2007-03 March (NADA Issue)

Also In This Issue! A Message from MMG President Gerry Oakes Page 2 Our Supporting Vendors Page 24-25 Dealer Tire Page 26-27 Reynolds & Reynolds Page 28 Hanel Storage Systems Page 29 OEConnection Page 30-31 Snap-On Business Solutions Page 32-33 Interstate Batteries Page 34-35 ADP Page 36-39 Tom Peter’s Favorite Quotes Page 40 15th Annual Drag Racer’s Night Page 41 TidBits Page 42 Accolades for Centerline Employee Page 43 Newsletter Team Shows “Deadlines Amuse” Page 43 Guild Motto Page 46 2007 MMG Executive Committee Page 46

March 2007 LEADERS IN THE SALE OF QUALITY PARTS

Mopar Masters Guild Meets in Las Vegas for

NADA 2007 More than 40 Parts Managers share ideas and information

Pages 3-23

MAGAZINE

Mopar Masters Magazine Page 2

What a great turnout of members at our annual MMG meeting in Las Vegas. Forty three strong and every one of them were enthusiastic and ready to share ideas with their fellow members. And, there was plenty to discuss with the many changes and issues that face us as managers on a daily basis. I want to thank all who attended and participated. It is because of your dedication that makes the Mo-par Masters Guild the quality organization it has become. The meetings and time we all enjoyed at NADA would not be possible without the support of the fin-est group of vendors ever assembled. As the MMG is the best of the best in Mopar parts sales, these vendors are the best in their respective fields as well. Thank you for your support and the time you spent with us at NADA. We all look forward to a continued relationship as we progress through 2007 and beyond. We also enjoyed the company of Chris Cortez, Vice-president of Parts and Service, during our Satur-day events. Mopar executives and marketing managers have always been accessible to the dealer body and Chris is no exception. I have spoken to many managers from other franchises’ who are amazed at the open relationship we enjoy with Mopar. This speaks volumes of the quality people there and I thank Chirs for continuing in that tradition. 2007 has and continues to bring new challenges for all of us. Together we can all work through those challenges. Many times a phone call or email to a fellow member has solved an issue that I am strug-gling to understand. Or, they have helped me change a marketing strategy based upon their experi-ence in a similar market. That is what our guild is about. Your participation is the only requirement to reap the benefits. Take Care and have a great 2007!

Gerry

Mopar Masters Guild President Gerry Oakes

Baxter Chrysler


Mopar Masters Guild Meets in Las Mopar Masters Guild Meets in Las Mopar Masters Guild Meets in Las Vegas at NADA 2007Vegas at NADA 2007Vegas at NADA 2007

15th Annual Gathering of “The Best of The Best” As we have talked about many, many times during the existence of the Mopar Masters Guild, any information that is obtained via the newsletter will not offer a complete and concise pic-ture of what went on at our meetings. We stress the importance of attending these meetings and invite everyone who meets the Mopar Masters Club criteria to join the Mopar Masters Guild, attend these meetings and enjoy the wealth of knowledge and information that is pre-sented. Our coverage of Vendor presentations, Mopar Executives’ presentations and Super Performance Group meetings will only lightly touch upon what was presented.

Friday 2/2/07 Las Vegas was the place to be February1 – 6, 2007. If you’re thinking that was due to the Colts vs. the Bears on Super Bowl Sunday you were wrong! The Mopar Masters Guild met for their 15th Annual Meeting at Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel. The Executive Committee met on Thursday evening for dinner at the Paris Hotel (which adjoins Bally’s) and enjoyed a very nice dinner while putting the final touches on the agenda. Mopar Masters Guild President Gerry Oakes got things going early on Friday morning in what was sure to be a very interesting few days discussing guild business, presentations by Supporting Vendors and meeting with Mopar. Certainly the new Dealer Rewards was on the top of every manager’s list and everyone would surely have his or her opin-ion to offer. Gerry proceeded to take roll call having at-tendees introduce and share a little about themselves. There were many long time members who were joined by several new members who were about to see first hand what the Mopar Masters Guild motto was all about. All in all there were 43 members in attendance.

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Quite a turnout! Once everyone introduced themselves, Gerry welcomed everyone and stressed the interactions that he personally has had with many of the managers in the room which in turn has helped him be successful in the parts business. Oakes then recognized Don Cushing from Bald Hill Dodge Chrysler and Dan Murphy from Earnhardt Chrysler Jeep for their hard work and efforts in producing a quality informational publication for all members. Going on into new business Gerry first brought up the biggest change which was Dealer Re-wards then listing the events that would follow and giving everyone the agenda for the next sev-eral days. NADA 2007 Planning Chairman Rick Monteiro took the floor and gave us an up-to-the-minute report on the guidelines and event times. Planning an event of this magnitude is no small task and Gerry thanked Rick on behalf of himself and the guild for the hard work and sacrifice that Rick put forth to make sure that everything would go as planned. Secretary Mike Gerber then presented the minutes from our 2006 Annual Meetings to all in at-tendance. The minutes were presented and then a motion was made to accept and approved. Treasurer Brent Hoge gave us and in depth report on the financial well being of the guild. Brent thanked Mike Gerber for the work that was done updating the member database. The Financial Report was then motioned for acceptance, seconded and approved. Gerry went on to stress the importance of our Supporting Vendors not only for their financial support but also for the valuable products and services that they offer to the Mopar Masters Guild. Our Supporting Vendors should be the very first ones that we turn to when in need for what they have to offer. All members were then reminded to make sure that their guild dues were up to date. Invoices will be mailed to all soon. Vendor Committee reports were then presented. Mike Gerber gave us an update on the Mopar Masters Guild website. The Member Contact pages as well as the Event Calendar page need to be updated and maintained. With guild business updated Gerry then turned to the topic that would be the focus of the guild meetings – Dealer Rewards. Due to the unfortunate cancellation of our first Vendor Presenta-tion we used the time for preliminary discussion for Dealer Rewards. We then took a short break so that members could join their wives and friends at the guild’s Spouse’s Breakfast being held in the next room. This is always a fun get-together that is held on our very first morning. Wives and guests get to see each other and catch up on what’s been happening over the past year. Many of the wives stay in touch throughout the year and this breakfast allows them to

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share stories and photos and make plans for short sightseeing trips or just to relax by the pool while we are busy in our meetings. Getting back to business, our first Vendor presentation was from a long standing Sup-porting Vendor, ADP. Gerry mentioned how accessible ADP has been in taking members’ calls and how ADP welcomes our input. Randy Emerick, Director, ADP Manufacturer Solutions & Consulting, took to the floor and introduced his fel-low presenters: Bob Murray and Larry Cochran. Randy mentioned that ADP is al-most ready to go with ARO. ADP has five dealers in pilot with 20 more to go in Advanced Field Test by mid to end of February with full launch of the application hopefully by the early part of April 2007. Among other subjects discussed were: Updates to the Star Parts Interface Visual Contracts with DCX Financial Digitized Forms for F&I Applications Warranty Claims Interface And much more! Randy then fielded questions from attendees. Larry Cochran then introduced ADP’s Digital Marketing products. Larry talked of ADP’s successful Customer Touch and many new packages that have been added to this already great product. It’s very apparent that ADP is never one to rest on its laurels. Bob Murray, then discussed personnel solutions. He announced that ADP is partnering with Delta Trend and providing “people fit” solutions in the recruitment and hiring process. ADP users – Watch for these packages and products! Our next presentation was from Corporate Billing Inc. CBI is in their 7th year as a Supporting Vendor of the guild. Jeff Leavitt and Leif Founds presented a more in-depth look in what Cor-porate Billing Inc. has to offer. Jeff announced the new Mopar Masters Guild members who have recently signed up as customers and acknowledged current customers. CBI certainly re-




moves many of the head-aches of managing your own in-house accounts receiv-ables department. Leif took us all through the proce-dures that CBI goes through to make sure every customer receives the same amount of care and concern. CBI is a very user-friendly vendor who can adapt to each cus-tomer’s way of handling ac-counts so that the implemen-tation is seamless and deal-ers’ customers never miss a beat as far as customer ser-vice. Great product…great service! (We did miss seeing Heath Holdbrooks at this year’s meet-ings and the Mopar Masters Guild would like to say “How ya doin?” to our good friend from CBI) Our next presentation was from one of the Mopar Masters Guild’s newest Supporting Vendors, Full Circle Solu-tions. Jim Gaudette, Vice-president, Glenn Franks, Director of Programs and Tracy Stamper, DCX Liaison gave us a look at what FCS has to of-fer. Full Circle Solutions is a database marketing company, which uses its expertise to get sales leads whether it is your sales, service or parts depart-ment. There were testimonials from parts managers, (many that were in attendance) who use Full Circle Solu-tions and they were all extremely positive. Glenn Franks took to the floor and offered us more details about FCS from the parts industry side. Glenn presented to us how FCS breaks down different areas such as repair shops, body shops. National Installers, transmission shops, etc. and how to help manage the flow of contacts, information and how they generate leads to these customers. This process allows you to run your business and be able to concentrate on “hot




leads” rather than wasting time tracking down non-productive customers. Glenn explained that many of Full Circle Solutions programs have evolved from dealership’s personnel input. If anyone is looking to increase their business (and who isn’t?) full Circle Solutions could be the solution for you! Logon to their website http://fullcirclesolutions.com or call 314-333-5068.

Next up, another long time Supporting Vendor of the guild, Reynolds & Rey-nolds that has been involved with us since the beginning years. Kelly Hor-ton, Marketing Specialist gave us an update on the changes within Rey-nolds since the merger with UCS. Kelly assured everyone that R&R is still the same as always. R&R users will have more choices of product. Kelly and Jason Sideris, Director, Fixed Operations Service Price Guide, fielded questions on the merger then proceeded to discuss current products

and their updates. Kelly provided great information on Mobile Service Advisor, telling us that R&R is re-branding it to Service Sales Kit. Dealership service advisors that have been using this tool average over 16% more parts sales per repair order. Quite an increase! Service Sales Kit offers the ability to sell more menus with information procured from Service Price Guides. SSK is customizable to your needs. There are many, many more features. Contact your R&R representative for more info. On the parts side Kelly presented Parts Barcoding Inventory Man-agement that was released in October 2006. Save time, save money and increase accuracy are the major points associated with this very important parts tool. There are 27 management re-ports available through this tool to assist in managing your parts department. Both the Service Sales Kit and the Parts Barcoding Inventory Management tools would be available for demon-stration at Reynolds & Reynolds Convention Booth. Kelly and Jason then gave us an update on ARO. Reynolds plans on going to pilot in April with a full release in May. Mopar will be sending dealers enrollment forms in April. Once enrolled dealers can expect to be up and run-ning with ARO within 4-6 weeks. Some new items on the horizon with Reynolds & Reynolds are enhancements to Special Order Parts and Service Price Guide.




Continuing on with our presenta-tions we welcomed OEConnec-tion, another of our long time Supporting Vendors. Jim Rose, Vice-President of Sales thanked the guild for our time and then proceeded to give us an update on the current status of OEConnec-tion. Jim tells us that OEC is very excited that Collisionlink will now be a sponsored product of DaimlerChrysler. OEC was announcing Repairlink at NADA 2007 (see below) with more new products on the horizon. Jim then introduced Mark Tomasetti, Vice-President Emerging Products & Markets. Mark gave us a closer look at Collisionlink, which, in 2006, grew the dealer participation to over 100 (129 DCX dealers) and grew transactions over 400%. Mark tells us that one of OEC’s goals in 2007 is to double the amount of participating DCX dealers. He went on to discuss the marketing support that OEC provides to all of its customers. OEConnection creates and sends emails to dealership customers. OEC also offers the Collision Shop Loyalty Program, which is a program that pays up to $50 to individuals at collision shops for using Collisionlink. Mark then introduced us to Repairlink, OEConnection’s newest product offering. Repairlink is an on-line mechanical parts order fulfillment for fleet and repair shop/installer customers. IT is a web based application, closed and private, which allows us as dealers to choose and decide which customers we want to allow in for use. Looks like another winner from OEConnection! Ted Fellowes,Vice Presi-dent Supply Chain Solutions, then gave us a briefing on Supply Chain Solutions that OEC also announced this year at NADA. This is an all-makes idle parts solution. Hopefully members were able to get to the OEConnection booth at NADA to check out these new products. Visit http://oeconnection.com for more information.




Wrapping up day one was another of our newest Supporting Vendors, Noble Logistics. Ed Tonkon, CEO and Tim Yager, Vice-President gave us a look into their product. Noble Logistics is involved in the transportation logistics business and is the largest provider of out-source transportation logistic ser-vices for the automotive wholesale parts industry in the United States. They are in 33 markets covering 20 states with over 1500 drivers. They offer next day service to over 25,000 end user shops and deliver

packages that common carriers won’t due to size and weight limitations. According to Ed, No-ble Logistics has a new ownership structure that is well capitalized for growth and expansion of services. They will be expanding their operations soon to areas that they are not currently oper-ating in. Tim then gave us more information on Noble Logistics including:

Distribution Networks (co-ops) Dedicated Local Delivery Dealer Pick-up Service COD Collection and Reconciliation Returns from End-User Customers

Noble Logistics is completely web based and benefits include the ability to: Generate shipping labels Request returns and the system generates a return label View status of returns, COD’s and claims Review current & previous invoices Easy-to-use Sales Analysis Reports Future expansion for the use of scanning Equipment and Signature Capture

Tim then walked us through the different process screens on their website. For more informa-tion on Noble Logistics log on to their website http://noblelogistics.com or call 713-690-0200. A motion was then made to adjourn the meeting, the motion was seconded and Day 1 of the Mopar Masters Guild’s 2007 meeting was ended. Attendees then had a bit of time to relax and freshen up and prepare for the guild’s Cocktail Reception.




Our Cocktail Reception is one of our biggest and probably our most important get-together at our annual meetings. Not only does it give members and their spouses and guests a chance to mingle and “catch up” on what’s been going on over the past year but it also allows members to interact with Mopar executives and our Supporting Vendors. It is time well used. This year was no exception.







Saturday 2/3/07 President Gerry Oakes called the second day of our meeting to order bright and early at 7:30. Gerry discussed various committees and appointees with members. New committee members as well as the Executive Board members can be found on the back page of this issue. Discus-sion then went into SSO, ARO and Dealer Rewards. Oakes then introduced an-other of our newest Support-ing Vendors, Interstate Bat-teries. Rex Watkins, Sr. Na-tional Account Mgr. thanked the guild for the opportunity to be part of the Mopar Mas-ters Guild and for the hospi-tality shown to Interstate Batteries at the Cocktail Re-ception the previous night. Rex introduced the people joining him for the presenta-tion: Dennis Brown, VP Marketing & E-Commerce, Rick Swan, Manager, Na-tional Accounts from Johnson Controls (who is a partner of Interstate Batteries and Rick is their liaison) and Chanelle Hill, Sr. Marketing Channel Mgr & Promotions Mgr. Mr. Brown gave us a presentation on Interstate Battery System of America (IBSA). Brown explained business phi-losophies and marketing strategies. IBSA was founded in 1951 in Dallas, TX. Brown went on to tell us that 1992 was their first sales call to Mopar and in 2006 IBSA became business part-ners. He went on to tell us of IBSA’s partnership with Johnson Controls who they have been partners with since 1960. Johnson Controls is the world’s leading manufacturer of batteries and an OEM supplier to 55% of the OE market including DCX, Volkswagen, Audi, Jaguar, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi and GM. Brown told us of IBSA’s excellence in product and their award winning customer service distribution. IBSA has seamlessly moved into our ordering process. Inventory is on hand, fully charged and ready to install. IBSA offers a 90-day rotation policy. They are involved in marketing management to help increase battery sales including preventative maintenance on the dealer level. The Mopar Masters Guild looks forward to a long continued relationship with Interstate Batteries.




Next up to present was Pro-Quest, now known as Snap-on Business Solutions. Long time friends and sup-porters of the MMG since the beginning ProQuest was recently acquired by Snap-on Business Solutions. Philip Firrell, VP Product Management introduced his group: Warren Webermin, Regional VP, Brent Welch, Sr. Product Mgr. and Bob Locke, Sr. Global Account

Executive. Philip covered Snap-on Business Solutions acquiring ProQuest and its future goals. According to Philip, Snap-on is known for its tools but the corporation is much more. Snap-on is a leading global innovator, manufacturer and marketer of tool, diagnostic and equipment solu-tions. They are dedicated to providing the most valued productivity solutions in the world. Quality, innovation, market knowledge and customer relationships are the competencies that support Snap-on’s leading global position. They are a strong and growing company with more than 85 years of experience maximizing workshop and technician productivity. Philip then cov-ered the roadmap for PAIS 4: Functionality:

Automatic Updates (faster data turnaround) Improved VIN Filtering Complete Supersession

Timeline: Prototype – Mid March Pilot Testing – End Q2/early Q3 General Release – September 2007

One area being developed is accessories. Snap-on is continuing to obtain DCX support and en-dorsement. Constructive dialogue continues. Solutions to include both programs and technol-ogy. (Xcessories application enhancement project currently pending) Great product informa-tion from Snap-on Business Solutions. Look for more information and a press release for Snap-on Business Solutions in this issue.




Continuing on with our Vendor presentations, we welcomed Bor-roughs Corporation/Storage Consultants of America. Good friends of the Mopar Masters Guild Tim True, Auto-motive Product Mgr. from Borroughs Corp. and Bud Trammell, President of Trammell Equipment an SCA Dis-tributor were introduced by Gerry. Tim thanked us for the opportunity to make a presentation to guild members. Bud tells us how he appreci-ates the help and support that the Mopar Masters Guild has shown all of the Storage Consultants of America group members and Borroughs. Tim gave us a brief explanation of SCA, which is a group of about 12-13 independently owned storage equipment companies that are “top tier” Borroughs Distributors. The SCA specializes in parts department layout, design and installation who carry a complete line of parts department equipment such as: Mezzanines Vertical Lifts Vertical Carousels Wire Partitions Tim then went on to show us some new products such as the Tire Storage Carousel and their new Configura Software that is used for the design and layout of your parts department. We were all fortunate to see a small demo of this software and we were invited to preview a more in-depth presentation at the Borroughs booth at the Convention. Great technology, great prod-uct!




After a short lunch break we welcomed another long time friend, Kevin Weidinger, National Sales Leader for Supporting Vendor Dealer Tire. Kevin is one of the best at making you feel com-fortable and is always on top of today’s technology. Kevin mentioned a conver-sation that he had with Ernie Wennerstrom concerning an idea that Ernie mentioned about having a web cast of some of the Supporting Ven-dor presentations so that Ser-vice managers and General managers throughout the country could view some of the same in-formation that the Mopar Masters Guild was being shown. Kevin offered that he could give the guild some ideas on how we could make that happen since Dealer Tire already does some web casts. Thanks Ernie and Kevin! There could be some exciting things already in the works for next year’s meetings. Continuing on with his presentation, Kevin shared goals on sales and strategy: Optimized Customer Contact Plan Substantial Investment in Dealership Facing Positions Closer Engagement of Business Centers Effective Measurements Closer analysis of key areas helped to give all of us the potential to increase our tire business which in turn will help increase our up-sell potential and overall service business. Always-productive information from Kevin and Dealer Tire to help increase our bottom line! Closing out our second day of meetings was probably one of the most anticipated portions on our schedule. Christine Cortez, Executive Vice-president, Parts & Service was joined by Tom Gianfirmi, Mopar Business Strategy & Sales Reporting and Jerry Quell, Sr. Manager Mopar In-ventory Management & Planning for an afternoon of discussion on Dealer Rewards. Ms. Cortez began by giving us an overview philosophy of what Mopar has been doing. Although we are only one month in, Ms. Cortez tells us that Mopar had the best January in 6 years! She went on to discuss profit, volume capacity, growth, absorption, and retail customers, all of which were the impetus of Dealer Rewards. An in-depth explanation of the steps leading up to the changes




that have been made and the metrics that formed Dealer Rewards followed. This is the Dealer Motivation Module of Mopar and Ms. Cortez tells us that the second module would be the Cus-tomer Experience Module to keep the customer motivated to stay with the dealer. Tom Gian-firmi then gave us an update on the phases and pre-launch issues and resolutions concerning Dealer Rewards. Tom covered the steps leading up to the current data inclusion and presented January’s simulations. Tom tells us that data integrity has greatly improved. Tom covered the “Best Ball” scenario, Payment Timing, Dealer Rewards Performance, Sales Potential and Loy-alty. Jerry Quell then gave an overview on ARO (Automatic Replenishment Order): Automatically generates daily replenishment orders based on parts manager’s pre-approved

stocking policies Mopar will guarantee dealer inventory on ARO controlled parts beginning at enrollment re-

gardless of when acquired 60-day returns offered on all non-ARO ordered parts Significantly expanded D2D programs to reduce legacy E&O, preference given to ARO

compliant dealers Jerry then covered the various Dealer Service Providers and the ARO rollout schedule and com-munications plan with these providers. We were then offered a closer look at Mopar 5300 D2D Programs. Once all of this information was presented to us Christine, Tom and Jerry each pulled up a chair and joined us for a very informative and spirited question and answer session on Dealer Rewards. The Mopar Masters Guild would like to note that several dealer principals and general managers were in attendance for these discussions with Mopar and would like to thank them for taking some of their valuable time to join us. The guild would also like to thank Christine Cortez and those who joined her for putting aside a good portion of their time for our discussions concerning Dealer Rewards. We look forward to continued teamwork with Mopar to help benefit our dealerships and increased customer growth. Members then voted to adjourn and the second day of the 2007 Mopar Masters Guild Annual meetings came to a close. Members were afforded the opportunity to enjoy the night on their own in Las Vegas. Sunday 2/4/07 This day was for all those to visit the NADA Convention floor as well as enjoy some of the at-tractions that Las Vegas had to offer. Once again I was able to get to the Convention to see the Mopar display as well as visit with several of our Supporting Vendors. A Super Bowl Party was planned and enjoyed by many members and their spouses and friends at Bally’s. It was en-joyable to see many fans of both the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears together in the same room rooting for their respective team. Once again, the evening was open for all to enjoy the sights and sounds of Las Vegas.









Super Bowl Party


Monday 2/5/07 The Super Performance por-tion of our Annual Meetings is always one of information, knowledge and ideas and new ways of doing business. Long time friend and knowl-edge guru extraordinaire, Jim Jackson of LearnStuffNow was once again our facilita-tor. It certainly was great to

see Jim back seemingly as good as ever since his recent health issues. Welcome back Jim! Jim then welcomed everyone and introduced new attendees. Dealer Rewards was obviously a subject meriting discussion. One cannot begin to stress the importance of attending these meetings and a simple article such as the one you are reading could never do justice to the amount of information that was presented and discussed. The first day of the Super Performance Group Meeting was adjourned at 5:00 and members left to get ready for the guild’s Farewell Dinner.




Farewell Dinner We all enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while conversations among friends and family de-tailed the events of the past few days. A superb meal was enjoyed fol-lowed by dessert. Presi-dent Gerry Oakes then took to the podium to recognize several of those in attendance for the tremendous amount of effort that they put forth to make sure the Mopar Masters Guild meetings were successful. Gerry recognized Rick Mon-teiro for his phenomenal work as the Planning Chairman for this year’s event, the Supporting Vendors in attendance for their continued valuable support, Don Cushing and Dan Murphy for their continuous work on the Mopar Master Guild Magazine, the Executive Committee for their valuable time and effort, Vendor Committee Chairman Paul Allred and the various Vendor Committee Chairmen for their hard work. Gerry acknowledged the people at Mopar and (although due to a scheduling conflict no one was able to attend) they were given a generous round of applause. Gerry thanked Jim Jackson for his immeasurable amount of support that he has shown the Mopar Masters Guild and Jim and his lovely wife Ellie were greeted with a rousing round of applause. Completing his acknowledgements, Gerry thanked all of the spouses, including his “best friend and lovely wife Lynnette” for their continued support and how important they all are to have in our lives. Gerry then asked Ole Olson and Joe McBeth to come up and entertain the crowd with their anecdotes and humor. We were not disappointed! After some great laughs and many handshakes and hugs everyone left to retire for the evening.




Tuesday 2/6/07 This half-day of the Super Performance Group meeting was a continuation of ideas, processes and conversation on Dealer Rewards and topics concerning how to grow your bottom line. Jim Jackson then adjourned the 2007 Super Performance Group meeting and wished everyone much success this year and a safe trip home. Attendees enjoyed a buffet lunch before exchanging pleasantries and goodbyes for their trip home. Another successful Mopar Masters Guild and Super Performance Group meeting!

See you all in San Francisco for NADA 2008!


Our Supporting Vendors

Support those who support you


Our Supporting Vendors

Support those who support you




NADA 2007 – a Huge Success with a Spotlight on Fixed Ops!

This year’s NADA was a testament to a job well done. Record numbers of customers visited the Reynolds booth to view presentations of the industry’s premier dealership management systems – ERA®, POWER and GM IDMS – and to learn more about the leading solutions that help dealer-ships help their customers and build profits. One application that drew a large amount of interest is Reynolds’ Parts Barcoding Inventory Man-agement solution. Because your parts department can be one of your most important profit centers, it makes sense to have the most up-to-date tools available for that area. Parts Barcoding Inventory Management Scanner and Software from Reynolds can help turn your parts department into a more profitable and efficient part of your business. By using this in your parts area, you can: Eliminate manual data-entry errors Cut parts receiving and parts physical inventory time by up to 50 percent Enhance your bottom line by cutting costs for manual labor, especially during physical invento-

ries You can further enhance your business with the addition of Service Sales Kit from Reynolds. Ser-vice Sales Kit is the next generation of the popular Mobile Service Advisor solution and adds proc-ess improvements, customer relationship enhancements and more profit for your business in the service department. With Service Sales Kit, you give your service advisors the ability to effectively use a menu format to easily sell maintenance packages. You will also put your customers at ease with the easy-to-understand red, yellow, green format of the Vehicle Report Card, and – when used with a Tablet PC – the advisor can walk around the vehicle and mark any existing damages directly on the PC screen. There are many other features and advantages of the Service Sales Kit. For more information about it, contact Laura McGlone at (937) 485-1966 or [email protected]. We want our customers to be the boss and demand Reynolds. We have the solutions and services for every area of your business. For more information on Reynolds’ Parts Bar-coding Inventory Management Technologies, contact Tim Wilson at (937) 485-8147 or [email protected]









ADP’s Third Party Access Program At NADA 2007, ADP announced the expansion of the existing Open API Partner Program with a more comprehensive Third Party Access Program. ADP’s Third Party Access Program consists of three segments delivering dealership choices for different levels of access to their data.

Third Party Basic Access – Dealer provides access to third party through dealer supplied User IDs and strong passwords as well as dealer provided modem access. Dealer maintains all responsibility for system and data access.

ADP Third Party Subscriber Access – ADP provides to dealers high speed VPN Internet access and advanced system security, and some auditing tools. Dealer maintains responsibility for data access through such VPN connections.

ADP Third Party Integration – This is the highest level of access that a third party and the dealer can enjoy. Third Party Integration includes bi-directional interface, real time access, and standardized and cleansed data options. ADP provides advanced security and auditing tools for system and data access.

An ADP Third Party integration solution avoids the risks associated with a “hostile” interface such as poor reliability, un-certain security, weak data integration and lack of solid customer support. At NADA 2007, ADP announced that they have signed and/or completed certification for the following Third Party appli-cations:

Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Enterprise will integrate its proprietary Automated Rental Management System (ARMS®) to facilitate two-way electronic communications. This integration will create a seamless process to streamline invoicing and better manage costs by sending electronic authorizations directly from the dealership to Enterprise. In addition, the ARMS® application will integrate all of the renter’s information, along with the number of days authorized, improving the speed of the rental transaction and enhancing overall customer satisfaction. For more information visit www.enterprise.com.

Security Enterprises I, LLC: Security Enterprise’s KeyGo software solution provides one of the most

sophisticated, yet user-friendly key security and management systems available on the market. The KeyGo software system integrates touch-screen and card scanning technology with networking capabili-ties and sophisticated reporting functions, to offer and array of tools for management to secure, track, audit, locate and manage keys, vehicles, prospects and personnel. www.keykontrol.com

KEYper Systems: KEYper Systems Mechanical key management is an effective, low cost solution for

most key control problems. The system consists of a “peg board” that holds from 5 to 150 key plugs. Once removed, the Keyper mechanical system provides an instant visual of any keys that are out and the users who removed them. The KEYper Mechanical Systems are available in wall mountable, mobile or locking steel enclosures. www.keypersystems.com

MOC 1 Solutions: MOC1 provides a suite of tablet-computer based customer encounter tools for use by

Service Advisors in the service drive of automobile dealership service departments. These tools, proven at numerous current installations, predictably and significantly increase service revenues, productivity, and customer satisfaction. MOC1’s Wireless Service Advisor™ enables an automotive dealer’s service team to complete service write-up processes consistently, wirelessly, and most importantly at the point-of-service – the customer’s vehicle. This dynamic process provides the Service Advisor with all avail-able vehicle and customer specific information at car-side. www.moc1solutions.com.



ADP’s CustomerTouchsm Communication Solution was a big hit at NADA!

If you didn’t get a chance to stop by the ADP booth and get a demo, no problem!

ADP will bring NADA to you!

With ADP’s CustomerTouch five methods of communication: Live Voice, Automated Voice, Email, Direct Mail and Text Messaging*, you can streamline your

processes and improve customer satisfaction with consistent, properly timed and coordinated communications strategy. Not to mention, it’s a turn key hands off solution, with ADP Cus-

tomerTouch doing all set-up, configuration and fulfillment.

SERVICE NOTIFICATIONS - REAL TIME

Reduce PARTS obsolescence, appointment “no shows” and improve CSI.

ADP’s Service Notifications are sent in REAL TIME triggered by events in the DMS as employees do their everyday routine processes. For example, the “Service Notifica-tions” package includes REAL TIME notification by automated voice and/or e-mail

when:

a special order request is receipted saving time and assuring that the cus-tomer is notified immediately to improve turnover, reduce obsolescence, and im-

prove customer satisfaction.

a scheduled service appointment is booked reducing no shows, improving work flow, and increasing repair order counts – more customer pay labor!

a vehicle is ready for pick up - improving work flow, reducing vehicle rental and

administrative costs, and improving customer satisfaction

REAL TIME automated voice and/or e-mail notifications…it’s a winner!


ADP can help out in other areas of the dealership! Here are a few other services pro-vided through ADP CustomerTouch:

Service Reminders - Recommended Service Reminders

Brake, Tire and Battery Graph Support LIVE VOICE FOLLOW-UP

Sales to Service

Purchase Thank You/ Welcome to Service Extended Service Offer 1st Service Appointment Request 1st Service Visit Overdue notice

CSI/SSI Survey (Live Voice) Quick 2 question survey 6 Question Survey

Unsold Prospect Follow-up (Live Voice) (ADP CRM dealers) Welcome/Introduction to Service and Parts Letter

For further information, please contact:

Ray Alther ADP’s CustomerTouch Phone: 847-485-4886

Email: [email protected]


Tom Peter’s Favorite Quotes

Just take one of these and use it!

“Do one thing every day that scares you” Eleanor Roosevelt “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” Helen Keller “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” James Dean “The two most powerful things in existence: a kind word and a thoughtful gesture.” Ken Langone, founder, Home Depot “The deepest human need is the need to be appreciated” William James “What creates trust, in the end, is the leader’s manifest respect for the followers.” Jim O’Toole, Leading Change “If you can’t state your position in eight words or less, you don’t have a position.” Seth Godin “Have you invested as much this year in your career as in your car?” Molly Sargent “The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.” James York “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” Oscar Wilde “We eat change for breakfast.” Harry Quadracci “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.” The Shawshank Redemption (Tim Robbins) “If things seem under control, you’re just not going fast enough” Mario Andretti “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin


15th Annual Drag Racer’s Night Meeting In Phoenix

This meeting was our best yet. With Mark Skinner as our Phoenix Guild President we both knew there was lots of work to get this all together. With the help of the public relations person from J.R. Thompson, Mark was able to get commitments from Kenny Bernstein, Gary Scelzi, Allen John-son, Ritchie Stevens Jr., Erica Enders, and a new comer to Mopar Pro Stock racing Mr. Rodger Brodgon, keep an eye on this gentleman he is good. We are told that all the drivers look forward to coming to our annual event and they always have some fantastic stories about each other. They love to dish on each other like Ritchie drawing Warren Johnson hair on one of his autograph cards. The Radisson Hotel is where the meeting was held for the fourth year in a row is close to the track, has great food, and is right off the freeway for everyone across the valley. We had a record 126 people in attendance that had a wonderful time asking the drivers questions and getting their auto-graphs. We raffled off nine pairs of tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday along with many other items that were donated by our Guild members. Terry Doll hooked us up with a local television host of Motorsports Mania that airs on Fox Sports Network on Saturday mornings. Wally Cahill is the host and he was there and did a few inter-views and filmed some of our meeting. The show aired on Saturday March 3rd and we made it on TV! That is quite an accomplishment for an organization that started this out 15 years ago with two drivers and 35 members in attendance. Things have sure changed. On Saturday the Earnhardt Wholesale Department of the Chrysler Jeep and Dodge stores hosted 75 of our wholesale customers to come into the races with a parking pass, the Don Schumacher hospitality tent with a private autograph and photo session with Gary Scelzi. We also gave them each a great t-shirt, “No Bull” lanyards, posters with Sharpies for autographs, and some reading material on Earnhardt’s and Drag Racing 101. This was our second year of hosting this for our customers and we have received raving reviews from everyone that attended. For those of you that have not experienced a professional drag race event I encourage you to go with your families and enjoy the openness of the occasion. You can walk right up to the pits where the drivers and crews are getting ready to run and see first hand how teamwork is accomplished. The drivers are extremely approachable to talk to and sign autographs. Team Mopar has some of the best at being available for everyone to talk to and take a picture or two. My 13 year-old daughter has been going since she was six and I took my eight year-old for her first race this year. I bought her a good set of shooter ear muffs since she has very sensitive ears and prepped her for the earth and gut rattling feeling that she would feel when the top fuel and funny cars ran. Well, after the first run she was speechless and just gave me a huge hug. After that first run she handled it like a veteran. She lasted all day watching the runs, walking the pits, and meeting the driv-ers. I wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole day until we walked into the house that night and the first thing she said to me was “Daddy, I want to go again next year!” Drag racing has another fan! Submitted By: Dan Murphy


Tidbits

U.S. market, yen power Toyota to big profits Exporting cars from Japan is very profitable. Build-ing assembly plants in North America is expensive. Fortunately for its bottom line, Toyota Motor Corp.'s exports more than offset the costs of its new factories in North America in the October-December quarter. Reynolds boss is quietly in charge Brockman loves software, takes hard line on data Nothing seems to rattle Bob Brockman. The chairman of the new Reynolds and Reynolds Co. is taking heat from some dealers, automakers, third-party vendors and even the National Automobile Dealers Association on the is-sue of data security. But he isn't backing down. Not even software giant Microsoft Corp. muscling its way onto his turf seems to faze him. Toyota raises dust in NASCAR Boo if you must, but automaker covets circuit's fan base Toyota never set out to wear the black hat in NASCAR, but things have sure worked out that way. NAS-CAR's good ol' boys are up in arms about the juggernaut from Japan. One of them - Jack Roush, who heads Ford-powered Roush Racing - says he is ready to "go to war" with Toyota. Demonic concept The Chrysler group will show the rear-wheel-drive Dodge Demon concept - which it de-scribes as a compact, affordable "roadster with an attitude" - at the Geneva auto show next month. The Demon features Dodge's signature cross-hair grille, 19-inch brushed aluminum wheels and long seat tracks that free up storage behind the seats. GM in talks to buy Chrysler This is going to be a very long road if it happens at all. Stay tuned for updates. Perfect pitch? Dealer calls customers on their birthday Auto dealer Duke Scott sings to thou-sands of his customers. Many are touched. A few advise him: "Don't quit your day job." Other dealers send cus-tomers greetings on their birthdays. Scott warbles "Happy Birthday to You" on a recorded phone message that reaches the dealership's new- and used-vehicle owners at their homes. New Chrysler campaign will push 'premium' image Chrysler officials will launch a campaign this spring to give Chrysler's image a shot in the arm. The campaign will emphasize the brand's "premium" charac-teristics and link Chrysler more strongly to Mercedes-Benz and German engineering, said George Murphy, senior vice president of global brand marketing during an interview at the National Automobile Dealers Association con-vention. Porsche to play bigger part at VW, won't acquire control Porsche will play a bigger role in the decisions at Volkswagen group but isn't likely to acquire majority control of Europe's largest carmaker any time soon, industry insiders say. Porsche, a German sports car maker that is a fraction of Volkswagen's size, is VW's largest shareholder with a 27.4 percent stake. Industry isn't ready for war with Iran Will it take a crisis for us to change our power-hungry ways? Here's a nightmare scenario that should scare the daylights out of automakers. Let's say that the Iran situation escalates into an all-out war in early summer. Iran shuts down the Strait of Hormuz. The flow of Persian Gulf oil stops, and prices soar from $55 to $100 a barrel within a week Wrangler with 4 doors has 0 days' supply Jeep dealer Chuck Eddy in Austintown, Ohio, was used to waiting until spring for Jeep Wrangler customers to show up. When autumn came, sales of the old two-door Wrangler would pretty much dry up. All that changed when the 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlim-ited four-door arrived last fall. These days Eddy has zero days' supply -- in the midst of a harsh winter


Accolades For Centerline Employee

On Friday March 30th I received an urgent phone call from a wholesale customer stating that he had a customer from out of town and needed a wiring harness as soon as possible. I specified the correct part number (I was hoping) and found that Centerline was the only depot in the country that had stock for this part. I called my facing depot to see what could be done for a next day air Saturday delivery. They told me to try and call Centerline direct to see if it could be arranged. I placed a call to Doug Parson who is the Operations Support Manager in Centerline. Doug told me to submit the order and call him back when it was done. I called him back in a few minutes and he assured me that he would walk the order out to the floor as soon as he received it. Saturday came and so did the harness. My customer was extremely happy and his customer was back on the road that day. Thank you, Doug Parson for the exceptional customer service. Submitted By: Dan Murphy Earnhardt Chrysler Jeep

Newsletter Team Shows “Deadlines Can Amuse Everyone”

As Dan Murphy was waiting for Don Cushing to come up in front of the group in Vegas he wanted to get everyone’s attention. Dan put on his attention getting glasses that he says he bor-rowed from his 8 year-old daughter that had blinking purple frames. We highly doubt that, but, they did what he wanted. Got everyone to laugh and relax and listen to what he and Don had to say. Don didn’t want to come up next to Dan until he has taken those silly things off. Both Don & Dan showed their humorous side by each wearing a black t-shirt emblazoned with the logo “Deadlines Amuse Me!” The message they conveyed was that it takes all of us as Mopar Masters members to make and keep the Guild what it is today. We must all participate in discussions, committees, web-site conversations to keep us all involved and

informed to continue to be “The best of the best”. Let them know what is going on in your stores. Let them know if you have a

great vacation story or a fantastic employee story. What a great way to let your employees know how much you appreciate them.

Participate or Dissipate

Are your MMG Membership dues up to date?

With NADA 2007 Las Vegas rapidly approaching the MMG would like to make sure that your member-ship dues are paid and that your information is up to date. You will find an information form on the next page. All you have to do is fill out the proper information and send it along with your check for $100.00 to Treasurer Brent Hoge. (The address is on the form) At each NADA event we issue a very nice Mopar Masters Guild wearable to attending members. This year if your dues are paid up to date you will receive one of these terrific wearables even if you are not attending! So check the list below of paid members. If your dues are paid, no problem...we will ship your wearable to the address that you provided us or you will receive it at NADA 2007. If your name DOES NOT appear below and you are a qualifying member then fill out the information form and send in your check! Paid MMG Members for 2007: Baxter Chrysler Omaha, NE Gerry Oakes Bill Luke C-J Phoenix, AZ Susan McDaniel Dodge City Baton Rouge, LA Robbie Jackson Fred Beans, Inc. Doylestown, PA Mick Padgeon Golling C-J Bloomfield, MI Dan DeLisle Hayes C-J Lawrenceville, GA Alan Yancey Haynes Mtr Co. Richmond, VA Tommy Thrift Hinckley Dodge Salt Lake City, UT Mike Tognarelli Normandin C-J San Jose, CA Jeff Bright Perkins Mtr City Colorado Springs, CO Ed Lueras Security Dodge Amityville, NY Doug Price Tom OBrien Chrysler Greenwood, IN Dan Hutton Tuscon Dodge Tuscon, AZ Darrel Langford

Not currently a member and want to join the Mopar Masters Guild?

If you meet the criteria below then fill out the form and mail in your check!

Qualification for membership in the Mopar Masters Guild shall be the top 100 purchasing dealers reported by DaimlerChrysler’s year-end standings report or dealers attaining Mopar Masters Club status. Once qualified, members failing to meet these standards may continue to be an associate with full membership rights provided that said member is currently employed by a DaimlerChrysler dealer. Only current Mopar Masters Club members as defined by DaimlerChrysler shall be eligible to hold elected office or be appointed to the Mopar Masters Guild executive committee.


MOPAR MASTERS GUILD

**MEMBER INFORMATION FORM**

Please mail this form along with your check to: Mopar Masters Guild

PO BOX 708430 SANDY, UT 84070-8430

Attn: Brent Hoge

DUES ARE $100.00 PER YEAR

DEALER NAME _________________________________________ BUSINESS NAME ________________________________________ BUSINESS ADDRESS_____________________________________ CITY ________________________ST________ ZIP______________ PHONE______________________ FAX_______________________ DEALER CODE___________BUSINESS E-MAIL_______________ TYPE OF BUSINESS SYSTEM (R&R. ADP, ETC.)______________ DEALER PRINCIPAL NAME________________________________

PERSONAL INFORMATION YOUR NAME ____________________________________________ HOME ADDRESS_________________________________________ CITY________________________ST________ZIP_______________ PERSONAL E-MAIL_______________________________________ SPOUSE NAME___________________________________________ YOUR SHIRT SIZE_______________________M________F______ SPOUSE’S SHIRT SIZE___________________M________F_______ PAYING DUES FOR: 2005_____2006_____2007_____2008_____


2007 Mopar Masters Guild Executive Committee

Gerry Oakes President Baxter Chrysler Roy Benner Vice President Allen Samuels Dodge Brent Hoge Treasurer Larry H. Miller CJD Mike Gerber Secretary Eastside CJ Marvin Windham Don Drennen Chrysler Alan Yancey Hayes Chrysler Rick Monteiro Jack Powell Chrysler Dodge Dan Hutton Tom O’Brien Chrysler Robbie Jackson Salsbury’s Dodge City Steve Hofer Park Jeep

Guild Committees

Membership Committee Mike Gerber Eastside CJ Dan Murphy Earnhardt CJ Steve Hofer Park Jeep Larry Morris Franklin Sussex Auto Mall

Vendor Chairman Paul Allred Metrolina Dodge

Newsletter Chairmen Dan Murphy Earnhardt CJ Don Cushing Bald Hill Dodge Chrysler

Performance Group Chairman Ole Olson Elk River Ford-Dodge

Finance Committee Chairmen Roy Benner Allen Samuels Dodge Brent Hoge Larry H. Miller CJD

Reynolds & Reynolds Paul Allred Metrolina Dodge Tom Watson Performance Dodge John Gilbert Preston Dodge Rick Cutaia Rick Hendrick Dodge Larry Morris Franklin Sussex Auto Mall

ADP Jim Stoneman Westoaks CD Roy Benner Allen Samuels Dodge Steve Hofer Park Jeep Mike Mulkins Go Chrysler Jeep Tommy Thrift Haynes Motor Co.

Snap-On Business Solutions Dan Hutton Tom O’Brien Chrysler Brent Hoge Larry H. Miller CJD

OEConnection TBA

Dealer Tire TBA

Hanel Storage Rick Monteiro Jack Powell Chrysler Dodge Karl Halley Town Motors

Interstate Batteries Mark Skinner Power CJD Dan Murphy Earnhardt CJ Tom Watson Performance Dodge

Full Circle Solutions Tom Welz Lou Fusz Dodge Rick Stewart Commonwealth Dodge

NADA 2007 Planning Chairman TBA

Website Chairman & Webmaster Mike Gerber Eastside CJ


THE GUILD MOTTO “THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION BY LIKE SIZE DEALERS

IN A NON COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT” This is the reason the Guild exists. The strength of our existence relies not on the voices of a select few, but on the combined knowledge of all. With this in mind, everyone should remember to become as pro-active as possible. The Guild is YOURS, be proud of it and be part of it!

Documents

2007-03 March (NADA Issue)