On this special edition of CBT News, John Fitzpatrick, Co-Founder and CEO of Force Marketing, and Shelley Washburn, President of GSM join guest host Steve Greenfield to discuss an exciting announcement. Today, Force Marketing announced that it has acquired fellow automotive marketing company, GSM. Both sides feel that the acquisition will create new opportunities to expand their dealer partnership network.
Fitzpatrick begins the conversation by sharing his excitement about the new acquisition. He talks about the recent growth of Force Marketing. After talking with their dealer partners, Fitzpatrick and Force recognized the need for more products and services in the fixed-ops sector. While 80-90% of dealership profits come from fixed-ops, only 5-10% of marketing dollars are spent to grow that side of the business. GSM was the partner Force needed to take that next step in improving the services and products offered to dealers.
Washburn then talks about how GSM benefits from the acquisition. She says that the deal just made sense for the business. As of right now, GSM is 90% focused on fixed-operations marketing. Washburn says that their customers have been asking for expanded services. The addition of Force’s products will allow GSM to offer a front-to-back marketing experience to its dealer partners. Washburn says that a typical dealer uses 8-14 marketing vendors. She says she’s excited to start bringing one solution to meet every need of dealers.
Washburn adds that GSM will bring a wealth of knowledge in fixed-ops marketing to Force’s daily operations. She says that both Force and GSM have a commitment to technology, innovation, and growth that will pair nicely as the company progresses in the industry.
Fitzpatrick concludes the conversation by discussing how the transaction will benefit associates within the companies. Anytime businesses expand, it creates new opportunities for associates to grow in their careers. With a new office in Houston, everyone within Force has been excited about growing the footprint of the company.
CBT News Co-founder and CEO Jim Fitzpatrick is Co-founder and board member of Force Marketing.
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