SALT LAKE CITY -

DrivingSales has opened up the application process for its 2011 DrivingSales Dealer Best Idea Award program and is encouraging dealers to submit their entries.

There will be five finalists for the award, which is sponsored by ADP/Cobalt. These finalists will get the opportunity to vie for more than $10,000 in cash and to demonstrate their “best idea” at the DrivingSales Executive Summit, which is scheduled for Oct. 9-11 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

“The Dealer ‘Best Idea’ Award recognizes the year’s smartest, best and most innovative dealership strategies and is modeled on the spirit of idea-sharing and collaboration among dealers that we see every day at DrivingSales.com,” stated Jared Hamilton, founder and chief executive officer of DrivingSales.

“We are proud to once again partner with ADP Digital Marketing/Cobalt to share that spirit by bringing attention to the original and creative ideas that are driving results in dealerships across the country,” he added.

In 2010, the winner of the award was Marc McGurren, the Internet director/sales manager at Jerry Durant Auto Group.

McGurren’s idea was to have a dedicated point-of-sale mobile site to connect with customers after the store had closed.

“One of the most exciting things about winning this award is the number of dealerships who contacted me about adapting my idea for their dealerships,” McGurren stated. “Thanks to Cobalt and DrivingSales — who continue to inspire creative thinking in our industry — I have been able to share and collaborate on this and other strategies with my peers across the country.”

The award is just one piece of the action scheduled for the DSES event.

The summit will also feature workshops and interactive roundtables that will delve into various dealer department success stories. There will also be keynote addresses from social-media expert Gary Vaynerchuk and Social Media Explorer owner Jason Falls, as well as Aaron Strout, a location-based marketing guru.

"It is no secret to us that dealers have the best ideas for applying new approaches and technologies to improve their businesses, which is why sponsoring this award at the DrivingSales Executive Summit is so important to us,” said Chris Reed, chief marketing officer of ADP Digital Marketing. “We find that uncovering the ‘best ideas’ that are changing our industry for the better is one of the most rewarding parts of our business — and truly valuable as we continue to develop meaningful and successful products and services for dealerships.”

To learn more or submit an application for the award, visit http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com/awards/.