Nathan Jordan, Client Success Manager for Major Accounts at Autotrader, joins host Jade Terreberry to break down how top-performing dealers are ditching outdated lead metrics and embracing multi-touch attribution. He shares real-world insights on how visibility gaps, CRM blind spots, and old-school thinking are costing dealers sales and what to do instead.
Guest Expert:
Nathan Jordan
Client Success Manager – Major Accounts
Autotrader
Resources Mentioned:
Cox Automotive + Perficient White Paper
Top Takeaways:
One in three car sales happen with no lead – Shoppers are skipping forms and calls – dealers must adapt to invisible buyer behavior.
CRM data is not an ROI tool – With 92% of sales not showing up correctly in CRMs, relying on it for marketing decisions is a costly mistake.
Top dealers are ditching lead volume for conversion data – Progressive groups are using tools and services to track all 62+ touchpoints and optimize spend based on what actually drives sales.
Multi-touch attribution is the new standard – First-and last-click models are outdated—dealers need full-funnel visibility to understand what’s working.
If you’re still measuring by leads, it’s time to stop – The findings and advice is clear: stop using lead volume as your KPI and start focusing on gross, sales, and profitability.
Timestamps:
0:00 – 2:12 – Introduction & Personal Update: Jade welcomes Nathan back and introduces his newborn daughter to the audience.
2:12 – 3:44 – Why Nathan’s Perspective Matters: Nathan shares his experience working with major dealer groups and how they’re leading the way in marketing transformation because they are embracing the shifts that have already happened.
3:44 – 5:01 – One in Three Sales Happen Without a Lead: Consumer behavior has changed, and traditional lead tracking misses the mark.
5:01 – 6:22 – Marketplace Engagement and Marketing Spend: Discussion on how 48% of shoppers start on marketplaces and why dealers must follow the data, not assumptions.
6:22 – 8:13 – 62+ Touchpoints and the Power of Attribution: Nathan shares a real example of a buyer with 89 touchpoints and how top dealers are using attribution tools to track them.
8:13 – 10:09 – First and Last Click Are Not Enough: Using a football analogy, you’ll hear why dealers need to evaluate the entire buyer journey—not just the beginning and end.
10:09 – 13:38 – CRM Blind Spots and What to Watch For: With 92% of sales missing from CRMs, four CRM categories to question are outlined and how to fix the visibility gap.
13:38 – 14:55 – Final Advice: Stop Measuring by Leads: Nathan urges dealers to stop using lead volume as a success metric and start focusing on conversions and profitability and outlines the difference he’s seeing when you do.
14:55 – 17:02 – Closing Thoughts: Jade wraps up with a call to action to download the white paper and adopt smarter, data-driven strategies.