FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – AutoUSA has announced that Edmunds.com. Premier Dealer Program has resulted in higher quality leads and higher closing ratios for AutoUSA's auto dealer customers. The program, launched in 2006, offers dealers an increased presence on the Edmunds.com Web site, guaranteed top placement in the Dealer Locator, exclusive participation for one-dealer per-make per-territory, an Edmunds.com endorsement, and links to the dealer Web site.

According to AutoUSA, P.J. Arnal, fleet manager with Right Honda in Scottsdale, Ariz., decided to upgrade to Edmunds.com's Premier Dealer Program three months ago hoping it would result in better qualified leads and drive more people to the Honda dealer’s Web site.

"We usually close about 12-15-percent of AutoUSA leads. The other two providers are at about 8-9-percent each," said Arnal. He attributes part of this success to the exclusivity factor. "No other dealer in our territory is endorsed by Edmunds," he said. "That is very important along with the fact we receive all those leads."

Wayne Ussery, director of Internet Marketing for the Jim Ellis Auto Group, tracks all leads coming into the company's CRM for its 12 franchise locations. He has used AutoUSA for more than five years and signed up for Edmunds.com's Premier Dealer Program soon after the program launched. “Being presented exclusively as the top dealer in our territory, along with Edmunds.com's endorsement, increases the likelihood of highly qualified consumers choosing our dealerships from which to purchase," said Ussery.

In the month of December, Ussery said that 16.67 percent of Edmunds.com's Premier Dealer Program leads closed, compared with the closing ratios of three other Internet lead sources at 4.17 percent, 1.1 percent and 8.89 percent, respectively.