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What you've given us so far is a bit vague. How do you do this? Where are you sourcing the data and coming up with the values?
Looks like he's with Textium? I believe they require the customer to text either their VIN or license plate number, and then it replies back with a Black Book value range certificate as an MMS image.

Or if you’re sending the Textium request to your own database and already have the customer’s VIN, then the customer would not need to provide that information and could simply request their value.
 
Looks like he's with Textium? I believe they require the customer to text either their VIN or license plate number, and then it replies back with a Black Book value range certificate as an MMS image.

Or if you’re sending the Textium request to your own database and already have the customer’s VIN, then the customer would not need to provide that information and could simply request their value.

Thanks Ryan - he kicked my spidey sense up with the way he posted. After 20 years of seeing these kinds of posts I get suspicious.

So, if he has a VIN or license plate and runs it through build data first, then he can get pretty close. Which is all he had to say.
 
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Our system is integrated with values from KBB, Black Book, or AccuTrade. The dealer can select whichever fits their needs best.

On the dealer's website we install a homepage banner, landing page, and SRP/VDP buttons with a simple "Text My Value" CTA. Additionally, for marketing, we integrate a QR code, a local phone number and a keyword so it can be used on any digital and traditional marketing.

How does a shopper use it? Simple. If they want to receive their value, they enter their mobile number (TCPA compliant in all 50 states). When they do, we immediately send them a text, and they respond with their license plate or VIN. If a license plate is given, we decode to a 17-digit VIN and grab the vehicle info and verify their name. At that point, a lead is sent to the dealer's CRM. The text interaction is instant just as if we were texting each other.

If the shopper gives us a BS phone number, the lead is never built and sent. There are ZERO incorrect leads.

What we've found is shoppers would much rather text than fill out a form. Plus, the dealer receives the benefit of NOT wondering, did Sally Smith provide valid contact data.?.? I have asked hundreds of dealer owners, GM's, BDC managers, etc... If you receive 100 leads from your online form fill, how many are accurate? The standard answer is 60%. Having 40% garbage leads on average is discouraging for a BDC or sales team that is calling those potential buyers and trade/acquisition shoppers.
 
Thanks Ryan - he kicked my spidey sense up with the way he posted. After 20 years of seeing these kinds of posts I get suspicious.

So, if he has a VIN or license plate and runs it through build data first, then he can get pretty close. Which is all he had to say.
The reason for that is simple. I have around 7 posts on this site and I didn't want to "suitcase" in the forum and potentially violate some rule. Not trying to be vague at all.
 
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✨ AI Highlights

A dealer asks about building a custom trade-in and vehicle data collection tool after finding existing solutions like ICO and TradePending insufficient. A vendor (Textium) enters the thread promoting a text-based trade-in tool that uses VIN or license plate lookups tied to KBB, Black Book, or AccuTrade values, prompting pushback from long-time members who wanted more transparency about the sourcing and methodology. The key takeaway is that text-based VIN/plate decode tools can deliver verified lead data without traditional forms, but the approach differs meaningfully from DMS-feed-driven solutions where dealers already have customer vehicle data.

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