Paul LeRose of Pauly Toyota Named Autobytel Dealer of the Month; Dealer of the Year Awards Slated fo

Paul LeRose of Pauly Toyota Named Autobytel Dealer of the Month; Dealer of the Year Awards Slated for January 2014

Autobytel honors exceptional dealers from a competitive field of thousands of automotive retailers for outstanding Internet lead management and customer service standards

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq: ABTL), the company dedicated to helping automotive consumers and dealers connect online, has named Paul LeRose, Internet Sales Director of Pauly Toyota in Illinois, the Autobytel Dealer of the Month for April 2013.

The company's Dealer Awards Program honors exceptional Autobytel dealers 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.

Paul joins Patti Scipione — Internet Manager of M'Lady Nissan who was named Autobytel Dealer of the Month for March 2013 — in that pool of winners.

"Pauly Toyota's personal approach to managing Internet customers is key to the dealership's success," said Jeffrey Coats, President and CEO of Autobytel Inc. "Paul and his team have created an online car buying experience that mirrors the dealership's family-style, in-store sales approach, which has been really effective. Pauly Toyota understands the importance of exceptional service throughout all customer communications, which shows in the dealership's achievements."

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 thing we do best, the thing we focus on, is a personal touch in our communications," said LeRose. "With technology, everything is so fast now which means it's important for dealers to be as personal as possible when they communicate with customers. Before, you had a few weeks to put together prices and info for a customer. Now, you have a few minutes. Autobytel is a great organization to be associated with, and I'm honored to be named Dealer of the Month."

Pauly Toyota is a 20-year Toyota Scion retailer located in a northwest suburb of Chicago, about 30 miles north of O'Hare Airport. The dealership has been a part of the Autobytel program for close to seven years.

Named "Top Rated" New Car Leads in the DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards in 2010, and a finalist of the 2013 DrivingSales Most Valuable Insight Award this April, 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.

For more information about the Autobytel Dealer Awards Program, or to learn more about the winners as they're announced, visit the "Dealer Corner" at dealer.autobytel.com.

Visit www.autobytel.com to learn about the company's leading automotive information, products and services; watch exclusive new car videos, test drives and car reviews at Autobytel's YouTube page; or join the conversation on the Autobytel Facebook Fan Page.

About Autobytel Inc.
Autobytel Inc., an online leader offering consumer purchase requests, or leads, and marketing resources to car dealers and manufacturers and providing consumers with the information they need to purchase new and used cars, pioneered the automotive Internet when it launched its flagship website, www.autobytel.com, in 1995. Autobytel continues to offer innovative products and services to help consumers buy, and auto dealers and manufacturers sell, more used and new cars. Autobytel has helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers; and helped every major automaker market its brand online. Through its flagship website, network of automotive sites and respected online affiliates, Autobytel continues its dedication to innovating the industry's highest quality Internet programs to provide consumers with a comprehensive and positive automotive research and purchasing experience, and auto dealers, dealer groups and auto manufacturers with some of the industry's most productive and cost-effective customer referral and marketing programs.

Investors and other interested parties can receive Autobytel news releases and invitations to special events by accessing the online registration form at investor.autobytel.com/alerts.cfm.

Autobytel Inc. Media Relations
Splash Media
Jennifer Lange
949-916-4820
jlange@getsplashmedia.com
or
Autobytel Inc. Investor Relations
Curtis DeWalt
Chief Financial Officer
949-437-4694
curtisd@autobytel.com
or
PondelWilkinson Inc.
Roger Pondel/Laurie Berman
310-279-5980
investor@pondel.com

KEYWORDS: United States North America California

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

The article Paul LeRose of Pauly Toyota Named Autobytel Dealer of the Month; Dealer of the Year Awards Slated for January 2014 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.