Frequently Asked Questions

  • What kind of marketing does IMS offer?

    Everything that IMS does starts with data – we have developed proprietary algorithms that identify with a high degree of certainty those consumers in a PMA that are in the market to purchase a vehicle.  These consumers are targeted with a combination of direct mail and email.

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  • What kind of message is marketed?

    IMS does not believe in getting involved in your transaction, and at all times recognizes that in the end, your reputation is what’s most important.  Therefore, we do not engage in gimmicky marketing, we don’t believe in voucher programs or discount coupons, and we make sure to always treat your potential customers with the utmost respect.

    So how does IMS drive sales without employing all of these standard marketing tactics? Simple, we trust in our data.  A high percentage of the consumers we market to are active buyers in your market.  Our spin is to make their shopping experience transparent, easy and convenient. Our marketing offers these buyers the opportunity to

    1. receive an independent trade value for their vehicle (Black Book or Kelley Blue Book),
    2. get pre-qualified for financing, and
    3. shop your inventory and incentives.

    Shoppers wanting to get a trade value are pre-qualified do so in a secure PURL-driven environment that ultimately results in real-time qualified leads.

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  • What programs does IMS offer?

    IMS’ philosophy is that we are in the business of providing marketing services, and dealers are in the business of selling cars.  Therefore, we believe that IMS should assume the risk in the event the marketing does not work, not the dealership.

    IMS fully underwrites our marketing programs in two (2) ways: Pay-For-Performance and Guaranteed Performance.  Dealers can choose either structure.

    With Pay-For-Performance IMS works on a commission only basis, charging a fee only when a consumer that buys a car has been marketed to by IMS.

    With Guaranteed Performance dealers pay an upfront fee, and are guaranteed a corresponding number of cars will be sold.  The most a dealer will pay under the program is $333 per car sold; however, in the event the guarantee is not achieved, the dealer is reimbursed on a pro rata basis.  Guaranteed Performance is available in all states, and eligible for co-op reimbursement.

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  • Does IMS market to the dealer’s database?

    No.  100% of the marketing data used for the campaign is IMS data.  Each list of InMarket consumers marketed to by IMS is exclusive, and not concurrently marketed to for another dealership in the same PMA.

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  • Do dealers get to see the manifest?

    Yes. We want to be completely transparent with who we are marketing to, so we provide a manifest of every consumer we are targeting on the front end of the campaign.

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  • What type of results are typical?

    IMS campaigns typically drive a minimum of 40 sales over a 65 day period (based on 20,000 consumers being targeted).  75% of the sales are traditionally conquest (30 new customers).  Many campaigns result in 40 + sales.

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  • How are sales verified?

    The fairest way for sales to be measured is for an independent 3rd party that specializes in lead matching to identify the matched sales.  Our partner, CDK Global, Inc., performs the sales matching process in an industry-leading secure environment.

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  • How long does it take from agreement to campaign start?

    From receipt of a dealer’s incentives, IMS typically provides the dealer with the advertisements for approval the next business day.  No advertisements are deployed without written dealership approval.

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  • Are there any setup fees?

    None.  IMS prides itself with having no hidden fees, period.

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