AdAgencyOnline.Net, a nationally recognized automotive advertising resource / networking portal, will be reviewing a new cutting edge technology vendor — VehSmart — on the portal’s blog talk radio station WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time. VehSmart is introducing a fully integrated asset management and profit enhancement program for the automotive finance and dealership community. Philip Zelinger, the President of Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. and the host of AdAgencyOnline.Net, will be interviewing Brian W. Story, the Chairman and CEO of VehSmart, and Rich Zellner, the President of VehSmart, on his blog talk radio show Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising. The show is scheduled to air live on Wednesday, January 05th, 2011 from 12:00 Noon to 12:30 PM EST.
Philip shares best practices and new technologies on his blog talk radio shows with automotive advertising agencies who recognize the increasing role that technology and improved processes in sales and service play in today’s consolidating auto industry. According to Philip, “Most automotive advertising agencies have learned to use today’s technology to coordinate their marketing messages on the Internet with their conventional automotive advertising. Some have even learned the importance of integrating sales and service processes on their Internet based virtual showrooms with their auto dealer client’s brick and mortar facilities. Unfortunately, few automotive advertising agencies focus on other areas of day to day operations that require similar efficiencies to provide more profit from sales and service with less staff, inventory and working capital.”
“Today’s show reviewing VehSmart will take the value of technology to another level by applying efficiencies to commercial floor plan management, dealership inventory management, enhanced dealer to consumer aftermarket sales, retail automobile lender advance and service drive data programs. I have interviewed the principals from most of the major inventory management / appraisal / marketing vendors including Dale Pollak from vAuto, Len Critcher from eCarList, Pat Ryan from FirstLook and Tim Zierden from AAX. Each of these platforms effectively cover similar aspects of the sales and service process based on technology driven inventory management data, however, VehSmart offers a number of unique complimentary features and benefits that attracted my attention. I am anxious to listen and learn from Brian and Rich about their platform during my review of VehSmart so I can continue to teach my affiliated automotive advertising agencies and online audience of auto industry decision makers about the latest and greatest advancements in technology to maximize their R.O.I. on many levels. After all, what are friends, AdAgencyOnline.net and WAAOL for!”
About VehSmart
With applications that reach across multiple business sectors in the burgeoning billion dollar telematics sector, VehSmart™ is focusing its initial product rollout in the automotive and personal safety sector. VehSmart is forging its way into the marketplace with a telematics device which can be installed in any 1997 or newer vehicle sold in North America in just seconds. The VehSmart platform (patent pending) is the only fully integrated solution that ties commercial lenders, dealers, automotive retail lenders and consumers together creating a long term sustainable relationship and dramatically increasing customer retention.
VehSmart’s sophisticated telematics device plugs into a vehicle’s diagnostic computer port and provides two-way information between the vehicle and user. The VehSmart “plug & play” device, installed on the vehicle while on the dealer’s lot creates an enhanced relationship between the dealer and the floorplan lender. It provides a valuable risk mitigation tool for the lenders who are financing the dealer’s inventory while providing the dealer a complete inventory asset management tool, the ability to preload an aftermarket product without the out of pocket expense of a typical pre-loaded product. In addition the dealer receives tremendous benefits from the VehSmart inventory asset management tools which allow them to better manage inventory, improve sales and increase profitability at the dealership.
The VehSmart Inventory Asset program allows dealership management to know every time a vehicle is on a test drive reducing the ability of salespeople to fail to record a test drive and impact their closing ratio. Unauthorized use of vehicles is eliminated by notifying the dealership management if a vehicle is off the property when the dealership is closed. If a vehicle is started, moved, towed or removed from the property after hours an alert is immediately transmitted to the designated manager. VehSmart reduces or eliminates the cost of dead batteries and the potential loss of a retail sale when a vehicle won’t start. When a vehicles battery drops below 11.8 volts an alert is sent to the designated person allowing them to start the vehicle before the battery dies.
The same device, sold on to the car buyer, features a full suite of features and benefits such as accident notification, stolen vehicle recovery, emergency roadside assistance, real time traffic updates, low battery warning, low fuel level alert. In addition VehSmart offers Concierge service, assisting drivers in locating restaurants, hotels and gas stations with turn-by-turn directions and even making reservations and stolen vehicle tracking. VehSmart also offers young driver alerts and geo-fence capability, sending alerts via text messages or email when young drivers are speeding, or out of a pre-determined geographic boundary. Additionally, consumers have the ability to register up to 10 family or friends that would receive immediate notification in the event of an impact.
About Brian W. Story, Chairman& CEO
Mr. Story has over 24 years in the automotive industry, combining both his retail and aftermarket experience to bring highly successful and profitable opportunities to auto dealers. Mr. Story began his auto sales career in Southern California in 1984. Ten years later, he surveyed the automotive landscape, resigned as General Manager at a successful Ford dealership in the Los Angeles market and formed his own automotive aftermarket company, Safelite of America, incorporated in 1996. Through Safelite of America, Inc., he provided highly profitable promotions, products, and services to auto dealers. He created the Slasher Sale, trademarked in 1997, to move used car inventory at a time when lease returns were flooding the used car market and bringing wholesale prices down. Mr. Story eventually licensed the concept to other marketing companies. Mr. Story is well known throughout the retail automotive industry and has an extremely impressive track record in the aftermarket business.
About Rich Zellner, President
Mr. Zellner has been in the automobile industry for almost 30 years, with over 17 years in automobile finance management. After twelve years in dealership management roles, he joined AutoFinance Group and quickly climbed the ladder becoming a key member of a company that was ultimately sold to Key Bank for 10 times book value. As a member of the Key AutoFinance management team, Mr. Zellner was considered one of the company’s sub-prime experts and traveled throughout the country lecturing bank management and dealer groups on auto finance.
From 1999 through 2006 Mr. Zellner was a Senior Vice President at WFS Financial and ultimately Wachovia after a merger. During his tenure Mr. Zellner was responsible for policies, procedures and management of a sales and marketing group of over 170 associates, travel and incentive group, and dealer services group. In recent years Mr. Zellner served as President of Cogent Financial Group, an auto finance and elective surgery medical finance company, offering consumer loans through auto dealers and medical practices. As President, he was responsible for all facets of the business including credit, operations, funding, collections, accounting, and legal. Additionally he formed a consulting company, Automotive Resource Group, with a client list that includes companies such as J.D. Power, Blue Chip Financial, and Universal Auction Group.
About Philip Zelinger
Philip Zelinger is the President of Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. and host of a nationally respected automotive advertising social networking portal, AdAgencyOnline.Net. Philip invested 25 years as a General Manager and Dealer Principal followed by his last ten years in the automotive advertising industry representing auto dealers and technology vendors focused on the automotive advertising industry.
His role as a “Dealer Coach” is enhanced by his hosting a nationally recognized blog talk radio station – WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time. As the author of two books on the auto industry, including “How To Sell A Car – a Career Guide to The Automobile Industry,” he is a recognized authority on market trends and developing technologies with the responsibility of selecting key vendors and applications for his dealer clients as well as forming strategic partnerships for his vendor clients to leverage their shared resources to help them bring their products and services to market.
About AdAgencyOnline.Net and Ad Agency Online, L.L.C.
AdAgencyOnline.Net reviews automotive advertising vendors and new technologies on several blog talk radio shows including Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising, Auto Industry Insiders and their most listened to program Automotive Advertising Experts. The shows attract automotive advertising agencies, auto dealers, auto industry vendors and O.E.M. representatives that listen to the blog talk radio station WAAOL to find vendors, applications and technologies to maximize the R.O.I. for their automotive advertising dollars.
AAOL is a national network of independent affiliated automotive advertising agencies linked by an online communication / distribution system developed by Philip Zelinger. The proprietary operating system that powers AAOL was designed to reduce fixed and semi-variable expenses for full service automotive advertising agencies. The developing technologies that enhanced the performance of the independent automotive advertising agencies linked by AAOL has served as the role model for the solutions suggested on AdAgencyOnline.Net and represented by AAOL to their affiliated automotive advertising agencies when serving their auto dealer clients.
Ad Agency Online L.L.C is focused on discovering and representing new automotive advertising vendors not yet recognized by the mainstream automotive advertising industry. Automotive advertising vendors represented by AAOL include; ronsmap.com, DealerMouth, TeleTextSolutions, GetAutoAppraise, Argistics – AutoTransaXion, DealMaker.Com, CityTwist.Com, Bulldog Marketing Technologies, Kihon Media, CarFolks.Com, Ai Dealer, Laser Stream Video, SiSTeR Technologies – Video CarLot and IntellaCar; to name a few.
For more information on Philip Zelinger, Ad Agency Online, L.L.C., VehSmart or any of the vendor clients represented by Ad Agency Online contact Philip at 888-796-2228 or email him at pzads@bellsouth.net. Automotive advertising vendors, automotive advertising agencies and auto dealers that would like to be considered as a “preferred automotive advertising vendor” on AdAgencyOnline.Net and/or to hire/join Ad Agency Online, L.L.C. to represent them can contact Philip Zelinger at https://adagencyonline.net. To quote Philip Zelinger, “Help is only a click away! After all, what are friends for!” ###