In The Spotlight - Archive

PPSR Commences 30th January - 12/01/12

We have now done all we can to ensure that Motor Dealers are ready for the changes that the new PPS legislation will bring when it replaces REVS right around Australia from Monday January 30th. That means no more REVS through RTA, Vic Roads, or your state REVS Register.

Getting ready for PPSR is easy with Dealer Solutions. All you need to do is complete a simple application form. We will contact you and do the rest. If you choose to use Dealer Solutions for PPSR, and we hope that you do, you do not need to set up an account with the Government. Current Dealer Solutions REVS customers do not need to reapply for a PPSR account.

Accessing PPSR through our PPSR Protection account provides you with a dealer specific interface that saves, time, money and complication by removing all of the jargon and unnecessary information. Our PPSR Protection accounts have no sign up fees, no minimum monthly spends and no lock in contracts, you just pay for what you use, monthly in arrears.

With PPSR Protection accounts you can search the PPS Register, Register Security Interests and optionally have your search results matched up to your inventory, so you can find and view PPS results by stock number.

Personal Property includes all sorts of things like livestock, crops and consumer goods however because Dealer Solutions are Motor Industry specialists, we help Dealers by providing them with information about PPSR as it relates to Motor Traders. We have produced some new short video tutorials to help you with PPSR. You can access the tutorials on YouTube by Clicking Here and visit our PPSR Q&A Page regularly for PPSR tips and updates.

Carhistory Dealer Reports now available - 09/11/11

Have you enabled Carhistory Dealer Reports with us yet? CLICK HERE to make this happen today.

The integration with Veda's Carhistory Dealer Report is now live and is a free upgrade across all the Dealer Solutions platforms.

First there was REVS and then there was Vcheck and now there is the Carhistory Dealer report. The gaps in protecting yourself and your customers from vehicles you don't want to buy or sell are finally closing.

The Carhistory Dealer report offers dealerships a new and exciting level of information including Insurance Claim History. Find more details on the increased information levels by clicking HERE.

For our Queensland clients we have wrapped the benefits of the Carhistory Dealer Report in to a matrix which you can download HERE. Queensland dealerships are the only dealers in Australia that are required by legislation to provide a REVS Certificate on all sales (Wholesale and Retail). This requirement means an understanding of the impact and the power of the information contained in the Carhistory Dealer Report is important. The Carhistory Dealer Report does not replace the legal requirement for REVS on sale until we have final date for PPSR.

You can see an example of the Carhistory Dealer Report HERE and you can get this FREE integration upgrade today by clicking HERE.

PPSR Transaction Accounts now open - 03/11/11

Part of being ready for PPSR is being ready to transact through your selected provider. We are pleased to announce that we can now offer you a PPSR Trading Account and this means you will have it ready to go well before the current launch date of 30th January 2012.

As we move toward the launch date we will be keeping you fully informed and ensuring you are happy with everything we offer including how our solutions work and what they cost well before your 1st transaction.

Consider this one of the things on your PPSR Checklist that you can cross off.

To open your account now simply CLICK HERE.

PPSR - new date confirmed as 31 Jan 2012... there is a small "BUT" - 18/10/11

The new launch and implementation date for PPS (Act) and the PPSR has been confirmed as being the 31st January 2012. You can see the latest schedule HERE

The Government remains committed to this new go-live date and is working with all parties to ensure things work the way they should BUT, on October 12 the Federal Attorney introduced a BILL that gives his office the power to determine "another time" for commencement of PPS (Act).

"The purpose of the Bill is to assist in managing any risks which may arise approaching the implementation date and to remove the default commencement date of 1 February 2012."

What does this mean for dealerships trying to manage this change? PPSR now starts 31st January 2012 and goes live 1st Feb 2012 unless they can't get it working satisfactorily which then means they can ask the Minister for "another time" and then change the Go-Live date to some later time when it is working satisfactorily.

What should dealerships do now? Plan for 31st January 2012, start on your processes, develop a checklist, and then have things ready to go. Yes, you might have 2 of everything for a while but that is better than being caught out. Our Blog will keep you updated when you subscribe.

Don't make the mistake of thinking "PPSR is just the new REVS system" - 5/09/11

Our PPSR Seminars kicked off in Brisbane on the 29th August. We had 160+ QLD dealers and dealer staff travelling from as far as Goondiwindi and Bundaberg to get a early look at what the new system means for them.

Everyone in the room was astonished and more than a little surprised at the amount of change they are going to have to manage and many were disappointed that their Dealer Principal and/or Financial Controller were not there to understand the implications.

It seems many dealership are seriously underestimating the PPS Act and the impact that it will have not only on their business but their trading terms and sales processes.

We wish it was as simple as "It's just a new REVS system"...... BUT ITS NOT!

Our next seminars are being held in VIC and NSW where we believe one of the largest impacts will be NO MORE FREE NSW REVS!

I suggest that you send someone from your business who is in a position to understand the legal ramifications and also have the ability to CHANGE purchasing/sales processes.

We will be in Adelaide, Perth, Cairns and Townsville soon and if you have not reserved your seats for any of our PPSR Industry Education Program seminars click here for event details or simply REGISTER NOW!

Here is some of the positive feedback we have received about the QLD Seminar:

"Thank you for making the effort to hold today's forum. A good turnout for such an important change to our businesses. Sheree and I enjoyed the presentation and again learnt more about our role regarding PPSR. Well done and great initiative."

"I know you have plenty of thank you emails for the sessions you are running on the PPSR, so please just add my name to the list. It was informative and just plain great"

"Very well run, extremely informative, presenters are on the ball. All in all very good 10/10"

"Was a good presentation thanks. Very informative and enough detail where it was needed"

"Thank you Chris, very interesting and informative"

"The seminar was Excellent and presented with much professionalism. The opportunity for questions was adequate and the response informed. The emphasis on promoting the seminar should also be aimed at Senior Management as well as "working" level staff. This would enable the correct changes and procedures to be implemented by Management and affected by working staff with an informed knowledge from both parties."

Goodbye to REVS in October 2011, and welcome to all new legislation with the PPS Act! - 1/08/11

In October 2011, REVS ceases across Australia and is replaced with the PPS Act. The laws in relation to Personal Property Securities are all new and unlike REVS, the PPS Register will include a range of property, not just motor vehicles (livestock, crops, intangible items such as licences and company charges).

This means a huge change for Australian Dealers with new work flows, documentation and legal obligations/ requirements that must be understood to minimise harm and maximise returns.

To help with the transition we are holding free education seminars during August & September and you can book a maximum of two seats HERE.

If you have not heard anything about the PPS Act and the PPS Register or you just want a quick overview we have a Fast Fact Sheet for you HERE!

REVS is gone in 113 days - Learn about PPSR now! - 5/07/11

Personal Property Security Register (PPSR) replacing REVS is the biggest change to Title Protection and Checking we have ever seen and it affects every dealer in Australia in many ways, some of which aren't crystal clear yet.

This is why as one of the largest suppliers of REVS and Vchecks we are proud to provide the 1st website and online resource dedicated to help the Automotive trade prepare for and manage this transition.

I encourage you to use and bookmark our PPSR website to stay informed, ask and answer questions, watch contributions, get legal opinions, discuss consequences and get everyday common sense advice. We will also be providing downloadable information sheets for you to distribute across your stakeholders. The first information sheet is available HERE

We have enlisted the help of one of Australia's lending legal firms Holding Redlich and they will be joining us for comprehensive free seminars in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Cairns and Townsville. The dates and venues will be announced soon. Look for the invite by email or as an event in our Facebook Page.

We are looking forward to being an important part of how well this change is managed and how dealers live with this great new system.

eBay Parts Connector - 14/06/11

Every 12.4 seconds a part or accessory is sold on eBay and dealerships are not getting their share of this incredible market. Announcing the eBay Parts Connector Solution for Australian dealerships.

How do you reach the one million online shoppers browsing for auto parts and accessories every month?

Whether its old or redundant parts or accessories and merchandise, the selling power of eBay has become available to you with our eBay Parts Connector Solution.

Now a simple DMS parts feed can become a "set and forget" eBay listing in your own eBay store. You can use this eBay store as the online parts department in your website.

We are ready to help dealerships sell parts online and dominate the growing online parts market. Call us to reach a whole new market of parts buyers. Our number is 1300 66 11 33.

Carhistory Report arrives for Australian Dealers - 3/05/11

First there was REVS and then there was Vcheck and now there is the Carhistory report. The gaps in protecting yourself from the public on buy-ins and trade-ins are finally closing.

The integration with Veda's Carhistory report is now live and is a free upgrade across all the Dealer Solutions platforms.

The Carhistory report offers dealerships a new and exciting level of information including Insurance Claim History. Find more details on the increased information levels by clicking HERE.

For Queensland dealers the Carhistory report does not remove the legal PAMDA obligation to provide a REVS Certificate on every sale...........more on changes to this very soon.

Get greater choice in how you protect yourself from the public and get Carhistory enabled today.

• Get Carhistory Report enabled by clicking HERE
• Read our FAQ's by clicking HERE
• Ask for more information by clicking HERE

Flood Support - 28/01/11

The Floods have devastated many people and businesses across Queensland. In support to help out those in need, Rachael Ooi and Stephanie Webster have put together a raffle www.floodreliefraffle.com with some support from Australian dealers who are assisting with the prizes. We are very proud to support dealers who make such an effort to help out with the Queensland Floods, we urge everyone to help out where they can.

• Oldfield Holden Capalaba
• Oldmac Cleveland (Mazda and Toyota)
• Bryan Byrt Ford in Cleveland
• Toowong Mitsubishi

Here is a note from the founders of the Flood Relief Raffle.

I think it is all safe to say in the wake of our QLD Flood disaster, a lot of us have been left feeling helpless.

In association with Rotary Club Cleveland (and other supporters), a website was created to assist with raising money for those affected by this natural disaster.

The website www.floodreliefraffle.com, has been created where all proceeds from raffle tickets purchased, go directly to assist Queensland flood victims. Tickets are only $5, and you go in the draw to win a brand new car. This is a NOT-FOR-PROFIT website and raffle. The Rotary Club of Cleveland (and all Rotary Clubs) operates entirely on a not-for-profit basis.

I think what we need to remember, is that this disaster, one way or another, affects us all and we as a community, a city, and a state, all have the responsibility to help where we can. This website went live 36 hours after the floods and with the support of local car dealers, it is the good will of the founders of the website, The Rotary Club of Cleveland and countless other people, and organisations who have put their hand up to help with whatever they can in addition to the thousands of people who have already purchased raffle tickets that will help to ease the devastation for so many people.

Aside from ticket sales, what this website needs most, is oxygen. You can help create awareness by forwarding this email/link to everyone in your address books. I am sure we can all appreciate just how valuable word of mouth is.

Please help us to spread the word by placing this link on your website and sending the link to your contacts.

www.floodreliefraffle.com was established over the weekend to sell raffle tickets on behalf of The Rotary Club of Cleveland - all proceeds go to flood victims in Queensland. Tickets cost $5 with the chance to win a brand new car AND a chance to raise thousands of dollars for flood victims.

www.floodreliefraffle.com was set up in lighting fast time by founders Rachael Ooi and Stephanie Webster to gain exposure to a raffle being held by Rotary Club of Cleveland. Technology has allowed us to build vast social network and this is one way to put them to good use and help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Please visit www.floodreliefraffle.com to purchase tickets or for further information.

Queensland Flood Appeal - 05/01/11

The sheer scale of the floods in Queensland is incredible and probably beyond the comprehension of most people. In Australia our comprehension comes from being told a land mass the size of New South Wales is under water and of course being able to see the affected areas in the media. By contrast in the UK and Europe their understanding of the floods size comes from being told "an area the size of France and Germany is under water".

Our thoughts and hopes for a quick recovery go to everyone who has suffered as a result of the floods and we encourage you to join us in donating to the Queensland Government Flood Appeal that is administered by the Red Cross HERE.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas! - 15/12/10

All the team at Dealer Solutions would like to wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

We would like to thank you for all your support during 2010 and we are looking forward to 2011.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Distributing your inventory online has never been this easy! - 07/10/10

Advertising through popular online media channels is one of the most effective ways to reach your market. But finding the time to place an advertisement on multiple sites, and then track each one can be difficult. Dealer Solutions makes it easy with an integrated system that manages the distribution of your entire online inventory from one centralised location.

This automated system allows you to manage specials, campaign pricing, as well as the accuracy and consistency of your vehicles descriptions over multiple sites - from your own dealership site, through to an extensive range of authorised advertisers such as drive.com.au, carsales.com.au, eBay motors and many others.

Dealer Solutions Inventory Distribution is here to help you:

• Supports all major lead generators - market to your audience, your way. Feed your inventory listings into the system and select which current advertisers you want to use. We then distribute your data to the selected channels, allowing you to tailor your online advertising reach to suit your business need.
• Constantly tracks your data - get the edge with real-time, on-demand updates. You will have more time to focus on increasing your sales, with complete records of what you have advertised.
• Flexible options - choose your level of involvement. You can have as much or as little hands on involvement as you like; write comments for each listing, or simply display key points with the option to automatically add your corporate message. We can even set this intuitive tool to distribute listings differently according to make, location or other variables to meet your specific requirements.
• Scalable packages - for small to large dealerships. Whether you operate a regional dealership, used vehicle outlet or a multi-franchise, multi-site business with new, used and demonstrator vehicles, this scalable system can work to your advantage with packages to suit the way you do business.

For powerful Inventory Distribution with no hidden agendas, call Dealer Solutions on 1300 66 11 33 and sign up today!

Smart phones are everywhere... but is your website phone-smart? - 16/09/10

More than 10 million Australians use internet-enabled phones to browse and buy on the fly. But what comes up when someone searches for your dealership on their mobile? Your existing dealership website may be accessible, but technical limitations and small screen resolutions often make browsing a tedious experience. Visitors simply give up. Even worse, some Flash-heavy or older sites just don't work at all, making your dealership completely invisible.

A Dealer Solutions mobile website allows your dealership to stand out from the crowd, making it easy and intuitive to browse your vehicles from anywhere your customers may be. Mobile users simply go to your standard website URL directly or from Google, and the system recognises their mobile browser, seamlessly serving the mobile-optimised site to their phone without the need to download an app.

Dealer Solutions mobile websites are feature packed:

• Display all of your inventory - complete with photos and descriptions. Multiple photos and a full description are available to mobile users, giving them all the information they need to enquire further or make a purchasing decision.
• Let users share your inventory - easily links to Facebook and social networking sites. Consumers are increasingly using social networks to discuss upcoming purchases with their friends. Dealer Solutions mobile websites make it easy for visitors to share vehicles they like with their network, by displaying a link to the vehicle description.
• Help customers find you - directions to your door, and one-tap calling. Using Google maps, users can get precise directions to visit your dealership from wherever they may be. They can also easily contact you; placing a call is as easy as tapping on the displayed contact number to be connected to a sales specialist.
• Measure your return on investment - optional integration with 1300 4 DEALERS. Combining your mobile website with the powerful 1300 4 DEALERS system will enable you to accurately measure the return on investment, using a unique contact phone number for mobile web users. By tracking the volume of calls to this number, you'll instantly see how many phone leads your mobile website has generated.

Log on to Dealer Solutions today to maximise your mobile marketing.

Let the power of Google drive your sales - 05/08/10

Dealer Solutions automated AdWords system gives you;

• Automatic ad creation - instantly generated from your inventory
• Unique, optimised landing pages - customised for each enquiry
• Comprehensive analysis - part of the Dealer Solutions DashBoard
• No surprise charges - keep your budget under control

An investment in Dealer Solutions automated Google Adwords system means performance to increase your sales reach and conversions. Take advantage of a marketing and sales solution that others don't or can't deliver and take the sales lead.

Photography Competition - May 2010 - 04/06/10
The results for May are in and the winner is ... Jared Rowe from WA.

Dealer Solutions is committed to the highest possible standard in automotive photography and has a monthly competition for our professional photographers across Australia.

Each month they are asked to submit a specific image in accordance with the Dealer Solutions standards. These images are then judged and marked by our National Training and Standards Manager along with our state Team Leaders.

Click here to view all the entries including the WINNER.

Goodbye and Thank You to Raylea - 30/06/10

After 16 years we say Goodbye and Thank You to Raylea our Director - Finance. Raylea joined us when we had just 37 clients and the world wide web was still 5 years away. Raylea gave up her over achieving career as one of Toyota Finance's best performing F&I managers to take a chance on helping our dreams come true.

The automotive industry embraces change as part of their constant demand for improvement and Raylea has been an agent and advocate for embracing change since her 1st Day. Raylea has always driven us and our clients to be achieve the best possible results.

At times like this it is fun to reminisce at all the changes and think about the fun and dramas that make up really great memories. Memories of installing software on personal computers that cost $10K plus and were capable of storing 40MB (yes 40 megabytes not 400 Gigabytes) and getting a mobile phone that held 10 numbers and weighed almost a 1 KG.

Raylea's understanding of the industry dynamics, her empathy and patience with staff and clients, her willingness to always work for what is best for the dealers and her unwavering commitment to our dream of creating and being a great and independent software company are not lost to us when she retires - they are now part of our DNA.

Raylea, no one has done more to help us become what we are .................... Thank You

Photography Competition - May 2010 - 04/06/10
The results for May are in and the winner is ... Jared Rowe from WA.

Dealer Solutions is committed to the highest possible standard in automotive photography and has a monthly competition for our professional photographers across Australia.

Each month they are asked to submit a specific image in accordance with the Dealer Solutions standards. These images are then judged and marked by our National Training and Standards Manager along with our state Team Leaders.

Click here to view all the entries including the WINNER.

DAIS Operator of the Month - 31/05/10

Congratulations to Lynne Skinner of Moorooka Nissan, winner of the DAIS Operator of the month award for April 2010.

Lynne works hard at processing the regos at her dealership and her level of accuracy has been exceptional. Lynne only started processing transactions using our Dealerlogic program not long ago, and she has adapted to the program extremely well.

Well done Lynne, and keep up the good work!

The 8th Digital Dealer Convention Review - 11/05/10

Chris Vening and Tim Dlugosz are back from the conference in Orlando and you can find their session reviews in our blog.

The big question is "was the travelling and expense worth it?" and the answer is yes. You can read why in the review here.

Thanks to the dealers that travelled with us and provided us with a Dealer perspective on the sessions and the venue. We enjoyed your company and look forward to working with you on some of the things we learnt in Orlando.

Blog updates from the 8th Digital Dealer Conference - Stay home and stay informed
- 13/04/10

Chris Vening (CEO) and Tim Dlugosz (Online Marketing Manager) will be at the conference in Orlando and blogging their experiences, opinions, thoughts and relevant news.

You can stay up to date and comment on the Dealer Solutions Blog by clicking HERE. If you have special interest in any particular session in the AGENDA, please add a comment on the blog.

The Australian Franchisee Rights Petition - 12/03/10

We are pleased to offer you a way to consider supporting and then signing the The Australian Franchisee Rights Petition. The link is HERE.

This Petition is asking the Senate to support Franchisees having increased protection in their Franchise agreements.

The Petition Heading is: The Petition of the undersigned shows: A desire to amend and or introduce law to provide a higher and more assured level of protection to Australian franchisees and assure franchisees of reasonable dealing by a franchisor.

You may have seen the issued described by John Mellor in GoAuto recently and after reading that article is reasonable to form the opinion that every dealer, no matter how well established, how successful, how passionate about their brand could end up on the wrong end of a clause in a franchise agreement.

Townsville and Cairns Get A Visit - 01/03/10

Continuing our tradition of supporting our clients with face to face support and service, Clare (Client Service Liaison) and Meagan (Relationship Manager - QLD) were in North Qld last week visiting current clients and welcoming some new ones.

They have returned this week with many pictures of the trip to share.

In the coming weeks they are off to visit clients in Mackay, Rockhampton and Gladstone. Keep your eye on this space in the coming weeks to view the pictures of their trip.

Click here to view pictures from the trip.

Saleshighway Comes to Sydney - 09/02/10

Saleshighway is the new choice with Internet lead management and has been selected by The Dominelli Group and Vision Cars in Sydney to manage their internet results.

After extensive and long term development in partnership with two of Australia's most successful dealerships groups Saleshighway is now in limited release and available to selected dealerships across Australia.

Saleshighway delivers new levels of Lead management, reporting. accountability and flexibility and has been a instrumental in delivering savings of over 200K PA to one of our development partner dealerships.

Finally the Australian dealer marketplace has a real and independent choice in maximising the value of their internet leads.

Digital Dealer Conference - 01/02/10

Following the success of our Digital Footprint Tour, held last year, we are excited to announce our first Australian Study Tour to the Digital Dealer Conference (DDC) to be held in Orlando, Florida this April!

Now in its eighth year, the DDC will give you the latest methods to improve and maximise your internet strategies. A variety of speakers from both within and outside of the automotive industry will provide you with useful and thought provoking insights into the American Automotive internet space, as well as offering tools and strategies that are easily applied to the Australian market.

Click here to register or find out more information.

YouTube Hits Your Stock List! - 15/12/09

You now have the ability to incorporate YouTube videos within your Dealer Solutions Stock System.

This vital addition to your stock list will allow potential buyers to get a virtual tour of the vehicle before stepping into your dealership.

To get some assistance on uploading your YouTube videos to your stock list contact technical support on 07 3633 3601.

Click here to view a live example!

Digital Footprint Seminar - 07/12/09

During the middle two weeks of November Dealer Solutions along with guest speaker Chris Polites from Google Australia held a National Seminar to help dealers learn about their Digital Footprint.

The National tour included visits to Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne with a turnout of around 230 dealers from across Australia.

We offered Dealer Principals and General Managers the opportunity to meet with and learn from Chris Polites, Industry Manager - Automotive for Google Australia.

The seminar was a success with the response and feedback on the content being positive. Many topics were discussed throughout the seminar including the car buying process today and how important your online presence as an automotive dealership really is along with understanding the activity that happens on and off your website.

Thank you to Chris Polites for giving his time and knowledge and helping our dealers understand more about their Digital Footprint.

Tokyo Motor Show - 26/11/09

Thanks to David Hanlin of the Norris Motor Group for sharing his photos of the Tokyo Motor Show. Look how many cars have a power lead hanging out of them ...

Click here to view the images.

Q400 Business Awards - 16/11/09

The Q400 is Queensland's premier Business awards and has for many years been a benchmark that measured privately owned Queensland companies. The awards are for privately owned companies only and bring a degree of recognition that rewards effort and results.

The 1st step is to make it into the top 400 and then see what your position or ranking is in the short list of the 400.

We would like to congratulate some of our clients on their achievement in making it into the top 400.

Pickerings Auto Group (6)
Bryan Byrt Holdings (30)
Westpoint Autos (50)
Ross Llewellyn Motors (51)
Ian Boettcher Motors (59)
Bruce Lynton Group (74)
Tropical Auto Group (100)
Bell & Moir Toyota (211)
Filby's Motors (237)

Photography Competition - October 2009 - 01/11/09
The results for October are in and the winner is ... Stacey Bryan from QLD.

Dealer Solutions is committed to the highest possible standard in automotive photography and has a monthly competition for our professional photographers across Australia.

Each month they are asked to submit a specific image in accordance with the Dealer Solutions standards. These images are then judged and marked by our National Training and Standards Manager along with our state Team Leaders.

Click here to view all the entries including the WINNER.

1300 4 Dealers Gives You The Answers! - 05/10/09

Want the power to know why prospects and customers are calling?

Choose our new 1300 4 Dealers service and we'll provide you with unique 1300 phone numbers. By using different 1300 numbers in your print media and on your website, and then tracking what numbers are being called, you'll know what's working � and what's not.

Every aspect of the performance of your 1300 numbers will be managed and analysed. Calls will be tracked real time 24/7 with our on-line dashboard, so you'll see calls coming in as they happen. You'll see the numbers of calls answered and missed. You can arrange to record calls for training purposes and with detailed Google map reporting, you'll have specific reports on who's calling � and from where.

Townsville Gets A Visit - 21/09/09

This week our Support Ambassador and Queensland State Relationship Manager visited current clients in Townsville and welcomed some new clients.

With beautiful views and lovely weather it could have almost been a holiday however Clare Scott our Support Ambassador and Meagan Forbes our QLD SRM were hard at work.

Click here to view some pictures of the trip.

Sell Toyota - Look like Toyota - 07/09/09

Butlers Toyota is Toyota ready with their new Brand Compliant website.

Our thanks to Rob & Des Butler for choosing and trusting us to help with the revamp of www.butlerstoyota.com.au

Photography Competition - August 2009 - 31/08/09
The results for August are in and the winner is ... Krista Mollica our NSW Team Leader.

Dealer Solutions is committed to the highest possible standard in automotive photography and has a monthly competition for our professional photographers across Australia.

Each month they are asked to submit a specific image in accordance with the Dealer Solutions standards. These images are then judged and marked by our National Training and Standards Manager along with our state Team Leaders.

Click here to view all the entries including the WINNER.

Damian Jones Celebrates 10 YEARS with Dealer Solutions - 24/08/09

Damian Jones, General Manager - Director started with the company on the 23rd August 1999.

Ironically enough when Damian started 10 years ago he actually took the total staff count up to 10. Throughout the years of managing, the company has grown from 10 staff located in QLD to 73 staff nationally.

Prior to Dealer Solutions Damian worked as the General Manager (member services) at MTAQ for 12 years. Needless to say his extensive knowledge of the automotive industry has helped the company grow and expand.

Dealer Solutions visit the Leyburn Sprints - 17/08/09

Leyburn is an extremely small country town located 203 kilometres southwest of Brisbane and about 78 kilometres from Toowoomba. Every year this small town'-s population grows from a few hundred up to approximately 15,000 as motor enthusiast travel from far and wide to share their love of cars.

As part of the automotive industry we felt it was necessary that we attended this year (or at least that was our excuse).

You can view some of the classics on the start line at the Dealer Solutions YouTube site here.

Photography Competition - July 2009 - 10/08/09
The results for July are in and the winner is ... David Kippen from Dealer Solutions QLD office.

Dealer Solutions is committed to the highest possible standard in automotive photography and has a monthly competition for our professional photographers across Australia.

Each month they are asked to submit a specific image in accordance with the Dealer Solutions standards. These images are then judged and marked by our National Training and Standards Manager along with our State Team Leaders.

Click here to view all the entries including the WINNER.

HomeDrive - 27/07/09
When is a test drive not a test drive ... when it is a HomeDrive.

We are delighted to be helping HomeDrive with their website and web positioning. This innovative twist on one of our industries most essential sales tools has been really interesting to be involved in and work on.

To have a deliberate and independent strategy for a particular part of the sales process is bold and pre-release results show this investment is likely to work. Stay tuned.

Our Very Own Twins (unrelated) - 20/07/09

Two of our longest standing staff members celebrate their 8 year anniversary in the same week this month and now they are due to get married on the same weekend in September.

For most of you the names Angie and Bronwyn should ring a bell ... Angie and Bronwyn started with us within the same week in 2001 both working the support lines. They have now both progressed within the company and have taken on new roles, Bronwyn is the Assistant Support Coordinator and Angie has become our Accountant (aka The Pay Fairy).

Without planning or even knowing they have booked their wedding for a day apart, Bronwyn is due to marry her partner Paul on September 5, 2009 and Angie is all set to marry her partner Danny on September 6, 2009.

ICDPA - 13/07/09
This month at ICDPA (International Car Distribution Programme Australia) members wondered if they were indeed looking at the future of cars.

Better Place Australia showed us zero emission motoring and generated lively discussion particularly amongst those of us that grew up in the land of aussie V8s.

In line with the ICDPA strategy of providing members with research on the Australian market Nicole Winosky provided a presentation that compared the used-vehicle markets in Germany and Australia. The pervasiveness and use of the internet was a key in the presentation.

Dealer Solutions gets great value from its ICDPA membership. You can read more here.

Victor Colcott (Honda), Talal Yassine (Better Place Australia), and Chris Vening (Dealer Solutions).

Wally Pastuch (Mitsubishi), Nicole Winowsky, and Derek Stingfellow (Harley-Davidson).

Photography Competition - June 2009 - 06/07/09
The results for June are in and the winner is ... Jared Rowe our WA Team Leader

Dealer Solutions is committed to the highest possible standard in automotive photography and has a monthly competition for our professional photographers across Australia.

Each month they are asked to submit a specific image in accordance with the Dealer Solutions standards. These images are then judged and marked by our National Training and Standards Manager along with our State Team Leaders.

Click here to view all the entries including the WINNER.

Titan DMS and Dealer Solutions Announce Integration - 29/06/09
Dealer Management System provider Titan DMS is pleased to announce completion of the Level One integration with the Dealer Solutions product suite.

Managing director of Titan DMS, Matthew Kroll was cited as saying "Every day we see current or prospective customers relying on the specialised products from Dealer Solutions and it was obvious to us that they are the perfect complement to any modern Dealer System. We are genuinely excited about working together. At the end of the day, dealers will benefit." Dealer Solutions CEO Chris Vening agrees. "Open systems with approved integrators save dealerships time and money and are now the minimum standard. Dealers don't want to have their data held captive or not have the freedom to deal with specialist suppliers. Dealer Solutions is looking forward to helping Titan DMS dealers make the most of their data and information the way they want."

Welcome from across all parts of Queensland - 22/06/09
Thank you to all our dealers and their staff who show such a strong commitment to training and compliance when they come to the Dealer Solutions Training Centre in Brisbane. We always look forward to helping our dealers get the most out of their Dealer Solutions Software and service.

This week we would like to say thanks to Amanda (Pacific Ford Currimundi), Samantha (Southern Cross Ford Roma), Diane (Pickering’s Townsville), Amanda (Pickering’s Townsville), Lena (F.R. Irelands Cairns), Ashlee (Southern Cross Ford Dalby).

Photography Competition - May 2009 - 15/06/09
The results for May are in and the winner is ... Jun Lu NSW

Dealer Solutions is committed to the highest possible standard in automotive photography and has a monthly competition for our professional photographers across Australia.

Each month they are asked to submit a specific image in accordance with the Dealer Solutions standards. These images are then judged and marked by our National Training and Standards Manager along with our state Team Leaders.

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