Autobytel Inc., which bills itself as the world's largest Internet automotive marketing services company, on Jan. 27 unveiled RPM (Retention-Performance-Marketing), which it calls the next generation in dealership service reminder programs, at the National Automobile Dealers Association show (NADA).

RPM is a customer relationship management (CRM) program that Autobytle says makes it more affordable for carmakers and dealers to retain their car-buying and service customers.

According to Autobytel, RPM is a cost-effective alternative to more expensive products in the category and, unlike other offerings, RPM includes all three direct marketing media - traditional direct mail, telephone campaigns and low-cost e-mail campaigns.

In addition, Autobytel says RPM offers dealer/manufacturer branded personalized web pages for consumers to manage their vehicle's service information at the dealer's Web site. These branded Web pages fit into the 2-to-1 marketing (manufacturer/dealer-to-customer) strategies that retailers and manufacturers are currently seeking to better build customer loyalty and branding.

"RPM's integrated e-mail and personalized web pages can reduce a dealership's customer retention costs by over 70 percent," said Jeffrey Schwartz, president and CEO of Autobytel Inc. "This type of cost reduction and efficiency is the touchstone of all the dealer marketing services products we intend to launch."

Schwartz added that Autobytel plans to roll out another marketing services product, iMarketer. IMarketer calls upon the company's extensive consumer and marketing experience to provide the lowest customer acquisition costs to every dealer profit center, including new vehicle, used vehicle, F&I, and parts and service.

"It's clear that dealerships and manufacturers want more integrated marketing services," continued Schwartz. "They want a single, best-in-class vendor for all profit centers across the e-mail, Web, print and telephony fulfillment channels. We believe iMarketer will be the leader in integrated automotive marketing services."

As the first in a family of marketing products planned by Autobytel to improve processes within a dealership's fixed operations, the company says RPM focuses on helping dealers maximize their crucial parts and service profit centers. According to NADA, 53 percent of a dealership's profits come from service and parts — far surpassing profits from new and used car sales. Yet the cost of customer acquisition is steadily on the rise. In fact, cirect mail expenses have increased 91 percent in the last 10 years, with dealers spending $400 million in 2000 alone, according to Autobytel.

Autobytel says RPM is effective because it is designed to ensure that dealers' communications are sent to customers with accurate contact information. The product purifies the data in customer records, verifying contact information from within the dealership management system (DMS), then it automatically outputs welcome letter/e-mails for new car buying and service customers, according to Autobytel officials.

Service reminders and campaigns are sent out on a regular basis based on each customer's specific driving habits. A free dealer/manufacturer branded personalized Web page can also be automatically created for the customer, and personalized service reminder letters or e-mails can follow on a dealer-specified timeline. The Web page records all vehicle services automatically from the dealer's management system, giving consumers an easy-to-access resource for checking their vehicle's service status.

The program also offers clients a range of reporting and analysis capabilities. Each month, the dealership receives an executive summary that allows the dealership to measure results by showing ROI (return on investment) and gross revenue generated per active name and response rate.

About Autobytel Inc.

Autobytel Inc., which bills itself as the world's largest Internet automotive marketing services company, says it helps retailers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through marketing and CRM (customer relationship management) programs.

Autobytel Inc. owns and operates the Web sites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com and Autosite.com, as well as AIC (Automotive Information Center), a provider of automotive marketing data and technology.

Autobytel Inc. generated an estimated four percent of all domestic new vehicle sales - $17 billion in car sales in 2001 - for dealers through its Web sites.

With about 8,800 dealer relationships and 30 international automotive manufacturer customers, Autobytel Inc. says it is the largest syndicated car-buying content network, reaching millions of unique visitors as they are making their vehicle buying decisions.

Autobytel Inc. says its content and technology has potential exposure to more than 90 percent of total Web traffic.