Thinking about Getting Dealer.com

[Lrogers]

Hi everyone,
My company is thinking about switching all of their websites to dealer.com along with our inventory management program (switching from CDM).
So I have a couple of questions:
1. Does anybody use their inventory management tool? and how do you like it?
2. I have heard a lot of negative feedback on them, is it a better idea to go with a different provider?
3. Any suggestions of a company you are happy with?

Thanks so much for your feedback.

 

[JoeC]

Hello L,

I would HIGHLY recommend looking at Dealerfire. Dealer.com does a god job but the website customization and support that Dealerfire offers is unparalleled compared to any provider that I have used. Just call Dealerfire's main number and you will get a member of their support staff that can actually provide website customization or correct most issues right on the spot (try and call their number- pretty cool).

Having used both vendors I can say that we have experienced a 100% increase in traffic to our website which directly contributed to a 300% YOY sales increase.

Please let me know if you have any other questions but definitely give Dealerfire a look!

 

[Eric Giroux]

Hey LRogers -

I'm new here to DealerRefresh, but I can post with confidence in saying that I second JoeC's comment -- you should definitely give DealerFire.com a call. I know nothing about Dealer.com and have nothing bad to say about them, but I do work with DealerFire, and could not be more pleased or impressed with their services. They are genuinely great people.

Good luck!
Eric

 

[Billfred]

I've used Dealer.com and eBizAutos for various websites (one group, one store). For pure inventory management (photos, descriptions, stickers, etc.), I have to give the nod to eBiz. I also find their support team among the best of automotive vendors. They just changed up their product levels, so you'll have to decide where you fall, but checking into them is definitely worth your while.

 

[NBianco]

Here is a link to drivingsales.com where website vendors are rated. This can help to give you an idea of what's out there - DrivingSales.com | Automotive Website Vendor Ratings

 

[Matt Murray]

Hi LRogers,

Just wanted to stop in here and thank you for considering Dealer.com in your search. We know there are many choices available and are proud to be one. If you have any questions abut our products or services feel free to use my contact info below.

The process of choosing a new partner should not be taken lightly and you should certainly review all of your options first. Sounds like some folks have offered up some potential companies to you here, good luck with your selection process!

Matt Murray
Dir., Digital Marketing
888.422.2006
Matt at Dealer.com

 

[Mitch Gallant]

Hi LRogers,
The process of choosing a new partner should not be taken lightly and you should certainly review all of your options first. Sounds like some folks have offered up some potential companies to you here, good luck with your selection process!

I agree with Matt, this shouldn't be taken lightly and by asking what other providers people are happy with you're inviting a mess of opinions and potential terrible advice for your current situation. A real can of worms! I'm not saying that the above recomendations for DealerFire are misguided but take them (and other suggestions on such a wide open topic) with a grain of salt.

That said, we used to use Dealer.com and if it weren't for money guided circumstances on their part (AutoTrader Canada sell out of a %) we'd likely still be with them. The flexibility of the platform was a beauty and we had amazing luck with account reps who really went over and above for us. The inventory piece provided no headaches.

We're currently using DealerOn and are more then happy with them so far. Give them a gander.

 

[Alex Snyder]

with Mitch. Opinions are opinions, but until you understand the situation of the opinion-giver you don't have the whole picture. I'm not discounting any here; just speaking generally.

What are you trying to accomplish with your website provider? Have you drawn-out a list? If you share your requirements with us we can probably help to give you a better opinion for consideration.

 

[ehoopman]

It’s funny to see everyone dogging the “Opinionators” but offering their own at the same timeJ All with different tactics, but all with the same end goal, building product/brand awareness and confidence. See if it weren’t for forums like this to expose people to products, information and experiences, everyone would be buying by either who had the biggest ad this month in #Automotive# Magazine or who had the largest booth at NADA.

In an age where everyone is working to build there “Personal Brand” and establish themselves as a trusted authority, I highly doubt you are going to see a lot of really poor recommendations(Opinions. The fact is, through this process, Lisa was able to identify 5 great candidates for her project!

On a side, I’m quite proud of the fact that DealerFire has such great Brand Evangelists! Our entire team works very hard for our dealer base to create the goodwill needed to have people take time out of their busy schedules and speak up on our behalfJ Gratis

Next steps on checklist IMO:
1. Create a wants/needs analysis.
2. Schedule some time for demos – see how they stack up to your list.
3. Call on a few dealers by searching “#Vendor Name# Website #Brand#” out random clients to hear their stories:
Sample search: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=1h&oq=dealerfire+website&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GZAZ_enUS329US422&q=dealerfire+websites+honda#sclient=psy&hl=en&rlz=1T4GZAZ_enUS329US422&source=hp&q=dealerfire+websites+honda&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=dealerfire+websites+honda&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=65d2260741c8e199
We are here to help answer any questions! Along with Joe, Eric, Bill, Neil, Matt, Mitch and Alex :P

All the best - Eric

 

[jeffwallen]

Lrogers, hope this turns out to be a great journey for you. You need to be assertive for after the sale. Who are you working with after the sale? Find out who and have a conversation with them, implement questions there. Everyone is always thinking about the pitch and getting feed back from dealers that were pointed their way from the company your interested in.

My opinion, you need those vendors to point dealers your way to talk to you so you can get a good feel of how things are when it goes right. I would also recommend to talk to support also, ask them questions. Will you have a dedicated account rep after the fact? Are you on the same page with that person?

Dealerfire and Dealer.com are both incredible companies, but what happens after you sign the contract. Let that be the focus if your whole purpose is website. You can sign up with a great company but have a terrible experience and I believe most of that comes down to the dealer-vendor relationship. Dig further is all I can say. Eric also gave a great idea of doing the search and asking whoever their opinion.