Data Lead Format

[jmcguire]

I saw a press release (here on Dealersedge) that the XML based lead format standard has been completed. The article also listed several companies that are going to implement this.

My question is: Where is CarPoint? If I remember from early information Microsoft/R&R was one the the ones leading the charge on this. Did they abandon this concept?

[eman]

I think the thing is....Now that they agreed to this how do they develope it and make $$$$ Do they wait for Cobalt or Autoweb to develope it and but them out? Sometimes it cheaper to follow the leader and take the over. We will see I guess..

William

[andone]

Are you all serious? Hello...Carpoint-Microsoft-software pioneers..
They are the ones that have taken the lead, and have also partnered to mine their data that they are recieving through their lead management system from all the other lead providers, as well as their own data.

Eveybody is chasing them at this point in the data mining game!!!!!!!! It's done, it's developed, and in use.

[BBingham]

Data mining is correct, but for who?

What auto manufacturers have equity holdings in these companies? Who will be marketing these leads after the franchise laws have relaxed in certain states?

How many of the leads are being used by the lead providers to sell (directly or indirectly) warranties, service contracts, or financing?

How many of these prospect names are being sold to Jiffy Lube, Service King, eLoan, etc.?

Find yourselves an online CRM and a company that is aligned with the dealerships.

(Obvious plug!) CarClient.com is a good product and extremely versatile.

Good Luck




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Bruce Bingham
bbingham@thirdcoastmedia.com
www.thirdcoastmedia.com

[franksmith]

Just to touch on xml as opposed to html. XML is the obvious answer over html simply because of the ability to parse and manipulate data. Cobalt has developed a system called adf which utilizes xml and is also used by Chrome.com for correct lead management.

I do not believe that everyone is chasing Carpoint and their product of dealerpoint for lead management. The system is outdated and can not perform up to par with many other systems.

I can share several that outperform and parse every lead providers information correctly. They have more features and more useful to the ISM than anything else.

[BBingham]

Absolutely!

If you are chasing CarPoint (MicroSoft/Reynolds) for an automotive CRM, you are losing the race. If any company is using a CRM or using a web design company that does not already utilize .XML, in a very short period of time, they will be years behind those who do.

Also any company you select to provide your CRM should be able to parse any lead source that the lead vendors allow to be. If a new lead source and format comes along, your CRM provider should only need a few days to reverse engineer the format and provide the ability to parse that lead in your software.


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Bruce Bingham
bbingham@thirdcoastmedia.com www.thirdcoastmedia.com

[This message has been edited by BBingham (edited 08-23-2000).]

[andone]

They may have more functionality than the carpoint system, but the small programs like carclient, definetely, don't have the large amount of data flowing through them like the carpoint management system.

The initial string was Microsoft doing anything to lead the change...they've done what benefits them, in taking the smaller lead providers data and their own and mining it.

Also none of these lead management system will take Auto-by-tel's leads, which is b.t.w. over 45% of the online buying public!

Where is the management of that traffic? Not through any of your mentioned lead management systems....How do you propose managing that amount of traffic?

[BBingham]

Not only is there more functionality, it is also immediately more scalable. How much traffic do you want, once we approach the number of users to have more than 3,000 simultaneous sessions, well immediately double our server network. They great thing about it is that we still have 50% capability left over for the just in case scenarios.

Do not take this as a plug, only defense. Seriously, it is a good question. Dealers, make sure your CRM or other web services partner has this capability IN HOUSE.

You need to understand that the number of users and the amount of data flowing.. through the system is not the same. Also with the ASP capabilities, the dozens of reports that can be customized and built, do not require the space you think it does. You would benefit from spending some time reading about Active Server Pages (ASP).

As for your second paragraph, I cannot respond. I have no idea what you are trying to say.

As for ..none of these lead management system will take Auto-by-tel's leads.., this has nothing to do with technology, but a business decision by A.B.T not to allow this to happen. AutoByTel is not a successful model. They are desperately trying to force dealerships to conform to the use of their CRM so a prospect base will be built for A.B.T. to sale financing, etc. The information is also sold off to other parties. It is their only chance for long-term profitability.

If you do not have an agreement that any information placed in your web-based CRM is your intellectual property, you do not maintain control over it. Someone will be using it to attack all profit centers within the dealership.

As for ..45% of the online buying public.. Ha, Ha. The worst performing IPO in history would not have the aforementioned dishonorable title if that were true. Walk into a certain persons office at A.B.T. and look at the banner announcing their direct financing site. Look at other activities they are engaging in. If they truly had 45% of the market, they would have already spun off their new activities into a new corporation. They would be too busy.

Solution? As I have mentioned several times, make sure you chose a technology partner that has these insights and understanding. Ask the good questions; do your best to research the prospective (current) partner, and good luck. J

Suggestion. Register yourself so we can determine the source of your perspective.


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Bruce Bingham
bbingham@thirdcoastmedia.com
www.thirdcoastmedia.com

[franksmith]

Just a short note, autosuperstore.avv.com does hanlde ABT leads. They are done slightly different and may not have 100%complete information but none the less pretty close. It is grabbed from pager notification area.

Also, ABT was supposed to go to an open system at the beginning of August. As we all may know that hasn't happened as of yet.

[andone]

You wont be seeing the open system from A.B.T., because of the B.T.O. systems coming from the manufacturers. They are buying the data first hand, not through CRM systems.

More than 28 percent of dealer principals use online buying services to sell vehiclesnearly triple the percentage reported last year, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2000 Dealer Satisfaction with Online Buying Services Study. Most dealers indicate their online buying service has been a much more effective marketing tool than even their own dealership Web site, suggesting that dealers will continue turning to outside companies to generate online leads.
Among the individual services scoring above industry average, Autobytel.com ranks highest in overall dealer satisfaction.

"Autobytel.com maintains its leadership position for the simple reason that it generates nearly as many new-vehicle sales as its two closest competitors combined,"

The study found that dealers are somewhat frustrated with the online referral service programs operated by automotive manufacturers. The source of their frustration is that leads are distributed among so many dealers that each dealer receives only a small volume of sales leads each month.


Surely your coporate vision and theirs differ in theory, seeing they have been in business since 94, and your group, I know, just a few years.
A.B.T. profitability is publicly forecasted for 1st quater 2001, and with 100 million in the bank from their I.P.O. left, achieving that goal through their diverse partnerships is a certainty .
It is a tough market for this segment, and companies must leverage themselves for that profitability, and do not need to let every person on the planet with a new idea, into that segment, just to make a buck from their program ,or off of yours, for that matter.

It's also interesting to note that your "partnerships" with the dealers is because of third party lead providers you call, "a necessary evil". Otherwise they have managing their technology, and networks, long before technology partners came along. The interesting thing to remember also, is that "someone attacking a dealerships profit center" has been happening for years by outside or third party vendors...It's called FREE ENTERPRISE an OPEN MARKET SYSTEM! It's nothing new!

Suggestion: Continue to do what you do best, lend a hand to dealerships in a profitable and benificial manner for both you, and the dealer....no matter what your role is!