Welcome to Auto Matters
Auto Really Does matter and in fact our region has the largest number of dealerships in the country, over 1,200! There are a few keys to success in calling on auto and one of them is just make the call. It's not the easiest category, but can be very rewarding when you get a dealer to believe in you!
Just Jump
Sometimes you just need to go see them...in person. Calling the dealership or going to the front desk will get you nowhere. You need to take a leap of faith and bring treats, visit the service department, walk in like you own the place to get in front of the GM.
Big SEM Opportunity
This category is spending a lot of money in SEM and its effectiveness is in decline. Use the AI info you have to challenge their thinking and peel some money away. In addition, 3rd party lead sources like Cars.com, Autotrader, etc. are not as effective as they used to be and we can prove it with Audience Activator 3p audit!
Audience Activator is Key
Using Audience Activator, plugged into their DMS is very powerful to show how many people they are not converting into their BDC. We can get those people back into the system, new customers, and close them on a car before another dealership does. Also, if they are doing any "conquesting," they need to look at AA first too!
Region rank by Tier 3 Digital Revenue (Digital Only 9-8-26)
Pace is strong, but a big hill to climb to finish ahead
Tier 2 money has taken a downturn for the region, pacing at 82%. Let's push for share in Q4. Some markets have a lot more upside and should be watching this category and how they can continue to grow. We will be in touch with those markets first to develop a back half strategy with Ken.
our auto guru
Ken Friend - Director, Automotive Sales and Strategy
Ken Friend joined Nexstar early in the year and has been traveling around the country helping us grow our auto business. You and I can work together to utilize his expertise on calls and even a market visit, but he's booked out, so let's plan ahead before reaching out to him.
Ken spent 15 years as a dealer GM and knows the business intimately, as he ran several stores in his career. Most recently, Ken was the Vice President of Automotive for iHeart (8 years) and is very familiar with how to navigate advertising conversations with dealers that makes him a huge asset for us.
AUTO cna starter questions from ken
Sales Performance
- How are your new vehicle sales performing?
- Do you have sufficient new inventory to meet your sales targets?
- How are your used vehicle sales trending?
Inventory Strategy
- Are you consistently able to maintain optimal inventory levels?
- How are you currently sourcing your used inventory?
- Trade-ins
- Auctions
- KBB ICO
- CarGurus
- Data mining
Marketing effectiveness
- What marketing channels are you leveraging today?
- SEO / SEM
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Display / targeted ads
- CTV
- How would you evaluate the performance and ROI of each channel?
- Are you currently using third-party marketplaces (AutoTrader, Cars.com, etc.)?
- How effective have they been?
lead management & conversion
- How are inbound leads and calls handled?
- Dedicated BDC vs. sales team
- What is your website conversion rate (visitor-to-lead)?
- Industry benchmark: ~3–5%
- Where do you see breakdowns in lead conversion today?
sales organization
- How is your sales team performing?
- Do you have the right headcount to meet demand?
- How would you assess overall team effectiveness and engagement?
service department
- How is your service department performing?
- Do you have the right staffing levels (technicians, advisors)?
- Are there any capacity or retention challenges?
customer retention strategy
- What tools or channels are you using to follow up with existing customers?
- Direct mail
- Postcards
- How effective is your retention strategy today?
customer acquisition / conquesting
- How are you attracting new customers outside your base?
- Geo-fencing
- Social media
- Email campaigns
- What’s delivering the highest quality traffic and leads?
optional closing pivot (value)
Based on everything we discussed:
- Where do you see the biggest opportunity for growth?
- What would have the most impact on sales volume and efficiency right now?
Printed Version of the Questions
You can take a printed version with you or one to study for integration into the rest of your CNA.