Partner Spotlight: Black Book

Part of what makes POADA membership so valuable, even though it costs nothing for dealers to join, is the opportunity to connect with POADA’s industry Partners, discover more about how they can help dealers and learn from their experience in the industry. To help our members get to know our Partners a little bit better, POADA has set up online Partner Profiles accessible through the POADA Partner Directory at www.poada.biz/partners. In addition to the Partner Profiles, we offer this ongoing Partner Spotlight feature to give dealers insight into the POADA Partners and what they have to offer.

For this edition of the Partner Spotlight, we’re featuring Black Book. Established in 1955, Black Book was founded in Gainesville, Ga. by three businessmen who regularly attended local, dealer-only auto auctions. Realizing that having accurate market values would help them make better buying and selling decisions, the three began writing down and tracking auction prices. When other dealers requested copies, the three started publishing their sheets weekly. Within a few years Black Book went from a handwritten tally of the week’s local auction results to a nationally recognized provider of the most current used vehicle values available.

Below are Black Book’s responses to POADA questions.

Q: Can you give dealer members an overview of the products and services that Black Book offers?

Black Book: Black Book is widely known within the automotive and financial industries for publishing a family of highly respected electronic and printed vehicle valuation guides (www.blackbookusa.com), and online lead generation tools (www.blackbookonline.com). For more than 60 years, Black Book’s time-tested methodology has ensured reliable market-driven information that is timely, independent, and accurate. Since its very beginning, Black Book has constantly innovated to meet the needs of an evolving automotive marketplace. Recent examples of such innovation include:

Black Book Daily - daily value updates for more timely insight into a rapidly changing market.
Black Book Activator - sophisticated lead generation tool technology that drives motivated buyers from dealer websites to their showroom.
Black Book Finance Advance - market driven values for loan origination.
Black Book FirstValues - used vehicle values from day-one (starting at new model launch).
Handheld, Internet, Data, and Custom Solutions – Black Book values are available for BlackBerry; iPhone, PocketPC; Palm; Smart Phone; and Micro Browser. Users can also access our data through our Internet-based applications, or via developer-friendly API and web services; or by utilizing our in-house, customized software development services. Printed versions are also available.

To accurately gather the data we use to report the market, we attend more than 50 auctions nationwide every week. While the volume of raw data available to us continues to grow in size, and the tools we use to mine the information have grown in sophistication, we’ve found that there is simply no substitute for being in the lanes. We experience and understand the wholesale market the way our customers do. Our editors have more than 300 years of professional automotive experience … day in and day out, they do the hard work of getting it right. Today, Black Book provides values and vehicle specifications 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 is a division of the Hearst Business Media Corp., with a national salesforce and offices in Georgia, Florida, Michigan, and Maryland.

Q: Why did Black Book choose to be part of POADA?

Black Book: When we looked at the value proposition of POADA for dealers, it became evident very quickly that there was a great deal of synergy between our two organizations. POADA is committed to providing dealers programs that are focused on improving efficiencies and growing dealer profits. Black Book is continually focused on helping dealers make the best, most informed, and accurate decisions in their markets. We felt very strongly that access to our timely, independent and accurate vehicle values, as well as our proven-effective lead conversion tools would be excellent additions to the long list of benefits to dealers taking advantage of POADA membership.

Q: What special incentives does Black Book currently offer to POADA members, and how can dealers take advantage of those offers?

Black Book: Black Book has created two special offers for POADA members.

First, with any new Mobile Solutions or Internet Solutions subscription, you will automatically be upgraded from our weekly service to Daily updates for the first year at no additional cost. Daily is the most timely and accurate data available (literally reporting what happened in the wholesale market the day before), providing you with a competitive advantage over those with less current information. For details on this offer and more information on pricing contact Black Book at (800) 544-1026 and reference the POADA Member Special Offer.

Second, POADA members can choose to add Activator, one of the industry’s leading dealer website appraisal and lead generation tools, and waive the initial set-up fee. This offer applies to new subscriptions only. For details on this offer and for more information on pricing contact Black Book Online at (866) 451-6200 and reference the POADA Member Special Offer.