David,

A few do not speak for all and through sporadic disorder good eventually comes from it. Hope and look forward to hearing more valued information, updates and suggestions.

Regards,
Pete

Geeze boys... I had to take a moment to place a comment on here. Since I have been hiding behind the scenes for a bit.

As we all know AT is a heated discussion as prior posts on Dealerrefresh. Price increases and much more. Yes I was also in the midst of hammering a few AT reps on the head that were fully defending the AT blitz team etc.

David - future post would be greatly appreciated here on Dealerrefresh. Many of us regardless if we are a Dealer, Vendor, competition etc. are ears are open to learning more or should I say SHARPEN our SKILLS!!

Giving them the chance to see of their improvements are what AT says they are, only time will tell.

What it comes down to is we find ourselves blaming others for just that reason. Swallowing a hard pill due to price increases really is a drag and looking back at the ROI on the sale we made from AT is what we need to do.

Do you use AT to the fullest advantage you have?

Yes I sell websites, I am not going to sell a website if you are not going to use the tools I sell you. SPECIALS, UPCOMING SALES, UPLOADING VIDEOS and so on.

To get a tool to work for you, you need to work with all the tools that are provided to you.

I have used AT in the past, and sold a lot from AT. I had to keep on top of it daily to ensure the consumer is going to see what I have and details on that vehicle.

Again lets give them a chance to see what they have in store as David taken his time to place this post on here and seems confident this change is in the best interest of the dealer themselves.

Cheers to the Kool-Aid!

Alan-Scott gives all of his customer's the EXACT SAME DEAL...LOL!!!! First dealer in the world...Thanks Scott! Are you a Saturn store????

Scott--not all forks are created equal. A Lexus will get you from point A to point B just like a Kia--but you get what you pay for. Why buy advertising on TV station C when you can get just as much for 1/2 the cost at station D? Because station C offers more people, coverage, etc. than station D.....hope your new plastic forks don't break in your customer's hands when they take the first stab.

David, you can't do that on this blog. Some people still need professional training Thanks for the comments.

Scott Falcone and Brian DiPerna,

Quick story: I will put my reputation, ethics,success, and experience up against just about anyone in the business at any time. Neither of you know me so I would request that you not pass judgment on my character. Your pandering statement was insulting. My comments were from the heart. Maybe you should be less jaded and smile every once in a while. Sounds like someone needs a hug.....and this is why I shouldn't do guest posts...

Common now with the pimping comment. Discourse is great but discourteous is not. If your saying that you are skeptical or still not agreeing that's great. Heck make some fun but mocking? I don't think that every topic is spot on for me personally and just pass on engaging it but look at the purpose of this site. Hope you where having a bad day and no worries. The best to all and it will get better hopefully soon. PS Anybody going to be at the Chicago Auto Show? Maybe stop by and say hello-Pete

Come on...since when does explaining the proper changes that a vendor is making become a VIP Pimp show? I have met David more than once and he is great at what he does. He follows all of the right trends and is a big component to the success of MileOne. Just because someone had been to a company dinner and had a great time does not mean that they sell their soul and true feelings about them. I think when you get to know a company and you know the right people and you see that this company is trying to make things right it is only fair acknowledge it. There are companies that I am not a huge fan of even though I respect them. The companies that I am not a fan of can wine and dine me all day and night long. However, if I think they have a crappy service my thought will be the same, I will just never stop respecting people for trying to make things better and improve. It show positive change and a will to improve. At the end of the day, dealers need vendors and vendors need dealers as both work together to be as profitable as possible.

Really convenient. Fly me to Vegas, give me the VIP Pimp show and I will say the vendor is the best thing since color television.

Give me AutoTraders number. Bellagio, strip clubs, Patron, and I am their biggest fan!

"A mere $3,000 a month". I didn't know that it is getting to that point. What are they the mob?
Bad move on AT's part if they are trying to send in relatively "green peas", by way less the number of negotiating experience in to close than most Closer's/Managers/Owners in the business. Are they forgetting who needs who more. Dealers sell cars and they sell what "hyped-air"? Who's the customer and who &^% should be kissin who's here for business...nice selling model, trying to scare the fearless. Aghh! what are these ad people thinking? The direct mail people are considering coming out of retirement if that is how your going to try to sell your virtual service. Right...In two years mainstream media will get it figured out and a person from ABC online will be sending you your ad bill. I forgot they got "anal-ytics" as a secret weapon-lol

Bill, you were just "blitzed" but their not calling it that anymore, LOL!

I got the latest today. I was tag teamed by the Automart.com Rep and the AT rep. I can't believe I was told that they were required to tell me about their new Dominater package because some dealer near us will buy it and they didn't want me upset when the competion's ad showed up on top of my "partner placement". Without offering it to me first for a mere $3000 per make per month. I can't believe that AT can continually sell a higher placement package without eventually hitting a ceiling.

Just a dealer bidding against the cloud.

Quick comment about "over pricing". That's what customers feel when they buy the minute a new model comes out and later it's discounted. Not a good mindset. Did they get screwed in some way that they where over priced? Of course not because that is what the market is at the time.

Second, I bought my first mounted car cell phone for $2,500 and if I or others at time didn't help make that company profitable to continue on would they have been able to grow and better their product and service?

It's all relative in the business development cycle. If a product doesn't work in your business model then it is what it is and something else does.

If AT and Cars did not exist what would be the option? "Ebaying" the cars which puts it up for grabs on what you will sell a vehicle for.

This is all new and keep it in perspective. Do you some realize that we can rememebr NO internet, computer and what the heck is e-mail?

All the best-Pete

Bravo Scott, someone had to say it. I love how ATC is the "victim" all of the sudden. I wonder if any of the ATC folks realize the company will be sold within the year? The purple mustaches from all that kool aid must effect memory. They can't put the Genie back in the bottle.

David,

Quick story: A guy owns a restaurant and has been buying plastic forks for 10 years from the same guy for a penny a piece. He liked the fork rep and thought for sure he was his partner in success not just a vendor. Along comes a new vendor who offers the same fork for half a penny. He says he will get back to him on buying forks. The owner calls his normal fork vendor to tell him the story and ask about the price. His partner/vendor says he could do it for the same price too. The owner then decides that he has been getting raked by this guy for 10 years...why would he give him any more business... and promptly fires his vendor and hires the new guy. Do you see enough similarities in this story as compared to the pandering you received at this conference? How many times will they "fix things"? "Straighten out the pricing, etc". "Really give you exclusivity now..." Companies should not be penalized for trying to change and do better, but there are HUNDREDS of dealers (and stories) whose memory must be longer than yours. Eventually one must decide what this company is all about. After all of these years of arrogance and manipulating price and arrogance, oh I said that, I have voted with my checkbook and invested heavily in microsites and additional online resources to help sell cars, but those resources will not include AutoTrader. I have overspent on forks long enough. Best of luck with your business and vendors.

Nice to see all these smart people on here that have the magic formula on selling more cars! Boy, if you could bottle it, you'd be richer than Bill Gates. Seriously, I've been in automotive advertising for 23 years. I sold newspaper during the glory '80's. Dealer's thought it was way expensive, told us "we were the only game in town" (No, there was TV and Radio and Magazines and Direct Mail, etc. they could choose from). There were tons of dealers in there--everyone of them. No one dealer could dominate. But guess what....it sold cars for them and was easy to do. My point is. Newspapers don't work now, the internet works better (not just ATC, Cars.com, but all of it). Dealer's--shift your old tired, non-working media budget (yes it includes blow up Gorillas)to more online focus. Don't spend "more" but shift it. Also, doing it right takes work....make your lazy salespeople and/or internet manager (not all dealerships--don't kill me)use the tools available to bring more attention to your inventory! Many, Many, Many dealers are being very, very, very successful with more of an internet focus even in today's crappy economy. (I'll give you some references if you want). OBTW, I got out of "traditional media" a few years ago, because I knew where the train was headed. I'm now helping my dealers sell more cars on the internet. Lastly, Thanks David! You "Get It"

You don't. It's the luck of the draw. Buy all the bells and whistles they want to sell you and you may do better than others. Spotlight the heck out of your cars and you might get a few more requests. The consumer is going to surf and it doesn't matter if you spotlight it or put naked pics on it. They look at make, model, miles and price and they will surf all the ones they are looking for. If you SEO/SEM your inventory off your own site, you don't have pay ANYBODY huge sums of money for a crap shoot. Would you rather spend $5K plus a month on some listing site or $5K a month on your own site(s) etc....with better results?

Crazy why any dealer would want to do that anymore, CRAZY!

Wow, there is a lot of energy out there. I am a pulilsher of a regional magazine that is a direct competitor to AutoTrader. So the new is good for us, but former peers and friends are in a bad place. Ask most of us, it is rough and hard out there right now.

Print is certainly less important than 10 years ago. Yet, direct mail, targeted advertisng, and many other advertising programs that rely on printed materials are popular and growing. All dealers need to be online. No doubt about. But is the cost per sale climbing out of reach?

There is no way a dealer can dominate a site provided by a third party internet provider. They can pop up earlier, add colors, add logos, and make the posting appear nicer. But that dealer can dominate printed materials and can get very impressive returns for adverting investments made in print.

Trader print was a strong competitor and got very impressive results if used properly. What are deaers going to do to replace those units that were sold because of print?

Print lives and is very healthy if the material is targeted and put into the hands of people who have an interest in the message. That requires very good distribution and the proper print runs. Ask for proof and verify what agencies or publlishers claim as print runs, mailings, and results. It is EASIER than you may think.

AutoTrader.COM cuts boths ways, it is the largest, but how do you get responses when so many dealers are there?

Just curious maybe I have missed this somewhere
but how strong is the infrastructure at ATC. Seems like a lot of data being pushed these days. What kind of upgrades have they made in this area?

My apologies to David if my comment set off a chain of negative comments. I am glad to hear that things are changing at AT. Thats just good business. They have a lot to make up for after years of bad policies and procedures when it came to their relationship with their dealers. If things are really happening as they were presented to David then I would look at AT again. However, my used car ad plan seems to be working for me so why go to the added expense of signing up with Autotrader. This whole medium will have problems if local and regional dealer associations get their act together to form websites similar to AT and Cars.com. They can advertise they heck out of them in their local markets and maybe even save a little money. I agree with Alex in many respects on this and other issues. The landscape is changing.

SJBconsult,
I must say your response is nothing but a complete contradiction. Here is my response to your reply:
We are in the worst economy that anyone of our generation has ever seen — and it sucks to see anyone lose their job at any time but we need to keep things in perspective.
***Really is our economy the worst our generation has have ever seen? I was completely unaware; no wonder why our dealers are doing so terrible. This is good info to share with them then.LOL!

First, Cox companies are all separate entities and Autotrader.com and Cox Autotrader are not managed from the same balance sheet.
***Your right on that one, but when ATC needed help in Blitzing under Performing Markets and decided to publish a reverse ATC Magazine, I do believe it was the CAT employees that had to come over and work hand-in-hand in doing so.
Also I do believe the Private Party Segment always worked with ATC in building your private party content on your website. So we did work a lot closer than what you are leading everyone to believe.

Second, every company on the planet has had to look at their business and scale accordingly.
***Scale is right. Keep the performers and get rid of the under performers. Not get rid of the entire company....unless that was the plan from the very beginning.

Third, ATC (not Cox autotrader in which you worked apparently) is one of the few companies that didn’t cut sales people — and in fact we brought on some of the Cox autotrader people)
*** ATC did bring over CAT employees. You now get our president, who came from there in the first place, or vice president and the top sales reps from each office. The only thing wrong with that is, everybody in their right mind knows the plan for the sales reps. Use them to capture what revenue they can from the magazine and then dispose of them or give them the option to transfer to another city so they can say they tried to keep everyone. Those are the people I really feel sorry for. They didn't get the opportunity to get the "Generous Severance Payout" and probably will never see such a thing.

That’s almost like saying, team — since your local newspaper closed down we decided to not reward your hard work this year. (Remember, you company is owned by the same but not managed by the same)
*** I agree that hard work should not go un-noticed but that is in a perfect world.... and obviously we are not in one. A lot of people lost their jobs and because of that anyone under the Cox Enterprise umbrella probably should show some type of empathy to those thousands that lost their jobs and refrain from putting comments about Vegas Trips on the Internet. Take your team out to eat, tell them thank you and save your money. After all our economy is the worst our generation has ever seen.

Also, it’s cheaper to go to Vegas during this time of year then it is to go to Buffalo NY (kidding) but seriously. We worked hard in 2008 like everyone else and had another year of growth while most companies landed in the negatives. Why shouldn’t they reward the sales people per the tradition? I bet if they didn’t you’d see a different thread on here that says the same message (ATC is horrible, blah, blah, blah)
***My region was a performing region and it didn't matter how hard we worked at the end of the day we still lost our jobs. It wasn't shutting down offices that were underperforming it was shutting down the whole CAT organization. And don't tell me about Tradition, the Magazine is what made your name so valuable. Without that, you would have been nothing.
And taking pride in the fact Vegas was cheaper than Buffalo NY; people have just lost jobs....low class and now is not the time for kidding remarks.

Don’t direct your anger at the wrong people.
*** My anger is not towards the people who still have jobs, god bless them and I truly hope they get to keep them. My anger goes out to those flaunting Vegas trips. Once again we are owned by the same company Cox Enterprise. Show empathy towards not just the people who are without jobs, but also to their family's they are trying to support. After all, I have to go back once again to your comment "We are in the worst economy that anyone of our generation has ever seen"

In fact, channel your anger and look at your situation as an opportunity to start fresh somewhere else.
***Seriously, you have a job. So do you really know what it is like for the millions who are competing against each other in the "worst economy that anyone of our generation has ever seen"? I think not. Opportunity’s...LOL!

Honestly, I feel your pain like everyone else in this economy but if you work hard and stay focused you will thrive in another role somewhere else.
***Ok, so let's really be honest. You feel my pain? No you don't, you’re not the one trying to find a job (sorry, I gotta go there again) "in the worst economy that anyone of our generation has ever seen". So just stop, you said enough.

KAT

Alex and I agree on a lot when it comes to Autotrader. The shortcomings of the product were compounded by a sales and support staff that left a lot to be desired from a policy and procedure standpoint. If things are changing from an attitude standpoint and rates are dropping, then I would consider them again. However, I have a used car ad plan that is producing results so why should I add them back and all the expense that comes with it. I'm happy for ATC and their customers that things are changing. Thats good business. I just think the whole medium is on shaky ground. If local or regional dealer associations pool their resources, they could come up with an alternative to the cars.com and AT's of the world, advertise the heck out of it and cut out the middle men (and they might even save some money in the end).

For the record, I didn't mean to set this off on a negative chain so my apologies to David Metter if it appeared that way. Thanks again for sharing your insight. DR is a great place to exchange news, ideas and provide feedback. Thanks again to Jeff et al for keeping it going.

Lets go sell some cars and get this thing going again!

Kat,

We are in the worst economy that anyone of our generation has ever seen -- and it sucks to see anyone lose their job at any time but we need to keep things in perspective.

First, Cox companies are all seperate entities and Autotrader.com and Cox Autotrader are not managed from the same balance sheet.

Second, every company on the planet has had to look at their business and scale accordingly.

Third, ATC (not cox autotrader in which you worked apparently) is one of the few companies that didn't cut sales people -- and in fact we brought on some of the cox autotrader people)

Finally, you said "While they were having a good ole’ time in Vegas, people were getting canned everywhere else with Cox AutoTrader. Greed comes back to haunt companies."

That's almost like saying, team -- since your local newspaper closed down we decided to not reward your hard work this year. (Remember, you company is owned by the same but not managed by the same)

Also, It's cheaper to go to Vegas during this time of year then it is to go to Buffalo NY (kidding) but seriously. We worked hard in 2008 like everyone else and had another year of growth while most companies landed in the negatives. Why shouldn't they reward the sales people per the tradition. I bet if they didn't you'd see a different thread on here that says the same message (ATC is horrible, blah, blah, blah)

Don't direct your anger at the wrong people.

In fact, channel your anger and look at your situation as an opportunity to start fresh somewhere else.

Honestly, I feel your pain like everyone else in this economy but if you work hard and stay focussed you will thrive in another role somewhere else.

Best of luck!!!

AutoTrader.com is just GREAT!!!!LOL. While they were having a good ole' time in Vegas, people were getting canned everywhere else with Cox AutoTrader. Greed comes back to haunt companies. You watch and see!!!

Well written and insightful...thank you for taking the time to participate in the conference and provide a review!