On-line Inventory Questions and Answers!

Question:
Can I make changes to my Web site or does JMTS have to do it?

Answer:
You have the ability to make changes to your inventory right from your dealership. If you need to change a picture of your staff or some other content, all you need to do is send Mader Web Design, LLC an e-mail and every effort will be made to complete the request for you as soon as possible within the constraints of your maintenance agreement.

Question:
Do I have to use a certain Web browser or Internet Service Provider?

Answer:
You can use just about any Web browser, although we have found that Netscape Navigator 4.0 or later and Internet Explorer 4.0 or later work the best. We also recommend a standard Internet Provider such as CenturyTel, but most Internet Providers will work. A minimum 33K modem (56K preferred) for optimum uploading.

Question:
Is it important that I have photos?

Answer:
Yes. Any vehicles loaded for viewing on the Web site should be accurate with full detailed descriptions and should include a photo to maximize the effectiveness of your Web site and take full advantage of the World Wide Web.

Question:
How many vehicles can I have?

Answer:
The initial inventory should be a minimum of 50 vehicles and should not exceed 150. This should be adequate for most dealers and will insure that we maintain a reasonable search time. Customers will become impatient if the search time is more than 10 seconds. We can take the initial 50 photos but dealership will need to purchase a digital camera.

Question:
Can Mader Web Design, LLC maintain my inventory.

Answer:
We can provide a limited inventory maintenance schedule. We will edit SOLD and HOLD vehicles on a daily basis with information delivered via e-mail. We will make additions weekly from photos and text provided by dealer. We eventually find the dealers want to retain full control of the update schedule.

Question:
What camera do you recommend?

Answer:
We recommend the Sony Digital Mavica MVC-FD73. The advantages of this camera is the disk storage. You can take up to 36 photos and store them on an inexpensive 3.5 floppy disk for downloading into your computer.

Question:
I am uploading my inventory one car at a time. Is there an easier way?

Answer:
We have two ways to update your inventory. The first way to get your inventory on-line is to FTP a tab delimited text file. This method will be used to initially upload your entire inventory. IMPORTANT: The more information you can give at this point, will save you from doing a lot of manual input. Most times we can extract data from an inventory system you already have and import it into ours. This too will save many hours of manual data input. The second way is to enter each listing at our secure Web site. After the initial inventory is uploaded, changes can be made as you desire with a standard browser and an internet connection. This is the preferred updated method since it allows for instant access to you Web site inventory right from your dealership. YOU control the update schedule.

Question:
Can I upload several photos at once?

Answer:
Yes, you can. You will need a program for compressing the files into a "zip" format. If you are using Microsoft Windows, we recommend using WinZip. After installing the compression program, you will need to do the following:

Make sure that all photos to be uploaded match the Stock Numbers of the vehicles listed on the on-line inventory. Send the file via e-mail or we can pick it the disk at the dealership. We can also provide an interface to upload files directly to the server.

Question:
How do I set up an inventory file to get it ready to upload?

Answer:
The first thing to do is create a new spreadsheet in Excel or Lotus 1-2-3. At the top of each column put in the following headings: status, stock#, year, make, carline, model description, color, list price, miles, serial# and location. These headings must be exactly like the ones listed here. After you have listed the headings, simply put appropriate information in the cells below each heading.

Once you have the information entered for each car, save the file: go to "File" pull-down menu and click "Save As". Give the file name your dealership name, click the "Save As Type" box at the bottom of the window and choose "txt (tab delimited)". (It is IMPORTANT that you save the file as TAB delimited). Once you have saved the file, use your FTP program to upload the file to JMTS.

Question:
Explain the options in the status column?

Answer:
There are four different status choices. Ready, SOLD, HOLD, INVALID. Ready will be the most common status. All vehicles ready for sale will have this status. INVALID status is essentially used for deleting a record. When a record has an invalid status, it will not show up on the inventory that the customer will see, but will be available for you to view in the secure edit section. Marking a record INVALID will hopefully prevent you from accidently deleting a record. SOLD and HOLD are options to be used if you want to spend more time and update your data on a more frequent basis. This will demonstrate to customers that this data is timely. (NOTE: From time to time, INVALID record will be removed from the system.)

Question:
How do I change the inventory on my Web site?

Answer:
Point your browser to our secure Web site. Enter your e-mail address and password as given to you by JMTS. Once you have logged in, you will see 2 sections; one to "Add a Used Car" and one to "Search For a Used Car".

Add a Used Car:
Click on the button "Add a Used Car". Fill out the information to add a used car to the database. Some of the options are drop down boxes while others are fill in boxes. For the photo area, use the browse button to locate the photo on YOUR computer. The photo must be in either GIF or JPEG format. After completing the form, click the "Add Car" ONCE to add the information to the database. You can immediately view your changes "live" on your Web page.

Search for a Used Car:
You can search for a used car to either VIEW or EDIT. Choose the criteria for your query. Click "Search". The results of you search will display. If you cannot find the car you were looking for, you can also search again. Choose the car you want to modify by clicking "EDIT" from the VIEW/EDIT Column. After clicking "EDIT" you will be presented with a form to modify the data. After completing the form, click the "Submit Changes" ONCE to update information in the database. You can immediately view your changes "live" on you Web page.

Instructions for creating and uploading vehicle inventory file:

  1. Export inventory from R&R as a TAB delimited text file. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE FORMAT IS TAB DELIMITED.
  2. Name the file "vehicles.txt"
  3. Go to http://www.yoursite.com From the menu go to pre-owned vehicles page. Once there, on the left menu at the bottom is and -EDIT- link. Clicking on this link will take you to the secure section for inventory editing.
  4. Login using the username and password supplied by JMTS.
  5. Click on "Add Many Cars".
  6. Here you will have the option of uploading just the inventory file, just the photo file or both at the same time.
  7. Click on "Browse.." to find the file "vehicles.txt" created in step 2. Click on "Add Cars". A screen will pop up to confirm your intention to upload the files. Click OK to start the process.
  8. NOTE: This may take several minutes depending on the size of the files and the speed of your connection. CLICK ONLY ONCE. DO NOT CLICK ON ANYTHING ELSE DURING THE UPLOAD.
  9. Upon completion, you should receive on-screen notification that the upload was successful. You will also receive an e-mail notification that your inventory has been modified.
  10. "Logout" of the secure section of the Web site.

Instructions for creating and uploading vehicle photos ZIP file:

  1. Photos must be in JPG or GIF format. Using WinZip, create a ZIP file containing the photos you want to upload.
  2. Name the file "photos.zip"
  3. Go to http://www.yoursite.com From the menu go to pre-owned vehicles page. Once there, on the left menu at the bottom is and -EDIT- link. Clicking on this link will take you to the secure section for inventory editing.
  4. Login using the username and password supplied by JMTS.
  5. Click on "Add Many Cars".
  6. Here you will have the option of uploading just the inventory file, just the photo file or both at the same time.
  7. Click on "Browse.." to find the file "photos.zip" created in step 2. Click on "Add Cars". A screen will pop up to confirm your intention to upload the files. Click OK to start the process.
  8. NOTE: This may take several minutes depending on the size of the files and the speed of your connection. CLICK ONLY ONCE. DO NOT CLICK ON ANYTHING ELSE DURING THE UPLOAD. The upload of the file clears out the database and replaces all data. When the photos are processed (every 90 minutes) you'll see the photos again.

    It's best to upload the file early in the morning (or late at night) and then give the system 90 minutes to update the photos accordingly.

    Photos are processed even if there aren't any new ones uploaded. Every 90 minutes, the system looks at the cars in the DB and the photo files on the disk and matches them up. An upload of a new inventory file "resets" the database...one side effect is that the photos aren't shown until the 90 minute job runs.
  9. Upon completion, you should receive on-screen notification that the upload was successful. You will also receive an e-mail notification that your inventory has been modified.
  10. "Logout" of the secure section of the Web site.
View a slide show of the Secure Inventory section.

After making a change to your data or adding a car, the results will display for that selected car and an e-mail will be mailed to sales@yourdealership.com. This will insure that you have a record of all changes made to your data and will alert you if unauthorized changes are being made to your database.

On every screen is a "Main Menu" button and a "Logout" button. Logout each time to prevent unauthorized access to you database from you computer. Be assured every safeguard has been implemented to insure the integrity of you data.

NOTE: Deleting a Record.
Follow the same procedure for Searching for a car to EDIT. Change the "Status" to INVALID. This record will still exist but will not be available for viewing. Periodically these records will be deleted.

Question:
I don't want to display my VIN numbers.

Answer:
No problem. There are features that some dealers will not use. Leave the column empty. It will be available for future use. NOTE: Many dealers use this on-line inventory system for their sales people to use right from their desk. Accurate up-to-date information is available for them to access on the internet.



Back