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Dealers discuss whether to take their own vehicle photos in-house or use third-party providers, with most agreeing that in-house photography is cost-effective and produces better results when staffed by a dedicated, skilled employee. Key challenges include inventory feed delays to major listing sites like AutoTrader and Cars.com (typically 3+ days regardless of platform), which appear to be caused by the listing sites themselves rather than the hosting software. The thread also reveals frustration with mandatory Cobalt integration and recommendations for alternative tools like HomeNet and Dealer Specialties.

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Dealers debate whether maintaining separate ILM (Internet Lead Management) and CRM tools is still necessary in modern dealership operations. While some dealers are forced to use OEM-mandated ILM systems (particularly Mitsubishi's AVV Webcontrol), the consensus leans toward CRM-only solutions being the future, with participants arguing that robust modern CRMs should handle lead management without requiring dual systems. The thread reveals fragmentation across OEMs regarding lead delivery requirements, though some CRM providers claim they can now receive leads from all major manufacturers directly.

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Steve Finell initiates discussion about the missed opportunity of follow-up service on vehicles after expensive diagnostic tools like Argis are implemented, prompting conversation about whether service advisors should handle this or if a dedicated BDC (Business Development Center) should manage appointment setting and post-service follow-up calls. Alex Snyder shares that his dealership uses a BDC call center to handle incoming calls and follow-up after service work closes, while service advisors retain the option to follow up themselves if they prefer, with the key insight that dedicating staff to this function allows advisors to focus on their core responsibilities while still maintaining relationship-building opportunities.

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Automotive dealers debate whether to purchase third-party leads containing only an email address without names or phone numbers. While opinions are divided, the consensus leans toward rejection due to poor data quality and low ROI—dealers report that OEM third-party leads have high bounce rates, fake contact information, and conversion rates as low as 2.5%, making them uneconomical compared to other marketing investments. One participant argues that email-only requirements might actually yield better-quality voluntary data, but most experienced dealers advocate for stricter contact information standards before purchasing leads.

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A DealerTrack user reports a significant decline in Finance App form submissions over 18 months, with traffic dropping from 730 leads (2009) to 319 (2011), and seeks confirmation from other dealers about whether they're experiencing similar declines. The post aims to determine if this is a widespread issue affecting DealerTrack's Finance App system or isolated to the original poster's implementation.

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Dealers are increasingly facing OEM compliance crackdowns that restrict their paid search and SEO campaigns to their assigned Area of Interest (AOI), preventing them from targeting or mentioning locations outside their territory—a rule that doesn't apply to traditional media like TV and radio. The core debate centers on whether these restrictions are justified, with participants concluding that the crackdowns are primarily driven by complaints from underperforming dealers who seek regulatory protection rather than improving their own marketing competitiveness. Key insight: OEM AOI enforcement is fundamentally a political decision made by dealer groups voting for these restrictions, not a consumer-benefiting regulation, and it creates an inequitable system where dealers can't pursue legitimate customers outside their territory based on specific inventory needs.

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Dealers discuss whether Business Development Centers (BDCs) are necessary and how to structure them, with consensus emerging that BDC implementation depends on lead volume: outsourced for under 100 leads, internal or hybrid for 101-500 leads, and dedicated internal teams for 500+ leads. Key insights include that BDCs work best when staffed with strong representatives and integrated with sales teams, though some dealers find success having dedicated internet sales reps handle leads end-to-end rather than using a separate BDC department. Several participants share that poor communication between BDC and sales staff can undermine effectiveness, making organizational structure and hiring quality critical to success.

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The thread debates whether encouraging customers to post reviews on their personal Facebook walls is valuable for dealerships, with Andrew Ward arguing that personal recommendations carry more influence than public reviews while Jerry Thibeau counters that review volume on Google and third-party sites is more important for attracting new car buyers. The discussion pivots toward practical alternatives like having dealers share delivery photos on their Facebook pages or asking satisfied customers to post reviews across multiple platforms simultaneously to leverage both social word-of-mouth and review site visibility. The consensus suggests that encouraging organic customer advocacy on personal social feeds, combined with strong Google review presence, offers better ROI than relying solely on either channel.

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The thread discusses whether automotive professionals' personal Facebook usage has declined compared to previous habits, with responses showing mixed patterns: some users report decreased engagement (weekly or less frequent), while others maintain heavy use for business lead generation or personal connections like genealogy research. A consensus emerges that Facebook feels like a time sink for many, with Twitter gaining traction as a more professionally valuable platform, and the general sentiment suggests Facebook's appeal may be waning—similar to MySpace's decline—though usage patterns vary significantly by age group and individual priorities.

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A Chevy dealership owner seeks help removing or demoting a bogus aggregator site (qxiu.com) that's ranking #2 on Bing/Yahoo for their dealership name and stealing their SEO visibility. While there's limited recourse against the scraper site itself, community members recommend contacting the domain registrar and aggressively building the dealership's own online presence through Google Places, social media, local directories, and quality content to out-rank the bogus listing.

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Automotive professionals debate iPad usage and practicality, with responses ranging from daily reliance for reading, entertainment, and travel to skepticism about its utility compared to existing devices like iPhones and laptops. The consensus suggests iPads have genuine value for leisure and content consumption, though some users find the lack of multitasking and keyboard limiting for work purposes. Several posters recommend waiting for newer generations or finding used models before committing to a purchase.

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Sales professionals frequently fail to complete essential paperwork correctly—commonly forgetting stipulations, trade appraisals, credit applications, signed buyer's guides, and privacy notices—creating extra work for desk managers. While some dealers report relatively few errors (95-98% accuracy), the consensus is that these mistakes reflect broader issues with process and accountability rather than isolated oversights. The key insight is that implementing a structured checklist process before deals move forward, combined with accountability from management, is essential to preventing paperwork problems at the source.

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Dealership blog owners debate whether their primary motivation is SEO traffic or customer engagement/transparency, with most admitting SEO drives their efforts despite aspirations toward genuine customer connection. Participants share mixed results on blog effectiveness, noting that while traffic metrics are often underwhelming (low time-on-site and page views), blogs provide secondary benefits like branding, link building, and credibility that may drive long-term customer confidence and dealership culture improvement.

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Google released detailed search performance data in Webmaster Tools, allowing dealers to see impressions, click-through rates, and ranking positions for their search queries—with the critical insight that rankings beyond position 3 see dramatically lower CTR. Forum members debate the implications, with one expert arguing that Google is signaling CTR as a ranking factor (similar to PPC Quality Score) alongside site speed and relevancy, encouraging webmasters to optimize for user experience rather than keyword stuffing.

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The thread explores whether traditional TV advertising's dominance will decline as streaming services like Hulu and Netflix replace cable TV for younger viewers. While participants acknowledge the shift toward internet-based content consumption and the ineffectiveness of traditional ads, several contributors argue that TV can remain effective if it evolves—either through targeted digital advertising, interactive hyperlinked commercials, or strong creative that drives online engagement.

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A small used car dealer with 25-30 vehicles asks for recommendations on website vendors, triggering debate between templated solutions (Dealer.com, eBizAutos) versus custom agency builds. The consensus favors templated platforms for smaller dealerships due to cost-effectiveness and proven conversion rates, though some vendors emphasize the importance of integration with inventory management systems and SEO compliance over design aesthetics.

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Dealers debate whether Facebook is a worthwhile sales and marketing channel, with opinions sharply divided: some report modest success using it for brand awareness and personal relationship-building, while skeptics argue the ROI doesn't justify the time investment compared to optimizing their website and converting existing traffic. The key insight is that Facebook's value depends heavily on how it's deployed—personal, authentic engagement from individual salespeople shows promise, while corporate broadcast-style marketing delivers minimal results and poor visitor quality metrics.

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Automotive professionals discuss best practices for routing internet leads, with consensus that dealers should use their own email address (e.g., [email protected]) rather than relying solely on CRM-provided lead addresses, then forward those emails to the CRM as a backup system. Key benefits cited include improved reliability and delivery speed, since some CRMs are occasionally unreliable, plus the ability to send duplicate copies to phones and maintain better control over lead distribution. The thread emphasizes establishing clear protocols with lead providers to prevent unauthorized email redirects and ensure leads arrive in standardized formats only.

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Dealers discuss strategies for pricing used vehicles online, debating whether to display asking prices with incentives included or to post MSRP/list price and require customer contact for actual pricing. The consensus suggests that transparent, competitively researched pricing with small advertised incentives (like $100-off coupons) performs better than vague "contact us" tactics, provided all dealership staff are trained to handle pricing inquiries consistently.

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Dealers debate whether to keep sold vehicles listed online during inventory shortages to generate leads, or delete them immediately to protect reputation. The consensus favors **transparency and timely removal**: while generating leads is important, showing sold inventory damages credibility when customers discover the deception, and most online shoppers inquire about multiple vehicles anyway, making accurate listings more effective long-term.

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Automotive dealers compare experiences with major DMS platforms (Reynolds, ADP, Arkona, and Autosoft), with discussion centered on integration capabilities, ease of use, and cost differences. Key concerns include data entry burden from lack of website integration, the learning curve of different systems, and the trade-offs between affordability and functionality. While Arkona emerges as a notably cheaper alternative to ADP and Reynolds, opinions are mixed on whether the cost savings justify potential switching challenges and quality concerns.

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Automotive dealership professionals share their social media strategies, with platforms ranging from Facebook and Twitter to YouTube, blogs, and niche sites like MySpace and 12Seconds.tv. While some dealers like MileOne are aggressively multi-platform, others prioritize selective presence, with one participant emphasizing that a poorly executed social media strategy is worse than having none at all. The consensus leans toward experimentation and active participation rather than passive observation, though there's acknowledgment that strategy quality matters as much as platform quantity.