Stronghold Announces New Customer Theodore Robins Ford Achieves over 40% Increase in Appointments Sold to Total Sold Ratio in Two Months
BASKING RIDGE, N.J.--March 23, 2004--| "Stronghold Was the Best in Terms of Its Technology and Its Business Improvement Processes." |
Stronghold Technologies, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SGHT), the developer of DealerAdvance(TM), an enterprise software system using wireless and Internet technologies for the automotive retail industry, today announced the signing of Theodore Robins Ford of Costa Mesa, California as a new customer. After the successful completion of a guaranteed performance period, the dealership entered into a long-term contract with Stronghold.
Theodore Robins Ford learned of Stronghold through a Ford Dealer 20 group meeting. A Dealer 20 Group is comprised of like-sized dealerships of the same brand from a defined region. At these meetings, dealer owners and general managers discuss business trends and issues. In addition to a new customer in Theodore Robins Ford, Stronghold provides its solution to three other Ford dealerships within the same Dealer 20 group. These three dealerships are part of separate owner groups that collectively represent 10 Stronghold customers.
"It was at the suggestion of three dealerships in our Dealer 20 group that Theodore Robins Ford looked to Stronghold's DealerAdvance(TM)," said James Robins, dealer principal of Theodore Robins Ford. "Upon completing our review, we felt that Stronghold was the best in terms of its technology and its business improvement process. The success we have had since using Stronghold is proof that we made an appropriate assessment. And a big plus for us is that Stronghold provides an on-site client consultant, which we believe has helped us achieve our improved results and will contribute to further improving our performance to sustainable levels."
There is a trend among automotive retailers to utilize business development centers (BDCs) to effectively market vehicles and services to new prospects and existing customers. Upon receiving very favorable reviews of Stronghold from fellow Dealer 20 members, Theodore Robins visited a BDC implemented by another Stronghold customer located nearby. Theodore Robins Ford relied upon Stronghold to assist with building its BDC, hiring and training a BDC manager, and implementing DealerAdvance(TM). The implementation involved sales staff and management training of DealerAdvance(TM) and continuing on-site customer support.
Since installing DealerAdvance(TM), the dealership has increased its prospect capture rate by 40% to a current level of 84%. Stronghold's business process improvement begins with substantially enhancing the quality and quantity of customer information captured by the dealership. This positions the dealership to capitalize on the showroom traffic generated by its advertising and promotional campaigns as well as the cost for maintaining its retail location. The reputation as a dealership focused on delivering value to its customers also drives traffic to Theodore Robins Ford.
Theodore Robins Ford increased the number of customer follow-up appointments it set by 65% in the latest month as compared to its first month using Stronghold's system. During the same period, there was a 13% reduction in new prospects due to fewer days in the month of February. Using Stronghold's DealerAdvance(TM) to foster improved sales processes, Theodore Robins Ford has substantially increased its appointment show rate. With an average appointment show rate of 50% since using DealerAdvance(TM), the dealership's appointment show rate in the latest month was 22% higher than the first month of use. An important measurement of success is that during the period using DealerAdvance(TM) Theodore Robins Ford increased its monthly rate of vehicles sold through appointment as a percentage of total vehicles sold by 43%.
In business since 1921, Theodore Robins Ford prides itself on treating every customer as a potential lifetime purchaser. The dealership communicates a professional image that embraces honesty and concerns for the needs of its customers. Demonstrating a commitment to customers through the use of technology, Theodore Robins Ford provides a free online portal to vehicle owners to create a personal web page. The personal web page allows real-time tracking of service appointments, repair order status, manufacturer campaigns and vehicle maintenance requirements. With Stronghold's DealerAdvance(TM), the dealership can better manage its relationship with sales and service prospects and customers who have purchased or serviced their vehicles at Theodore Robins Ford.
The contract with Theodore Robins Ford required the deployment of 19 handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) and 13 desktops personal computers (PCs) equipped with DealerAdvance(TM) that are networked for wireless and wired configurations. The dealership utilizes a driver's license scanning station for fast and effective capture of customer information. Stronghold assisted in the design and creation of a new BDC that is connected with the dealership's information technology infrastructure. Stronghold personnel provided complete training of the DealerAdvance(TM) system and, as part of the standard Stronghold agreement, continues to provide on-site and phone customer support.
Stronghold Technologies, Inc. (www.strongholdtech.com) is an innovator in applying wireless technology and process improvement methods to increase business efficiency and sales. The Company has developed an integrated wireless technology called DealerAdvance(TM) which, among many features, allows automobile dealers to capture a customer's purchasing requirements, search inventory at multiple locations, locate an appropriate vehicle in stock and print out the necessary forms. Through an integrated CRM (Customer Relationship Management) application, the systems sends detailed tasks for prospect and customer follow-up and produces management reports to measure compliance. DealerAdvance(TM) allows sales professionals to increase sales, improve customer follow-up, and reduce administrative costs.
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