"Stop Blaming Marketing": The Digital Mistake Costing Dealers Growth | Ashley Cavazos, NCM Associates
About this episode
Ashley Cavazos from NCM Associates discusses the critical need for marketing leaders to have a strategic seat at the dealership table to drive growth effectively. She emphasizes that marketing now touches every aspect of dealership operations, from inventory to customer experience, and alignment across all departments is essential. Ashley shares insights on anticipating potential failures, the importance of clear processes, and how AI should complement rather than replace people. She advocates for leadership to understand each role’s KPIs and foster collaboration to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving automotive landscape.
What if the reason your marketing isn’t driving growth… is because it was never invited into the strategy conversation in the first place?
That question sits at the heart of this conversation with my good friend Ashley Cavazos, Digital Performance Consultant and Moderator at NCM Associates. We recorded this one live from the NADA show floor in Las Vegas, and within minutes we were digging into something I see happening in dealerships all the time.
Leaders expect marketing to deliver results.
But marketing often isn’t sitting in the room when the decisions that shape those results are made.
In this episode, Ashley and I talk about why that disconnect still exists and what has to change if dealerships want marketing to actually drive growth instead of constantly cleaning up problems after the fact.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:47 Why Marketers Need Seats
03:39 Inventory Firefighting Reality
04:06 Connecting Teams And Journey
06:22 Plan For Failure Points
08:04 Process Before Mindset
08:28 Alignment Beats AI Hype
10:37 Leadership And KPI Clarity
12:12 Advocating With Data Proof
13:18 Contact Info And Closing
NCM Associates
"Now you are the digital performance consultant and a moderator at NCM Associates, and we know just how much data points NCM is looking at and how many conversations are happening daily with dealers..."
NCM Associates helps car dealerships use data and smart ideas to sell more cars and make customers happier.
NCM Associates is a company that provides data-driven consulting and performance solutions to automotive dealerships to help improve their operations and marketing strategies.
BDC
"I have been in multiple different facets of, you know, my roles in the dealerships from BDC to marketing to digital operations."
BDC is a team in a car dealership that talks to customers and helps set up meetings to sell cars.
BDC stands for Business Development Center, a department in car dealerships focused on managing customer communications, lead follow-up, and appointment setting to increase sales.
CDP
"We talk about the buzzwords of CDP and, and everything that encompasses, you know, making"
A CDP is a tool that helps companies gather information about their customers so they can send better and more personal messages.
CDP stands for Customer Data Platform, a system that collects and organizes customer data from multiple sources to help businesses personalize marketing and improve customer experience.
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