Autobytel Shifts Sales Focus
Autobytel Inc. is shifting its sales focus from providing Internet leads to dealers to customer relationship management software.
Autobytel Inc. is shifting its sales focus from providing Internet leads to dealers to customer relationship management software.
According to Automotive News, CEO Jeffrey Schwartz said this is because its "mature" sales-lead business cannot keep pace with other revenue sources.
"The leads business is the most mature business," Schwartz said. "It’s two-thirds of our revenue. But the growth rate on that is not as significant as the growth rate on the other products."
Customer relationship management software brought in revenue of $8.8 million during the first half of 2004. This is more than doubled from the $3.5 million brought in during the same period in 2003.
Autobytel does not break out the number of dealer clients. Instead, it says it sells leads to dealers who operate 30,000 franchises in the United States, Automotive News reported. Autobytel sells customer relationship management software to more than 5,000 franchises. Customers include Lithia Motors Inc. and Asbury Automotive Group.
As the customer relationship marketing software business grows, Autobytel also is seeing a change in where it obtains its sales leads.
Autobytel's Web site provides the company with about a third of its leads to sell to dealers. Two-thirds come to Autobytel from car shoppers on affiliated sites, such as Edmunds.com and America Online.
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