Cars.com Teams Up With National Independent Automobile Dealers Association to Offer Free DealerADvantage LIVE Webinar: 'Merchandising Masters: Tell More to Sell More'

Independent Dealer Panel Set to Discuss Effective Online Merchandising

CHICAGO, June 1 -- Cars.com today announced it has teamed up with the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) for the next installment of its free monthly webinar series, DealerADvantage LIVE. Scheduled to take place at noon ET on June 8, "Merchandising Masters: Tell More to Sell More" will feature a panel of independent dealers who excel when it comes to merchandising their inventory online. The hour-long session will be hosted by former NIADA president Mike Cunningham and will offer attendees merchandising strategies and techniques they can use to stand out from their online competition.

"A great online ad is the first step to winning business from online buyers, therefore merchandising is among the most critical components of a successful online campaign," said Ralph Ebersole, training director at Cars.com. "The dealers who consistently sell the most cars online recognize that their ads must do more than provide the price and a list of standard and optional equipment. Both franchise and independent dealers can learn a lot from our June DealerADvantage LIVE panelists who have mastered effective online merchandising."

Scheduled panelists include Glenn Conklin, of Beach Blvd. Automotive in Jacksonville, Fla., Matt Corey, of Auto Line in Atlantic Beach, Fla., and Tommy Roth, of Fairfax Motors in Fairfax, Va. During the hour-long session, these merchandising masters will share their experience and discuss how to:

   --   Give online buyers the complete picture with high-quality photos.
   --   Write descriptive seller's notes that go beyond the VIN exploder to
        entice potential buyers.
   --   Use online advertising to brand your dealership and sell the value
        of doing business with your store.

To register for DealerADvantage LIVE, go to http://dealers.cars.com/live, where you can learn more about the series, access previous DealerADvantage LIVE sessions and register for future events.

"We are delighted to team up with Cars.com to bring this informative session to all dealers," webinar host Mike Cunningham said. "Independent dealerships such as those on our panel have been leaders in developing online ads that sell cars. We are pleased to share winning practices that offer consumers a positive online shopping experience and yield more efficient vehicle sales for our industry."

Cars.com is an NIADA Preferred Provider, offering NIADA members online advertising solutions that make it easy and affordable to spotlight their used-car inventory. Independent dealers can learn more about Cars.com's products and services by visiting booth No. 517 June 14-16 at the 61st annual NIADA Convention and Exposition in Nashville.

About DealerADvantage LIVE

DealerADvantage LIVE is part of Cars.com's comprehensive training and education program that includes in-market and web-based training workshops, as well as weekly training calls. Cars.com presents training seminars without charge to interested dealerships, regardless of whether they are Cars.com customers. Extensive educational resources are available to all dealers on Cars.com's DealerCenter. Dealers can also register to receive Cars.com's free monthly e-newsletter, DealerADvantage, that is packed with tips and advice designed to help internet advertisers get the most out of their online presence and sell more cars. Information on upcoming training programs is always available at Cars.com's DealerCenter by clicking on the "Resources and Training" link.

About Cars.com

Partnered with more than 200 leading metro newspapers, television stations and their websites, Cars.com (www.cars.com) is the most comprehensive destination for those looking to buy or sell a new or used car. The site lists more than 2 million vehicles from 13,000 dealer customers, classified advertisers and private parties to offer consumers the best selection of new and used cars online, as well as the content, tools and advice to support their shopping experience. Recently selected by Forbes.com as a Best of the Web site for car shopping, Cars.com combines powerful inventory search tools and new-car configuration with pricing information, photo galleries, buying guides, side-by-side comparison tools, original editorial content and reviews to help millions of car shoppers connect with sellers each month.

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo , Gannett Co., Inc. , The McClatchy Company , Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company .