In this transcribed episode of the Used Car Dealer Podcast, Zach talks with Jeff Martin, CEO of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA), about the upcoming NIADA Convention & Expo in Denver, the biggest pressures facing independent dealers, and the association’s priorities around education, compliance, advocacy, and dealer support.
Jeff shares what he is most excited about for this year’s event, including NIADA’s education-first approach, the value of networking, the expo floor, and a unique closing general session featuring conversations around the China wave, TikTok, and how dealers can reach the next generation of buyers.
The conversation also covers affordability, inventory access, interest rates, AI adoption, FTC advertising-price expectations, right-to-repair advocacy, universal title discussions, compliance education, and how NIADA continues to evolve through boot camps, webinars, state association partnerships, and the return of the Certified Master Dealer Program.
Whether you’re an independent dealer preparing for Denver, looking for guidance on affordability and inventory, or trying to understand what AI, compliance, and advocacy mean for your store, Jeff’s perspective offers a clear look at where NIADA is focused and why he remains optimistic about the resilience of independent dealers.
Zach: Zach here. And I’m really excited, I think for the third time, to have Jeff Martin, the CEO of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association, or as everyone goes by, NIADA. They represent thousands of independent dealers across the country. As the industry navigates affordability concerns, inventory shifts, technology adoption, and changing consumer expectations, Jeff is helping shape the conversation and the advocacy efforts that impact dealers every day. Today, we’re going to discuss the upcoming NIADA Convention & Expo, the biggest issues facing independent dealers, and what NIADA has planned for the rest of the year. So Jeff, thanks so much for joining me on the podcast today.
Jeff: Thank you, Zach. Always good to visit with you, and I’m looking forward to this.
Zach: So we’re just weeks away from NIADA in Denver. What are you most excited about for this year’s event?
Jeff: There are a lot of things I’m really excited about. Obviously, this is a new location for us, so I’m very excited about being in Denver in June. That will be a little different than being out in Las Vegas. But the core of what we do is really our education. You’ve been to our events in the past, and you’ve presented there, and our breakout sessions are the reason a lot of people come to the convention. What they usually find is that the networking becomes some of the most valuable time they spend there, along with visiting our vendors in the expo. But this year, oddly enough, I’m really excited about our closing general session. I’m very excited to have Rocky as our keynote speaker, but I’m also excited for Elizabeth Crear, who is going to speak on what I would call the looming China wave that a lot of people have been talking about. I’ve had the opportunity to visit with her a couple of times and see her in person, and I always learn something from her.
We also have Ryan with TikTok, and so many of our dealers have been talking about platforms where they can be more actively involved. I think a lot of our new buyers are on that TikTok platform, so I’m anxious to hear Ryan’s comments on how dealers can be more active there and go find buyers in that space. That closing general session on Wednesday is so unique and so different from anything we’ve offered in the past, and that’s probably what I’m most excited about.
Zach: When you talk to dealers around the country, what topics are they asking NIADA to address most urgently at this conference?
Jeff: I would say there are three big things, and you touched on them at the beginning. The first is affordability. We had a meeting in February with our board and some leaders from different state associations, and we talked about the issues we really need to tackle as an association. Affordability is probably the one we struggle with the most. Our consumers have changed tremendously, finding inventory has become much more challenging, and affordability is probably the biggest issue overall.
The second is probably the shiniest thing in the water right now, and that is the FTC. I wouldn’t necessarily say there are brand-new rules and regulations, but they have put form around some of the rules that have already been there, especially around the actual advertised price. I anticipate that session will be full. We’ve already put on some webinars as an association, and I think we had around 300 attendees at our first webinar. I think people are starting to understand what the expectations will be from the FTC, but I also wouldn’t be completely surprised if another shoe drops soon and gets people’s attention again.
The third issue is inventory, and that goes hand in hand with affordability. Finding capital and finding inventory have been challenges for dealers for quite some time, but especially coming out of COVID, we’ve seen more struggles there. That’s what I’m hearing when I travel around the country. Dealers are asking us to take a close look at that. You can also throw in smaller issues like garage liability insurance and the challenges dealers are having there, but that all kind of fits inside the larger ball of wax around affordability.
Zach: As far as inventory, are there any specific trends you’re watching closely right now at NIADA?
Jeff: I think there are two things. Certainly the wholesale market is something we are always watching. What we’ve been hearing is that a number of EVs may come onto the market out of the rental space and lease space. For dealers who are not in that market, it might create some concerns. For other dealers, it could create an opportunity. Our dealers are going to sell whatever used cars are out there and whatever used cars are available, but when you see some of those vehicles entering the marketplace in a way we haven’t seen in the past, it may create opportunities. Hopefully, that also helps bring down some pricing for used vehicles.
Zach: Interest rates have been a challenge for both consumers and dealers. How are NIADA members adapting to the current trend?
Jeff: One of the things we hear a lot in our 20 Groups, on both the retail side and the buy-here-pay-here side, is the importance of not becoming overleveraged. As a dealer, the more liquidity you have, the more ability you have to pivot when needed or ramp up when opportunities present themselves. You don’t want to be in a position where you constantly have to make payments to the bank. That is probably the biggest change I’ve seen over the last four or five years. Some dealers were able to get ahead of that, and some are still struggling with it.
On the consumer side, if the dealer is not overleveraged, then they have more flexibility to work with the consumer and help get them into a vehicle. We’ve also seen terms extended a little bit to help consumers make sure the vehicle payment is affordable. I think you’re going to continue to see some of those things, certainly in the near future.
Zach: A big buzzword right now is AI. AI and automation are becoming major topics across automotive retail. Where do you see the biggest opportunities, and maybe misconceptions, from the independent dealer view?
Jeff: Let me start by saying I’m not an expert in AI. Even here at the association, really over the last 12 months, and especially the last six months, we have adopted using AI more. So I want to start by saying I’m not an expert. The opportunity I see is education. I think a lot of people felt like AI was going to come in and take someone’s job away. But what we’re hearing from dealers who have fully embraced AI inside their dealerships, including some who will be speaking at the convention, is that it has allowed them to become more efficient. It has allowed them to be more present with consumers.
So I think the opportunity is education, but I’m not here to educate people on every AI opportunity. The opportunity is for dealers to educate themselves, attend the NIADA convention, attend other education opportunities, go to boot camps, join 20 Groups, and understand what other dealers are doing. There is still so much unknown right now.
The misconception, to me, is that AI is going to come and take everybody’s job tomorrow morning. We dealt with that a little bit inside our own association. To make some of our employees feel more comfortable, we now take the position that when you work on a project, you can say, “I worked on this project with the help of AI.” It wouldn’t be any different than if you and I worked on a project together. I think that has made it more acceptable to our employees, and that’s the misconception I think people need to move past.
Zach: We talked a little earlier about the FTC, but what other legislative or compliance issues are currently at the top of NIADA’s advocacy agenda?
Jeff: That one really feels like a moving target. Right to repair is something we have been working on as an association for the last couple of years. We felt like we had a good opportunity in the transportation bill this year. Just a couple of weeks ago, we saw language in the bill that we felt very comfortable with, but at the last minute, the committee pulled it out. So we realize we still have a lot of work to do there.
The reason we support right to repair goes back to what you said at the beginning: affordability. Anything we can do to make vehicles or the product more affordable for the consumer, we feel is advantageous, not just for the consumer but obviously for dealers as well. So right to repair is still an issue we are working on. We have meetings scheduled where we’ll continue to push that on the Senate side, we’re not giving up on the House side, and we’re working with the administration as closely as possible to make sure they understand why we support it.
Another interesting issue our board will be tackling soon is a universal title. There has also been support around digital title, and there are a lot of moving parts to that. But again, this goes back to affordability. If there were one national title or one universal title, the question becomes: could this make the industry more efficient and the product more affordable? I don’t know the answer today, but as an association, these are the big issues we need to tackle. We need to find ways to benefit our members and support those opportunities when they present themselves.
Zach: Speaking of NIADA and membership, how has the association evolved to better serve today’s independent dealer?
Jeff: That is a great question, and I would say it is evolving constantly. We walked through a five-year strategic plan recently, and there were a number of things in there that I believe will put the association in a better position to represent members in the future. Some of that is being more fiscally responsible. We recognize that any association that wants to be successful has to have a strategic plan in place and has to be financially responsible.
Another thing our board has been very loud about is making sure we are making ourselves available and making education available to members. Anyone paying attention to our social platforms or our weekly email, Dashboard, will see that we are doing a lot more boot camps and webinars. We are also bringing back the Certified Master Dealer Program, which had been on a bit of a hiatus for a couple of years.
I don’t even know if that fully answers it, because I think there are other ways we can educate members too. The world is changing, and we have to make sure we are adapting and changing with it. Working with our state associations is also key. They play such an integral role, and I think sometimes as a national association, it’s easy to take that for granted. We have to support those state associations so they have the tools and resources to go out and educate. We have a shared membership, and we have to put education out there to help dealers be successful.
The number one area there is compliance. Over the last year and a half, and you and I have even talked about this off camera, we have put a lot more resources toward compliance and government relations. I want dealers to feel comfortable calling NIADA on any compliance concern, knowing we can address that concern or get them in touch with the appropriate person. The focus and goal of the association may not have changed, but the way we deliver some of those things has evolved. That’s probably the best way to describe it.
Zach: I can definitely attest to that. I saw you when I was speaking at CIADA earlier this year in the Carolinas at the DMV facility, and just recently you were in Destin, Florida at the Southeast Independent Automobile Dealers Association Conference. I can see you traveling across the country and really making an effort, not just at the NIADA level but to involve yourself with the state associations too. Kudos to you on that.
Jeff: I appreciate you saying that, Zach. I will tell you, every time I go to those events and hang out with dealers, I learn something. I try to learn something every day, but when I go to those events, it is invaluable how much you learn by listening to dealers. I tell people all the time that we need to celebrate victories when our dealers have opportunities to celebrate, but we also need to feel the pain.
At the end of the day, as an association leader, we are kind of a hired gun to provide platforms and be the voice for those dealers many times. If you’re not out there spending time with them, it’s hard to identify exactly what their pain points are. But when you have those lunches or breakfasts, or you stand in the hallway, they will pull you aside and share exactly what those pain points are.
Zach: Definitely. And as you look ahead into 2027 and beyond, what gives you the most optimism about the independent dealer community?
Jeff: I’ve said this numerous times, and I’ll continue to say it: this is an unbelievably resilient group of dealers. We’ve seen a lot of changes, certainly with some larger independent dealers leaving the space for various reasons. But that creates new opportunities and new energy. You mentioned the Southeast conference, and spending time there with new board members and younger dealers coming in with new ideas—that’s probably what excites me most.
This industry is going to change significantly. We’re seeing platforms where consumers can rent a car for a month, lease a car, or change vehicles week to week or month to month. Those are going to be new opportunities. Some of our dealers will take advantage of that, and others will find different things that work for them. For us as an association, our responsibility is to create those platforms and make sure vendors and partners have the opportunity to create new opportunities. Our dealers will take advantage of them, and that’s very exciting to me.
Zach: Lastly, for any independent dealer listening, maybe they’re thinking about going to the convention in Denver or just getting involved generally. Any interesting offers or anything they should do to get involved with NIADA?
Jeff: The easiest thing is to shoot me an email or give me a call. Whether it’s working on a committee with the association or getting involved in education, there are places to plug in. I typically encourage people to get involved with their state association first. If they don’t have a state association, they should not hesitate to reach out to me or someone on our team.
If they’re looking for education, we can point them in the right direction. If they’re looking to be more actively involved, no association exists without members. The value and strength of the association resides in the members. The more active members become, the more valuable the association becomes. All of the power resides within the members. So absolutely, I would encourage dealers to reach out, let us know what their interest is, and we’ll find a place for them.
Zach: Love that, Jeff. I really appreciate you coming on the podcast. I’m looking forward to seeing you in Colorado later this month. Thanks again.
Jeff: Thank you, Zach. Thank you for what you do. I really appreciate it.
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