Categories
Features

TLS / SSL For All

Here at Auto Ad Manager, we strive to stay on top of the latest developments in technology. We feel that by keeping our customers on the cutting edge we help them to rise above their competition, because as we all know, It’s a competitive world in the car industry. That’s why at Auto Ad Manager we have decided to implement TLS / SSL for all of our customers. This has already been rolled out to current customers and is the default for any new customers that sign up for our service.

What is TLS / SSL?

TLS stands for Transport Layer Security and is the current standard for securing connections between a browser and a server. It’s predecessor, SSL, stands for Secure Sockets Layer and it basically did the same thing. For websites, this means that all information sent from your browser is encrypted so that it is harder for a third party to read and it helps to ensure that the integrity of the data is maintained in transit. When a website is protected by either of these protocols, you will typically see a little padlock icon in your browser in the upper corner of the address bar. It is pretty much the standard used by banks, online stores, and any other website that requires security. Typically for car dealers, only pages that have sensitive data that is being transferred like contact forms or credit apps are encrypted, usually by redirecting the user to a third party website. So why encrypt the whole site? We did this primarily for two reasons:

  1. Google gives more authority to secure websites. This will directly impact your position on Google moving you higher on search results.
  2. By encrypting the whole website we are protecting all of your customers interactions with your website which provides a more trusting environment.

Why haven’t our competitors done this?

The simple answer is it’s a lot of work, especially if they have thousands of clients. Each website requires it’s own digital certificate (a special code that is created that secures communication). In addition, all of the links on the website need to point to the secure version of the site in order to not have what is called “mixed content”, parts that are encrypted and parts that aren’t. If they didn’t build their used car dealer websites this way, it will take a lot of time to fix. As an independently owned company we are able to adapt to the ever changing landscape of the internet quickly. And the great part is, there is no extra charge to our customers for this feature.

Interested in learning more about how we can help you sell more cars? Click here.

 

 

Categories
Dealer Tips

How To Handle Negative Reviews Online

how-to-respond-to-bad-reviews-onlineMost sites offer a review system related to your Used Car Dealership. Sometimes, an irate outspoken customer voices their frustration with your service. What are your options? What is the best way to handle the situation? Here are some things that you should consider before you reply.

  1. Don’t Be Defensive
    Is your place business clean or dirty? Are you rude or nice on the phone? Do you sometimes ignore customers on the lot or do you greet them quickly and with a smile? Instead of getting defensive, imagine that you are experiencing your dealership for the first time thru your customers experience. If you put yourself in your customers shoes you might be a little more sympathetic to their frustration and this will help you make a reply and ultimately remedy the situation.
  2. Reply To The Review Kindly
    Most review sites offer the ability for the business owner to reply. Take advantage of this feature and reply to the review. A word of caution however: Make sure you do so in a kind, dignified manner without sounding defensive. This is key. If you are harsh and defensive, it’s not going to look good online. If you are apologetic, factual, and to the point, other users will see that and decide to take your accusers words with a grain of salt, or give them no merit whatsoever. Either one is good for your used car dealership.
  3. Analyze and Adapt
    What went wrong? Could the situation have been avoided? Moving forward it may require some changes to the business policy, but these changes will be well worth it. If you can minimize situations like this you will preserve a good reputation online, and that is the first place that most customers come in contact with your dealership first.

So, there are three simple things you can do the next time you encounter a bad review about your business online. You will save yourself a lot of time and headache dealing with a negative review online if you aren’t defensive, you reply in a kind way, and analyze what went wrong so that you can adapt your methods in the future.

Categories
Features

Auto Ad Manager Adds New Features

Several new features have been released for all of our customers available immediately. They include:

Download Images

Need to download your images from the admin area? No problem! Just click the download button from the images page. A zip file is automatically created with all your images as they appear on the site.

Carstory Integration

The team at Vast has a new product that we think you might like. It is a free service called Carstory, and it shows car shoppers on your website vehicle details page how your vehicle compares to the rest of the market. Check out their demo at carstory.com for more information. If you would like to sign up this is included in Auto Ad Manager. Again, this is a totally free add on!

Image Watermark

2013-Porsche-911-1-5708012470631


Would you like to have your logo appear in the lower right of every vehicle image you upload? If so we can setup your account to automatically watermark your images when you upload them.

New Import Option

You can now use the bulk data uploader to import your data from PRCO Power. Simply export your data to your desktop and then upload it using the add multiple vehicles page.

Want more information on how Auto Ad Manager can help your used car dealership? Read more about us here.

Categories
Features

Auto Ad Manager Offers Updated Car Dealer Website Templates

As the internet changes, styles come and go and it is important to keep your website design fresh and in step with the times. Here at Auto Ad Manager, we strive to make sure that our customers have the latest and greatest websites and features. Check out a few of the new designs we have done for some of our latest customers.

Autolinx
This car dealer website is powered by Auto Ad Manager and was developed in conjunction with local staff. It represents the latest in design and features we offer.

Taj Auto Group
This dealership website received a complete rebuild from the ground up with an emphasis on the mobile user experience. Check out the simple yet elegant design.

Pleasanton Auto Sales
Simple, fast, and easy to use was the request from Pleasanton Auto Sales for their website. We built the site using the bootstrap framework and tweaked the design to deliver the look and feel that this dealership wanted. As with all of our websites since November of 2011, this one was built to be responsive using HTML5 and CSS3.

Can we help you? Contact us on our website or give us a call at 925-399-1310 and we’ll get your website brought up to date. We have a growing list of satisfied customers that are happy to have individualized service that the big box competitors can’t match. Experience the difference yourself today.

Categories
Dealer Tips

What Am I Agreeing To?


What are you agreeing to?

Customers frequently ask this question when it’s time to finalize paperwork, and you do your best to explain everything clearly. However, contracts and agreements often present a unique challenge: we think we understand them, but the language can be ambiguous or misleading. This raises an important question—do I really know what I’m agreeing to?

This question becomes especially critical for any contracts you sign as a dealer. Whether you’re entering an agreement with a lender, an advertising partner, or a vendor, it’s essential to fully understand the terms before committing.

Consider this real-world example: a dealer in California sold a high-end vehicle to a buyer who required financing. Once the bank approved the loan, the dealer delivered the vehicle and submitted the paperwork. Months later, the lender still hadn’t received a payment. Upon investigation, it turned out the deal involved identity theft and fraud. The customer had vanished, and the bank demanded repayment.

At that point, the dealer learned a harsh truth: according to their agreement, they were liable for the loan balance in the event of fraud. You might assume insurance would cover such a situation—but not necessarily. Many policies exclude identity theft. Had the dealer understood this clause from the outset, they might have taken extra precautions to protect themselves.

Similarly, dealers have shared numerous cautionary tales about advertising partners—particularly regarding domain name registration. Ideally, the dealership should register its own domain name. Yet, when an ad partner offers to handle it as a courtesy, some dealers accept without hesitation. Trouble arises when the dealership decides to switch providers. Suddenly, the ad partner refuses to release the domain name, effectively holding it hostage.

This creates a costly dilemma: the domain is printed on everything from license plate frames to business cards and digital ads. Changing it disrupts operations and requires significant time and expense. Worse, if the agreement includes a clause granting the ad partner ownership of the domain when they register it, legal options are limited.

To avoid this, consider migrating the domain to a third party before ending the agreement. At Auto Ad Manager, we firmly believe the dealer owns the domain—regardless of who registers it—and we promptly transfer it upon request.

The takeaway? Always read contracts carefully and know exactly what you’re agreeing to. A few extra minutes of diligence now can save you major headaches down the road.


Categories
Dealer Tips

If You Spend It, You Will Get It

When things are slow should you lay low?
When things are slow should you lay low?

When times get tough, a lot of dealers like to employ the old adage “When it’s slow, lay low”. But is that what successful Used Car Dealers do? We talked to a few and here is what some of them do when those times come.

Make Dealership Enhancements – This is a great suggestion and one that has a lot of merit. A lot of dealerships are a bit lax when it comes to maintenance. Why not use the down time to wash the windows, paint the trim, add some decorations, or do a deep cleaning. Customers do notice the little things and if you spend the time, you will get more customers who write positive reviews.

Purchase Quality Vehicles – Instead of taking a risk on a vehicle that is cheap but may have been neglected and abused, why not spend a little more money per vehicle and get a more quality inventory. You will be building your reputation and probably receive more referrals in the slow times than the dealer that sells the lemons. It’s better to buy two clean $7,500 cars than three bad $5000 cars with $15k.

Get Social – Are you effectively using social media to engage your customers? Sites like www.pinterest.com, www.instagram.com, www.facebook.com, and www.twitter.com are all ways to engage with the public and just might get you that extra customer you are after.

Take Better Photos – Was that BMW dirty when you took pictures because you wanted it on the website right away? Why not look down the inventory list and pick a few vehicles where the lighting was bad, the car was dirty, or the recon wasn’t done completely and retake your photos. That just might make for a better showing for your customer and be the motivating factor to schedule a test drive.

Spend On Advertising – Just because it’s slow doesn’t mean you should cut your ad budget. If the other dealers do that, that will leave you with the customers when thing pick up, as your cars will be found and seen. See if there are other ways to trim your cost first, this one should be a last resort.

Categories
Dealer Tips News

Car Dealer Websites and Automotive SEO Video Updated

We put the finishing touches on our video that shows the main features of Auto Ad Manager. Mainly, video snippets and screenshots show the new user interface that also works on mobile for used car dealers. We also have put more of an emphasis on Automotive SEO and Car Dealer Websites.

Categories
Dealer Tips

Detailing The Force Approval Credit Card Scam

force-approval-merchant-scamSo you’re getting ready to close the deal. The profit looks great, the buyer checks out, and he wants the car. The buyer then asks if you would accept a credit card. No problem you reply, your credit card processing machine is ready to go. The buyer remarks that there is just one thing you need to do. You will need to “force” the approval and call the merchant to get an approval code.

Wait a second you think, that sounds a little fishy. Everything is fine your customer explains. It’s just because XYZ happened and this is the way that his credit card company told him to do it  because of XYZ. Go ahead call my credit card company at this number, he explains, you’ll get the approval code I’m talking about.

You proceed to call the number and give the merchant the credit card number and the person on the other end replies that the process is fine, albeit unconventional, providing the approval code you need. So you proceed, following the process your customer guides you through, swiping the card, navigating thru the options, and holding the “Force” option to get an approval. The charge goes through and everything seems fine. You get an approval and print out the receipt. Wow, this person knows more about credit card machines than you do, you think to yourself. You shake hands and the customer drives off in his brand new car.

A few days later you check your account to make sure the transaction posted, but to your chagrin, it hasn’t. You call your bank and explain the story. But unfortunately, you have been had. There is no money in your account.

You call the customer, no answer. You call your insurance company who regrets to inform you that they don’t offer coverage on Force approvals. Now you call the police. Hopefully you have Lojack installed on that vehicle.

Moral of the story? Never do a force entry. If you have to do it for some odd reason, get an approval from your merchant, not the buyers.

Categories
News

Auto Ad Manager Welcomes Used Car Dealerships

Used Cars VallejoWe are excited to be providing Used Car Dealer advertising services for some great customers.

Used Car Dealerships

Barocci Motor Group

Founded by a team of individuals with the goal of providing high end used cars in the Richmond, CA and surrounding areas. The dealership has been fully remodeled and provides a spacious, bright, and attractive environment for buying a used car. The website has been built with our latest technology allowing for quick searches, integrated slideshows and videos, and search engine optimization all included. \

Genel Inc.

Located in Jackson, NJ, Genel Autos is a small family owned and run used car dealership that offers a variety of quality used cars for great prices. The company slogan, “The Wholesale car markets best kept secret, cars and trucks sold at wholesale or below” signifies the mission of the company and their inventory and prices show that.

Autolinx

Autolinx Inc. is  on of the Used Car Dealerships in Vallejo, CA that offers a wide variety of pre-owned vehicles for sale. The inventory is constantly changing and includes a wide range of makes like Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Mitsubishi, Range Rover, and more. Most of the cars are close to new and are extremely clean with almost no reconditioning done. Low mileage high quality vehicles are what you can expect from this dealer. The partners that started the business early last year have over 30 years industry experience, and it shows in how they have taken care of the details at their location. They already have raving reviews on yelp.

Website: www.autolinx.com

Categories
Features

Auto Ad Manager Now Offers Dedicated Mobile and Printable Window Stickers

Our dedicated mobile sites are now included with every package as well as printable window stickers, buyers guides, and full inventory with thumbnail photos.

Dedicated Used Car Dealer Mobile WebsiteDedicated Mobile Website Features include:

  • Image gestures for photo navigation
  • Clickable maps for directions
  • Click to call phone number
  • Quick loading for slow connections
  • Contact form for customer call to action

If you are on a smartphone, browse to m.autoadmanager.com/91 to get the full experience now.

In addition, most of our websites are designed with a responsive theme for car dealers, which means your desktop website also looks great on various sized screens for tablets and other devices.

Buyers Guides, Window Stickers, Check In Sheets, and Printable Inventory

It’s easy to print buyers guides, front and back, window stickers, check in sheets and your full inventory with Auto Ad Manager. Dealers just login to their account, click on their vehicle list, and click the print button next to each vehicle. Your print out is available in PDF form so that formatting is consistent on your printer. It’s as easy as that!

Buyers Guide Front