Increase Leads and Close More Trades With Accu-Trade

Published by Sean Liptay at

Common Problems Data Sets, Galves and Accu-Trade

Accu-Trade is the only product in the industry to offer a Common Problems data set. This data allows dealers to know what to look for in a particular year and model of vehicle. The common problems data set has been collected, put together and maintained for years by one of the largest vehicle reconditioning centres in North America, which processes thousands of vehicles each and every week.

The data set behind Accu-Trade is created by Galves Market Data, which has been in the valuation business since 1957 and has been in the Canadian market producing accurate Canadian data sets since 2011. Galves provides valuation data to many well-known players, including vAuto, RedBumper, Autoniq, Automotive Mastermind and many more.

Galves and Accu-Trade are the dual technologies behind TrueCar Trade, which offers Instant Cash Offers and guaranteed valuations backed by a cheque to auto dealers in the US. Accu-Trade data sets go back 17 years on a rolling basis, and we have the only tool that also provides Exotic Vehicle valuations.

While TrueCar is not a player in the Canadian automotive market, the same platform and technology underlying TrueCar Trade is now available to Canadian Car Dealers.

Instant Offer and Appraiser work together to give dealers a complete platform to capture high quality consumer leads, generate precise and accurate appraisals, and acquire more used car inventory. With Accu-Trade, dealers will be more right, more often. A dealer should never have to pay more for a car than it’s worth.

“Now, dealers have access to the same tool I use to buy and sell up to 1,000 cars a week. I am so confident in the pricing, I instruct our buyers to buy anything based on Accu-Trade Appraiser values” says Bob Hollenshead, Accu-Trade’s Co-Founder. “The Accu-Trade lead generation tool installs directly on dealership website, so customers can value their trade-ins, generating leads that convert at a higher level than any other lead source.”

So, as you continue to read in more detail about how Instant Offer and Appraiser work, as well as delving into real customer testimonials, remember some of the things that make Accu-Trade unique in the Canadian market:

Most Accurate Valuations, Providing Live and Transactable Pricing
Access to Live Pricing Analysts During Business Hours
The Only Common Problems Data Set in the Industry
Highest Completion Rates on “Value My Trade” Forms in the Industry
All for a Fraction of What Other Tools and Platforms Cost

Instant Offer By Accu-Trade

With Instant Offer, you can start a conversation with shoppers, generate your own exclusive leads and acquire new trade-ins. With features like tax savings and projected depreciation, Instant Offer engages customers early in their purchasing journey while highlighting the benefits gained from trading in their vehicle with your dealership.

Instant Offer has a unique approach compared to other “Value My Trade” products that results in the highest completion rate in the industry. On average, once a consumer sees the first screen of Accu-Trade’s Instant Offer, 54% of them will see the process through to completion by providing a name, email address and phone number.

Dealers using Accu-Trade regularly see their volume of trade-in leads increase by 500 to 800%. In addition, dealers typically are able to close deals on 8% of these leads, although some dealers with strong lead-handing processes can approach a 20% close rate!

Logan Keirstead, Director of Sales for Accu-Trade, has worked with over 1,000 dealers to optimize their trade-in process. She says:

“Instant Offer is designed to complement your dealership’s unique trade-in process, while delivering special offers, dealership directions and even setting appointments. Most importantly, you have control over the value range that the customer will see. You can use the default values, decrease them, or increase them. You can decide to not display modules, and you can also change the wording within the form. You can even use your own dealer video inside the interactive form.

STATIC IS A THING OF THE PAST with Accu-Trade. Dealers know the value of interactive tools for engaging with consumers, from trade in values on your website, to appraisal at the dealership. Accu-Trade is not based on Canadian Black Book values. Accu-Trade simply helps dealers improve the trade-in process – from getting the trade to the dealership, to closing the deal at the selling point.“

Appraiser by Accu-Trade

Accu-Trade Appraiser lets dealers appraise vehicles more accurately, giving them the confidence to offer the right price on trade-ins. This allows dealers to close more deals and acquire more used-car inventory. Accu-Trade’s platform can be used together or broken out as standalone products, depending on your dealership’s needs.

“We know trade-in valuation is one of the most tedious parts of the vehicle sales process – for dealers and customers alike – especially when pricing vehicles that are uncommon, very expensive, exportable, or have bad vehicle history reports. Accu-Trade takes the guesswork out of pricing and allows dealers to appraise any vehicle – accurately. Accu-Trade tells you everything you need to know about the vehicle and guides you to a market-driven number that is right on the money,” explains Hollenshead.

Accu-Trade’s Market Planner Sean Liptay uses Accu-Trade everyday in his capacity as a second-generation owner of Great Northern Auction Company Ltd, the largest wholesale independent auto auction in Atlantic Canada. He remarks:

“It is instant, accurate, and transparent. A dealer simply opens up the Appraiser app on a smart phone to begin the valuation. Then they enter details about the vehicle and its condition to quickly document and value the car, truck or SUV. It only takes a few minutes, and the more detail entered, the more precise the condition report. Dealers use Accu-Trade’s Appraiser Pro to appraise auction vehicles, walk-in customer trade-ins and aged inventory. The market-driven valuation is powered by precise data from Galves, which has provided wholesale valuations to the auto industry since 1957. With Accu-Trade, anyone at your dealership can appraise with Accu-Trade.”

Why Dealers Choose Galves Market-Driven Data

At the core of the valuation platform is Accu-Trade’s independent and precise pricing powered by Galves Market Data. “Every vehicle is unique, so dealers need more than standard pricing to get an accurate vehicle value,” adds Rob Bulyovsky, Accu-Trade’s President and Co-Founder. “Accu-Trade tracks values for thousands of makes and models, and gives dealers precise valuations reflecting real-time market conditions. Accu-Trade makes it easier for shoppers to trade their vehicles and for dealers to engage these highly-coveted customers. “

Sean Liptay, Accu-Trade Canada’s market planner and managing director, agrees: “Accu-Trade’s value-based approach is the first in the industry to provide common problems data and real-time analyst feedback – that is exactly what dealers need to increase the trade-in profits. I use Accu-Trade every day and the app lets dealers capture detailed information about vehicle condition including damage, tire replacements, a host of repairs and even car odor, and then updates the valuation, as they complete the CR process.”

Dealers across Canada are already taking advantage of the Accu-Trade Appraiser app. “This is the most consistently accurate pricing tool we’ve ever used,” said Chase Hunter from Robinson Buick GMC. “The condition adjustments are extremely helpful when closing deals with customers and now we can trade and purchase our vehicles smarter, which means more profits from our new and used car departments.”

Win More Trade-ins and Shorten the Appraisal Process

The appraisal process is a crucial component to winning more trades. Accu-Trade’s 17-digit VIN decoding appraisal tool focuses on the VIN specific, value-impacting options, to shorten and bring transparency to the appraisal process. Accu-Trade Appraiser delivers:

17-Digit VIN specific values
Real-time valuation adjustments
Common problems and recalls on all VINs
Integrated guidebooks and vehicle history reports
Live in-app Inventory Consultants via Trade Concierge
All powered by 60+ years of Galves market-driven data for full market context.

Live Pricing Consultants

No more guessing games. With Accu-Trade, dealers have full access to live in-app Inventory Consultants to drive more efficient and profitable acquisitions.

Accu-Trade Appraiser gives dealers instant VIN specific valuations that are transactable on any unit — with first-of insights like common problems data, live in-app Inventory Consultants, and integrated guide books and vehicle history reports.

Make the Best Trade-in Decisions for Your Dealership

Accu-Trade Appraiser is available in the IOS and Android app stores. Once you’ve downloaded it, you can

Use the VIN scanner to generate accurate appraisals in minutes
Easily capture vehicle images to share with buyers
Detail the vehicle condition including damage, repairs and more
Show customers their trade-in value right before their eyes
Access CarFax, AutoCheck and CarProof reports
Review VHR claim deductions and calculate diminished value
Discover model-specific recall information and common problems
Access vehicle transfer disclosure requirements and measure sales performance with comprehensive reporting

Transparency = Profitability

Appraiser is designed for transparency and to help customers with their trade-in decisions. Ultimately, we help close more trade-ins and provide you with the data that lets you make the best trade-in decisions for your dealership.

Dealers Across Canada Are Closing More Deals With Accu-Trade

Dealers like Western GMC in Edmonton have increased their trade-in leads by over 800% by installing Accu-Trade on their dealership websites. Check out this testimonial from their Internet Marketing Manager Chad Jackson:

“Accu-Trade is the highest performing form on our website with a completion rate of 52%. It’s hands down the best way for us to capture Trade-in leads.”

After installing Instant Offer on their dealership website, Western’s trade-in leads swelled from 10 the month before installing Accu-Trade to 84 the following month! Within a month, Chad rolled out Accu-Trade at their Edmonton and Calgary locations with similar success. Over half of all visitors that began filling out the Instant Offer form completed it, making it the highest-performing form on Western’s website.

Hyundai St. Constant has also been using Accu-Trade Instant with consistent results. “All customers want to know how much their vehicle is worth and we want to buy their trades for our inventory,” reports Sylvain Gagnon, Director of Used Vehicles with Hyundai. “With Appraiser, we can easily negotiate the final price depending on the condition of the vehicle by adjusting any condition, such as replacing the tires, a lighted indicator, a scratch and even the smell of the vehicle. Since adding Instant Offer to our website, we’ve seen 10 times the trade requests online.”

Dealers Say Great Things About Accu-Trade

In Montreal, Monica Victorino, Executive Director for Complexe Kia and Complex Auto, shares how her team uses Accu-Trade:

“We have used Accu-Trade for several months and have increased our sales leads from our website. The feedback generated by the tool is reliable and lead our trade-in discussions with our potential customers. The installation of Instant Offer’s ‘Value Your Trade’ tool to our dealership websites was simple. The leads are routed instantly and Appraiser allows our dealership representatives to adjust prices according to the true condition of the vehicle. Accu-Trade generates opportunities and helps us close more sales.”

Rico Olinger from McManes Auto Group has rolled out Accu-Trade at several of the group’s dealerships and says, “Accu-Trade brings to the table what other vendors fail to. It provides customers with an excellent overall experience by giving the dealership a ton of information to follow-up with!”

Instant Offer works because it gives consumers a transparent way to appraise their trade-in right from a dealership website. It is also fully customizable with that dealer’s special offers and regularly updates offer prices based on market conditions.

Here’s How Accu-Trade Works

Accu-Trade generates customer leads directly from the dealer’s website with an Instant Offer tool that values their trade in seconds. Leads are routed to the dealer CRM and to Accu-Trade’s Appraiser, giving dealers the opportunity to complete a transparent and interactive trade-in appraisal with the customer.

Accu-Trade Appraiser is designed to shine on any smart device, so dealers can walk through the value-based condition report process and capture photos in minutes. They can see lead activity, track performance, complete

valuations and monitor vehicle values at the dealership, in the lanes and remotely.

“Accu-Trade’s transparent value impacting price adjustments, each showing the precise associated value add or deduct, remain irrefutable and enable logical conversation with the dealer’s customer,” explains Bob Hollenshead. “Accu-Trade’s Universal Condition Report can be accessed and modified throughout the trade-in, transport, re-marketing, auction, arbitration process, and then again during future Diminished Value Calculation and archiving. Accu-Trade is the dealer’s transparent navigator in any marketplace: wholesale, retail, auction, online or in lane, and for diminished values.”

“When dealers use Accu-Trade, they immediately see the time savings and increased business,” Co-Founder Bulvosky elaborates. “Accu-Trade is the single platform that helps dealers increase quality leads and drives more trade-ins.”

Founded by Automotive Innovators

Accu-Trade was founded by Bob Hollenshead, CEO of R. Hollenshead Auto Sales (RHAS) and Rob Bulyovsky, Accu-Trade’s president. With five decades of automotive industry experience, RHAS is the largest volume dealer, buyer and seller of vehicles in North America, handling about 1,000 vehicles every single week.

We have put that deep industry experience to work in developing Accu-Trade’s sales tools. Our team of automotive veterans and innovators are dedicated to dealer success and continually bringing innovation to the industry. Among our achievements, we are behind the theory and development widely known as Trade-In Marketplace, now branded as Kelly Blue Book Instant Cash Offer after its acquisition by Cox Automotive in 2014.

TrueCar Partners With Accu-Trade

This year, TrueCar and Galves Accu-Trade have partnered to modernize the retail and wholesale marketplace through a next-generation valuation and acquisition platform. Built on speed, accuracy and transparency, the platform utilizes a user-focused, real-time, VIN-specific valuation engine to help you maximize your retail and wholesale acquisition and disposal opportunities – all powered by 60+ years of Galves Market Data and wrapped in the trust of the TrueCar brand.

Accu-Trade Instant Offer and Appraiser provide a cost-effective, multi-feature alternative to products like vAuto, CarProof VVR, Tradesii and others. Products like Kelly Blue Book Instant Cash Offer, NADA, and TradePending are not in the Canadian market, but all would be considered competitors in the US market.

Built For Dealers By Dealers

Accu-Trade makes it easier for car buyers to trade their vehicles with your dealership and gives you the best way to engage with these highly-coveted customers early in their purchasing cycle. Our tools are the fastest, easiest products on the market. We know that you need information at your fingertips, and we think you shouldn’t have to wait.

That’s how we do business at Accu-Trade. Let us leave you with what we do that nobody else does:

The Twelve Things Accu-Trade Does That Nobody Else Does

*All trade-in values are backed by a check
Top-Rated Trade-in Closing & reporting Tool
Common Problems Data set based on million of arbitration settlements
Access to inventory consultants – to liquidate or to give opinions
Data is based on Transactional values, not empty opinions
Exotic Car Values with ability to instantly liquidate at the value
Real-time value adjustments including color, mileage, condition, damage and more.
Ease of use and Managerial controls makes anyone an instant vehicle appraising expert.
Live-In App Market Analysts
Send VIN details, pictures and condition reports to anyone in your network
Integrated Guide Book access for full market context
High-Performing “Value Your Trade” plug-in proven to engage car buyers early their purchasing cycle.