Stronghold Technologies, Inc., the developer of DealerAdvance(TM), an enterprise software system using wireless technologies for the automotive retail industry, on Dec. 4 announced the introduction of its Do Not Call (DNC) consultation and services for automotive dealers in response to the Federal Trade Commission's new consumer privacy and contact laws pertaining to telemarketers.

The National Do Not Call Registry is managed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency. It will be enforced by the FTC along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and state law enforcement officials. The Registry was created to offer consumers a choice regarding telemarketing calls. Telemarketers are required to search the Registry every three months and delete from their call lists phone numbers that are in the Registry.

DNC registrations will remain in effect for five years, making compliance a long-term issue that will require dealerships to adjust their consumer marketing efforts. Federal restrictions place specific limits on how a dealership interacts with consumers via the telephone, and failure to conform to these limits can result in substantial fines. Fines of up to $11,000 per violation are possible, as well as civil law suits.

The DealerAdvance Do Not Call consultation and services provide training and system features that are specifically designed to assist dealerships in meeting DNC requirements without unduly restricting basic sales operations, according to the company. DealerAdvance(TM) provides the means to document and record consumer "Do Not Call" requests and aids in enforcement of DNC rules by a dealership's sales organization, according to Stronghold.

With the new DealerAdvance DNC service, Stronghold said it provides dealers with a tool to automatically check their prospect list against the National Registry. Prospects found on the Registry will be marked as "Do Not Call". This check can be done against all current prospects as well as on each prospect as they are added to DealerAdvance(TM). Equally important is that Stronghold enables dealers to cross reference the DNC Registry against other telemarketing lists, according to the company.

DealerAdvance(TM) provides a variety of techniques to customize prospect follow-up -- even with protected consumers -- and allows dealerships to manage Local DNC lists, according to Stronghold. "DealerAdvance(TM) provides fail-safe measures designed to help ensure that sales associates and support staff at dealerships do not accidentally contact protected consumers," the company said in a prepared statement.

Knowing the impact that DNC regulations would have on automotive dealerships, Stronghold became one of the first software vendors to launch a solution and provide the consultative support needed to assist dealers in adapting to new telemarketing practices. In addition to the features available through DealerAdvance(TM), DNC Sales Best Practices Skills Training is being offered to Stronghold customers by the Company's professional consulting staff.

Stronghold said itsclient consultants have been fully trained in DNC compliance. "Because these client consultants work on-site at Stronghold customer locations, educating dealers can be performed swiftly to help them avoid regulatory burden," the company said.

DNC consultation and services is presently being offered and is among several new services that Stronghold has had under development. By the end of 2003, the company said it plans to launch new capabilities to accommodate phone-in traffic/lead management capabilities and credit reporting. These features will be fully integrated into DealerAdvance(TM).

Also integrated into DealerAdvance(TM) will be a suite of business development center services. And, beyond the solutions offered in the area of new and used vehicles sales operations, Stronghold said its strategy calls for the expansion into other dealer operations, such as the services department.

The goal of Stronghold's strategy, according to a company statement, is "to apply technology and a consultative approach to assist dealerships in increasing sales, improve organizational efficiencies and drive profits."

About Stronghold Technologies, Inc.

Stronghold Technologies, Inc. (www.strongholdtech.com) specializes in applying wireless technology and process improvement methods to increase business efficiency and sales.

The company has developed an integrated wireless technology called DealerAdvance(TM) which, among many features, allows automobile dealers to capture a customer's purchasing requirements, search inventory at multiple locations, locate an appropriate vehicle in stock and print out the necessary forms, according to Stronghold.

Through an integrated CRM (customer relationship management) application, the system sends detailed tasks for prospect and customer follow-up and produces management reports to measure compliance, according to the company.

DealerAdvance(TM) allows sales professionals to increase sales, improve customer follow-up, and reduce administrative costs, Stronghold said.