IRVINE, CA--May 15, 2013: Autobytel Inc. , the company dedicated to helping automotive consumers and dealers connect online, has named Paul LeRose, Internet Sales Director of Pauly Toyota in Illinois, the Autobytel Dealer of the Month for April 2013.
“Paul and his team have created an online car buying experience that mirrors the dealership's family-style, in-store sales approach, which has been really effective. Pauly Toyota understands the importance of exceptional service throughout all customer communications, which shows in the dealership's achievements.”
The company's Dealer Awards Program honors exceptional Autobytel dealers who employ the highest standards in customer service and Internet automotive retail sales and lead management processes. The Autobytel Dealer of the Year Award is slated to be announced at the NADA Convention & Expo in New Orleans in January 2014, with the crowning dealer chosen from this year's pool of monthly winners.
Paul joins Patti Scipione -- Internet Manager of M'Lady Nissan who was named Autobytel Dealer of the Month for March 2013 -- in that pool of winners.
"Pauly Toyota's personal approach to managing Internet customers is key to the dealership's success," said Jeffrey Coats, President and CEO of Autobytel Inc. "Paul and his team have created an online car buying experience that mirrors the dealership's family-style, in-store sales approach, which has been really effective. Pauly Toyota understands the importance of exceptional service throughout all customer communications, which shows in the dealership's achievements."
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 online automotive best practices.
Criteria evaluated for the Autobytel Dealer Awards Program include conversion rates, lead management processes, customer service principles, customer and brand retention analytics and Internet department practices, among others.
"The thing we do best, the thing we focus on, is a personal touch in our communications," said LeRose. "With technology, everything is so fast now which means it's important for dealers to be as personal as possible when they communicate with customers. Before, you had a few weeks to put together prices and info for a customer. Now, you have a few minutes. Autobytel is a great organization to be associated with, and I'm honored to be named Dealer of the Month."
Pauly Toyota is a 20-year Toyota Scion retailer located in a northwest suburb of Chicago, about 30 miles north of O'Hare Airport. The dealership has been a part of the Autobytel program for close to seven years.
Named "Top Rated" New Car Leads in the DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards in 2010, and a finalist of the 2013 DrivingSales Most Valuable Insight Award this April, Autobytel consistently ranks as a top quality Internet lead provider, with the company's internally-generated leads converting at approximately three times the rate of the estimated industry average.