OVERDRIVE by ADESA

New study reveals impact of social media and review sites on the car buying process

It’s no secret that the Internet has changed the way consumers shop for cars. Buyers are more educated than ever and can locate information related to vehicles in mere seconds. Moreover, the public has become accustomed to documenting and sharing their entire car buying experience with the world by leaving public comments on social networks and user review sites. So, where do these buyer reviews typically appear? Earlier this week, Auto Remarketing shared the results of a recent study that ranked the most popular review websites used by consumers to select and vet dealerships prior to purchase. The study was completed by digital marketing company Digital Air Strike as part of their 2012 Automotive Dealership Social Media and Online Reputation Study. According to the article, the report “found that 22 percent of respondents turned to Edmunds in selecting a dealership, while 20 percent used Cars.com. Finishing in a tie for third were Yelp and Google Reviews, both of which were at 19 percent.” An even more telling statistic from the study: 69% of consumers said dealership reviews influenced their decision to visit certain dealers. Additional findings from the [...]

Celebrating history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a legendary place. For more than a century, race car drivers have long coveted a win at the “Brickyard.” And fans return year after year to year after year, anxious to see who takes the checkered flag. The track has built quite a name for itself in the racing world. And for car enthusiasts like me, there’s no better place to be in the month of May. This past Saturday was opening day at the track. More than 160 classic/vintage automobiles were on display as part of the “Celebration of Automobiles.” Each car in the exhibit had played a significant role in IMS history for one reason or another. Several had been used as pace cars. Others were ground-breaking examples of the way the automobile industry was growing. The 1932 Indy 500 pace car, the Lincoln KB, featured a larger, more powerful 150 horsepower, V12 engine. Cars like the 1932 Graham 57 Blue Streak made a ride in the Indy 500 not only smoother, but safer. One of the first aerodynamically designed passenger vehicles to run in the “greatest spectacle in racing,” the Blue Streak was the first American car with an inside radiator cap. [...]

VIDEO: Bob Rauschenberg at the AMG Driving Academy

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the AMG Driving Academy experience at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. It was an amazing experience filled with plenty of thrills. I absolutely loved putting such a high-performance machine through its paces, taking the turns tight then flooring it through the straightaways. The AMG Driving Academy site accurately describes the “personality” of the famous Lime Rock Park raceway: Touted as the “Road Racing Center of the East” for nearly 55 years, Lime Rock Park is a classic 1.53 mile, 7-turn course. Nestled in the scenic Berkshire Mountains in northwest Connecticut, Lime Rock Park is roughly two and a half hours from New York City and Boston. Fast and flowing with only one breaking turn, drivers here can test their driving ability on the same track where the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix and the Grand-Am Rolex GT Series are held. I want to thank Mercedes-Benz Financial Services for inviting me to be part of such an exciting and action-packed day at the race track. You can watch my lap in the video clip below.

VIDEO: Navigating the new ADESA OpenLane

The launch of ADESA OpenLane is well underway. Our customers are now buying and selling cars online with ADESA OpenLane, and we are moving forward with technology updates. To help buyers and sellers navigate the new ADESA OpenLane, our team has produced a series of video tutorials. I hope you find them helpful. Currently, our ADESA OpenLane videos cover the following topics: How to Bid and How to Buy Vehicles Accessing the Customer Service Portal Locating Vehicle Releases Reviewing the My Account Section Reviewing Bids Received We have also created a dedicated section on the ADESA YouTube channel to house these videos. You can watch the tutorials by clicking this link or by watching the video below. If you have a topic suggestion for a future video tutorial, I would love to hear about it in the comments section of this post. Have questions about ADESA OpenLane? Call (866) 969-0321 or email openlane_info@adesa.com. Need help using ADESA OpenLane? Call ADESA Customer Connection at (888) 526-7326 or email customerconnection@adesa.com.

Paul Lips attends NAAA Disney Institute

The week before last, I attended the NAAA Dynamic Leadership Institute in Orlando, Florida, hosted by Disney. If you’ve never heard of the Disney Institute, it’s an amazing program. Millions of professionals from around the world attend Disney Institute for business education and training. I was really looking forward to going, and the event absolutely exceeded all of my expectations. The speakers were phenomenal. The leadership training classes were informative and eye-opening. It’s inspiring to personally experience the best practices and business lessons that have made and kept Disney so successful. My favorite part had to be “The Incredible Race” at Disney’s Epcot Center. Not only was it a lot of fun, but it was a wonderful opportunity to meet new people in our industry. We were paired up in teams with people from other auction chains to solve a series of puzzles. It was kind of like a scavenger hunt, but you had to earn clues along the way before moving on to the next step of the race. It really challenged us all to bring our “A” game when it comes to creativity, teamwork and communication. But you just can’t beat a hands-on experience for driving home a [...]

VIDEO: Crafting Quality Detail into the Lamborghini Aventador

Cars are about so much more than just getting us from point A to point B. For many of us, especially die hard car lovers, cars evoke a visceral, emotional reaction. I wanted to take a moment to share this cool video I found from Lamborghini. The quality and craftsmanship, the mix of art and science, and the attention to every single detail truly makes the Lamborghini Aventador a work of art. The finishing touches are put on by hand with the upmost care. This is what it takes to build a true masterpiece. Enjoy…

Leveraging promotions to drive dealership foot traffic

Looking to add some sizzle to your sales floor? Maybe it’s time to try a new promotion. Warmer weather means more people are out and about. So, here are a few ideas to increase foot traffic to your dealership and ultimately boost sales. Sponsor a local team Support your community. Promote your dealership. It’s a win-win. Sports sponsorships can help keep your brand top of mind with a variety of would-be buyers. These opportunities can also establish your dealership as an active member of the community. Game on Offer customers a chance to win free gifts, discounted services or even a down payment allowance through a scratch-off game. You could even partner with a local restaurant or retailer to offer a more diverse prize pool. Co-branding a promotion could also help you connect with new markets. Express Saturday Show customers you value their business—and their time. Saturday express service is a real bonus for buyers who find it hard to come in for routine maintenance on a weekday. Customer rewards program Give your customers the VIP treatment. Offer specials like service discounts, complementary car wash and detailing services or priority scheduling. Social media contests Use social media to launch an [...]

ADESA DealerBlock is now ADESA OpenLane

ADESA has combined DealerBlock with OPENLANE’s open sale inventory. Introducing ADESA OpenLane. Find national inventory from ADESA locations along with wholesale vehicles from OPENLANE. You’ll get more inventory, more choices and more Internet-based remarketing solutions with ADESA OpenLane. All with new tools and updated functionality. This is just the next step as we build one marketplace—at auction and online. You will be able to buy and sell cars however and wherever you want: from remote locations, in-transit and at auction. And you will continue to see updates as we move more ADESA.com products to OPENLANE’s best-in-class technology. Building a stronger marketplace for our customers is important to us. But it’s also important to us that we provide the best service possible as we work to earn your business every day. As always, if you have any questions, please call ADESA Customer Connection at 888-526-7326 and talk to a real person. I’ll be sure to keep you posted of our progress.

The cars at Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach

While at Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach, we had the opportunity to see some amazing vehicles (and one submarine) cross the auction block. Knowing that beautiful cars were around every corner, we made sure to have a camera in our hands at every moment. Check out a few of our favorite exotics and rare classics below. To see all of our photos from Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach, check out our photo album on the ADESA Facebook page.