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CRM for Auto Dealers Vendor Autobytel Names McGinley VP
 TMCnet Contributing Editor
Autobytel ( News - Alert), a vendor of automotive CRM and other Internet marketing services, reportedly has announced the appointment of automotive Internet veteran Lenny McGinley as vice president of dealer sales.
McGinley has played a role “in advancing Autobytel’s dealers relations over the years,” company officials say, “most recently serving as director of sales for the western region. In this position, McGinley worked side-by-side with dealers, coaching and training them on process implementation, CRM tutoring, and building customer relationships.”
“With a shaky economy and lagging auto sales, Lenny’s experience assisting dealers in improving their processes and increasing lead conversion is an asset to Autobytel,” said Mark Garms, Autobytel’s senior vice president dealer operations and strategy.
Autobytel’s customer referrals and lead notification programs will be a particular focus for McGinley’s team. Recent studies show that dealers are increasingly embracing lead notification programs. Autobytel’s is called “Rapid Response,” and it puts dealers on the phone with customers immediately following a purchase request submission.
McGinley joined Autoweb.com (acquired by Autobytel Inc. in 2001) in 1998. As national dealer trainer for Autoweb, McGinley ran Internet best practices seminars across the country just as consumer adoption of the automotive Internet was ramping up.
In 2003, he became sales director at Autobytel, among other tasks working with CRM tutoring.
Late last year, Autobytel announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2007. Revenue rose to $24.8 million from $23.7 million in the prior-year period and $24.3 million in the second quarter of 2007. The year-over-year increase in revenue was primarily the result of a 7 percent increase in lead fee revenue compared with the third quarter of last year, offset by a 4 percent decline in CRM services and other revenue.
Autobytel reported a loss from operations of $6.9 million for the 2007 third quarter, compared with a loss of $8.3 million in the third quarter of 2006 and a loss of $5.8 million in the 2007 second quarter. The year-over-year reduction in operating loss relates mostly to lower patent infringement litigation expenses and other professional fees.
Net loss in the third quarter of 2007 was $6.3 million, or $0.14 per share. This compares with a net loss of $7.9 million, or $0.19 per share, in the third quarter of 2006 and a net loss of $1.7 million, or $0.04 per share, in the second quarter of 2007.
David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David�s articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.
Edited by Michael Dinan
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