AutoTrader.com Pricing???

[Sandra Brown]

The Auto Trader price hikes are a concern. Greed is not a favored trait, sadly it's this type of greed that gives the industry a bad name.

 

[Kool Aid]

ATC hasn't had any price increases in over a year. They have also announced no price increases for another year! However, there are new solutions that can dealers can take advantage of.

 

[Joe Pistell]

Dale Pollak is looking for AutoTader.com traffic stats from dealers all over the USA for a facinating project.

Call for Internet Metrics - Dale Pollak

Over the last few months I’ve been researching and writing about the internet metrics that drive retail automotive success. I have to say that I’m fascinated and even intoxicated by the fact that I’m beginning to understand which activities correlate to consistent retail success. I need...

www.dalepollak.com

 

[idkmybffamir]

I never understood why I had so many damn sales reps for AutoTrader.

We are paying more for Cars.com than we are for AT, primarily bc we are not Premium members and have not signed up for the EMP program they are hammering us for.

I did notice that the "leads leads leads" argument quietly converted to "exposure exposure exposure".

But here's the thing... Cars.com and AT are good lead generators for prospects (except for the past two months we have been on with them.. its been dead). Nowadays, both sites are bombarded with competitive dealer banner ads, on the front page, search results, and even on your personal vehicle info page! How will this benefit the used car dealerships who are on the Featured plans? Again, we are being pressured into the Premium/EMP program, but I feel like I should back out of it.

This is a great read for people who are seeking answers on C.com/AT measurements and ROI lately.

 

[Joe Diaz]

Very sadly, Autotrader became drunk on their own "brilliance", and on the too-frequent bar visits after work; where back-slapping, high-fiving and self-congratulatory excess were the norm. The solutions and ideas of those who were not in the narcissistic inner-circle of the anointed were dismissed; although those solutions and ideas were truly creative, intelligent, practical and easy-to-implement. It's all about whether or not your knee-pads are well-worn... if you get my drift.

 

[Dave L]

I use Autotrader as a dealer. They charge me $2800 per month for a 60 car inventory for the premium package. Cars.com $950. 40%sales from CARS.com and only 20% from AT. They will not lower the price so after 4 years I downgraded. Do any other dealers have good tested ideas for better lead generation? Any good, any good sites or publictions for independent pre-owned dealers? Thanks, dave

 

[Curious]

Dave L,

How many cars do you sell/month? If your only selling 10/month than your not seeing ROI from ATC. However, if you're selling 30/month this equates to 6 from ATC. At $1500/car it appears that you are getting 3 times your money in return. You can look at this 2 ways...How much does it cost or what is my return? I'm sure you are but make sure you are accurately tracking your floor traffic.

 

[Laid Off AC]

I just got laid off from ATC for no good reason. Anyways, I have 7 dealers in an A market that are paying $399 a piece for the feature plus program. This included 9 pics, thumbnail and all the goodies. So, if you are paying more than that call your AC and tell him you want to pay $399 like other dealers. Also, I have 3 dealers paying between $1,200 and $1,800 for a partnership with 10 monthly spotlights. Some of these dealers are renewals that we needed to charge less money to keep them but the majority are new business. The bottom line is, ATC will charge you as much as you are willing to pay, it's like a Vegas BJ! cheers!

 

[Tom Walker]

I feel your pain laid off. I was on June 30th from ATP,no luck at all still and my city was always in the top 10. I guess all that good talent will start flipping burgers.

 

[skip dillard]

Hammer your rep--reduce your costs yourself....you're all paying too much for this "product" that hit it's peak about 2.5 years ago. The "Partnership" dealers are stealing your leads and paying thru the nose for it. If you all just paid the minimum...keeping the playing field level...you would win/lose on the merits of your product offered. Get together at your dealer meetings and talk...collusion is not an evil term here. YOU set the prices based on the value you percieve from the ATC offering. This thing used to be a bargain in the old days. It's all profit for ATC at this point...they've added NO VALUE to the product in several years---yet the price keeps moving north.