Choosing the right digital advertising partner can make or break your dealership’s ability to turn inventory quickly, stay competitive in your market, and confidently allocate marketing dollars. With so many vendors offering “AI solutions” and “real‑time data,” it’s essential to separate partners with proven capability from those offering generic automation and buzzwords.
Whether you're focused on improving inventory turn, enhancing marketing efficiency, or gaining more transparency into what’s actually driving sales, these 10 questions will help you evaluate which partners deliver meaningful outcomes—and which don’t.
Many vendors will start with high-level descriptions of their AI, which is normal. The key is whether they can back up those claims with specific details about functionality and outcomes.
What to look for:
Gut Check: Any vendor you work with should be able to walk you through specific examples, key data inputs, and the decision-making process for their AI. Watch out for vendors who don't thoroughly understand their own technology.
The Catalyst IQ Difference: Our MarketAI technology processes billions of real-time data points to score every VIN in your inventory against market conditions, automatically prioritizing which vehicles need marketing support and creating shopper-specific ads for the vehicles on your lot.
AI should provide a true competitive advantage, not simply automate tasks a human could complete.
What to look for:
Gut Check: The best vendors process data you don't have access to and make decisions faster than humanly possible. If you could easily replicate their "AI" manually, it's probably not true artificial intelligence.
The Catalyst IQ Difference: MarketAI processes real‑time market movement data to instantly identify which vehicles need visibility now and activates ads accordingly. This level of precision and speed simply isn’t possible manually.
Any vendor claiming AI capabilities should be able to demonstrate them in real-time, not just show you screenshots or prepared presentations.
What to look for:
Gut Check: Real AI should be making decisions right now, not just during pre-recorded demos. If they can't show you live decision-making, question whether their AI is actually running.
The Catalyst IQ Difference: We can demonstrate live VIN scoring, real-time competitive pricing analysis, and show you exactly why our AI prioritized specific vehicles in your inventory for marketing support.
Look for vendors who focus on meaningful business outcomes rather than vanity metrics that look impressive but don't drive sales.
What to look for:
Gut Check: Impressive-sounding metrics like "impressions" and "engagement" don't help you sell more cars. Focus on vendors who measure what matters: vehicle sales, turn rates, and profit margins.
The Catalyst IQ Difference: Our team measures success by vehicles sold, inventory turn rates, and profit margins. Our comprehensive monthly reporting shows exactly how our campaigns impact your bottom line and competitive position.
Speed matters in today's market, especially when inventory moves fast or pricing changes frequently.
What to look for:
Gut Check: Your marketing should adapt as fast as your inventory changes. If it takes days to reflect a price reduction in your ads, you're losing money every hour.
The Catalyst IQ Difference: Our system detects inventory and pricing changes within hours and automatically adjusts campaigns. New inventory gets scored and prioritized for marketing support immediately upon arriving on your lot.
Understanding your competitive landscape is essential for strategic marketing decisions.
What to look for:
Gut Check: Competitive intelligence should give you actionable insights, not just general market trends. Look for vendors who can tell you exactly what your competitors are struggling to move.
The Catalyst IQ Difference: MarketAI tracks competitive vehicle movement across your market so you know exactly where opportunities exist and which segments are heating up or cooling down.
The most sophisticated vendors can tell you exactly which vehicles sold as a result of their advertising efforts, not just lead generation numbers.
What to look for:
Gut Check: Anyone can track clicks and leads. The real question is: Can they prove which specific vehicles sold because of their advertising?
The Catalyst IQ Difference: We provide VIN-level attribution showing exactly which campaigns drove sales for specific vehicles. Our solutions connect individual ads to actual vehicle deliveries, not just website visits or leads.
Modern dealerships use multiple systems to complete a sale. Your marketing vendor should integrate seamlessly with your existing technology stack, not create additional complexity.
What to look for:
Gut Check: A vendor relying purely on manual data uploads is a red flag. Your vendor should integrate directly with your systems to ensure accurate, real-time data flow.
The Catalyst IQ Difference: MarketAI integrates with dozens of DMS and CRM systems through direct API connections, enabling real-time data synchronization without manual uploads or complex workarounds.
Understanding your support structure is crucial for responsive service.
What to look for:
Gut Check: Ticket systems and rotating support staff mean you'll spend more time explaining your business than optimizing it. Demand dedicated support from a company that knows your goals.
The Catalyst IQ Difference: Every Catalyst IQ customer has a dedicated Dealer Success Manager (DSM) as their single point of contact, with guaranteed response times and no ticket systems. Your DSM is in your account daily and knows your market, your goals, and your challenges.
Understanding contract flexibility helps you assess risk and maintain negotiating power.
What to look for:
Gut Check: Long-term contracts with hefty cancellation fees are often a sign that vendors aren't confident in their ongoing value. The best partners offer flexible terms because they know you'll want to stay.
The Catalyst IQ Difference: We earn your business every month not through long‑term contracts, but through performance and transparency.
The best digital advertising partner for your dealership should be able to answer these questions confidently and provide specific examples of their capabilities. Don't be afraid to ask tough questions—the right vendor will appreciate your thoroughness and be eager to demonstrate their value.
Want to see how your dealership measures up in the market? Book a demo to get a real‑time view of your competitive position and vehicle movement opportunities, no strings attached.
About Catalyst IQ
Catalyst IQ is an integrated automotive marketing platform that helps dealerships make smarter decisions and sell more cars using real-time data, AI-powered insights, and expert human support. From digital advertising and web presence to SEO/AEO and engagement, every solution works together to drive measurable growth.