Mike,

That's funny...ATC hasn't performed ANY blitzes in the past 18 months. The blitzes were eliminated almost 2 years ago!

to Brian in ETown

Get me down for 10 dimes on the over (lol)

Think you've been blitzed before?

Now they picked up VAuto and have another product too pitch- they will burn down your phone lines bro!

Oh, how true, I used to be a staunch supporter of ATC, in fact, I made it an employment requirement for my store to advertise with them before I signed on, not only are they way overpriced, but to cap the photo's at 9 for a "Featured Plus" package, is totally ridiculous, and quite frankly, I love comparing their competition for the same type ad package with unlimited photo's and many other difference's that don't add up, and yes, I have experienced their "Blitz" 3 times over the last 18 months. Love my rep, but business is business, and they are pricing themselves out of my market, too bad!!

Bubblebreaker,

Love your name by the way. I don't think that we are trying to fool anyone, I'm sorry that you feel that way. One of the great things about cars.com is the amount of partnerships that we have. I can't find the exact quote at the moment, but even the illustrious Mr. Kershner pointed that strength out in a post a few months ago. We can't be everything to everybody, but we can get our dealer partner's inventory in front of a huge cross section by forming partnerships and exclusively supplying their classified content. It is a great product.

Quick clarification though, the $200 million spend is citing Cars.com specific branding. Sure it may be on the back of one of the Tribune or Belo properties, but it goes to building the cars.com brand. It really is no different than Chevrolet calculating a cumulative spend for tier 1 and 2 spend and local dealer marketing. The Chevrolet brand is being elevated. Hope that helps you feel better about those numbers.

Bubble Braker if you read my post you would have notice I said "between us and cars.com".....ps we have Edmunds new (in certain markets) as well as used. They are both beneficial.

Cars.com Believer wrote: That’s what the 200 million in advertising has generated.

Why are there disclaimers that go with this claim? It is because cars.com is including the ad dollars that their partners are spending also. WHO DOES THAT?? That is as cheesy at the newspapers coming up with a 'readership' # instead of circulation. Tsk tsk tsk. Just tell the truth cars.com. You have a good product. Leave it at that.

sellmorecars: AutoTrader.com does not provide the Yahoo listings. Cars.com took over that a while back. Autotrader.com gained msn autos and KBB around that same time. A move that proved to be more than wise.

sellmorecars,

This is your boss, git back to werk dammit.

Your sales are in the toilet and it's all your fault. How many times do I have to tell you about this DealerReefer blog stuff? These Reefer's are to be considered a hostile group and all you do is preach to them out of our sales manual.

Sellmorecars, you can't make any money sitting on your a** typing. Git out there and make us some sales.

And remember...
When your dealers whine, refer to your AT sales manual that I wrote back in 01 and don't deviate from it. I'd also appreciate it of you'd not put my awesome word-tracks on this no good communist Reefer blog. These are my powerful marketing tracks and we don't want those evil bastards at Cars.com getting a hold of these custom ideas of mine.

Oh, BTW, you don't have to tell me, I know the word-tracks are out dated. Yea, I know 99% of newspapers are worse off financially than our car dealers already are. Yes, I heard that even the NY Times is about to file for bankruptcy. We just need a new spin to make our nit-wit dealers see the light.

I need help creating a spin, but I can't find it. I’ve read where studies show Newspaper ad rates are so over priced that they need to mark down ad rates 80% to make them viable. WE DONT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. You see, we base our AT pricing model and establish our AT value on newsprints bloated rate card. I just don’t what to do! Newsprint is a FAILED BUSINESS MODEL that we use as a corner stone to justify our value.

I need a new spin on this, write me if you get one...

Your favorite myopic manager,
OFH
(Old, Fat and Happy)

It really doesn't matter being the fact that there are no more blitzes anyway. My point is that there are a lot of dealers on this blog (mostly no one with any kind of authority so it really doesn't matter)who really blame us for a great product. Their problem is they get paid off emails which is not what we are about and never have been. If you really look at what we provide, you can't argue the fact that we (as in online in general) are way cheaper than traditional media, but since IM's don't understand the big picture when it comes to traditional advertising the only thing they can speak to is online. You can't pay the same cost for the targeted reach that ATC and Cars.com has. Newspaper for a 1 day ad full color is 7k on their busiest ad day which is typically Saturday. Radio during drive time for a 15 sec spot is $800. TV broadcast late news is $1500 but hold on, you got bonused during the political year lucky you with a spot between 2 negative ad campaigns.....awesome. NONE of this is targeted but thanks for showing us your pretty face on TV. It still didn't make want to buy a car. Between us and Cars.com we are the used car sites for the following:
KBB
Edmunds
NADA Guides
Yahoo Autos
MSN Autos
Univision (for the hispanic folks)
Askpatty (for the female folks)

I think that is enough (that's not all of them) so please do me the favor and hold the Newspaper, TV and Radio reps (oh I forgot those reps only deal with dealer principles not IM's) just as accountable. Cars.com and ATC are targeted advertising for car shoppers. It's valuable. Thankfully our dealers know that in my area because we educate them the right way (we aren't getting cancellations outside of store closings). We have open door policies with every OWNER of our groups and we go above and beyond to be a partner for their business. They DO NOT hold us accountable for their sales because we don't sell cars for anyone, we provide a targeted audience and that is all we do. If I depended on some sales guy's closing ratio I would be out of a job (80/20 rule). If a dealer told me I had to depend on their sales staff to close a deal, then we don't sign them up. If you want to do something different in 2009 realize people don't "shop" online, they "research" online. If you ask the right questions and know where we and Cars.com feed to you would fully understand what we are about. These conversations are much easier for us with OWNERS which is why we make the difference. If you think our company is losing money ask your traditional media reps how they are right now.

Sellmore needs to talk with some of the unfortunate AC's sent out on some hurried regional blitz's where they were lucky to scrap up $500 in a week, hell, they submitted more in expenses than they made in a week. "Picks" what a cash poor joke, the company earned thousands and the regional blitz AC gets thrown a nickel. National blitz team members were being thrown $5,000 just to show up. Regional blitz's were more like a sentence than an opportunity. In this economy they better start "Prayer Blitz's" in order to stave off cancellations and cut backs.

Obi 1 I would know better than you what goes on, I work there. I love how some dealers think they know so much. It's so comical. Oh and what is an RM? So what if ATC reps "make more"? So do your TV reps, Newspaper Reps, radio reps even Cars.com gets paid the same way. So do you CANCEL CANCEL CANCEL all of those? Just because you aren't making any money must be because you aren't good in sales.

SellmoreCars, the problem with ATC is that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing!!!

Sure, not all ACs make big bucks during the blitzes but a lot of them do.

Some DMs and RSMs, hell even RMs brag about their "pet AC's" making the $5,000 a week or the $8,000 cash blitz commission.

Dealers, don't feel bad about these ATC reps, most of them make more money than you !!!

CANCEL CANCEL CANCEL

Darth FYI we do discount in local markets. They only "blitz" the big cities and no they aren't doing it anymore simply because the company is at its maturing point. There is more common sense out there than you think. Ob1 3-4k a day isn't accurate. It's more like 1k-2k a week and that's toward the the top producer.

I've heard they've finally done away with the national blitz teams. I guess they realized it was actually costing them more in the long run with the cancellation rates after 3 mos than the temporary revenue fix they were using them for. If they had any common sense they would just allow the local reps to discount the products the way the blitz teams have in the past and actually see better retention, but I wouldn't hold my breath on any common sense decisions like this coming from ATC.

The skinny on blitzes...

Top 10 list of things you need to know:

1- They pick the best ACs in the country. Never local to you.
2- They juice them up on that famous ATC Kool Aid
3- They throw cash at them (some make $3,000 to $4000 a day, I'm talking $100 bills)
4- They can discount products up to 80%, makes you wonder how inflated that price is !!!
5- Once they sell you , you will never see them again
6- Your local sales rep gets nothing for the transaction (His service will be bad)
7- They sell you a product you don't need or that doesn't work for you.
8- They receive a list of dealers to target, they know nothing about your store or your needs.
9- This is advertising's equivalent of a flea market or a wholesale auction.
10- They hand you spotlights like candy, some dealers get 100 or more per purchase !!!

Stan your experiences are not every dealers. If you are this upset about how Autotrader.com is treating you why haven't you asked to speak to a manager? Oh...PS, we have reps that came to us crom Cars.com that have said the exact same thing. As an employee I have never been treated wrong. I always think the one's who are treated "bad" are probably not good at their job anyway and are on some kind of warning. Are you an owner?

It seems like they try to act as if the dealerships need them more then ever. I know more ex-Autotrader reps that switched to cars.com and are happier. They are as bad to the dealer as they are to their employees. Autotrader needs to step up their game because with so many resources out there, we do not need them at all. We can pay less and get more with other companies. EBay and craigslist do great for dealers.

We sent a certified letter stating that we were breaking off the relationship between us and AutoTrader. Within a week a lovely young lady from down south made a visit to see why we were ending a long relationship. We stated that we were not getting a return on our investment and we were going in a new direction as with our internet dept. She asked if she can come up with statistics that show the value and come back in one week for a formal meeting. We agreed. Meeting day arrived and she shows up with another sales rep and begins her pitch with no substance at all. They then start to try and upsell us to a more expensive pkg that they believe will increase our sales. Again showing no value! We asked them to come up with a discounted proposal and they agreed. We all made another meeting date that worked for everyone. As we were walking out of the conference room, one sales rep threw at us that they have a new luxury box at the new Yankee Stadium as if that was going to change our minds. Long story short, they never showed to the meeting and sent meaningless emails. We are no longer with AutoTrader.

That cracked me up Tony :) - I don't blame you.

I am never coming back to this post!

Maybe you need a remedial math class "Believer".

"Cars.com avg monthly visitors were 300,000 in 2007
Cars.com avg monthly visitors are over 800,000 in 2008"

Correct me if I'm wrong...didn't Cars.com advertise and promote to their dealers last year that they had 9 million Uniques/month?

FYI...ATC is averaging over 15 Million unique visitors per month in 2008.

Perhaps Cars.com needs to invest that $200 million dollars more wisely!

With all that being said, I also believe that dealers should be on both sites. Let's just report accurate information.

We have never been blitzed by AT!

I think what is most important is helping dealers really take a hard look at their budgets and spend it wisely. Partner dealers on Autotrader.com also get paid placement on Google. I have sat with dealers and Googled their name and we are higher on the page. Just and FYI. I don't think any 1 source is going to be your answer. With ATC and Cars.com you have pretty much covered online (I like to think it is like Bud Light and Miller Light). There are a lot of successful dealers with and without ATC. I think what needs to happen more is a partnership. Unfortunately online vendors have to dig a little deeper into a dealership's inventory to prove if it works. Not like traditional media that spray and prays. Anything targeted whether it be print or online is a good source. You just need a blended mix with the traditional more expensive outlets. At the end of the day, if you don't buy cars people want to drive, advertising isn't going to matter. There are a lot of great reps. The difference is, do they have genuine concern for your business. TO be honest, in some areas where there has been consistent great reps with lwo turnover don't have a cancellation problem. I think the arrogance is a lot less than what it used to be. You still would spend a lot more in traditional media to get the reach you do with online. I am proud to say that none of the dealers on here that are unhappy are in my market. At least not any decision makers. Good luck with your business this year for it will turn around.

WOW - I have read maybe 50 or more posts during this topic. Alex sure laid the ground work for an interesting debate. I cant believe that AT.com is allowing this AMY to be their spokesperson in this public forum....... $2,300 is a lot of money to list 100% of my used inventory, but AT.com says "it's worth it". I actually like my sales reps and their manager. I used to head up the Mid-Atlantic region for Auto Extra.com I did blitz with my teams because AutoTrader.com was doing it. Sounded like a good idea, then after meeting all of the personalities at these dealerships I realized that if the programs did'nt work out that their job and budget is on the line. So now I am on the other side of the desk. I am the BDC/Internet Manager with a budget. "where do I spend my $" I know that AT.com does'nt like being compared to cars.com but honestly perception is reality. I can list my pre-owned inventory for $500. I also read all of these stats that consumers are viewing 3 or more websites before making a buying decision. It's a tough choice to stoke that signature for something so expensive. Our used cars are typically meant for (buy here pay here). I am struggling between listing my inventory or buying financing leads. The BLITZ team has'nt made it here yet and honestly I would'nt want to work with any other reps, because the ones who have come to see me know our story and our direction. I don't feel like explaining it over and over again. Plus add the other 10 advertisers who call on me a day. I certainly understand everyone's frustration.

I may go back to AT.com one day, but it seems like times have changed and SEO campaigns send more customers to my sites and my page views are up. So I am in my "testing lab" So far so good......

I hope everyone has a good NOVEMBER!!!

Alex, do you anticipate this thread reaching 150?

ATC.com blitz is a joke. The sales guys are sent into the market to do hard sales and are never seen again.. This is a lot of promises with absolutely no follow up. Amongst talking to my dealer 20 groups, there has never been and positive feedback from ATC.com. They also try to sale the highest package which is a waste due to the saturation level and also how their leads and searches are terribly down.. This is obviously not the place to be anymore..
On the otherhand, I have had tremendous growth and positive feedback with my Cars.com sales rep. These are true quality leads and not only that, I can honestly say that Cars.com is a true advertising solution with the rest of my advertising mix.

Just broke 100 posts on this one. I guess I lost the bet.

Lightnup,

Thank you for your thoughtful comments. It’s nice to be a part of a well authored forum debate. I will let the advertising dollars spent topic die after this post.

I’m certain that you will agree that the readers of this forum are intelligent enough to understand if an AT rep is bragging about spending 70+ million in one year that it seems almost inconceivable that they have spent 100 million in the last 3 months alone. If I were bragging, I would probably brag about the later if it were true.

I also believe that 99.9% of the readers realize that if she meant 100 million she would NOT have said 70+ and let the readers assume the other 30 million (nice try)

Knowing several members of this forum I assure you (after Amy’s post) it would take posting a snapshot of the 2008 AT ad campaign to get anyone to believe they spent the alleged 100 million in the last 3 months (please don’t use Photoshop)

Once again thank you for participating in this debate I always enjoy entering a battle of wits against an unarmed opponent.

While I do agree with alot of the comments regarding vendors in this thread I do have to give kudos to cars.com for the ads.

As a dealer, you can continue to try to hide from the reputation you have or take advantage of it. Cars.com does a great job in these spots embracing the idea of customers expecting to fight for the perceived deal then brushing that idea aside with humor.

I know of 2 dealers in our DMA that are at less than 30% of units sold as same time last year. They spend most every day trying to hide from their reputation.

While some of us if not most might initially feel slighted by the stereotyping, seeing it as a whole provides better insight.

After all, the customer is already thinking this way. Why not let it work for you.

I had one GM out of 30 that was not happy about the creative, I've never seen an effective campaign that everybody likes. That said, he hasn't complained at all about the uptick in contacts and sales off the site. As far as insulting the client base goes, I think we can gather quite a bit of info on that just by looking at the number of posts this topic has received relative to the one discussing our ad creative. The "clients" seem to be much more insulted by your sales tactics.

I'm going to throw in for the other rebuttals too. Compete is a great tool, but you've misapplied it. You've got out the 8lb sledge to put the boat in the glass bottle...

Until ATC deals with the spiders and bots that necessitate the "small text" in admanager, it's hard to definitively say what kind of traffic or uniques you are driving. I think the better stat from compete to look at is velocity over the last 45 days. Look at page visits monthly too...Yikes! not a good trend.

http://siteanalytics.compete.com/autotrader.com+ca...

The other thing that you already know is that partnership sites play a giant role in this kind of measurement. Add yahoo to the mix and the total searches picture changes pretty quickly.

Not making a sales pitch here, but it's way more than what you've presented.

@Ryan
Sorry you're disappointed. I'll try to do better next time.
Your ads are still running and they still convey the "Mr. Dealer, you're not trustworthy" message, so why would I change my opinion of them? You're insulting your own clients.

@cars 3.0
Deciding not to proceed on a major capital project in a lousy economy and selling off newspapers both seem like pretty astute moves, wouldn't you agree? Perhaps good management is how they got to $15 Billion in the first place?

@cars believer
$70+ and $100 are not contradictions. The + means "plus" or "more than" and $100 is more than $70. Nice try though.

Since you're into quoting numbers, perhaps you noticed that compete.com shows ATC up 22% in unique visitors this year while cars.com is up 4.1%.

I haven't posted since early July and was content to let this thread die, but since cars believer felt compelled to "set the record straight," so did I.

@ Lightnup

You "cleared up" the superbowl ad issue for us on July 1st. Scroll up a bit and you'll find my reply, I guess you missed it.

Nothing new from you on this? I'm really kinda disappointed. I hate to call you out, especially after you nailed Jeff on exposing "his furry" to vendors, that was classic, but let me ask you, if the bounce on the ads was shortlived, how long are you planning on spinning the creative to look like something it wasn't?

Amy wrote:
of all of the "vendors" you want to compare autotrader.com to....which one can say to you they are spending 70 plus million to drive traffic?

Lightnup wrote:
ATC spent $100 million in just the past 3 months.

Contradiction n. The act of contradicting. The state of being contradicted. A denial. Inconsistency; discrepancy.

The above possibly could be considered a contradiction...

I'm curious if there are any dealers that would like to comment on the results the 100 million spent in the last 3 months have generated...

Cars.com avg monthly visitors were 300,000 in 2007
Cars.com avg monthly visitors are over 800,000 in 2008

That's what the 200 million in advertising has generated. (in case you were wondering)

Cox most recently cancelled the construction of a 28 story new headquarters building to house autotrader and as recently as last week announced they are putting 29 newspapers on the block for sale in addition to Valpak. They are circiling the wagons to divest of revenue draining sectors of their business, they should really think twice about pissing off anymore dealers with autotrader rates if they're seriously looking to maintain or grow their $15 billion in overall revenue the next couple years.

"$200 million in 2008." Yawn. So what...ATC spent $100 million in just the past 3 months.

The "bounce" from cars.com Superbowl commercials (the commercials that insult their clients' ethics and integrity by implying that it takes witch doctors and voodoo dancers to get fair treatment from a car dealer) was over almost before it began.

Amy wrote:
of all of the "vendors" you want to compare autotrader.com to....which one can say to you they are spending 70 plus million to drive traffic?

Cars.com is spending $200 Million Dollars on their 2008 ad campaign to drive traffic to their dealers. They are also providing comparable value to the dealers at 1/3 of AT's monthly cost.

DON'T get me wrong I never bash AT because at the end of the day even at their higher prices they are still providing a great deal of value to their dealers. However based on Amy's comment I felt compelled to set the record straight. According to the latest ad sheets they have delivered to me they are advertising on the following:

Comedy Central, Discovery, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNnews, ESPNU, FOX sports, TBS, TNT, USA

3 commercials on each FOX MLB game
Major spots in NASCAR races including sponsorship
Major college football game sponsorships
Major NFL football sponsorships
CONFIRMED spots in the upcoming Super Bowl (the BIGGEST stage in advertising)

$200 MILLION Spent to drive traffic to their dealers in 2008 and they are still providing tons of value for 1/3 of the cost.

"Searches for used cars were down across all of AutoTrader.com, with significant double-digit dips despite strong overall site traffic"

http://www.marketwatch.com/m/Story/%7BEF2EF5D9-E50...

I guess Chip Perry neglects to inform the blitz sales people this little factoid before they ran thru our area this Spring. I've never seen a company with a faster revolving door of sales reps than with Autotrader.com, we cancelled last year and we must've had 5 sales reps w/them in 4 years.

Steven,

You're absolutely right. It is about what works and what doesn't, and that is a very personal equation. We've been at it since the mid-90's and have done all sorts of experimentation. There was a time when ATC was something that did work, but that is not the case today. Cars.com works very well for us. ATC does a fantastic job of ticking us off - the inspiration for all the ATC threads on Dealer Refresh I've started.

Alan,

Yes, you are there to sell the cars that don't "automatically" sell just because we have them in stock. Your job is to present those vehicles to a broader audience, and that is all there is to it.

Alex and Alan both bring up great points of havingthe right inventory for the internet. We are the type of store that if we decide to buy a used vehicle or keep a trade in we stay with it till it sells. On this, we, at times, have inventory that is very old. Three of the 5 most searched and inquired vehicles that we now have our the vehicles that we have had in our inventory for over 300 days. They have been great flip vehicles for us so that have paid off, however they must now leave. Autotrader's premium listings have really helped in moving these vehicles. I know many out there, and believe me I was one, has had enough of their we are better than everything else opinions of themselves, however I am seeing some great results. I guess what I am trying to say is try many different products to find out what works best for your store and more importantly you.

Alex, you said: Dealers pay vendors to help move the "wrong" inventory......

That's a tall task for vendors to live up to. Holding the vendor to the same standards you place on other outlets to move the "wrong" inventory is just "wrong". You then challange the demographics of broad-reach, online classified sites as lower-quality. ATC has approx. 14 million uniques and Cars.com has about 10 million uniques a month. Are they all lower-quality? No, they are looking at all price ranges, all types of vehicles. There are many Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, Mercedes (Jeff?) dealers that do quite well on these sites with $30K+ used units. It goes back to how the dealer is utilizing the sites to their advantage. Being agressive with marketing their inventory whether its "right" or "wrong". My point was--as dealers: take responsibility in running your business and put your best effort forward in your marketing on any of the sites you use (or traditional media for that matter). It will pay off.

Alan,

You're right. It isn't just a "drop a check, then sit back and wait for the customer" system - it is all about marketing. Of course, the easiest thing for a vendor to say is "it is your inventory" and that vendor would be right. However, don't you think every dealer in the nation tries to carry the "right" inventory? It isn't that simple. Dealers pay vendors to help move the "wrong" inventory because dealership lots simply are not enough exposure to show people our Hyundai store might have that BMW you were looking for.

In response to a vendor who says "it is your inventory" my response is, well....it is your inventory of customers. This is where AutoTrader.com becomes problematic for a dealer group like the one I work for. ATC is somewhat plagued by magazine distribution that was around long before ATC. Because you share the same name with the magazine, you're associated with a distribution cycle that appeals to an audience who wants a cheaper car in my area. Just like the dealer-facing Autotrader reps who sell us things, there are also outlet-facing distribution reps who try to get the magazine placed on news stands. Everyone has quotas and for the distribution reps it is easier to find placement in some of the lower-quality news stands-yielding establishments (7-11, Food Lion, KMart, etc) than it is to put them in say a Target or somewhere someone with a higher income would shop. Brand association goes a long way, and it is the same as having a site/magazine full of buy-here-pay-here lots vs. a site/magazine full of new car franchised dealers. It was brilliant for ATC to carry the same name as the magazine initially (instant name recognition), but the issues of that association are showing today.

That is the problem with Autotrader on the grand level. Selling tactics, what this thread is about, is just a smaller sub-set of their other problems.

And the last comment says it all......from a dealer that no doubt knows what's going on in his dealership. Too many times I've called on ISMs that have "no clue" how to maximize whatever they have from whatever vendor. Amy was right earlier. Why would a consumer, very interested in YOUR car, reading about it click on one of the "leaks"? Not because ATC or Cars.com put it there. Because THEY DIDN'T LIKE YOUR CAR! Whaaah! Let's blame our vendor (no matter who it is) for our failure to put great photos, comments, a call to action!, competitive pricing, etc, and let our car outshine the others! Yes, when a dealer buys a newspaper full page ad, he dominates the page, but there are still LEAKS when the customer turns the page and sees another dealer's full page ad. Guess what? The customer DIDN'T LIKE YOUR CARS! It's not the newspaper's fault they have more than one page of car ads to look at. The real trouble that internet advertising has caused--laziness on the part of ISMs (some) that think, "duh, if we list our inventory on all these cool, popular sites, we just have to sit back and answer emails and phone calls." Hey, why don't you NOT wash and recondition your used cars, LEAVE the plastic shipping protectors on the new cars, turn all your lights OFF, take DOWN your signs, banners, flags, balloons, blow up waving men, painted windshields, spinners, flags (oh I already said that). And park your cars in an open field somewhere to see who looks at your cars? A word to all you struggling ISMs out there---use your brick and mortar marketing creativity on your virtual showroom and maybe leaks wouldn't matter! Next time your on Amazon or some other retail site, if you click off the product to a "leak" site, ask yourself one question, "why did I click off that product and not buy it, call them, send them an email?" It's the product you're selling online--not the channel that gets the customers there that matters. The dealers (and Mr. Isakson is probably one of them) that maximize every tool they have will win online. They don't have to spend the most money, but use to the fullest all the tools! Just trying to get everyone to look at another perspective.

Hello everyone, first time post and a new reader. I too was approached by Autotrader. We were about to cancel our subscription when too corporate reps from the west coast showed up. They did present an excellent offer which we took because we priced locked for three years and can cancel at any time. In the first three weeks, we have had more contacts by going to a premium partner than we have had all year long. I would advise everyone to give this a try if they can get a deal like this.
Steven Isakson
Isakson Chrysler Dodge
Northwest Indiana

Well...

I'm looking forward to UFC 86 tomorrow night when Rampage Jackson fights Forest Griffin for the light heavy weight title. If for some reason the fight is lacking I will be content after reading this octagon like beat down of AutoTrader.

Big thanks to all y'all!

Shaun

I recently spoke with an autotrader rep I've known for a couple years who informed me they are seeing unprecedented levels of cancellation and or downsell. Seems to be the perfect storm situation for them in that the car market is the worst in decades and autotrader gouged another set of price increases at the same time. We cancelled them last year for much of the same reasoning mentioned here, the ROI was really lacking compared to what it used to be so we cancelled. Glad we did because we've been killing it with SEO & SEM for about the same ad spend we had with autotrader, maybe that's the "slack" afterall, bigger search engine audiences.

Fact: Auto Dealers nationwide are under financial duress not seen in decades.
Fact: ATC's ROI is not what it was.
Fact: ATC continues to raise rates.
Fact: Many of my "untouchables" will be getting the axe in 2009.

ATC rates are high enough for me to seriously experiment with "life after ATC". God help 'em if I find another venue to pick up the slack (ahem... will there even be any slack??).

Joe

Lightenup, you are one of the lucky ones to have not felt the furry. Furry is actually much different then fury. SFNM.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=S21BeoHNZPs

Ha, that's what I get for commenting 12:04 in the am. Deserved!

Just had a visit yesterday from my AT Rep and a guy from a different area. The new guy didn't say a word, and the existing guy just said "I'm not leaving" about 5 times.

Kinda funny that I came here & read this thread today :)

The morning coffee just left my nose. Thanks for not resisting Lightnup, that post needs to go straight to the DR hall of fame for hilarity.

Jeff Kershner wrote: ".....I would wait to unleash my furry on the Blitz team....."

Jeff, I've been calling on dealers for longer than I care to remember. Thank God I have never had one unleash his furry on me. I've had to withstand a dealer's fury on a number of occasions, but the first time one unleashes his furry on me, I'm switching careers!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

What number am I?

EK, I'm not on vacation though I sure wish I were. This post as all Alex.

The job has me busy and the last I looked at this post it was floating around 40 comments. I do apologize for not catching up sooner.

It seems as if things are simmering down a little now. I'm glad to see that.

As for the Blitz, you know...I sort of always enjoyed the blitz team. I never really wanted to beat up my actual Reps too bad (until Derek came along). I would wait to unleash my fury on the Blitz team AND I got EVERYTHING in WRITING on the CONTRACT.

I'll admit, I worked some good deals when the Blitz came to town, BUT too had to fax over copies of my contract to corporate several times in the weeks to follow. More then once, I had to fight to get what I signed up for. So, I can only imagine the mess that the local reps had/have to deal with after the AutoTrader Blitz teams go back into their holes.

Amy, I hope you are fine and stick around. We have some very passionate people here.

Alex: "Am I going to lose the "under" bet? Here's another post toward my loss :)"

I've been trying to help you win Alex by staying (mostly) out of the fray, but who started this one in the first place? :-)

And just for the record, it would make my day if ATC discontinued blitzes immediately if not sooner. IMHO, the long-term damage done (to image, credibility and local relationships) more than offsets the short-term revenue generated. Note that I am not disparaging the value of the solutions. It's just that I, like many others, am not a fan of this particular sales tactic.