AutoUSA Announces Edmunds.coms Premier Dealer Program Increases Auto Dealer Closing Rates

AutoUSA, America'ss best source of Internet customers, announced today that Edmunds.com'ss Premier Dealer Program has resulted in higher quality leads and higher closing ratios for AutoUSA'ss auto dealer customers. The program, launched in 2006, offers dealers an increased presence on the Edmunds.com web site, guaranteed top placement in the Dealer Locator, exclusive participation for one dealer per make per territory, an Edmunds.com endorsement and links to the dealer web site.

The advantages of having a strong, branded presence on the trusted web site Edmunds.com are tremendous. Our customers have noticed a difference since upgrading to the new program, said Phil DuPree, General Manager of AutoUSA.

PJ Arnal, Fleet Manager with Right Honda in Scottsdale, AZ, works with three Internet lead companies including AutoUSA. He decided to upgrade to Edmunds.com'ss Premier Dealer Program three months ago with the hope that it would result in better qualified leads and drive more people to their web site. We usually close about 12-15% of AutoUSA leads. The other two providers are at about 8-9% each, said Arnal. He attributes part of this success to the exclusivity factor. No other dealer in our territory is endorsed by Edmunds, he said. That is very important along with the fact we receive all those leads.

Arnal also believes the success rate is due to the Edmunds.com name. People trust information from that web site and use it for reports, research, articles and comparisons. I use it myself, he said. The Edmunds customer seems a little more educated. They come in knowing what they want.

Wayne Ussery, Director of Internet Marketing for the Jim Ellis Auto Group, tracks all leads coming into the company'ss CRM for its 12 franchise locations. He has used AutoUSA for more than five years, and signed up for Edmunds.com'ss Premier Dealer Program soon after the program launched. Being presented exclusively as the top dealer in our territory, along with Edmunds.com'ss endorsement, increases the likelihood of highly qualified consumers choosing our dealerships to purchase.from, said Ussery. That is huge because we have found that Edmunds customers tend to be closer to pulling the trigger. In the month of December, Ussery stated that 16.67% of Edmunds.com'ss Premier Dealer Program leads closed, compared with the closing ratios of three other Internet lead sources at 4.17%, 1.1% and 8.89%, respectively. That'ss pretty significant, said Ussery.

Second to exclusivity, Ussery found that the Edmunds.com name appealed to him. We like to be associated with such a trusted web site, he said. The dealer branding and links to the dealer web site are additional advantages. We close 24.7% of leads that come in through the Jim Ellis web site, so anything that gets our name out there and drives traffic to our web site is helpful, said Ussery.

About AutoUSA (www.AutoUSA.com)

AutoUSA, Inc., is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and a subsidiary of Autonation, Inc. (NYSE: AN), the largest retail automotive company in the United States. AutoUSA acts as an independent third-party provider of leads to more than 4,000 dealerships. The company has built its success on a combination of advanced web-based technology and a network that includes some of the country'ss most well respected online automotive resources, including Edmunds.com Kelley Blue Book, MSN Autos, Yahoo Autos, America Online, N.A.D.A. Guides, AutoVantage.com AutoNation.com and AutoUSA.com. The vast majority of Ward'ss Top 100 eDealers use AutoUSA. More information is available online at http://www.AutoUSA.com

Holly Forsberg
Account Executive
Carter West PR
Phone: 602-283-5458

Phil DuPree
General Manager
AutoUSA
Phone: 954-769-6659




AutoUSA Announces Edmunds.coms Premier Dealer Program Increases Auto Dealer Closing Rates

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