If Auto Dealer Monthly had an awards banquet, what would it look like?  Would it be in a hotel convention center with lots of bronze, silver, and gold?  A dealership show room decked out in red, white, and blue? Or would it be a live web cast of award winner announcements straight off a Florida golf course (or maybe a marathon route)?  Hmm… Arsenio Hall could come out of retirement and guest host.  We would enjoy that.

Here’s a question… what do Arsenio Hall and Interactive Financial Marketing Group have in common?

The answer… 1989.

Arsenio Hall hosted his first late night talk show in January of 1989.  IFMG, aka 1-800-Car-Loan began taking applications for a local dealership that same year.  Of course we’re still here and uh, well Arsenio Hall is somewhere.

This week we are celebrating our 4th Auto Dealer Monthly Dealer’s Choice Award in the Special Finance Leads category.  That means that readers of the magazine, mostly auto dealers from across the United States think we’re the cats pajamas.  We’re honored to have received the votes and recognition.  Thank you to all who voted. Congrats to all those who placed in the category.

A big “thank you” goes out to our employees, many of whom through the economic downturn have passed on 40-hour-a-week opportunities to stay and work tirelessly to serve our customers.  We’re inspired to work around them every day.  Thanks to our vendors and affiliate partners who work with us to optimize marketing channels that attract the best local consumers to our network.  Of course, thank you to the many consumers who have placed their trust in us to protect and secure their privacy while connecting them to a sincere source of financing.

After these past 18 months, we don’t take many things for granted.  It’s nice to receive the recognition.  We look forward to serving more in the near future.  Now let’s Sell More Cars!

-Tom

RICHMOND, Va. March 31, 2010 — Interactive Financial Marketing Group (IFMG), a division of Dominion Enterprises and Dominion Dealer Solutions, announced today that it has been named the recipient of Platinum Award in the Special Finance Lead category of the Auto Dealer Monthly 2010 Dealers’ Choice Awards.

“It takes more than just great products or services to make a company stand out among its peers; it takes great employees behind it who create, market and support those products and services. This year’s Dealers’ Choice Award winners certainly have some great talent to stand behind their outstanding products. It’s a privilege to recognize some of the best in the industry,” said Harlene Doane, editor of Auto Dealer Monthly. “IFMG should be very proud of their products, services and their staff.”

“We are honored that dealers have selected us for this award for a fourth time,” said Tom Feary, general manager for IFMG. “For twenty years, our mission has been to help our customers sell more cars.  This goes a long way to support our story.”

The Award Process
This is the sixth year Auto Dealer Monthly has recognized the most highly regarded vendors, suppliers and finance companies in the retail automotive industry, as voted on by dealers and dealership personnel. The survey provided dealers and their employees the ability to offer their collective selection of the top providers to the retail auto industry.

Overall, 54 awards were given to 42 companies, all chosen by dealers and dealership personnel. In 20 distinctive categories of products and services, more than 11,000 votes were cast. Ratings were gathered on the performance of the product or service, as well as the customer support and service provided, and the overall value compared to cost to the dealership.

The complete list of winners, as well as any provider or finance company that rated higher than the group average score in any category, can be found at http://www.AutoDealerMonthly.com. The feature article on the 2010 Dealers’ Choice Awards is in the April 2010 issue of Auto Dealer Monthly magazine, which can be found here: http://autodealermonthly.epubxpress.com.

About Interactive Financial Marketing Group
Interactive Financial Marketing Group (IFMG) is a pioneer in lead generation, validation and management services for the automotive industry.  By focusing on innovative approaches to lead generation since its inception in 1989, IFMG has developed a family of brands that includes hundreds of the most recognized Internet addresses and vanity phone numbers such as Carloan.com, Autoloan.com, 1-800-CAR-LOAN® and 1-800-AUTO-LOAN®.

Interactive Financial Marketing Group is a member of the Dominion Dealer Solutions family of companies, a division of Dominion Enterprises. For more company information, contact IFMG at 800-222-8374 or visit www.interactivefmg.com. For more information about IFMG products and services, visit www.carloanco.com.

About Dominion Dealer Solutions
Dominion Dealer Solutions helps car dealers attract, retain, and service customers for life. Dominion Dealer Solutions products include: lead generation through IFMG; customer relationship management tools through AVV, Autobase, and @utoRevenue; Web sites through Dealerskins and XIGroup; and specialized data aggregation, management, and reporting services through Dealer Specialties, Cross-Sell, The DataCube, and DataOne Software. These businesses serve more than 60 percent of auto dealers nationwide. Learn more at http://www.DominionDealerSolutions.com. Dominion Dealer Solutions is a division of Dominion Enterprises, a leading marketing services company serving the automotive, enthusiast and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, and employment industries. For more information, visit www.DominionEnterprises.com.

About Auto Dealer Monthly, LLC
Auto Dealer Monthly is the day-to-day resource for automotive dealerships of all sizes. It is known for offering business solutions to dealers by providing information necessary to make wise decisions regarding products, services or process changes in daily operations. Auto Dealer Monthly is also the publisher of Auto Dealer Monthly magazine and creator of SpecialFinanceInsider.com and AutoDealerPeople.com.

I overhead an interesting conversation on the way out of LeadsCon last week.  Not that we make a point to eavesdrop or anything like that. There just was no choice since the conversation occurred over a taxi cab CB radio.  Yes.  Vegas.  Taxi cabs.  Interesting conversations.

The taxi drivers were talking amongst themselves on their radios, sharing ideas on where the hot places for fares would be in town on the evening.  “The game at UNLV lasts about two hours,” said one driver.  “There is a steady stream of fares now at the airport,” said another.  “Thanks for the heads up.  I’m heading over now,” responded a cabbie.

The constant communication of questions, ideas, tips, among peers caught my ear for a couple of reasons:

1. It’s Vegas.  Aren’t there tons of places for hot fares?
2. Its cab drivers.  There are best practices and ideas for cab drivers?!
3. Vegas + Taxi = Homogeneous service

This got me thinking about our leads business.  In a market where there exists lots of opportunity, competition, and where products are essentially the same, those who can communicate and differentiate have the better chance for sustainability.  Cab drivers included.

Even on the heels of LeadsCon, a conference where everyone wants to talk about their cool take on life, we continue to be amazed at how little people actually communicate and talk about where the best fares are.  Sales people talk but ask few questions.  Business principles signal but don’t get down to brass tax.  Take for instance the break out sessions at the conference.  There was very little substance, or data presented on what actually is working where.

If there’s any big take away from our cab ride and trip to Vegas, it’s that we all win together when we share and are resourceful with one another.  What may make a good generator of leads, may not make a good provider of leads.  What works when scoring leads for auto finance, may not work when scoring mortgage leads.  Yet when we recognize what we’re good at as individuals and how more value can be appropriated across all points within a chain everybody wins, specifically the end user.

Hello March 2010.  We look forward to the remainder of the year.

- Tom