Salt Lake City Online community and social networking site DrivingSales.com has announced that it is now open to all automotive industry professionals for networking, sharing best practices and rating vendors.

Launched in 2003, DrivingSales was created by Jared Hamilton, then a student at NADA’s Dealer Candidate Academy, as a way for his classmates to keep in touch and share best practices. The DrivingSales.com community has since evolved into a platform where members can post profiles, network, share sales strategies, rate and review vendors and access relevant content contributed by industry experts. In addition, vendors can post profiles, showcase their products and services, blog, and provide feedback on reviews.

The site also plans to host regular contests, in which participants can win valuable prizes for taking part in activities such as submitting best practices for all areas of retail automotive sales and management. In keeping with the community spirit, all contest winners will be determined based upon community member votes. DrivingSales is neither sponsored by nor directly affiliated with any specific company, so content is independent and freely contributed by members of the community, according to the company.

A third-generation dealer, Hamilton realized the need for a neutral hub where dealers could get a wealth of unbiased information and learn from each other. "From the beginning, we've known the importance of keeping the site free from corporate ownership,” said Hamilton. “This will ensure we maintain the grassroots nature of the site, provide dealers with the best content and a great user experience. DrivingSales was built by dealers for dealers."

As the community grows, DrivingSales plans to continue to evolve as member feedback is added and technological enhancements become available. "DrivingSales.com is Web 2.0 in action," said Dean Evans, chief marketing officer for Dealer.com and a close adviser. “As a vendor, I am jumping at the opportunity to get unbiased feedback from dealers and connect with them in a whole new way. As a former dealer and someone who’s worked in this business my entire career, I love the idea of easily tapping into the collective knowledge of others in this business. DrivingSales has given us the platform we’ve all been dreaming about.”