AIADA Endorses The Cobalt Group's Automotive Retailing Solutions
SEATTLE--March 14, 2005--| Cobalt Named AIADA's Exclusive Affinity Partner for Online Retailing and Customer Relationship Management Solutions |
The Cobalt Group and the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) today announced that AIADA has selected Cobalt, the leading provider of retailing solutions for the automotive market, as its exclusive Affinity Partner for automotive retailing solutions. AIADA endorsed Cobalt's family of online retailing and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions to help their member dealers seamlessly manage the entire automotive retail process and leverage every opportunity to drive dealer revenue.
"AIADA's 10,500 member dealerships look to AIADA to represent their best interests," said John Holt, president and CEO of The Cobalt Group. "By selecting Cobalt as its Affinity Partner for software solutions, AIADA is offering a strong endorsement of Cobalt's industry-leading products and services, and we look forward to serving the AIADA dealer membership."
AIADA, the only national lobbying organization dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of international nameplates, researches hundreds of companies serving the auto industry and selects only those who provide the highest value and quality products, sales and service to participate in the Member Services Affinity Partner Program.
"Cobalt offers AIADA's member dealers a family of solutions that provide tools for dealers to increase profits by attracting, retaining and marketing to customers throughout the entire automotive retail process," said AIADA Chairman Jim Evans. "Cobalt's integrated suite of customer-focused solutions will help our dealers maximize customer satisfaction, profits and loyalty."
All Cobalt packages and products are available to AIADA dealers under the Affinity Partner program, with AIADA members eligible for exclusive pricing on CRM solution offerings:
Cobalt CRM
Cobalt's Prospector(TM), the industry's most advanced CRM (customer relationship management) and showroom management solution, helps dealers, dealer groups and manufacturers use their customer information to increase revenue. Prospector offers automated follow-up, data mining and campaign management tools; real-time showroom control; sales desk management tools; and multiple, configurable reports to help build profitable relationships throughout the customer lifecycle.
Cobalt's Desking is fully integrated with Prospector and gives sales managers unprecedented control over every deal. Cobalt desking lets dealers quickly create deals and manage multiple deals simultaneously.
Cobalt's Lead Manager(SM) Customer Central is the industry's top Internet lead management tool. Lead Manager Customer Central captures all leads, from any source, and helps dealers respond quickly and professionally.
Cobalt's Media Tracker(TM) is a call management system that helps dealers track the ROI of their advertising campaigns and evaluate the inbound and outbound call handling performance of their sales staff.
Cobalt Online Retailing Solutions
The foundation of Cobalt's online retailing solutions is Cobalt Nitra(TM), which accelerates the development, integration and deployment of automotive retail Internet marketing programs. Nitra's unparalleled speed, reliability and usability provide dealers with a rock-solid foundation that draws buyers to their sites, generates leads, and brings consumers into their dealerships.
Cobalt's Site Reporter measures the effectiveness of a dealer's website with an unprecedented combination of reporting tools. Site Reporter's user-friendly dashboard gives dealers an at-a-glance view of the most important trends and performance of their websites to maximize their return from their online program.
Cobalt's Next Generation Inventory Services provide a detailed, consistent presentation of dealership inventory while offering a compelling, flexible display that meets automobile manufacturer (OEM) requirements.
To sign up for any of Cobalt's AIADA-endorsed solutions or to get more information about Cobalt's industry-leading products and services, contact Cobalt at 866-439-2258, email sales@cobaltgroup.com or visit www.aiada.org/partners.asp.
About AIADA
Founded in 1970, AIADA represents the 10,000 American automobile dealerships that sell and service international nameplate brands including Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Isuzu, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Saab, Scion, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. These retailers have a positive economic impact both nationally and in the local communities they serve, providing nearly 500,000 American jobs. Visit AIADA online at www.aiada.org.
About The Cobalt Group
The Cobalt Group is North America's leading provider of automotive retailing solutions. For more than a decade, Cobalt's exclusive mission has been to help automobile dealers and manufacturers leverage online retailing and customer relationship management (CRM) technology to increase their effectiveness and profits and to enhance the car-buying and ownership experience for their customers. Cobalt provides automotive retailing products and services to more than half the automotive dealerships in the United States, Canada and Mexico and is endorsed by more than two-thirds of the world's major automotive manufacturers. Cobalt is endorsed by the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) and the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA(R)).