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Dealers discuss the costs and logistics of photographing vehicle inventory, with pricing ranging from $14-$20 per car depending on whether it's new or used stock and whether photography is handled in-house or outsourced. Key insights include that taking photos of new inventory significantly improves online engagement metrics, that 25-40 photos per vehicle is standard practice, and that quality matters beyond just cost—including shooting technique, lighting optimization, and avoiding photo editing to maintain customer trust. The thread also touches on the operational challenge that photography typically consumes two-thirds of the time spent on digital inventory preparation compared to data collection.

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The original poster asks automotive dealers what reconditioning tracking software or tools they currently use and what they like or dislike about them. The brief replies indicate that multiple new reconditioning software solutions have recently entered the market, including tools from V8 Apps and Jerry Thibeau, suggesting this is an emerging category of tools gaining attention in the dealer community. No substantive discussion of specific features or complaints actually materializes in the provided excerpt.

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Rebecca Chernek is hosting a webinar on December 4th examining whether dealerships can realistically deliver customers from the F&I office in 30 minutes and what operational changes would be required to achieve faster turnaround times. The session will explore the tension between improving delivery speed to meet modern customer expectations (especially Gen Y) and traditional dealer practices, while addressing how faster F&I processes can increase both profitability and customer satisfaction.

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The thread debates whether salespeople should leave voicemails when calling internet leads, with trainer Elise Kephart recommending hang-ups on second calls versus David Kain's approach of always leaving messages. The consensus that emerged strongly favors leaving voicemails, but only when they follow a strategic approach that gives customers a compelling reason to call back, rather than using generic phrases like "I have great news." The broader takeaway is that consistent follow-up itself matters more than the specific tactic, and most dealers fail by not calling enough in the first place.

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Dealers and marketing professionals debate whether VDP (Vehicle Display Page) views are a reliable metric for measuring advertising ROI on classified sites like AutoTrader and Cars.com, with consensus emerging that VDP views alone are problematic due to bot traffic, lack of geographic filtering, and inability to distinguish genuine shopper intent from casual clicks. The thread reveals that vendors have little incentive to provide transparent analytics that might discourage dealer spending, and that alternative metrics—such as VDP-to-conversion rates, listing page behavior, and inventory scarcity data—may be more valuable for evaluating actual marketing effectiveness.

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The discussion debates whether dealerships should prioritize generating internet leads or driving foot traffic (floor ups), with overwhelming consensus favoring floor ups based on research showing most car buyers visit only 1-2 dealerships before purchasing. A key insight emerges: current internet manager compensation structures incentivize lead generation rather than floor traffic, creating misalignment with dealership profitability goals, and participants argue that marketing roles should be restructured to drive qualified showroom visits across all channels rather than maximize lead form submissions.

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Automotive industry professionals debate the proliferation of fall 2012 conferences (Digital Dealer, DrivingSales, AutoCon, JD Power, and others), with vendors complaining about escalating costs for exhibiting and speaking at multiple events while questioning whether the industry can sustain so many competing conferences. The discussion reveals concerns that increased choice is diluting content quality and dealer attendance rather than growing the market, with some participants suggesting a DealerRefresh conference could offer a more authentic alternative focused on genuine discussion rather than vendor self-promotion. The key insight is that conference fragmentation may ultimately harm both vendors and dealers: vendors face unsustainable expenses trying to exhibit everywhere, while dealers struggle to choose which events offer genuine value versus marketing-driven content.

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Automotive dealers share their experiences with various CRM platforms, with iMagicLab, Reynolds Contact Management, and eLead emerging as popular choices, each praised for specific strengths like penciling capabilities, survey tracking, and integrated desking tools respectively. A key insight across multiple posts is that CRM adoption among sales managers and general managers critically depends on having integrated desking functionality that forces management engagement, since managers' reluctance to use the system directly undermines salespeople's compliance. The thread reveals that while feature depth matters, usability, DMS integration, and strong technical support are equally important factors in dealership CRM satisfaction.

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Automotive professionals debate whether to rely solely on CRM/ILM reporting or supplement with manual Excel tracking, with consensus emerging that most dealerships use both due to CRM limitations. The key insight is that while CRM systems are often inadequate—built with reports as an afterthought by technologists unfamiliar with dealership operations—manual spreadsheet tracking, though time-consuming, provides the flexibility and accuracy that dealers trust and need for accountability. The underlying issue is that dealerships spend significant money on technology yet are forced to manually compile data anyway, suggesting CRM vendors should prioritize robust, intuitive reporting features that match dealership business processes.

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Automotive professionals debate whether map views should count as conversions alongside leads and phone calls, with Cobalt having historically promoted this metric. The consensus leans toward skepticism—map views alone lack sufficient intent signals and customer identification to constitute true conversions, though some argue they may indicate genuine interest when paired with additional engagement data like time-on-site or subsequent actions. The underlying tension reflects a broader industry shift toward offline conversions and ROBO (Research Online, Buy Offline) behavior, where traditional lead metrics may be becoming less relevant as customers arrive with information already in hand.

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Automotive professionals debate whether social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are losing relevance, with participants sharing observations about declining personal usage, platform saturation, and shifting user demographics. While some report fatigue with social media and decreasing engagement, others argue the space is evolving rather than dying—particularly highlighting its growing importance for reaching younger generations and influencing car-buying decisions. The consensus suggests social media is maturing from a novelty into a permanent but more specialized tool that requires compelling content to cut through the noise.

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Dealers discuss benchmarking advertising spend per vehicle sold (PVR), with contributors sharing metrics ranging from $100-$150 for new vehicles to $435+ for used vehicles, while debating whether PVR is a useful planning and performance measurement tool versus focusing purely on ROI. Key insights include the difficulty of isolating advertising impact due to external variables (market conditions, inventory, competition, interest rates) and the 4-6 week lag time between advertising spend and measurable sales results, making month-to-month analysis unreliable without year-over-year trend analysis.

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Automotive dealers debate whether to invest limited marketing resources in SEO (website optimization and blogging) or social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), with most participants ultimately favoring SEO. The consensus reasoning is that SEO targets high-intent car buyers actively searching for vehicles, requires less ongoing maintenance than social media, and avoids competing against non-commercial content, whereas social media's organic reach is limited and dealerships struggle to build authentic engagement since customers view them skeptically.

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Dealers report mixed results on lead volume, with some experiencing steep declines (60-80% down) despite increased website traffic, while others see growth of around 20%. The discussion reveals that lead quality and conversion issues often stem from operational factors like inventory changes, website form complexity, and the challenge of tracking metrics across multiple departments—with mobile traffic separation and lead-type analysis (phone vs. form submissions vs. text) emerging as critical diagnostic tools for understanding true performance.

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Dealers and marketers inquire whether website providers allow external JavaScript placement (like live chat or pricing widgets), with responses revealing that while some major vendors permit site-wide embeds, many impose strict restrictions citing stability concerns. The consensus suggests that most providers should theoretically support per-page custom JavaScript and CSS additions, though some platforms like DDC require custom work for any script implementation, while others like Cobalt already offer this capability as standard functionality.

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Tim Martell publicly criticized automotive SEO vendors for misleading reporting and delivering little real value, sparking agreement from dealers and industry professionals frustrated with overhyped services, vague metrics, and vendors lacking actual automotive retail experience. The thread consensus emphasizes that dealers need better education to understand what they're buying, more transparency about what constitutes service versus product, and a distinction between legitimate SEO practices and "snake oil" marketed through fake awards and buzzwords like "Video SEO" and "Web 3.0." The key insight is that the automotive vendor community relies on dealers' lack of technical knowledge to justify charging for busywork that doesn't produce measurable results or sales.

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Shereef proposes adding a third pricing/service option for 24/7 automotive live chat support to complement two existing offerings, seeking dealer feedback on viability. The limited responses show interest from at least one dealer (Bruce) who wants to evaluate the options, while another poster (markzu) affirms the general value of live chat for customer loyalty and sales without addressing the specific proposal. The thread lacks sufficient engagement to reveal consensus on whether the new option would actually appeal to dealers.

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Dealers debate whether TrueCar, a third-party lead provider that faced industry backlash, deserves another chance after becoming an AutoCon 2012 sponsor. Critics highlight predatory practices like threatening dealers for pricing above quotes and adding uninstalled add-ons to vehicles, while others argue it could work if the financial equation favors dealers and TrueCar can deliver quality leads. The consensus leans skeptical, with experienced dealers warning that TrueCar's growth could create unhealthy dealer dependence and a "cut throat" market, suggesting the industry should starve it out rather than embrace it.

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The thread discusses live chat as a superior alternative to traditional call centers for automotive dealerships, arguing that conventional phone support systems burden customers with tedious menus and long wait times despite significant corporate investment. A respondent endorses live chat as a cost-effective solution that can improve customer satisfaction while reducing operational expenses for dealers. The key insight is that dealerships should consider implementing live chat support as an inbound communication channel to streamline customer service and competitive positioning.

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Dealers discuss the significant time burden of month-end reporting, with Christine describing a three-day manual process that pulls staff from the floor, while Jarrett and others advocate for automated dashboards and real-time reporting solutions from vendors. The thread highlights frustration with inefficient data compilation and emphasizes that reporting should be an ongoing automated process rather than a labor-intensive monthly task. A key insight is that better CRM and reporting vendor tools could eliminate manual data entry and allow dealers to access current metrics instantly rather than spending days generating reports.

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Automotive dealers share which third-party lead providers they purchase from, with AutoUSA, Dealix, and Autobytel appearing most frequently across responses, while some dealers like Jason Walter are shifting budgets away from third-party leads toward their own dealer websites. The discussion touches on ROI concerns and lead quality, with one lead provider asking about industry-standard closing rates (8% mentioned as "about average for better lead providers"). A practical question about duplicate leads across multiple providers suggests dealers are concerned about overlap and efficiency when juggling multiple lead sources.

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A search marketing vendor (Haystak Digital Marketing) initiates a discussion about communication frequency with clients, revealing their standard practice of weekly calls plus monthly review meetings, which reportedly resulted in 3.1 average monthly touchpoints and 9.6/10 customer satisfaction. A dealer responds by emphasizing that frequency alone is insufficient—vendors must also provide clear accountability through detailed goal explanations, task documentation, and measurable ROI data, calling out low-value reseller practices in the industry. The key insight is that dealer-vendor relationships require both regular communication and substantive data-driven accountability to justify the partnership.

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Dealership IT professionals discuss whether their operations run on a domain-based network infrastructure, with the original poster noting that many dealers resist domain setups despite the advantages. Contributors share their varying implementations—from basic cloud-based solutions (Google Apps, Dropbox) and hardware firewalls, to one dealer beginning a rollout of Active Directory across multiple locations—revealing that many dealerships operate with informal, non-standardized IT setups out of necessity rather than choice.

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Automotive dealers shared their mobile website traffic metrics (ranging from 6% to 23% of overall traffic) and made predictions about mobile growth, with most forecasting a 15% increase by end of 2012. Key findings showed Apple devices dominated early mobile adoption, but Android was gaining share, and dealers using different mobile platforms (eBizAutos, Dealer.com, VinSolutions, custom solutions) reported varying engagement metrics. The thread revealed that mobile traffic was steadily increasing across the industry, with younger customers increasingly preferring smartphone access to dealership websites.