Autobytel Dealer Awards Program Honors Exceptional Dealers for Outstanding Internet Lead Management and Customer Service Standards.
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IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq:ABTL), pioneer of the automotive Internet and the company dedicated to connecting automotive consumers with dealers, has named Todd Hilleboe, General Manager of Larry H. Miller Liberty Toyota in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Autobytel Dealer of the Month for September 2014.
The company's Dealer Awards Program honors exceptional #ABTLDealerStars who employ the highest standards in customer service and Internet automotive retail sales and lead management processes. The Autobytel 2014 Dealer of the Year Award is slated to be announced in January 2015 at the NADA Convention & Expo in San Francisco – when Autobytel officially celebrates its 20th Anniversary – with the crowning dealer chosen from this year's pool of monthly winners.
Todd joins Linda Ly of Norm Reeves Honda Superstore in Cerritos, California; Eric Wass of Heuberger Motors in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Jackie Parker of Patriot Subaru in Saco, Maine; Chad Bravender of Larry H. Miller Honda in Boise, Idaho; John Walters of Lexus of Naperville in Naperville, Illinois; Frank Carrasquillo of Mercedes-Benz in Naples, Florida; and Chris Baughman of Sunset Honda in San Luis Obispo, California – who were named earlier 2014 Autobytel Dealer of the Month winners – in that pool of candidates.
"Todd and his team work very closely with Autobytel to fine tune and optimize their Internet lead management processes, and it shows in the successes they've achieved," said Jeff Coats, President and CEO of Autobytel Inc. "The staff at Liberty Toyota also has the fundamentals dialed in, including quick response times and thorough follow up which is essential for best managing Internet customers and ultimately selling more cars. We're proud Liberty Toyota is part of the Autobytel team."
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. The company launched its Dealer Awards Program at the beginning of 2013, honoring monthly winners throughout the year and in markets throughout the U.S.
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.
"It's not rocket science," said Hilleboe. "Answer your customers' questions, get back to them in a timely fashion, and ask them to come in and experience the vehicle. What also works for us is having discussions with Autobytel, figuring out what we are closing and at what radiuses away from the dealership, and adjusting our lead volume. It's a cool honor to be named the Autobytel Dealer of the Month. We've never had this happen before with any of our other lead providers."
Liberty Toyota, part of the Larry H. Miller dealer group, is a Toyota and Scion dealership that services customers in Colorado Springs and surrounding market areas including Denver and Pueblo. The store has been part of the Colorado Springs community for more than 20 years and is actively involved in a number of charitable causes, including Angels of America's Fallen, Jeffco Action Center, There With Care, and Special L.I.N.K.S. Learning Center.
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. It was named Top Rated New Car Leads in 2013 by DrivingSales; a finalist of the 2013 DrivingSales Most Valuable Insight Award; both a Power 250 Company and a Major Player in the Used Car Industry by Auto Remarketing Magazine; and # 1 Dealers' Choice Awards in 2012 by Auto Dealer Monthly.
For more information about the Autobytel Dealer Awards program, visit the Dealer Corner at http://dealer.autobytel.com/. To learn more about the September 2014 Autobytel Dealer of the Month, Todd Hilleboe, visit http://dealer.autobytel.com/dealer-corner/autobytel-dealer-spotlight-todd-hilleboe-liberty-toyota/.
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About Autobytel Inc.
Autobytel Inc. provides high quality consumer leads and associated marketing services to automotive dealers and manufacturers throughout the United States and offers consumers robust and original online automotive content to help them make informed car-buying decisions. The company pioneered the automotive internet in 1995 with its flagship website www.autobytel.com and has since helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers; and helped every major automaker market its brand online.
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