Mark from AutoTrader.com here. Just to clarify some points made above:
- In terms of leads, if a consumer enters their car into the TIM product via the main AutoTrader.com site, that lead is shared with three dealers in that consumer's local area - so this is connecting dealers with customers who may not have found them any other way. If the lead is generated through a TIM application on the dealer's own site or from their listings, the lead goes only to that dealer.
- TIM is not just an advertising tool or a trade in tool for consumers. For the dealer, it is an in-dealership operational tool that allows dealers to help their customers understand the value of the trade in - the dealer is free to offer more, but the customer knows they can never get less if the car is in the condition they claimed. So it's a good starting point for negotiations and discussions of the whole transaction. Also for the dealers, when they do pay out on the TIM-generated quote, you also know you will never get less for that car because AutoTrader stands behind that number (e.g., takes away the uncertainty of what price it might fetch at auction or if you keep it on the lot for resale).
We do recommend that if you have questions about TIM or want to know how it might help your business, contact your AutoTrader.com sales consultant. They can explaing the product and give you the information you need to know if it will work for you as it has for hundreds of other dealers across the country. You're only investment there is your time to learn about the progam.
Thanks for all the props to the TIM product and keep the great discussions going.
