JERSEY CITY, N.J. -
After six years of managing captive programs for Porsche, Saab and Jaguar at Midland Automotive Finance Corp. (now HSBC), and 11 years as vice president of business development and marketing for Remarketing Services of America (now a part of Fiserv), Cindy Heximer has returned to the auto sector.
In her time with RSA, she sold customized financial outsourced solutions to major banks and lending institutions and created strategic alliances with major banking partners, including six of the top 10 U.S. banks.
In her return to the industry, Heximer’s role is a bit different. She is selling solutions as director of business development for the auto sector at Opera Solutions, a global predictive analytics firm based in Jersey City.
Heximer recently sat down with Auto Remarketing to talk about how Opera Solutions is entering the industry.
What made you join a predictive analytics company like Opera?
Opera has created game-changing solutions that can really make a difference in the auto industry. They’ve done profit-enhancing work in so many other industries that I was convinced they could make a big impact in the auto space.
What kinds of services can Opera offer to the auto industry?
We are doing some very exciting, cutting-edge things in the remarketing space.
First, we have our pricing optimization model, which delivers far greater accuracy when predicting each vehicle’s sales price at auction. The increased accuracy is really significant, because it leads to higher confidence in target prices, with less deviation and fewer “no-sales.” Imagine achieving an additional $150 for every car sold at auction, and you can imagine the advantage that Opera can provide.
We deliver these advanced pricing analytics through our Auction Dashboard which runs on an iPad or other tablet computer. Field representatives take the tablets to auctions and the Dashboard dynamically updates pricing information after each vehicle is sold, allowing the reps to manage the overall sale much better. It’s an amazing thing to see in action. Every car to be sold by the representative is pre-loaded, in order of sale that day, taking into account dozens of variables that affect the price of cars. It even captures sales information after every auction and updates pricing targets multiple times each day. 
We also have a sophisticated allocation model that allows finance companies to predict the auction at which a vehicle will sell for the highest price, even after taking into account transportation expenses and depreciation. We use analytics to send the cars to the right auctions at the right times.
Finally, our dynamic management reporting rapidly lets remarketing executives dig deep into the details of vehicle sales and obtain a clear picture of what’s working, what isn’t, and why.  
Where else in the auto space can Opera’s solutions be helpful?
Our offerings in credit risk-underwriting, supply chain, and maximization of incentives, promotion, and marketing spend have tremendous potential for the industry.
Here’s one example: Manufacturers spend millions on incentives each year. Figuring out how best to spend this money is a universal problem and one they struggle with every day. We can help them spend more intelligently to attract the customers most likely to buy their vehicles so they don’t have to employ a “spray and pray” approach. Impacting this expenditure will add big value to the bottom line.
How does using predictive analytics differ from other industry approaches to business?
The sophistication and power of our analytics allows us to target decisions on an individual basis, one customer and one car at a time. We can literally get down to a per-transaction decision point.
Other companies out there offer analytics; auto companies even have in-house analytics teams. What’s different about Opera?
Opera is unique because we’re not just an analytics company. We are a predictive analytics firm, but we’re also a technology company, a consulting company, and an implementation services company all rolled into one. I don’t think there’s another company that can bundle all these services together in any industry, auto manufacturing included. You’d have to go to at least two if not four other companies to get the same combination of services, let alone the expertise to put them all to work.
Opera’s also a nimble company. It’s a very can-do kind of place. That’s just the culture here. It’s a company that prides itself on solving clients’ issues using highly customized solutions that create a measurable impact.
I feel very proud to be representing the company because I know we can deliver on our promises.
For more information on the company, visit www.operasolutions.com.