Autobytel Dealer of the Month Winners Excel at Mobile, Lead Management, and Great Customer Experiences


Automotive Internet pioneer announces Q2 2015 Dealers of the Month. To tweet this release and to celebrate, click #ABTLDealerStars

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 26, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq:ABTL), a leading provider of online automotive services connecting consumers with dealers,today announced it has named Shane Maness of Hastings Ford; Joe Homen of Tracy Toyota Scion; and Lexie Brecke of Dolan Auto Group as the Autobytel Dealers of the Month for April, May, and June 2015, respectively.

The company's Dealer Awards Program honors exceptional #ABTLDealerStars who employ the highest standards in digital automotive retail sales, lead management processes, and customer service, as well as a commitment to mobile and emerging technologies.

"This latest group of Dealer of the Month winners truly understands how to implement processes that make car buyers happy, and keep them coming back," said Jeff Coats, President and CEO of Autobytel Inc. "Whether it's implementing a solid texting strategy to enable their customers to communicate in the manner they prefer, or responding immediately and fully to answer any and all customer questions up front, they outshine the competition when it comes to lead management and customer service. That's why they're successful in their markets, and why they've been named Autobytel Dealer of the Month winners."

April's Dealer of the Month, Hastings Ford – in business for over 40 years – services customers in Greenville, North Carolina, as well as areas all the way to the coastline and the eastern part of the state.  The personal goal of its Leads Manager, Shane Maness, is a five-minute-or-less response time after receiving a customer inquiry, and a focus on creating relationships with customers from the very first response. Maness says technologies like Autobytel's TextShield and Payment Pro products have been successful for the dealership, creating new communications channels and sales opportunities for them.  

Tracy Toyota Scion, owned by NFL Hall of Fame legend, Ronnie Lott, serves Tracy, California, and the East Bay, as well as customers in San Joaquin County. Its General Manager, Joe Homen, says his team of experienced staff members are up front and transparent with their customers, with an average response time of three minutes. Homen says the Tracy Toyota Scion team also takes a consultative approach with their customers, really listening to their needs and working with them to find the perfect vehicle to meet those needs, and believes that if your dealership isn't mobile-focused, you're behind the curve. 

June's Dealer of the Month, Dolan Auto Group, consists of Lexus, Mazda, Kia, and Toyota-Scion stores, and at any given time, the auto group offers approximately 1,000 cars between its four family-owned locations. In business since 1984, Dolan Auto Group services customers in the Reno/Sparks area and surrounding Nevada cities, as well as customers from Roseville, California, and the areas of Lake Tahoe and Sacramento. Lexie Brecke, Dolan Concierge Manager, says the Dolan Concierge team acts as personal shoppers for their customers, helping them find the perfect vehicle by communicating with them from the very beginning and really listening to what they want. Brecke says teamwork is key at Dolan Auto Group, enabling them to handle an average of approximately 1,400 leads last month – with Autobytel representing a big portion of those leads – and achieving over 780 units sold across the auto group's stores, and more than 500 at the Toyota dealership alone, in July 2015.  

Autobytel consistently ranks as a top quality digital lead provider and digital automotive leader. In addition to its recent award of "Highest Rated" New Car Leads by DrivingSales, it was named "Top Rated" New Car Leads in 2013 by DrivingSales; a finalist of the 2013 DrivingSales Most Valuable Insight Award; both a Power 250 Company and a Major Player in the Used Car Industry by Auto Remarketing Magazine; and # 1 Dealers' Choice Awards by Auto Dealer Monthly.

Each month, Autobytel's sales and dealer operations teams evaluate prospective candidates from a competitive field of thousands of automotive retailers in the Autobytel network, with a monthly winner selected based on key digital automotive best practices. The Autobytel 2015 Dealer of the Year Award is slated to be announced at the NADA Convention & Expo in Las Vegas in March 2016, with the crowning dealer chosen from the 2015 pool of monthly winners.

To learn more about the Autobytel Dealers of the Month, visit the Dealer Corner at http://dealer.autobytel.com/dealer-corner/. Visit http://dealer.autobytel.com/auto-dealer-lead-products/ and http://mobile.autobytel.com to learn about the company's leading automotive information and products and services.

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About Autobytel Inc.

Autobytel Inc. provides high quality consumer leads and associated marketing services to automotive dealers and manufacturers throughout the United States and offers consumers robust and original online automotive content to help them make informed car buying decisions. The company pioneered the automotive internet in 1995 with its flagship website www.autobytel.com and has since helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers; and helped every major automaker market its brand online.

Investors and other interested parties can receive Autobytel news releases and invitations to special events by accessing the online registration form at http://investor.autobytel.com/alerts.cfm.



            

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