VinSolutions Company News

VinSolutions achieves record business sales, business partnerships, and growth milestones in 2009

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Automotive CRM and software provider, VinSolutions, achieves record growth with new business, major milestones, and expanded team.

Overland Park, KS, December 12, 2009 -- VinSolutions, Automotive CRM and software provider, announces a 112% increase in new business sales revenue over last year. VinSolutions has achieved this growth by offering a comprehensive automotive CRM, ILM and website solution.

VinSolutions’ CRM reaches beyond the traditional solution by integrating CRM services with award winning websites, search engine optimization services (SEO), internet lead and inventory management, credit applications, marketing solutions, appends services and innovative desking tools.

“We expect to see similar exponential growth rates as we have experienced for the last year for at least the next 36 months. We feel our best in class feature sets and no contract approach has changed the industry forever. With the help of our customers and consultants we see our current competitive advantages to increase. The dealers deserve and need the most advanced software they can get. VinSolutions is the most advanced and feature rich automotive software a dealer can buy.” Sean Stapleton, Executive Vice President of Sales.

Business Partnerships
While VinSolutions customer base grew at record rates in 2009, the company signed major integration agreements with leading industry partners, including DealerTrack Arkona DMS, DealerTrack , Inc., CARFAX, Galves, AIS Rebates, ADP, BlackBook, NADA, and DME a JM Family Enterprise. As well as becoming a certified partner or preferred provider of Honda, Acura, GM, Chrysler, Subaru, Volkswagen and Audi.

Growth Milestones and Expanded Reach
VinSolutions is supporting this growth by ramping up staff and expanding locations.

In addition to new sales leadership, the company has acquired the services of several industry leaders. Kendall Billman, Director of Interactive Marketing, is a leading expert in automotive website development, SEO and SEM internet marketing. Katherine Donovan, Director of Account Development has 15 years of experience in automotive with a focus on loyalty through direct marketing, data analytics and internal dealership processes.

In order to enhance the services provided, VinSolutions has improved its dealership touch points with new satellite locations. Opening a new location in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is scheduled to open a new office in Dallas, Texas first quarter of 2010.

Whether looking for a CRM, ILM, Website or full suite of services, VinSolutions will continue to provide dealerships with exceptional service and innovate solutions that shorten the distance between a dealer and their customer.

About VinSolutions (http://www.vinsolutions.com)- NADA Booth 2607:
An industry-leading developer of Internet-based desking, customer relations management (CRM) and Internet lead management (ILM) software, VinSolutions provides 24/7 dealership sales and marketing information to their clients anywhere Internet access is available. In addition to automotive CRM, ILM and Inventory control products, VinSolutions builds custom dealership Websites, uploads inventory photos, offers their clients quality training and consulting services, as well as valuable customer support. VinSolutions is Honda, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru and Audi certified and has working relationships, alliances and integrations with several automotive software service providers such as Kelley Blue Book, CarFax, AutoSoft, Inc., Autodata, RouteOne and DealerTrack

VinSolutions Certified as American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Approved Vendor

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 GMT

VinSolutions has become a Certified Honda Approved Vendor, providing seamless and secure electronic data systems to receive and report on lead activity to Honda and Acura dealers.

Overland Park, KS October 28, 2009 -- VinSolutions announced today they have completed an agreement with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. to become an approved vendor. VinSolutions CRM/ILM system will be providing an integrated Lead Management program that will have a secure connection for management of American Honda to fully integrate their customer leads quickly and efficiently.

“We made enhancements to our system to ensure we met or surpassed Honda’s approved vendor standards” said Doug Kinney, CEO of VinSolutions. “This collaborative effort between VinSolutions, Honda and their dealers will ensure rapid response times and better lead maximization proficiency.”

With becoming an approved vendor for American Honda we are delivering to the dealers who choose VinSolutions as their CRM/ILM provider, the ability to maximize lead proficiency by receiving high-quality leads from the factory in real time, facilitating rapid response times. Using the integration capabilities between inventory, ILM and CRM systems available through VinSolutions, a dealership’s sales staff will be able to send e-mails, vehicle brochures, set appointments and schedule customer follow-up activities with ease.

About VinSolutions (http://www.vinsolutions.com)
An industry-leading developer of Internet-based desking, customer relations management (CRM) and Internet lead management (ILM) software, VinSolutions provides 24/7 dealership sales and marketing information to their clients anywhere Internet access is available. In addition to automotive CRM, ILM and Inventory control products, VinSolutions builds custom dealership Websites, uploads inventory photos, offers their clients quality training and consulting services, as well as valuable customer support. VinSolutions is Honda, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru and Audi certified and has working relationships, alliances and integrations with several automotive software service providers such as Kelley Blue Book, CarFax, AutoSoft, Inc., Autodata, RouteOne and DealerTrack.

VinSolutions Appoints Sean Stapleton Executive Vice President of Business and Sales Development

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:00:00 GMT

Sean Stapleton joins the VinSolutions team as Executive Vice President of Business and Sales. Mr. Stapleton will focus his expertise on acquiring national accounts, working with OEMs and VinSolutions’ strategic partners. In the past Stapleton worked as Vice President of National Accounts and Vice President of Automotive Sales for Who’s Calling, and was co-founder of Visible Customer.

Overland Park, KS (Vocus/PRWEB ) August 18, 2009 -- VinSolutions today announced Sean Stapleton’s appointment as Executive Vice President of Business Development and Sales. Chief among Stapleton’s responsibilities are the creation and enrichment of relationships between VinSolutions and large consolidated auto dealer groups, OEMs and strategic partners. Current customers and strategic partners can expect accelerated distribution of new VinSolution services as a direct result of Stapleton’s efforts.

Based in Minnesota, Stapleton expands VinSolutions’ client services by working hand-in-hand with dealers and their customers to bring true customized solutions. He reports directly to Vin Solutions’ CEO, Doug Kinney. “Sean brings a wealth of knowledge and over 10 years of automotive industry experience to his new position. He is one of the best sales executives I have ever seen, and I’m excited to have him join our team,” Kinney said.

Stapleton entered the automotive software industry by co-founding IMS, which was later acquired by Who’s Calling. He worked as Vice President of National Accounts and as Vice President of Automotive Sales for Who’s Calling, where he defined market expectations for the emerging Call Measurement and Monitoring industry. He later co-founded and established Visible Customer as an automotive market brand.
Stapleton stated, “The need in the automotive industry has never been greater for solutions that dramatically reduce marketing costs and improve customer response. VinSolutions is extremely well positioned to help dealers overcome these unique challenges; it’s a virtual dealership in a box. I’m thrilled to be part of the VinSolutions team and carry this message to the marketplace.”

Stapleton is a key component in executing the next step in VinSolutions’ evolution: making the industry aware of its successes and new solutions. According to Mike Dullea, VinSolutions’ CSO, “Sean is the perfect person to spread the word. There is no other company that can compare feature to feature and beat VinSolutions. Our customized desking tool is in one of the most elite and successful Lexus stores in the nation. Fifteen of the top 50 performing Ford dealers use our system for their CRM, ILM, desking, and inventory needs, and our products are about a third the cost of our competitors’ product lines.” Dullea went on to say, “When Sean shows our customers the incremental money and results our products provide, it will be obvious why VinSolutions doesn’t need contracts to keep our business relationships strong."

ABOUT VINSOLUTIONS (www.vinsolutions.com)
An industry-leading developer of Internet-based desking, automotive CRM and Internet lead management (ILM) software, VinSolutions provides 24/7 dealership sales and marketing information to their clients anywhere Internet access is available. In addition to CRM, ILM and Inventory control products, VinSolutions builds custom dealership Web sites, uploads inventory photos, offers their clients quality training and consulting services, as well as valuable customer support. VinSolutions is a Microsoft partner, is GM, Chrysler, Subaru and Audi certified and has working relationships, alliances and integrations with several automotive software service providers such as Kelley Blue Book, CARFAX, AutoSoft, Inc., Autodata, RouteOne and DealerTrack.

VinSolutions Releases Advanced Desking Module

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:00:00 GMT

VinSolutions’ Advanced Desking module eliminates the need for opening multiple applications in order to work a car deal. In addition to single screen access the enhanced desking system allows sales managers to create and save multiple sales scenarios for each of their customers; to switch easily between lease and purchase deals; and to have the complete history of every deal available at the click of their mouse.

Overland Park, KS, July 2, 2009 – VinSolutions today released their Advanced Desking module. Developers began working on the new system late last year and included several of the elements dealership sales managers requested.

“Before we began work on our Advanced Desking module, we listened to what sales managers had to say,” said Jeff Wolfer, Advanced Desking software developer.” “They wanted a single location that provides multiple deal scenarios for each of their customers without having to open several applications using separate log-ins. With VinSolutions’ Advanced Desking module we gave them exactly what they asked for and then some.”

Another valuable feature is the ability to roll payments and amounts financed. The desking program easily breaks down each element within a specific car deal, thereby allowing managers to work with customers to reach their desired payment. Dealers can use the system’s ability to delineate individual accessories and fees to better evaluate their front and back end grosses.

Inventory and customer information is current due to the system’s real-time DMS pushing capability. Having current and reliable inventory information increases the value of Advanced Desking’s bookout feature. The ability to identify vehicles in inventory that offer the most profit potential is a valuable tool for sales managers. “Our Advanced Desking module can make a difference to a dealership’s bottom line,” said Doug Kinney, VinSolutions’ CEO. “Today’s economic challenges dictate that we design tools that help dealers make and keep as much money as they can. We’re confident the enhancements we’ve added to our desking system bring those tools to the table.”

The Advanced Desking module allows sales managers to run OFAC checks in compliance with the Office of Homeland Security, as well as running multiple credit reports. Appropriate customer-specific city, county and state tax information can be automatically calculated into car deals with ease.

Tabs across the bottom of the screen enable sales managers to see who is in the dealership’s showroom, view a list of completed deals, search for customers, show uncompleted tasks, view upcoming appointments and see the desk log.

Other time-saving features include direct links to AIS for factoring incentives into car deals, one click access to vehicle and trade-in valuations, and the ability to access reports from Kelly Blue Book, CARFAX, AutoCheck, as well as our many other integrated partners.

Future enhancements to the Advanced Desking module include the ability to work irregular payment deals, roll lease payments and improve screen aesthetics.

About VinSolutions (www.vinsolutions.com)

An industry-leading developer of Internet-based desking, automotive CRM and Internet lead management (ILM) software, VinSolutions provides 24/7 dealership sales and marketing information to their clients anywhere Internet access is available. In addition to CRM, ILM and Inventory control products, VinSolutions builds custom dealership Web sites, uploads inventory photos, offers their clients quality training and consulting services, as well as valuable customer support. VinSolutions is a Microsoft partner, is GM, Chrysler, Subaru and Audi certified and has working relationships, alliances and integrations with several automotive software service providers such as Kelley Blue Book, CARFAX, AutoSoft, Inc., Autodata, RouteOne and DealerTrack.

VinSolutions and Dealer Track’s Arkona DMS Integrate

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:00:00 GMT

VinSolutions integrates with DealerTrack’s OpenTrack, a program providing seamless, secure connection to the DealerTrack Arkona dealer management system (DMS). The integration interfaces with customer, vehicle, F&I, general ledger, service and parts data, providing a secure, bi-directional connection between our mutual dealer clients and the DealerTrack DMS.

Overland Park, KS, June 11, 2009 – VinSolutions announced today they have completed their integration with DealerTrack’s Arkona DMS. Providing a seamless, secure connection for their mutual dealer customers enhances efficiency and productivity. “We are constantly looking for ways to supplement our offerings and make our clients’ lives easier,” said Doug Kinney, CEO of VinSolutions. “Allowing us to provide our mutual clients with secure, bi-directional access to their data sets in a cost-effective open platform does both.”

The OpenTrack program allows for secure data encryption and either batch or real-time data processing, and interfaces with customer, vehicle, F&I, general ledger, service and parts data. “With OpenTrack we are truly delivering on our promise to the marketplace that the DealerTrack DMS will be an open and cost-effective platform,” said Raj Sundaram, senior vice president of the Solutions and Services Group at DealerTrack. “This is a win-win for all parties.”

Dealers using DealerTrack’s DMS can access this feature by clicking on the “Push to DMS” button in VinSolutions’ desking module.

About VinSolutions (http://www.vinsolutions.com)

An industry-leading developer of Internet-based desking, customer relations management (CRM) and Internet lead management (ILM) software, VinSolutions provides 24/7 dealership sales and marketing information to their clients anywhere Internet access is available. In addition to CRM, ILM and Inventory control products, VinSolutions builds custom dealership Web sites, uploads inventory photos, offers their clients quality training and consulting services, as well as valuable customer support. VinSolutions is GM, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru and Audi certified and has working relationships, alliances and integrations with several automotive software service providers such as Kelley Blue Book, CarFax, AutoSoft, Inc., Autodata, RouteOne and DealerTrack.

About DealerTrack

DealerTrack’s high-value software solutions for the automotive retail industry enhance efficiency and profitability across every department in a dealership. DealerTrack’s Dealer Management System (DMS) delivers flexible and cost-efficient functionality to manage dealership data and operations. Its Inventory Management, Sales and F&I, and Compliance solutions help optimize dealership inventory, increase sales and protect against legal risks. DealerTrack operates a leading online automotive credit application network, which includes approximately 19,000 dealers and over 730 financing sources. For more information visit www.dealertrack.com.

VinSolutions and R. L. Polk & Co. Integrate to Offer Customers Easy Access to Polk Cross Sell™ Reports

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:00:00 GMT

With a simple push of a button, VinSolutions’ customers, who subscribe to the service, can access R. L. Polk & Co.’s monthly Polk Cross Sell™ reports directly from their VinSolutions system. VinSolutions offers two levels of participation. Customers may opt to receive both new and used vehicle reports, or select only new or only used reports.
Overland Park, KS, June 9, 2009 – VinSolutions announced their integration with R.L. Polk & Co.’s Polk Cross Sell™ today. Subscribing customers desiring access to the Polk Cross Sell™ report can simply push a button on their system and view it. Available at two levels of participation, VinSolutions’ customers may opt to receive both new and used vehicle reports, or choose between new or used reports.

The Polk Cross Sell™ report is delivered each month and summarizes what dealers need to know so they can more quickly identify and seize sales opportunities. Built from multiple sources including vehicle population and statistical data from all 50 states, Polk Cross Sell™ reports offer dealers a clearer view of the marketplace and their place in it.

“The Polk Cross Sell™ is a vital tool for dealers, and accessing it directly through our software makes managers’ lives a lot easier,” said Doug Kinney, VinSolutions’ CEO. “We are constantly looking for value added products to offer our customers, and we are very pleased to add the Polk Cross Sell™ reports to our offerings.”

R. L. Polk & Co.’s core purpose of helping people make good decisions is evident in the quality and reliability of their products. “We are excited to work with VinSolutions to help automobile dealers sell more vehicles,” said Andrew Price, Polk’s vice president of Automotive Retail Solutions. “The Internet has proven to be an important sales tool, and our relationship with VinSolutions will help dealers be even more productive and efficient with their use of technology.”

Using Polk Cross Sell™ reports enable dealers to manage from solid data. Being able to better plan their inventory levels and take advantage of market conditions, pinpointing areas where their sales are strong and identifying areas in need of focused attention are reason enough to make Polk Cross Sell™ reports a part of a dealer’s daily management regime.

ABOUT VINSOLUTIONS (http://www.vinsolutions.com)
An industry-leading developer of Internet-based desking, customer relations management (CRM) and Internet lead management (ILM) software, VinSolutions provides 24/7 dealership sales and
marketing information to their clients anywhere Internet access is available. In addition to CRM, ILM and Inventory control products, VinSolutions builds custom dealership Web sites, uploads inventory photos, offers their clients quality training and consulting services, as well as valuable customer support. VinSolutions is GM, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru and Audi certified and has working relationships, alliances and integrations with several automotive software service providers such as R. L. Polk & Co., Kelley Blue Book, CarFax, AutoSoft, Inc., Autodata, RouteOne and DealerTrack.

ABOUT R. L. POLK & CO.
R. L. Polk & Co. is the premier provider of automotive information and marketing solutions. Polk collects and interprets global data, and provides extensive automotive business expertise to help customers understand their market position, identify trends, build brand loyalty, conquest new business and gain a competitive advantage. Polk helps automotive manufacturers and dealers, automotive aftermarket companies, finance and insurance companies, advertising agencies, media companies, consulting organizations, government agencies and market research firms make good business decisions. A privately held global firm, Polk is based in Southfield, Mich. with operations in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

VinSolutions Announces Black Book USA Integration

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:00:00 GMT

The integration between VinSolutions and Black Book USA provides dealers with an easy link for access to independent, accurate vehicle valuation in real time.
Overland Park, KS, March 12, 2009 – VinSolutions, a leading provider of Web-based automotive software, announced today it has completed integration with Black Book. As a result, VinSolutions’ clientele now have point-and-click access to data supplied by Black Book’s expanded and redesigned data syndication solution. Subscribing dealers can access the data from VinSolutions’ MotoSnap CRM or from their inventory management module.

Incorporating 54 years of trusted Black Book data into their software application, VinSolutions confidently supplies their clients with reliable used car information derived through real world experience. Every week members of Black Book’s team attend over 50 wholesale automotive auctions nationwide, enabling them to provide the very latest and most accurate vehicle valuation. Purchasing managers know used car values starting the moment a vehicle is released, eliminating new model guesswork. Subscribing users can click on the Black Book Valuation box from their MotoSnap CRM, or on the Black Book Lookup box in their inventory management system for immediate and accurate vehicle valuation information.

“The direct link to reliable data Black Book provides our clients is real time information. This quick access to wholesale values and up-to-the-minute market trends gives our subscribing dealers an edge,” said Doug Kinney, VinSolutions’ CEO. “We’re pleased we are able to incorporate this powerful tool into our product lineup.”

About VinSolutions (http://www.vinsolutions.com):
An industry-leading developer of Internet-based desking, customer relations management (CRM) and Internet lead management (ILM) software, VinSolutions provides 24/7 dealership sales and marketing information to their clients anywhere Internet access is available. In addition to CRM, ILM and inventory management products, VinSolutions builds custom dealership Web sites, uploads inventory photos, offers their clients quality training and consulting services, as well as valuable customer support. VinSolutions is GM, Ford, Chrysler, Audi and Subaru certified and has working relationships, alliances and integrations with several automotive software service providers such as Black Book, CarFax, Kelley Blue Book, AutoSoft, Inc., Autodata, RouteOne and DealerTrack.

About Black Book
Best known in the automotive industry for providing timely, independent, and accurate vehicle pricing data, the Black Book® family of vehicle appraisal guides is published by National Auto Research, a division of Hearst Business Media. New and used car dealers, lenders, manufacturers, fleet remarketers, and government agencies have relied on Black Book since 1955. Black Book provides values for both new and used vehicles, including cars and light trucks produced since 1946, motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, personal watercraft, and heavy duty commercial trucks and trailers. Black Book data is published daily in multiple electronic formats including data feeds, Internet-based applications, hand held PDAs, Web enabled cell phones, Pocket PCs, BlackBerry and Palm devices, SmartPhones, Micro Browsers, online trade appraisal services, and in a variety of other custom products. Printed versions are also available on a weekly basis.

VinSolutions More Than Doubles Its Office Size

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:50:00 GMT

VinSolutions more than doubled its office size by moving to a larger facility.
VinSolutions (http://www.vinsolutions.com/) more than doubled its office size today by moving to a larger facility. The increase in available floor space allows for better work flow, organization and efficiency, as well as providing room for continuous expansion. In addition to augmenting employee work space the new location also houses a classroom capable of accommodating large in-house software user training sessions, a business segment VinSolutions plans to develop more extensively.

“Now that we’ve got plenty of room, we plan to expand our sales department,” said Mike Dullea, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer. “Our products are exactly what dealers need right now to help them weather this economic storm, and we intend to get more people spreading our No Contracts Necessary software solutions message to dealers nationwide.”

VinSolutions’ business has been steadily growing because of the challenging current national economic trends. Dealers have come to recognize the invaluable role CRM (http://www.vinsolutions.com/crm.aspx), ILM (http://www.vinsolutions.com/ilm.aspx), inventory management (http://www.vinsolutions.com/inventoryoverview.aspx) software and Web site development (http://www.vinsolutions.com/DealerSites.aspx) plays in effective management and maximization of bottom-line profits. However, prior to this severe economic downturn dealers were not always willing to change software providers regardless of product superiority and lower prices.

“In the past dealers were hesitant to change service providers because of the culture change it would require in their dealerships, but in today’s economy the 60 to 75 percent savings they may receive from switching to VinSolutions’ products is worth the hassle of the change, ” states Doug Kinney, VinSolutions’ CEO. “When you add the money our DIY (http://www.vinsolutions.com/vincamera.aspx) products save dealers in addition to the overall savings, it comes as no surprise that fiscally conscious dealers are switching over to VinSolutions.” The company is continuing to market, sell and service its products vigorously. “Our goal is to become a world class company, and this move brings us one step closer,” Kinney said.

About Vinsolutions (www.vinsolutions.com)

An industry-leading developer of Internet-based desking, customer relations management (CRM) and Internet lead management (ILM) software, VinSolutions provides 24/7 dealership sales and marketing information to their clients anywhere Internet access is available. In addition to CRM, ILM and Inventory control products, VinSolutions builds custom dealership Web sites, uploads inventory photos, offers their clients quality training and consulting services, as well as valuable customer support. VinSolutions is GM, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru and Audi certified and has working relationships, alliances and integrations with several automotive software service providers such as Kelley Blue Book, CarFax, AutoSoft, Inc., Autodata, RouteOne and DealerTrack.

VinSolutions was reviewed on today's "Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising"

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:33:00 GMT

VinSolutions was reviewed on today's "Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising" featured on blog talk radio station - WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time - posted on www.AdagencyOnline.Net.

If you are interested, take a few minutes and listen to the interview with Doug Kinney and Matt Watson from VinSolutions.

Philip Zelinger interviewed Matt Watson, CTO, and Douglas Kinney, CEO of VinSolutions discussing best practices and their comprehensive ILM and CRM platforms.

Click on the player or the link below to listen to the “Lunch With Phil Discussing Automotive Advertising” show - Review Of VinSolutions

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/adagencyonline/2009/02/02/Lunch-With-Phil-Discussing-Automotive-Advertising-Review-Of-VinSolutions

VinSolutions releases beta version of new desking system

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:00:00 GMT

VinSolutions releases beta version of new desking system

Today, VinSolutions released the beta version of our newly developed Silverlight 2-based desking system. It contains all of the features of the current system, as well as many upgrades and time-saving options. VinSolutions current desking system will remain fully functional throughout the beta period; however, dealers who want to opt in for the Silverlight 2 desking beta version can start using it now. Interested dealers should click on the “Try New Desking Beta” button at the top of their desking screen.