Autoweb.com Teaches Sales Success in the Digital Age; Seminar Series Helps Member Dealers Thrive Amidst Growing Competition.

DETROIT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 1998--Dealers and representatives from leading automotive manufacturers such as Ford Motor Co., Saturn Corp., General Motors and Chrysler Corp. Friday took part in a seminar called "Selling Cars Real Time," developed by Autoweb.com (http://www.autoweb.com) and held in Detroit.

The series, which is part of a 50-city North American tour, is designed to provide Autoweb.com Member Dealers with the tools and techniques that will help them more effectively sell new and used cars to today's Internet-savvy consumers.

The "Selling Cars Real Time" series walks dealers through a step-by-step process that enables them to understand the era of the "new" consumer - a well-informed, online car buyer who is empowered by the advantages of the information age. Prior to the advent of the online era, the process of automotive retailing in the United States had remained almost unaltered for more than 50 years.

Automotive dealers had been selling cars via traditional methods of in-person arbitration and negotiation, and consumers had little or no means to gather data on desired vehicles or make price comparisons without time-consuming personal visits to one or more dealerships.

Autoweb.com has irreversibly altered the traditional way America shops for new and used cars, by establishing a clearly defined purchase process. The result: a faster, better and easier service that yields benefits for both dealers and consumers.

While all new Autoweb.com Member Dealers are asked to participate in the "Selling Cars Real Time" seminars, this is the third step in a certification process Autoweb.com has prepared for dealers. The first step consists of providing dealers with the Autoweb.com "Success Manual" and training audiocassette tapes.

Next, Autoweb.com Member Dealers are invited to participate in an informative training teleconference. Finally, the training culminates in the seminar developed to help dealers succeed taking the education process one step further by discussing specific selling tactics and strategies.

"Autoweb.com has irrevocably changed the car-buying process," said Payam Zamani, president and chief executive officer of Autoweb.com. "To remain on the cusp of this online marketing revolution, dealerships in the '90s and beyond will need to learn a variety of new tactics to prosper. We have created this informative seminar series to serve our member dealers and help them increase their efficiency at reaching consumers. These seminars are part of our commitment to the success of Autoweb.com Member Dealers."

Once the seminar is complete, Autoweb.com Certified Member Dealers walk away with a more thorough understanding of how to succeed online with Autoweb.com customers. The most important element of the seminar is a discussion that helps dealers to realign their expectations to meet the customer's expectations.

Topics include a discussion of the "new consumer," what information he or she has at his or her disposal, how quickly the dealer must respond to him or her, and what techniques will work most effectively to secure a transaction that is mutually beneficial to both parties.

The series also addresses how and why Autoweb.com is so important to the automotive industry. As the largest online automotive retailer, Autoweb.com contributes to $660 million worth of car sales each month and has over 4,300 member dealers. In fact, a study by NetSmart-Research found that 61 percent of the 43 million people with Web access used the Internet to buy a car in 1997.

"Our research indicates that the Internet is playing an ever-increasing role in the car-buying process. In fact, we estimate that nearly thirty-three percent of all Americans will use the Internet by the year 2000 to buy a car, up substantially from 1996 and 1997," said Chris Denove, analyst, J.D. Power and Associates. "Clearly the rules have changed, and great opportunities exist for auto dealers who quickly capitalize on targeting and marketing to the new consumer in the digital age."

Consumers also turn to Autoweb.com because of the vast resources the service offers - such as dealer cost on cars, manufacturers' suggested retail pricing, Kelley Blue Book value for used cars, recall information, car performance reviews, and other invaluable ancillary products and services.

"Autoweb.com represents a commerce bridge that spans across cyberspace and into the dealer showroom," said David Greene, vice president of dealer services and customer care with Autoweb.com. "The bridge is constructed from the customer's confidence that Autoweb.com Member Dealers can deliver a purchasing process that is easy and hassle-free."

For many online car buying customers, Autoweb.com provides information in a timely and cost effective manner. Dealers who want to succeed are learning how to harness the incredible power of the online experience and understand its importance for the modern consumer.

"Autoweb.com is a success because we offer consumers a better way to buy a car," said Zamani. "It's imperative that our member dealers follow the process closely to ensure that our quality standards are met. Our 'Selling Cars Real Time' program is just one more way that we are providing our member dealers with the tools to succeed."

Founded in November 1994, Autoweb.com (http://www.autoweb.com) is the largest online automotive retailer, where informed, motivated buyers are put in touch with an exclusive network of top quality dealers in the U.S. and Canada.

Consumers overwhelmingly named Autoweb.com the best car buying service on the World Wide Web according to a recent poll by USA Today/Intelliquest. The company has strategic partnerships and affiliations with industry leaders such as Yahoo!, State Farm Insurance, Kelley Blue Book, C/NET, Netscape Communications, Lycos, and Car and Driver Online.

For more information, contact Public Relations at Autoweb.com, 3270 Jay Street, Building 6, Santa Clara, Calif. 95054. Telephone: [phone], Fax: [phone], Email: [e-mail].