's, it is a framed in Homenet inventory module that BZ Results and many more web development companies use.

It's common knowledge that Inventory is the biggest source of leads for Dealerships. Many website providers focus on building elaborate "flashy" inventory listings and detail pages while losing site of the end user.

I challenge anyone to compare TK Carsites inventory listings and detail pages to other providers from the END USERS POINT OF VIEW. I'm confident you will see TK Carsites inventory is the easiest to use.

Check it out at http://tkcarsites.com/list_inv.html

I have you in my RSS feed.

I know Joe. Maybe you can let me borrow that crystal ball and I could find some "time" floating around in there.

I was playing around with the Homenet PDA piece last year and it was slick. Not sure what the delay is.

Thanks Joe.

Jeff

JK, stare into my crystal ball and repeat after me....

"...monetize ...monetize ...monetize"

hahahaha!

Also my friend, we've talked about this before, your (our?) community is chock full of super sharp professional ISMs and industry solution providers (small and large).

Consider opening up a "members only" message board area that links off your blog.

Peer problem solving Example:
I am currently wrestling with 1500 used units on the ground in 2 locations with 2 remote overflow inventory areas. We're growing at 20% per year. We've got 2 full time data collection people roving around recording and picture taking.

We're entertaining solutions. We currently have a wifi PDA connected to our back end. Works aok, looking for productivity improvements. One solutiuon is CDM's Digital Tablet (that I dont care for). At this hour it looks as if we will not have a single point processing area to pass inventory thru.

HomeNet has a wireless PDA in the works. Anyone in the Beta? Any ideas?

G'Luck JK!

Congrats Jeff! This is definitely one of the best automotive industry blogs out there. I can see why it's rockin the search engines! Thanks for creating such a great resource.

Well it finally happened. I did hit that PR of 4 a few months back. Not that it really matters but I thought I would update the thread. DealerRefresh no doubt rocks the search engines for just about any keyword phrase that's relevant to Automotive Internet sales and marketing. It's only taken over 2 year to do it

Great job Jeff. There's little doubt that you have a firm grip on SEO and how to get Dealer Refresh to rank at or near the top in short order. I, like many others, have watched what you do and how you do it for quite some time. There's a lot to be learned from you and your blog.

Congrats Jeff, it's been nice chatting with you. Keep up the good work.

Jeff Larsen actually referred me to this site. Im new to being and ISM and well I will take all the advice I can get. I would love to hear more about what it takes to succeed as an ISM. I will be on the site more and more and am interested in hearing anyone's feedback. I'm in a smaller demographic in northeastern Iowa and with a population of around 100k in the surrounding area. Interested in advice I can get.

I recommend your site to fellow Internet Managers as one of the best resources available to assist in resolving their ongoing dealership, technical, and customer issues. First by word of mouth and then following up by email with the link.

If not learning something new with every visit, I get constant "refreshers" on what I can be doing better as well.

Thank you Jeff for taking your personal time to keep this awesome site updated so well; for all of us to benefit!

That is true. Readers often do not comment. I see more site visits than comments on my own.

Funny that you mentioned it took Google less than 5 hours to index a post. Do you use Google Alerts? I have seen posts picked up by that within minutes. That doesn't necessarily indicate the site is indexed, though.

Jeff, a chat sounds good. I will give you a call over the next while.

Brian

Well done Jeff and congratulations on the blog.

I have been reading your blog since we first chatted about a year and half ago (I think it was that long). Congratulations on having the perservance to stick with this. Blogging is difficult, you don't always know someone is there but people are in fact reading, they just don't comment most of the time

All the best,
Brian

Here's a bigger hypocricy - my fellow ISM's and directors!

I've seen adwords campaign stats for things like dealership crm tools, bdc software, etc,... hardly anyone ever searches for these.

We make a living off the fact that people go to the net to do their research prior to making purchasing decisions. We preach this day and night to our dealers. Yet we seem to rely on magazine ads, articles, and reps visiting/calling us when it comes to our own decisions regarding vendors.

Jeff,

This is my first post on your site. I like the collection of information you are cataloging. I agree that the vendors need to participate more in discussion boards. If they have an article about to be published (in Digital Dealer for example), this board would be a good opportunity to promote it. In addition to my title of Finance Director, I am the "unofficial" Internet Sales Manager also. My store is a medium volume luxury new car franchise and I am involved in everything related to our website, seo, and lead generation. It would be nice to see more vendor participation.

Good Job on the site!
www.AutoFinanceInsider.com

Hi

Sorry for that but my kids need to eat.

Jeff,
I think your site is a great resource and I encourage our clients from the ISM to the Owner to read it. Yes, vendors need to pay attention to the guys that write the checks, but we (as in DealerPeak) understand that it is the forward thinking foot soldiers that get the job done and they have done much to bring dealers up to speed in the use of technology. The innovators at the sales level will be the GM's and Owners of the dealerships in the future.

Jeff,

I can see how this can be exasperating for you. I can't comment on other vendors or consultants but I will share with you my opinion...
I do see tremendous value to what you have to offer and I support you completely as a matter of fact when ever I do a training or consulting contract I ALWAYS inform my clients about Dealer Refresh and even take them onto the site myself. However I don't have a lot of time to be active on your site. ...But, you brought up a very good point. These ISMs are my target audience and they need information. I am not worried about anybody stealing my ideas or information. I was an Internet manager for 5 years before I launched Dealer Synergy over 3 years ago. I haven't forgotten where I came from. I will be making a valiant effort to be active on your site. As a matter of fact we spoke recently about me writing an exclusive article for Dealer Refresh... Pick the Topic and it will be my pleasure to put something powerful together for you and all of your readers.

Well scratch that theory on vendors not being into blogging.

Nor contributing. You know what I mean Jeff.

Some change is incremental and gradual. Other is quantum, unexpected and dramatic. To quote Arthur C. Clarke "The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."

Don't get so wrapped up in "busy" that you miss "important" when it comes knocking. Man I'd like to upload a photo here. I have a classic one to share.

"Top eCRM Dealers of 2006 advertisements..." I think it is time Jeff.

Funny Andrew. Welcome to the Internet, where double-clicking is not necessary ....I say this in a joking fashion. I'm probably going to accidentally hit that "post" button twice now.

Jeff,

There are more readers than participators. I was turned onto your site by Keith Latman of iMagicLabs, and have heard about it from other people such as Ken Lees from AutoMoBids. I don't recall ever seeing either post.

You've got a great thing going here, and it is going to grow and grow! As long as you continue to pay those TypePad bills on time the response will continue to blossom.

Thanks for doing what you do!