The Kerrigan Dealer Survey

The data for The 2023 Kerrigan Dealer Survey is based on over 650 responses from franchised auto dealers in Kerrigan Advisors’ proprietary dealer database. Survey responses were collected from June 2023 to October 2023. 

2023 Kerrigan Dealer Survey Results
Kerrigan Advisors’ fifth annual Dealer Survey was designed to gauge dealer sentiment on the future value of their business, growth plans, earnings expectations, as well as perspectives on franchise values and their trust levels in the OEMs.

The results of this year’s survey found a majority of dealers still have a positive outlook on valuation over the next 12 months with 52% projecting 2023’s strong valuations will sustain into 2024 and 21% expecting an increase next year. That said, more than a quarter of dealers (27%) expect valuations to decrease in the next 12 months, the highest level since the survey’s inception in 2019, and almost double 2019 and 2020’s levels.

The reduction in valuation expectations is consistent with dealers’ views on future profitability (see chart on following page). Only 15% of surveyed dealers project a rise in profits in the next 12 months, while 38% expect a decline. Interestingly, 47% project earnings will stay the same in 2024, a six-percentage point increase from last year and an indication that current earnings, which remain far above pre-pandemic levels, are starting to normalize according to more dealers.

With a rising number of dealers seeing a decline in earnings in the next 12 months, it is not surprising to see an increase in dealers seeking a sale, albeit still a slim minority. 6% of dealers surveyed plan to sell one or more dealerships in the next 12 months, three times 2022’s results. That said, nearly half of dealers still plan to grow their enterprise with 47% looking to add one or more dealerships.

Kerrigan Advisors attributes this growth bias to dealers’ significant capital accounts as a result of more than three years of record profits. Kerrigan Advisors estimates the industry has amassed over $200 billion in pre-tax profits since 2020. In addition to burgeoning capital accounts, the majority of dealers (62%) believe earnings will either stay at 2023’s high level or increase over the next twelve months. This indicates that most dealers do not believe earnings will revert to pre-Covid levels in the near future, if ever, which bodes well for the continuation of a growth bias amongst dealers.

2023 Kerrigan Dealer Survey Results by Franchise

Note: These results reflect the collective view of the 650+ dealers surveyed, regardless of a dealer’s specific franchise ownership.

While the majority of dealers surveyed believe individual franchises will either increase or remain the same in value over the next 12 months, every franchise saw a reduction in the percentage of dealers projecting an increase in value along with a rise in the percentage of dealers expecting a decline in value as compared to 2022. Kerrigan Advisors believes these results are a reflection of the rising discontent within the dealer body regarding OEMs’ electric vehicle (“EV”) strategies and the overabundance of EVs on many dealers’ lots.

Highest Expected Valuation Gains:Kia, Hyundai, Lexus, Toyota, Porsche

  • Over 30% of surveyed dealers expect these five franchises to increase in value in the next 12 months.
  • This marks the second year Kia and Hyundai topped this list and exceeded Toyota.
  • Notably, Kia’s results are nearly two and a half times higher than the industry average.

Least Likely to Decline in Value: Lexus, Toyota, Porsche, BMW

  • 90% or more of surveyed dealers expect these four franchises to either increase or remain the same in value in the next 12 months.
  • Of note, this is the same list as last year.

Highest Expected Valuation Declines: Lincoln, Infiniti, CDJR, Ford, Buick GMC, Nissan

  • Over 40% of surveyed dealers expect these franchises to decline in value in the next 12 months.
  • Notably, Lincoln and Infiniti’s results are more than double the industry average.


Kerrigan Advisors queried dealers again regarding the expected impact of OEM planned changes to the dealer model on future profitability. The majority of dealers are less concerned than they were in 2022 that OEM changes to retailing will impact their future profitability. Nearly every franchise saw a notable rise in the percentage of dealers who expect no impact on profitability from OEM retailing changes. Kerrigan Advisors believes this marked improvement from the 2022 Dealer Survey is a result of dealers’ skepticism regarding OEMs’ ability to execute on their proposed retailing changes, particularly given weak consumer demand for EVs.

For the first time since Kerrigan Advisors started querying dealers, our firm asked about dealers’ trust level in each franchise. The results were quite noteworthy and echoed the sentiment regarding changes to OEM retailing strategies. Toyota received the top results by far, with 72% of dealers indicating they had a high level of trust in the franchise, over three times higher than the survey average. By contrast, 46% of dealers reported they had no trust in Ford, consistent with the expectation of a decline in future Ford franchise profitability due to the OEM’s EV/future retailing strategy. 

Notable Changes for Specific Franchises (2023 versus 2022)

CDJR – CDJR saw a notable increase in dealers expecting the franchise to decline in value, from 24% in 2022 to 53% in 2023 – a 29-percentage point increase. Kerrigan Advisors expects this negative dealer sentiment is a reflection of CDJR’s rising inventory levels and lack of incentive spending. Dealers are concerned Stellantis will continue to oversupply the market with new vehicles resulting in a return to pre-pandemic gross profits on new vehicles and a substantial decline in dealer profitability. Consistent with this change, CDJR ranked 2nd behind Ford as the franchise most expected to see a decline in earnings and value as a result of OEM retailing changes, up from 9th place in last year’s survey. Furthermore, 39% of dealers have no trust in CDJR, placing the OEM as the 4th least trusted franchise.

Ford –Ford remains the franchise most expected to see a decline in profits as a result of the OEM’s changes to its retailing model. Consistent with this negative sentiment, Ford is the non-luxury franchise least expected to see a rise in valuation in the next 12 months. These results reflect dealers’ lack of trust in the OEM with Ford ranking as the least trusted franchise – 48% of dealers surveyed reported that they had no trust in Ford, the highest percentage of any franchise. Kerrigan Advisors expects this negative sentiment to impact Ford’s future blue sky multiple and franchise valuation.

Kia – This franchise surpassed Toyota for the first time in 2022 to become the franchise most expected to increase in value over the next 12 months. Impressively, it sustained its improved results in 2023. Notably, Kia saw one of the largest increases in positive profit expectations as a result of expected changes to its retailing model and ranked as the 8th most trusted franchise. These positive results are consistent with Kerrigan Advisors’ upgrade of Kia’s franchise multiple in the second quarter of 2023 and positive outlook for 2024.

Toyota –Toyota continues to outperform on every level. Most notably, Toyota is the most trusted franchise by dealers, scoring 17 percentage points higher than its nearest non-luxury competitor Subaru. This monumental lead in the trust equation has resulted in the franchise having the highest expected increase in profits as a result of the OEM’s retailing changes with only 7% expecting a decline, the second to lowest level behind its sister franchise, Lexus. Most impressive, despite having the highest blue sky multiple of all non-luxury franchises, dealers expect the franchise’s value will continue to rise. These results are consistent with the buyer demand Kerrigan Advisors sees for Toyota franchises.

The 2023 Kerrigan Dealer Survey results demonstrate the changing auto retail environment and dealers’ perspectives of the OEMs. The majority of dealers project profits and valuations will remain at or rise above post-pandemic levels over the next 12 months, though an increasing minority have a more negative outlook. Nearly half of dealers are seeking to acquire dealerships in the next 12 months, despite higher interest rates, an indication of an overall positive industry outlook. That said, dealers have distinctly varying views on specific franchises, with certain OEMs eliciting a lack of trust and confidence, while others earn a high level of trust and strong profit expectations. 

Based on these results, Kerrigan Advisors believes there is more risk to valuations and the buy/sell market going into 2024, though we expect transaction activity will remain elevated as dealers seek to add scale to their business and believe OEM retail changes will have minimal impact on future profits.

Methodology

The data for The Kerrigan Dealer Survey was gathered from Kerrigan Advisors’ annual survey of auto dealers in conjunction with the issuance of The Blue Sky Report. The Kerrigan Dealer Survey is based on 650+ anonymous responses from franchised auto dealers in Kerrigan Advisors’ proprietary dealer database. Responses were collected from June 2023 to October 2023. 

Original Article

November Newsletter

Another month flies by at a seemingly record pace! It is shocking that we are down to our last two months of 2023. The good news is we all have 60 days to make the most of this year and head into 2024 with momentum on our side.

November brings us the Thanksgiving holiday which makes it a great month to stop, take stock and appreciate all that we have to be thankful for.

At ADS we are all thankful for the successful year we are having, the dealers we get to work with, and the incredible additions we have added to our team. Please take a moment and meet our newest team members to learn a little about them as well as the role they will play here at ADS.

In terms of other industry matters, it is good to know the strike has been settled and manufacturing can resume at the affected plants. Additionally, there is a lot of news coming out about the BEV market and how oversold the hype for electric really seemed to be. It will be interesting to see where the consumers and the industry end up taking the BEV offerings the many manufactures chose to race to market with. There are a few recent articles below which provide some good insight into some of the shift in enthusiasm.

We hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Gobble, Gobble ‘til you Wobble!

Some shareworthy news items…

UAW reaches deal with GM, ending strike against Detroit automakers

This Is Why Toyota Isn’t Rushing to Sell You an Electric Vehicle

Mercedes says ‘brutal’ EV market will pressure car sales margins

Cox Automotive Forecast: Despite Ongoing UAW Strike, U.S. Auto Sales Pace in October Expected to Increase from September

Events we will be attending:

RVDA – http://www.rvda.org/convention
F&I Product Conference – http://www.fandi-conference.com
NADA 2024 – https://www.nada.org/nada-show

Good luck and Good Selling!

Sincerely, 
Bob and Ryan

Full Newsletter

October Newsletter

A Message From The ADS Team
As we head into the final quarter of the year, many of us begin turning our attention to next years goals, objectives, and planning for our future successes. Although next year is important, and there are steps we can all take to ensure a fast start to the year, we need to be mindful that we still have a full quarter of sales to transact, 2023 goals and objectives to measure, and customer needs to satisfy today… as well as into next year.
 
For many of our dealers, they find the challenge of finishing strong, and starting stronger invigorating and seem to find an extra gear (as we do) this time of year. We know the importance of both, and we work hard to assist our dealers and their teams to make the most of both present and future.
 
One of the ways we do this is by conducting a thorough review and planning session with each of our dealers where we focus on in store profitability, product attachment rates, return of participation premium and individual development plans. This collaborative review adds accountability to all levels as well as pushes all stakeholders to the next level of performance.
 
If you haven’t taken a deep dive into your store’s performance, processes, reinsurance program, or pay plans recently, please reach out to us to conduct an unbiased evaluation and profit analysis so you can be sure you are getting everything your time and capital investment deserves.
 
Be sure to check out the article from one of our wealth management partners, Chris Daizel with London & Capital, as he discusses current markets and future outlooks and how they can affect a dealers trust portfolio. https://advanceddealersolutions.com/2023/10/reinsurance-trust-updates/
 
Some shareworthy news items… Electric cars have a road trip problem, even for the secretary of energy
As EV sales surge and cars get heavier, parking garages will have to change
UAW targets more Ford and GM plants as union expands autoworker strike
September Sales Forecast by Cox Automotive to be Up 13% Year Over Year

Events we will be attending:
 
Live2Lead – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live2lead-cleveland-tickets-630417905927
RVDA – http://www.rvda.org/convention
F&I Product Conference – http://www.fandi-conference.com
NADA 2024 – https://www.nada.org/nada-show
 
Good luck and Good Selling!

 
The ADS Invitational
 

 
Last month we were excited to host our 3rd annual ADS Invitational at historic Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. We had dealer representatives from across the country join us for 3 days of spirited competition on the golf course. The competitiveness was on full display not only on the golf course, but also at the poker table and bags court! We appreciate everyone taking time out of their busy schedules to spend the time with our team.  

Congrats to Team Mancuso for their victory! 
 

 
AFIP Certification
 

 
The AFIP Certification Program gives F&I professionals the power to sell their products with confidence and authority. Professionals certified through AFIP gain a working knowledge of the state and federal laws associated with the F&I profession, opportunities for continuing development, and higher standing in the industry.

In a continued effort to bring value to Auto, RV, and Powersport Dealers ADS will be hosting an on-site discounted AFIP course to North East Ohio on October 17th – 18th, 2023. 

Interested in AFIP certification? Reach out to an ADS representative about hosting an AFIP course near your location!
 
Sign Up
 

 
In The Community
 

 
Susan G. Komen® Organization
In 1980, Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became the Susan G. Komen® Organization and the beginning of a global movement. What started with $200 and a shoebox full of potential donor names has now grown into the world’s largest nonprofit source of funding for the fight against breast cancer. To date, they have invested nearly $3.6 billion in groundbreaking research, community health outreach, advocacy and programs in more than 60 countries. Their efforts have helped reduce deaths from breast cancer by 43% since 1989 and they won’t stop until their promise is fulfilled.
 
Ways to Help
 

 
What We Are Reading
 
This past month the ADS Team enjoyed The Power of One More by Ed Mylett. At it’s core, The Power of One More is about your willingness to do one more rep, make one more phone call, get up one hour earlier, build one more relationship, or do one more thing for whatever your situation calls for. You were not born to be average or ordinary, You were born to do something great.
 

 

 
Live2Lead
 
LIVE2LEAD, hosted by Maxwell Leadership Team Members Kelly Price and Nicole Harwood, will be a day full of personal and professional growth opportunities.

You will hear from some of the most impactful leaders in the country.  Ryan Leak, Marcus Buckingham, Kendra Scott, and of course, John Maxwell!  In addition, Kelly Price, an entrepreneur, Leadership, and Personal Growth Coach, will speak on building a robust culture in your business and personal environment. The event will be held on Thursday, October 12th at Grace Church in Middleburg Heights, OH. 
 


 
Sign Up
 

 
 The Toy Box
 

 

The Batmobile….. There is not much debate for which superhero is best known for their car, it is Batman, bar none. We will be looking at a few models of the Batmobile in this section. 

Classic T.V. Series Batmobile

While it’s never going to seem the most advanced entry considering its origins as a Lincoln concept car circa 1955, the original – the “OG”, if you will – is the favorite of many, and likely will remain so for as long as there’s someone to tell the story of where it all started. Long, bubble-topped – and, for some reason, two-toned — the original on-screen Batmobile (it had taken other forms in the comic books before the TV series debuted in 1966) would go on to be not just one of the most recognizable Batmobiles of all time, but one of the most recognizable movie cars of all time.

The Burton Era

The Burton movies were the first time Batman hit the mainstream since the ultra-campy Adam West TV Series, and they were a whole lot darker – some might even say scary, especially when considering Jack Nicholson’s take on The Joker in Batman – so they needed a ride to match. Enter the Burton-mobile, all long, monochromatic, bewinged and jet-powered. It looked like a cross between a steampunk rat rod and a Lockheed SR-71 spy plane and used a good ol’ Chevy V8 engine for motive force. This may be the most recognizable and celebrated Batmobile of all time, with everything from Lego, to Hot Wheels, to the Grand Theft Auto video game series featuring cameos of it.

Batman Forever

While the Burtonmobile’s cockpit was all dark and ghoulish, it seemed that the crew behind the car for the Val Kilmer-starring Forever film wanted a little more flash than that – or, a lot more. Not only did the dance rave-y blue lighting and crazy glowy wheels (with Batman spinners!) bring a lighter look to the Batmobile, it was also better in-keeping with the ultra-bright makeup and costumes worn by the Riddler and Two-Face villains played by Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones, respectively. It also kind of made it look like what you might see in a comic book because with all that colour, it would jump off the page that much more. Still had the bloody great big batwings out the back, though, and was still powered by a Chevy V8.

Batman and Robin

Remember when we said the Batmobile compliments the Batsuit in any given film? Well, when your Batsuit infamously features nipples, your Batmobile…well…let’s just say they ratcheted the “bling” component up to about 11 for this one. Even more glowy spinners than the Forever car, even spikier batwing tailfins, a quasi-transparent body shell and – just like the TV series car – no more roof all pointed to a Batmobile and Batman character that seemed to kick “stealth” down a few notches on his modus operandi.

The Dark Knight Trilogy

This is kind of where the Batmobile story takes a weird turn; no longer did it look lithe and low, instead appearing enormous and somewhat jeep-like. The weird part is how this particular Batmobile – nicknamed (or is that “officially named”?) The Tumbler wasn’t exclusive to Bruce Wayne himself. For starters, you can see that Wayne Enterprises owned a whole fleet of them to the point where we see Wayne actually having to request one in black from Lucius Fox. Later, in The Dark Knight Rises the “fleet” thing is driven home when we see a number of Tumblers patrolling the Gotham streets. Fun fact: The Tumbler was fully functional and did many of its own stunts during the filming of the movie.

Batman V Superman/Suicide Squad/Justice League

Good for this entry making its way into three movies – but that’s kind of easy to do when so much of what’s seen on-screen is CGI. This particular Batmobile may look kind of like a neat cross between the Tumbler and something a little more lithe and athletic (think quarterback to The Tumbler’s linebacker), but it was huge and quite expensive to build (its Mercedes-sourced 6.3L V8 probably didn’t help on the cost front) – and had to make it through three full-length movies. So, some CGI-derived cost-cutting had to happen. It does have the honour of the only Batmobile to be wrecked by Superman’s claws, though
We would love to hear your fun/historical/interesting piece including pictures and a short bio. Email to: [email protected]. 
 

 
What’s Cookin’?
 


 

 Skeleton Crudite
Looking to get veggies in on Halloween? Serve it up in this fun way to get everyone to put down the candy for a bit. The ingredients this week are all suggestions so arrange them with the vegetables of your liking and take a look at two different images for ideas.

Ingredients
Bell Pepper
Cucumber
Carrots
Celery
Broccoli
Tomato
Mushroom
Radish
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Olives
Snap peas
Directions
Make sure to slice the bell peppers in long strips. 
For the picture on the right the “guts” is spiralized zucchini and thinly sliced radishes. 
Be sure to serve with a side of ranch or vegetable dip!
 
If you have a recipe to share, please email us a picture of yourself and your recipe at [email protected] and you could be featured in our next newsletter!
 
 

 
Brain Food
 

 

 
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September Newsletter

Labor Day can be a bittersweet time of the year; kiddos going back to school, long summer nights quickly disappearing, and end of the summer selling season can be tough to deal with. Conversely, we are on the doorstep of football season, the Ryder Cup, and for many people, fall weather and leaves changing is their favorite season.
 
Labor Day unofficially bookends the Summer and to some extent, draws most Summer activities to a close. As this Labor Day comes and goes, it certainly brings to mind the current strife the automotive industry and its primary labor force is facing. We are all hoping for a best possible outcome so the wheels (pun intended) of industry can keep churning.
 
Speaking of labor, if you are like most dealers, you have increased your labor rate several times in the last couple years, as well as having your parts cost increase by well over 20% (see article below). For most dealers, their reinsurance representation is not helping them navigate these changes to maintain the desired level of profitability. We have seen dealers, especially with vertically integrated companies, and OEM’s take big hits to their profitability because they are not working for the dealer.
 
Reinsurance is a huge wealth building opportunity, and unfortunately most of the industry is not well versed in how to manage all facets of what goes into a successful, and profitable reinsurance company. Dealers may go months, or even years without seeing a statement, and when they get it, there is a good chance they don’t know everything that goes into it (which by the way is not their fault), that is what they hire a product provider to do.
 
For those reasons, and many more, we are hosting our 2nd Annual Reinsurance Lunch and Learn with Jeremy Elsberry from GPW&A, the leading provider of reinsurance accounting and management for dealers. Please be sure to click the link below to register for the incredibly valuable session.
 
Some shareworthy news items…
 
Soaring Auto Repair Costs Prices Take Significant Jump In A Year
Motor Vehicle Thefts are Up 34% Over Same Period Last Year
Union Alleges GM, Stellantis Not Bargaining in Good Faith 
BMW, Mercedes launch biggest EV push yet to catch Tesla with new models
Voluntary Protection Product Policy Information

Events we will be attending:
 
Live2Lead – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live2lead-cleveland-tickets-630417905927
RVDA – http://www.rvda.org/convention
F&I Product Conference – http://www.fandi-conference.com
 
Good luck and Good Selling!
Sincerely, 
Bob and Ryan

Full Newsletter

August Newsletter

It is hard to believe that summer is heading into its final weeks! It feels like yesterday when we announced our Summer Tune-Up Series for F&I, Sales, and Fixed Ops Training Classes in conjunction with The Greater Cleveland Auto Dealers Association and the Great Lakes RV Association.

To date we have hosted eight classes which all received incredibly high praise from the attendees and have even heard of some record setting performances taking place upon returning to their stores. We are looking forward to hosting more classes for the dealer community, and going more in depth on our sales and training philosophies. Make sure you follow our LinkedIn page to see updates and testimonials from attendees.

Now that we have surpassed the halfway point of the year and all signs are pointing to a strong finish to the year (2023 U.S. Light Vehicle Forecast raised to 15.4 million from 15.1 million) we want to make sure dealers can take advantage of every opportunity presented to them. Whether it’s reviewing your digital marketing strategy and comparing it to the awesome power of Client Command or looking to establish a Why Buy Here to compete in your market, or if you are looking to maximize your in-store F&I results and reinsurance performance, we at ADS are ready to help you and your teams get to the next level! Reach out to us at [email protected] to learn more about how we are helping dealers exceed their goals.

Some shareworthy news items…

Ford loses billions on EV’s, shifts focus to hybrids

Car repair costs are up almost 20% over the past year. Here are 6 reasons why

Proposed IRS Rules on Microcaptives Defy Precedent and Logic

Used car prices expected to stabilize following major decline in June

New Car Market: Prices Are About To Plummet Due to Oversupply

RV industry steers through post-pandemic US slump Events we will be attending:

Live2Lead – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live2lead-cleveland-tickets-630417905927
RVDA – http://www.rvda.org/convention
F&I Product Conference – http://www.fandi-conference.com

Sincerely, 
Bob and Ryan

Full Newsletter

June Newsletter

We hope everyone had a tremendous Memorial Day weekend and was able to take some time to thank a soldier or veteran for their sacrifice to this great country!

Now that we have cruised past the ‘Unofficial Start to Summer’, we are nearing, or already in the prime selling season. This is the time of year in our industries when we should be at our best. Websites are being clicked, texts inquiries are being sent, and deals are getting closed. Based upon some recent data (see article below), we should see a fairly strong summer selling season; let’s make sure we are in a position to make the most of our opportunities.

As we travel across the country working with dealers, we have been hearing a common theme; ‘business was great the last couple years, but it seems like we got lazy.’ This has been in reference to lackadaisical sales processes, poor F&I presentations, and a clerk mentality in the service drive. In order to assist dealers with helping their teams ‘get back to the basics’, we teamed up with the Greater Cleveland Auto Dealers Association to provide a Summer Tune Up Series. These one-day sessions will cover the basics of F&I, sales and service. There is no charge if you are a GCADA member, or an ADS customer. Please click the link below to register for these value packed sessions.  

Here’s to making hay while the sun is shining!

Some shareworthy news items…

High Demand Creates High Sales Volume

Ditching the EV???

$5.5 Billion Invested to Handle EV Sales and Service

Good luck and Good Selling!

Sincerely, 
Bob and Ryan

Link to our full newsletter

ADS March Newsletter

The month of March brings with it many changes. As the weather changes and we cruise into Spring, we shift from football to baseball, college basketball morphs into an all-consuming month long, can’t miss event, and of course, selling season! The hope of warmer weather for riding and RV’ing combined with tax return season generally means an uptick in traffic for new auto’s, RV’s and powersports!

This month also marks some significant changes for us at ADS.

We are thrilled to announce our newest partnership with Zurich. We were honored to be selected as one of their ‘elite’ agencies to represent this globally recognized brands market leading F&I products to auto and powersports dealers. “We are pleased to welcome Bob, Ryan, and the entire ADS team to the Zurich network of F&I agencies; and expanding our reach to their auto and powersports dealers,” said Todd Kaminski, Head of Business Development for Direct Markets, Zurich North America. “Their sound business processes, solid dealership relationships and tremendous client satisfaction are key characteristics we look for to help bring Zurich F&I products, training and participation program to new markets.”

This month we will be hosting an AFIP certification course in our new training center. Be sure to check out the link below and register to be part of this invaluable certification.

As many of us are knee deep in tax season, I am reminded how the profit participation landscape has changed over the years. With some of the recent changes in structures, investment options, access to unearned reserves, etc. it may be a good time to evaluate your capital and tax strategy to make sure you are in the best possible position. Please reach out to us to set up a time to for a no obligation review of your current structure to ensure you are in the best position to accomplish your goals.

A few recent headlines for you to peruse…  

Upcoming Events ADS will be attending:

Cleveland Auto Show, OH – www.clevelandautoshow.com
Agent Summit 2023, Las Vegas, NV – https://www.agentsummit.com/register/

We would love the opportunity to connect with you, please let us know if you will be attending.

Link to the full newsletter https://mailchi.mp/advdealer.com/march-newsletter

February Newsletter

A Message From The ADS Team

Just like the industries we serve; ADS has a lot going on and much to be excited about.

In the last month we have hosted the inaugural F&I training as well as a dealer group meeting in our new training facility. The space has exceeded our expectations, and more importantly it has exceeded our dealer’s expectations. Check out the pictures below to see the room in action.

Over the next few months, we will be making several exciting announcements. Stay tuned to hear about our growth and how we plan to provide even more solutions to dealers. Be sure to subscribe to our LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook pages as well as our newsletter to get the latest updates on what our team is up to.

Here are few interesting items to consider:
• January Sales Report
• Monthly payments over $1,000 hits record high
• Inflation possibly turns to stagflation
• EV’s already dropping in price
• NADA 2023 Recap – See you Next Year In Las Vegas
Upcoming Events ADS will be attending:

AIMExpo Las Vegas, NV – https://aimexpousa.com/
AFIP Bootcamp Certification – https://afip.com/events-open-boot-camp/ads-onsite-boot-camp
Agent Summit – https://www.agentsummit.com/

We would love the opportunity to connect with you, please let us know if you will be attending.

Sincerely,
Bob and Ryan

Click to view our full Newsletter.

Client Command: Democratizing the Data

In this issue of Business Spotlight, Auto Digest spoke with CEO of Client Command Jonathan Lucenay.

Business Spotlight

Think about the last time that you searched for a new car, what did that look like? Did you search locally, or within your state, maybe even nationwide just to compare prices? The big question is… how many dealerships did you go to? How many salespeople did you try to haggle with? Many of today’s shoppers are looking at deals across the country, online, and are not limited to your town’s “dealership row.” Sometimes the transaction is settled before the shopper ever steps foot in the showroom. Welcome to 2022, folks!

Thanks to innovative companies such as Client Command, the primary market area of many shoppers is now nationwide and easily accessible. Dealerships have adapted to this over the years, and now utilize DaaS (or data-as-a-service) to identify and offer their cars to these interested parties. This could mean a dealership in Lexington, Kentucky sells a car to a young woman in Butte, Montana. This… is cool, frankly… and was not the reality we lived in just 10 or so years ago. For all of the change happening in the automotive powertrain space these days, it seems retail is also feeling pressure from OEMs to perform.

Enter Client Command

In this issue of Business Spotlight, Auto Digest spoke with CEO of Client Command Jonathan Lucenay. A Cumming, Georgia-based firm with around 70 employees that is a powerful player in the dealership marketing world. After 9/11, CEO Jonathan Lucenay began to realize how the market around him was changing and how decisions were often times made emotionally. He decided to let data tell him where and who to market. Fed up with all of the DMS (Database Management System) providers that were still using tech from the 1970s as a base platform, he started to change the industry himself. He literally said that what he saw back in those days “drove me crazy.”

“Dealers were hesitant so I told our initial clients that they could just pay for the results. The impacts were massive!  The results exceeded anything most of those dealers had ever seen. That was 2001.” – CEO Jonathan Lucenay

What do they have that is unique?

The folks at Client Command have been in the industry for over twenty years, originally doing marketing and advertising analysis for seemingly ancient mediums such as radio and TV. Oh, how times have changed. After realizing the demand and opportunity for more targeted ads in the early 2000s, CEO Jonathan Lucenay began to transition his company into this new model. A model that combines inputs from a variety of sources to pair a match. Effective leaders can anticipate change on the horizon, as shown.

Their primary technology, called “Active Shopper Network,” is able to accurately track and identify nearly every person shopping for a car in the United States. The algorithm gets data from over sixty billion URLs every day and has databases to pair all of these searches to the one doing the searches. This includes data from online videos, social media, and email, along with web searches. The company was named Inc. Magazine Best Workplace 2018 and has received the US Business News Technology Elite Award for Best Automotive Marketing Solutions Provider. They do have plans to go international in the future, which will undoubtedly present it’s own new set of challenges for the team.

“The customer expects [the ads] to be real time, but they also expect them to be meaningful.”

Marketing On Easy Mode

When Auto Digest asked Mr. Lucenay what the biggest challenge is for the company, he responded that the hard stuff is what they make look easy. The business is proud to tout that they integrate billions of data sources and sift through it to get actionable data for the local dealership. This data comes from websites, search engines, ISP’s, and a variety of other sources that most of us aren’t even aware exist! Client Command supports dealerships because when they win, Client Command also wins. The have some testimonials on their website from dealers, and it seems the relationship is more of a genuine partnership than a business client. The same statement, however, applies if a loss happens. Good motivation to succeed, right? When prying further, and asking Jonathan what his team is doing to overcome this challenge of educating dealerships on their market, he stated that it’s step by step. It is a process to work with one dealership at a time to prove their value and establish that mutual teamwork. The team works diligently to enhance not just the data, but also the entire platform that is visible to their customers on a weekly basis. These days, it seems there is an algorithm for everything… but not all add true value, and Client Command is cognizant of this.

Enabling Great Talent to Succeed

The culture of Client Command is one that is built around knowing people, both the data and the person… whether this means their business partners or their own employees. The CEO made it clear that although data firms such as his sometimes struggle to maintain a certain level of “normality” in the office, (data analytics is not typically known for it’s engaging and enthusiastic workforce) he used the word “electric” to describe the energy at CC. The company ensures that investments are not only made on the software side of things but more importantly with their human capital. This enables the rest of the team to more efficiently give that ever-so-valuable people knowledge to the dealerships surrounding them.

“Big data is meaningless unless it’s actionable.”

In conclusion, Jonathan and his team firmly believe that although consumers like digital retail, dealers can adjust along with the consumers in the market. His organization is just one example of many in the rapidly-evolving auto sector that are learning to encourage and implement new and sometimes risky ideas. That is how a competitive edge is maintained.

Post was originally published by Auto Digest https://www.auto-digest.com/client-command-democratizing-the-data/.

To learn more about the platform send us a message here.

January 2023 Newsletter

And just like that 2022 has come to an end. This past year will prove to be memorable for the rapid changes in the market, the ongoing uncertainty we find ourselves living in and our continued search for a ‘new norm’.

Let’s now shift our focus to 2023 and how we can make it the best year ever. Despite the predicted retractions and continued headwinds we face, accomplishing even the loftiest of goals is possible if you take the time to go through proper goal-setting actions. There are countless articles and videos on how to set goals and methods to track them. Here are a couple of articles to help you define your goals and establish methods to crush them! Whatever your goals are, we wish you luck in accomplishing them this year.

Here are few interesting items to consider as we head into the new year.  

Upcoming Events ADS will be attending:

RV Supershow Cleveland, OH – https://www.ohiorvshow.com/
NADA Show Dallas, TX. – https://www.nada.org/nada-show
AIMExpo Las Vegas, NV – https://aimexpousa.com/

We would love the opportunity to connect with you, please let us know if you will be attending.

ADS is excited for what 2023 has in store and we know when we keep our dealer’s goals first and foremost, there is no limit to what we can accomplish.

Here is to 2023 being your Best Year Ever!

Happy New Year,

Bob and Ryan

View the full newsletter https://mailchi.mp/advdealer.com/january-newsletter.