1. Challenger Selling in a Digital World
Linda Bartman, Cars.com CMO

2. Cars.com Overview
• Visited by more than 12 unique
visitors each month, Cars.com is the
leading destination for online car
shoppers.
• We offer credible and easy-to-
understand information from
consumers and experts to help
buyers research, price and find a car.
• We’re a growing company with
engaged people - 26% employee
growth in the last three years

3. Unique Revenue Drivers
Dealer
Auto
Manufacturer

4. Marketing Plays an Integral Part
Driving Traffic to Our
Site
Growing Brand
Awareness
Enabling Product Sell
Through
Our Role

5. Shifting Trends Present Unique
Challenges

6. Our Challenge - Marketplace Complexity

7. Our Challenge – Increasing Revenue and Value
SPECIAL OFFERS
BASEDRIVE
CARS360
PREMIER
USEDCARSPECIALS
PREMIER NEW POWERPOSITIONS
NEWLEADSPLUS
SECURE CREDIT APPLICATION
INDEPENDENT AD PACKAGE
Increasing
Revenue
Increasing Our
Marketplace
Value

8. Winning in a Complex Sales Environment
The Challenger Sale Approach:
• Corporate Executive Board (CEB) surveyed over 6,000
sales professionals across geographies and industries
• The research revealed that sales professionals fall into one
of five profiles:
Relationship
Builder
Problem Solver Hard Worker Lone WolfChallenger

9. Creating Customer and Industry Demand
Lead to Your
Unique Strengths
Challenge
Customers’
Assumptions
Catalyze
Action
Scale Across
Customers
2011 The Corporate Executive Board Company

10. Operationalizing Around a New
Approach

11. The Challenger Model of Marketing
Content
Marketing
Product
Marketing
Data and
Analytics
• Develops insights-
based content
• Provides
customers with
information before
they know they
need it
• Brings focus to our
thought leadership
efforts
• Equips sales with
Challenger tools
• Defines go-to-
market strategy
and execution
• Taps market and
customer
intelligence
• Collaborates with
product on
strategy
• Aligns sales and
marketing
• Defines what
studies are needed
• Mines data for
content and
insights
• Packages insights
to influence
marketing strategy
• Shapes product
offerings based on
data

12. Adopting a Marketing Challenger Mindset
Coordinated sales, training, marketing effort
to connect with customers in a relatable way
Language
Tools
Resources

13. Old vs. New Sales Model
2014 The Corporate Executive Board Company

14. Capturing Customer and Industry
Attention

15. The 7 Digital Sins of Attribution
• Challenged long-held customer beliefs about
value and attribution
• Gave dealers advice on how to align metrics with
activities of today’s shoppers
• Introduced a new metrics framework
• Provided sales with tools to support retention
when faced with cancels due to performance

16. A New Content Ecosystem
Varied
Content
ebook
Youtube Video
Email Newsletter
Facebook Posts
Weekly
Blog Posts
Landing PageTwitter Posts
Conversation Cards
Webinar
Webinar

17. Challenger Sale Testimonial

18. Success with Challenger Insights
60% more webinar attendees
than competitor's webinar on the
same day and time
2x more eBook views than a
similar eBook released earlier in
the year

19. #1 Third-party site used
on the dealer lot
Leverages Our Distinct Advantage
Products give an instant
mobile presence
Mobile Marketing Strategy
and Mobile Value
Mobile use set to exceed
desktop in 2014
Leads to Key Products
Educates Advertisers with Insights
and Content
Aligns with Consumer Trends
Continuing to Create Demand with Mobile
Our Mobile Message

20. Taking it to Market
Sales Training
Conversations
with Customers
WebinarMobile and Online
AdvertisingPowerful Content
Extending Our
Story
Social Media
Sales and Dealer
Tools

21. Challenger Marketing Success
Advertising click thru rates
were 300% abovethe
industry average
4% increase in social
fans/followers
158% increase in unique
visits to the mobile campaign
microsite
Achieved more than $1MM
in annualized revenue during first
three days of the campaign

22. What We’ve Learned

23. Vary content:
• Long and short
form pieces
• Video, print and
digital
• Fit multiple sales
distribution
channels
Define the
Challenger Selling
training plan:
• Timelines
• Supporting
materials
• Ownership and
champions
Establish an
integration process
first:
• Within marketing
• With key
stakeholders
(product, sales,
training)
Our Key Learnings

24. Thank You