Seasoned techie w/ dynamic skill-set and industry experience seeking new opportunities

[ZBennett]

All,


I was hoping to use this space to attract some opportunities to get back into the industry.


I have somewhat of a unique background that I've put in many hours to develop, so I believe my technical aptitude combined with my industry knowledge and desire to constantly learn, progress and succeed should prove valuable to some of you.


My industry experience comes from working at HomeNet, prior to the Autotrader acquisition. I was hired as a Tier 1 rep when the department consisted of only (3) others and was able to be there over the years as we grew into a team of many. When I started, they kind of threw me out to fend for myself but I was also given free-reign to involve myself with the processes and responsibilities of all departments. I saw this as a valuable opportunity and wasted no time sucking in as much knowledge and expertise as I could. I quickly grew from a rookie, to a novice, to an expert and I worked with many wonderful dealers, vendors and industry folk along the way. I was promoted to Tier 1 Team Leader and then to Tier 2 (Senior Support) which I remained in until my eventual departure. I was able to pick up a priceless and seemingly infinite supply of information, tips, tricks and know-how on topics ranging from DMS systems to data exports and every 3rd party vendor/service under the sun, as well as more specific topics like pricing strategies, marketing strategies, photo/video strategies and then so many random things like getting around Craigslist ghosting issues, getting Cars.com and Dealer.com to fix things without waiting in their phone queue for hours and pretty much anything else you can think of.


My overall technical experience comes from a lifetime of being simply fascinated with anything having to do with computers (got my first one when I was 10,) as well as formal schooling. I do not claim to be the king of any one area, but I'm proficient in web design, graphic design, IT/Software support, internet marketing and able to offer a lot of insight on these topics. I'm familiar with SEO practices, social media, online marketplaces, emerging trends/tech, etc. If I don't have the answer for something already, I'm usually able to utilize my resources to figure it out without involving anyone else or wasting too much time. I've got some general skills/traits that come in handy too such as communication, a penchant for writing, an aptitude for critical thinking/problem solving and an ability to restructure processes so that they run much more efficiently (by way of thorough research and planning.)


I parted ways with HN following a lot of my blood, sweat and tears being exchanged for promises that were ultimately unkept and forgotten when Jesse decided to sell the company. I then took a position at Yellowbook in their web production dept, but I love the auto industry and have invested so much effort into it that I would be very much excited to get back into the field, in some capacity.


Thanks for your time and anyone at all is welcome to drop me a line if they think I can be of service to them or even if they just have some idea for a project and may want to collaborate.


Have a good one fellas! Reply with your email if you'd like my resume, as it won't allow me to attach due to size limits


-Zach Bennett / [email protected] / 484-432-1012....(I'm located in Pennsylvania by the way.)

 

[ZBennett]

I wasn't expecting such a large response in such a small amount of time, so I definitely have to give it up to DealerRefresh for being one heck of an industry hub! I bet Monster.com only dreams of giving its users results like that. I'm carefully looking into all inquiries, so keep them coming!

I also wanted to include the fact that I have various letters of recommendation ranging from people who own/run/operate auto-related businesses or work with resellers that most of you have surely heard of, as well as from previous colleagues. In addition, I have references for individual's I've designed sites for, done networking for, etc who can all attest to my abilities, character and work-ethic.

Thanks and I look forward to many more exciting opportunities to mull over! =)


-Zach

 

[ZBennett]

Just wanted to say that I'm no longer on the market and I'll enthusiastically be helping one of the biggest names in the tri-state take their internet presence to the next level for 3 of their rooftops. Thanks for the emails and I'll update if anything changes.

 

[joe.pistell]

Keep us posted with your progress!

 

[ZBennett]

Everything is going awesome so far. They've never really had an Internet Director or anyone with the skill-set to grab the online stuff by the horns with little to no assistance. I'm really lucky because I don't have a political chain-of-command that I'm forced to pass every minute detail of every idea through - I just put together a plan and bring it right to the owner. It makes getting initiatives going very simple.

 

[ewalraven]

Way to go Zach .. Good to know you are back in the business and taking advantage of some of those very niche skills that were acquired at HomeNet. In retrospect, I think Mr. Biter developed a product that not only put him in a good position, but also helped put others in a position to make some good money and be happy as well.

I've only been in the position for six months, but I have some quick advice ..
- KNOW YOUR BUDGET
- Don't just sign up for shit .. Vendors will come out of the woodwork and offer you whatever it takes to sign up for their product.
- Have long term goals. You'll get caught up in a lot of day-to-day tasks because of the old school technology being used and the lack of knowledge within the dealership. So make sure you set one, six, and one year goals.
- "The suits" LOOOOVE reports. So if you don't already have them. Make sure you generate a report that has all the leads that come in with the amount you sold at the minimum. Eventually you'll add the phone calls, posts, reason you lost the customer, etc. to the reports.
- Sometimes the GM and the Owner just like to hear 'Yes, I'll take care of that' lol.

At the end of the day it's all about selling cars - The owner might not car that you aren't selling cars because you think your cars are priced two high above market value, options are properly inserted in the DMS, or there aren't comments on the cars. Everything you'll be doing is "behind the scenes" and very, very new school. So sometimes you'll just have to take it slow and explain some things before it gets implemented. Eventually you'll gain credibility and things will move quicker if you prove that it sell cars.

Hope all goes well up there - You have my number. Give me a buzz if you ever need anything.

 

[ZBennett]

Thanks for the tips homie. I don't actually have to sell cars myself, which is pretty cool because I'm more of a behind-the-scenes kind of person. I'm basically in charge of our many different brand's websites, all of our online marketing, SEO, SEM, PPC, vendors, etc and everything as a whole that relates to our inventory and how it is displayed on and around the net. Some of your advice definitely applies, especially the "getting caught up in day to day tasks" but I've been getting that smoothed out by pulling in other people to handle the stuff I shouldn't be doing.

The other great thing is that my direct boss is the owner so I just go to him with ideas, etc and BOOM we get it going.

He's sending me out to NADA in Vegas in February. You going to be there?