The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Greg Sexton, General Manager of Walter's Audi, Named Autobytel Dealer of the Month; Dealer of the Year Awards Slated for January 2014


autobytel (select to view enlarged photo)

MORE INFO

IRVINE, CA--Dec. 23, 2013: Autobytel Inc. , the company dedicated to connecting automotive consumers with dealers, has named Greg Sexton, General Manager of Walter’s Audi in Riverside, California, the Autobytel Dealer of the Month for November 2013.

“The number one success story with the Internet is how quickly you respond”

The company’s Dealer Awards Program honors exceptional #ABTLDealerStars who employ the highest standards in customer service and Internet automotive retail sales and lead management processes. The Autobytel Dealer of the Year Award is slated to be announced at the NADA Convention & Expo in New Orleans in January 2014, with the crowning dealer chosen from this year’s pool of monthly winners.

Greg joins Patti Scipione of M’Lady Nissan, Paul LeRose of Pauly Toyota, Tim Morgan of Radley Acura, Steve Roberts of Crown Motors Redding, Kenny Jakel of Lee Johnson Kia, Rese Ballou of Hendrick Toyota Scion, Tony Thorstad of Smart Motors Toyota, and Tanner Hulette of Mechanicsville Toyota—who were named the Autobytel Dealers of the Month for March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October 2013—in that pool of winners.

“Walter’s Audi has developed a very innovative process to successfully manage its Internet business,” said Jeff Coats, president and CEO of Autobytel Inc. “Greg and his team are process driven, with benchmarks in place to ensure the dealership provides consumers with the finest car buying experience possible. Walter’s Audi gives its customers what they want and need and it shows in the dealership’s CSI. We’re pleased they’re a part of the Autobytel Dealer Awards program.”

Each month, Autobytel’s sales and dealer operations teams evaluate prospective candidates from a competitive field of thousands of automotive retailers in the Autobytel network, with a monthly winner selected based on key online automotive best practices.

Criteria evaluated for the Autobytel Dealer Awards Program include conversion rates, lead management processes, customer service principles, customer and brand retention analytics and Internet department practices, among others.

“The number one success story with the Internet is how quickly you respond,” said Sexton. “There really can’t be any lapse between customer requests and answers to questions customers require from you. We don’t want our customers to be happy—we want them to be ecstatic. We want them to say that this was the most pleasurable car buying experience they’ve ever had. If they don’t say that, we aren’t doing our job right. Our goal is to create the most ecstatic Audi fans we can.”

Walter’s Audi is located in Riverside, California, and services customers in the Riverside, West Covina and Los Angeles market territories and surrounding areas. It is a family owned and operated store run by Steven Kienle, son of the founder, Walter Kienle, with sales of both new and pre-owned Audis. Plans are underway for a new Porsche store and for the dealership to sell both Audi and non-Audi pre-owned in the near future.

Named # 1 Dealers’ Choice Awards in 2012 by Auto Dealer Monthly, a finalist of the 2013 DrivingSales Most Valuable Insight Award, and a Power 250 Company by Auto Remarketing Magazine, Autobytel consistently ranks as a top quality Internet lead provider, with the company’s internally-generated leads converting at approximately three times the rate of the estimated industry average.