In an effort to boost some new car sales, GM has teamed up with the online shopping marketplace eBay. Previously, eBay was a place you could purchase a car, however purchasing a brand new car was not necessarily available. The NY Times is reporting, “The venture will involve about 225 dealerships in California at first, but G.M. hopes to expand it nationally as soon as September.” Hopefully, in combination with the Cash For Clunkers program and this sort of exposure, GM will see some positive things happening. Many reports are showing that the Cash For Clunkers program has allowed more auto finance traffic to start coming in to lead generators. If that is the case, hopefully we will see a high acceptance of this lead type by our buyers.

We all have been hearing a lot in the news about a new government bill (CARS) that allows us to turn in our low mileage “clunkers” for cash. The unfortunate thing is is that there are a lot of “unofficial” websites that have come out to try and mirror this program.
The official website where you can obtain more information about this program is at: http://www.cars.gov/.
The specifics about the program are:
Your vehicle must be less than 25 years old on the trade-in date
Only purchase or lease of new vehicles qualify
Generally, trade-in vehicles must get 18 or less MPG (some very large pick-up trucks and cargo vans have different requirements)
Trade-in vehicles must be registered and insured continuously for the full year preceding the trade-in
You don’t need a voucher, dealers will apply a credit at purchase
Program runs through Nov 1, 2009 or when the funds are exhausted, whichever comes first.
The program requires the scrapping of your eligible trade-in vehicle, and that the dealer disclose to you an estimate of the scrap value of your trade-in. The scrap value, however minimal, will be in addition to the rebate, and not in place of the rebate.

So be aware of other websites or programs that are not the official government program.

It’s been a really bad year for many industries, however the auto finance industry has got to be one of the worst hit. GM has been hit really hard this year with a bankruptcy, and was forced to become a recipient of government bailout money. However, this second half of the year might prove to be a little happier for GM with the roll out of the new Camaro. What little boy (or girl) did not have aspirations of having one of these cars, but never could?
NPR news is reporting that there has been 15,000 of these beauties already sold and 13,000 on back order, but is carefully manufacturing these cars in a timely manner so there does not become a higher supply than demand. So maybe all this buzz will ignite some other auto sales so we can get this auto finance industry going in the right direction! Good luck GM!

Lately it seems to be a dog-eat-dog world with all our search engines trying to get the biggest piece of the search engine “puzzle”. Yesterday I spoke about search engines and the need to bring new things to the table in order to stay competitive with other search engines. Ask.com is one of those search engines that is offering a unique service that other search engines are not offering. For instance, Ask.com is great for longer questions you want answered versus entering them in a standard Google search, and having to filter through all the results. Comscore reports that Ask.com’s ranking rose from 10th place to now 6th place, compared to other properties such as eBay and Facebook (in May based on unique users). This explains why a lot of Leadpile publishers are using this search engine to generate traffic to their payday loan, debt, auto finance, online education and other websites. Just like search engines trying to do something different to attract users, affiliate marketing and lead generators have to think of unique ways to generate traffic to their properties. Ask.com seems to be a good option to consider. It appears that others think so too, and that’s why their rankings seem to be headed in the right direction. Another GREAT alternative to the Google BEAST!

Is there really a good time to capture email addresses and other secure information from consumers that are visiting your website(s)? Bizreport.com thinks there is an optimal time to get the consumer to provide their email addresses, when doing their online shopping (or other online activities). So, when is an ideal time to capture this sort of information from the consumer?? The report says, “At the highest engagement level, and most times this is at the point of purchase or while consumers are beginning to shop your site. .” Why is this? Capturing this sort of information creates more customer loyalty. If you want the customers to come back to your site, or eventually react to future emails you send them, they have to trust you and the site. The report also found that since mobile marketing (SMS marketing)is so popular right now, capturing their email addresses to send them mobile updates is something a lot of consumers are open to.
These sort of rules also apply to other online experiences, such as lead generation. For instance, Leadpile captures email addresses on all it’s leads, however there are some lead types such as payday loan and auto finance where additional secure information is captured. Capturing this information at the right time is certainly key to the trust factor with the consumer submitting online requests for things such as loans.

Most people can remember their first car. The big question now is how to afford one? The answer is quite simple: An Auto Loan. An auto loan, also known as auto finance, is the way most Americans buy a new car.

As far as auto loans are concerned, LeadPile’s Auto Loan Leads have been the standard for years. Auto Loans come in may shapes and sizes including shorter term loans (these have higher monthly payments, but in the end, one has actually paid less because they will not have accrued as much interest) and longer term loans (these have lower monthly payments normally repayable in a period of up to 5 years or more.

The Internet is one sure way many people secure an auto loan. In some cases auto loans can be given to people with less than perfect credit. Like any other loans, car loans have variable interest rates depending on a number of factors. It is best to compare rates with various auto finance companies so that you can compare wisely.

Since the Internet is used so much by people seeking an auto loan, LeadPile has become the place for auto finance companies and dealerships to buy auto loan leads.

We all know payday loans don’t exactly have the best image, however there are a need for them in certain situations. I came across this article on personalmoneystore.com, discussing a very interesting type of loan. This “automobile down payment loan” is said to be a loan that no credit check is performed, and there is no collateral securing this loan. However, after reading more about this, I thought this reminded me of a payday loan, but with a different name.

We all know lending requirements have gotten a lot more strict, however consumers still need to pay close attention to the specifics of any money they are getting. Don’t get me wrong, this is not necessarily a bad thing that consumers should not look at. However, maybe the key to getting a more positive image on the payday loan industry is to put different “names” on the loans. Leadpile will keep an eye out for any other names we identify as a payday loan.

Hyundai started the trend and now GM and Ford are jumping on the bandwagon. These automakers have rolled out new “job loss” protection plans for those looking to purchase a car. According to The Washington Post, “U.S. automobile sales are barely running above an annualized pace of 9 million this year. By comparison, car companies in recent years have sold 16 million to 17 million vehicles. Analysts say the sharp drop suggests that Americans have grown so reluctant to buy new cars that they are even holding back on replacing vehicles that have been in accidents or no longer run.” GM’s job loss plan would cover up to nine car payments of $500 each for customers who lose their jobs, and Ford is offering payments of up to $700 for 12 months.
I am not sure of the specific details of these plans and what sort of “criteria” they set, however this is a positive for those that were a little reluctant on buying a new car. With a little (or lot) of government help, and these sorts of plans being rolled out, maybe there is some chance the auto industry can get back on it’s feet????? Leadpile Lead Exchange is excited about the possibility that there might be some light at the end of this very loooooooong tunnel.

Having so much negativeness about the auto finance industry, I thought I would shed some light on it.  In recent news, there was a car manufactured by Ratan Tata, which costs $2000!  Tata Motors is the largest automaker in India, and has finally rolled out the much anticipated Nano.
Business Week states that Tata Motors is going to be doing a lottery to determine who will be able to buy the first Nano cars. Experts are keeping an eye on Tata Motors (parent company is Tata Group) and if this is really going to be bringing in some additional revenue for the company. Because of the low low price, experts don’t plan on this initial roll out to produce high profits for the auto maker. Tata Motors recently payed just over $2.3 billion for Jaguar and Land Rover. Let’s see if this car price and size sparks an interest with the US auto makers, who seem to already have an eye on creating their own version.
The auto finance industry is an industry Leadpile Lead Exchange is always keeping an eye on, and possibly something like this can spark some interest in consumers going out to purchase cars again… that is if you think you can fit in a little car like this? ummmmmmmm?

I was not aware there was such a thing as a recession proof car, but there is! Take a look at some of the cars that Business Week defines as recession proof cars.

1. Honda Fit
2. Honda CR-V
3. Mini Cooper
4. Toyota Prius
5. Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetech
6. Lexus LS460
7. Toyota Sienna
8. BMW 328I

Business Week describes a recession proof car as a car that no matter what gas prices are these are all good cars to have. For instance, when the gas prices were peaking at $4.00/gallon, these cars would still be good cars to have because of their good gas mileage. These are all cars that are in high demand now, and most likely going to continue to be in high demand down the road. The other big factor that has determined this list, is none of these auto makers are in “big ” economic trouble right now.
Leadpile Lead Exchange generates a lot of car purchase leads and auto finance leads. These are all people looking for a car. Maybe these cars listed above will be the next hottest models people are running out to get. We will see…..

After going back and forth with congress, the auto bailout has been denied. According to Business Week , a major factor in this bailout not passing was the United Auto Workers (UAW) refusal to budge with regards to lowering pay and benefits.  UAW and congress could not come to an agreement with regards to this touchy subject matter.
According to Business Week, “The bill called for $14 billion to be divided between GM and Chrysler, both of which are at the financial breaking point as the recession and consumer credit crunch have crippled their finances. The companies, anticipating failure in the Senate, have hired bankruptcy law firms. Ford (F) has said it doesn’t need federal assistance now but has asked for a $9 billion line of credit in case sales deteriorate below the current level.”  Let’s see how this affects the stock market today.

Leadpile Lead Exchange is keeping a close eye on this situation.  Not only does the auto bailout situation affect us directly with our auto finance leads, but it also affects other financial related lead types that we are generating.  A bailout not passing is going to affect lots of Americans potentially who are some how linked to this industry.  What is going to happen to their financial situation and their jobs?  So is bankruptcy the next answer to this denied auto industry bailout??? We will see…… 

In past years, the internet did not play a big part in a company’s product sales.  Today, this is certainly not the case. The internet is a major player in generating revenue for all industries. Specifically, financial related websites are very popular for consumers to find out information and also purchase items. Leadpile Lead Exchange is no different. The highest demanded leads in our marketplace are financial related lead types. These are companies wanting to provide financial services to consumers looking for assistance.
The auto industry is also no different than our marketplace, and other companies generating business online. According to DMNews, internet generated car sales will rise from 5.1 millions in 2007 to 7.7 million in 2012. This means that auto makers, no matter what their future status is, need to be visible on the internet in order to generate car sales. This would mean that with the tight economy and not as many people out shopping for a car, auto makers must utilize search engines and SEO efforts to get the much needed attention of consumers. DMNews also stated that Nissan North America, Chrysler and GM have done the best with utilizing search marketing.
So does this also mean that those auto lead exchanges that are not focusing on any other lead type are suffering right now? My guess would be yes. Leadpile Lead Exchange is also feeling the effects of less consumers online looking for a new car, however that is why diversifying the lead types we generate is so very important. People are in dire need of other financial services besides just getting a new car, and we want to be able to help with that.