FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers, including the ones that are less flattering to us. If something here is missing, ask and we will add it.
Core / Getting started
What does a free audit actually include?
We examine the areas that matter most to you — GA4, vendors, CRM, Google, Meta, SEO, or a combination. We prefer to focus on the top one or two pain points rather than dump a long list of findings on you. You get clear observations and practical recommendations, not a 40-page deck designed to impress. Most diagnostic work starts at no charge.
Do you replace our current agency or vendor?
No. That is not our goal.
We look at what is actually happening and help you and your existing partners get clearer results. In a small number of cases a dealer has later chosen to change direction, but we do not come in looking to replace anyone. We built Nerd Motive to help dealers and their partners stop paying for theater, not to take someone else's seat.
How long does it take to get started?
A basic audit can begin quickly once we have the necessary access. Platform-related work — feeds, inventory, Tech Stack — is typically pilot-ready in about a week once the basics are in place. If you need something faster or have a preferred timeline, just tell us. We can adapt.
Is there a long-term contract?
No long-term contract is required to start. We prefer to earn the work. Some dealers later choose a light retainer for ongoing access once the initial work is done, but that is optional and only if it makes sense for both sides.
What do you need from us to begin?
Usually access to the relevant accounts — GA4, Google Ads, Meta, CRM exports, or the website — and a short conversation about what matters most right now. We also use a mutual NDA so both sides are protected: your information stays yours, and ours stays ours, unless written permission is given.
Tech Stack & inventory
How does the inventory feed / crawl actually work?
We can pull inventory in several ways. On many dealer sites we can crawl the public inventory pages. On platforms that block crawls, we work from a feed export (Hoot, HomeNet, or similar) or a CSV. Once the vehicles are in the system, we generate clean Google VLA and Facebook Catalog feeds from that data.
What happens if our website platform blocks the crawl?
It's common. In those cases we simply use a feed export from your vendor or a CSV upload instead. The goal is accurate inventory in the system — the method is secondary.
In some cases a feed provider may charge the dealer for access to the export. That fee, if it exists, is the dealer's responsibility unless we have specifically agreed otherwise. In many situations our existing relationships with vendors allow us to avoid or reduce that friction.
We have several rooftops. How do you count our inventory?
By unique VIN across the group, not by adding up the stores. Groups very often publish one shared pool on more than one rooftop website, which means the same car appears under two or three stores. Our network view flags those duplicates automatically, so the count we quote you is the number of actual cars — not the number of listings.
Can we use the Tech Stack without Nerd Motors or Nerd Inventory Boost?
Yes. The Tech Stack — inventory management, feeds, subdomain pages, structured data — can stand on its own. Nerd Motors and Nerd Inventory Boost are additional layers that sit on top of it when you want them.
Who owns the data and the feeds?
You do. The inventory data and the feeds generated from it belong to the dealership. We are the tool, not the owner of your information. Full details are covered in our terms and agreements.
Once we have a clean feed, we can also provide a stable feed URL that your agency or advertising partner can use directly — the same way they would use a feed from a traditional provider.
Advertising surfaces
Do you post our vehicles to Facebook Marketplace?
Not as organic listings, and we want to be precise about this because the industry is loose with it. Meta stopped allowing vehicle listings to be created from business Pages in January 2023, and its Marketplace partner program is limited to services whose inventory comes from consumer sellers. Any vendor telling a dealership it will post their inventory to Marketplace organically at scale is describing something Meta does not currently permit.
What is real: your catalog can be used to run paid Automotive Inventory Ads, and those ads are eligible for placement in Marketplace surfaces. That is advertising, with a budget, and we will always call it that.
Where do the Google VLA feeds show up?
Vehicle Listing Ads appear on Google Search and other Google surfaces for shoppers looking at specific vehicles. We generate and maintain the feed; the campaigns run in a Google Ads and Merchant Center account. That can be yours, your agency's, or something we help you set up.
Nerd Motors
Is Nerd Motors another dealer website or a classified?
It is a multi-dealer classified built on live inventory. It is not a full dealer website. There are no service schedulers, parts forms, digital retailing widgets, or other distractions. Just the vehicles and a direct path to the store that has them.
Will our cars appear alongside other dealers' inventory?
Yes. Shoppers can search across all partner dealers or filter to a single store. Your vehicles appear with your dealership clearly identified. There is no paid placement that pushes another dealer's car above yours on your own listings.
How current is the inventory on Nerd Motors?
Most partner inventory is updated daily. Listings are pulled from live dealer data, but vehicles can still sell between updates. We always recommend confirming availability directly with the dealership before making travel plans.
Do we still control the sale and the customer?
Yes. Nerd Motors does not middleman the sale. When a shopper is interested, the inquiry goes to the store that has the vehicle. You own the customer relationship and close the deal as you normally would.
Will our store be listed publicly before we say so?
No. A dealership is published on Nerd Motors only after someone with authority at that store signs the listing authorization. Until then the store stays off the public site, and that is enforced in the software, not just in policy.
Nerd Inventory Boost
How is NIB different from the vehicle ads our agency already runs?
NIB runs controlled inventory campaigns alongside — not inside — whatever your main agency is already doing. We use the live inventory and control layer from the Tech Stack, point traffic to your listings on Nerd Motors when that makes sense, and give you clearer visibility into the activity. We do not market NIB as a replacement for the big platforms' products. We simply run inventory campaigns you can actually see and measure.
Will NIB interfere with our current agency campaigns?
No. NIB is designed to sit alongside the work your agency is already doing. Separate catalogs or destinations are used when helpful so results stay clear and do not get mixed together.
Reporting & visibility
What kind of reporting do we actually get?
Clear, readable reporting focused on what matters — inventory movement, feed activity, campaign visibility, and the numbers you can actually act on. We avoid the 40-page decks that look impressive and say very little. Where Data Studio or similar makes sense, we use it. The goal is information you can use, not reports that sit unopened.
Can we see the data ourselves, or is it locked behind your team?
You can see it. The platform and reporting are built so the dealer has direct visibility. We are not interested in being the only ones who understand the numbers.
Training
What kind of training do you offer and who delivers it?
We are building practical training delivered by people who have actually done the work — sales, phone skills, service, parts, office and accounting, incentive management, inventory, internet and digital, and more.
The core group already carries well over a hundred years of combined real dealership experience. Delivery is a mix of on-site and remote, with on-site focused mainly on sales-related and Comptroller-level backoffice training. This is not empty motivational seminar material. That said, we have found we can still pump a sales team up with real energy, excitement, and training that actually helps them sell more cars.
Practical / trust
Who sees our data and how is it protected?
Your data belongs to you. Access is limited to the people who need it to support or service your account. We do not sell your information. Like most modern digital platforms, certain standard tools such as pixels or platform tags may involve data processing by third parties under their own terms. Full details are covered in our terms and agreements. We also use a mutual NDA so both sides are protected.
What does “Trust the Nerds” actually mean in practice?
A nerd, by definition, is someone deeply interested in a subject — especially a technical one. In our case it means the people who will actually look at your data, tell you what they see, and stay long enough to help fix what's broken.
No theater. No 40-page decks designed to impress. No disappearing once the invoice is paid. We prefer clear numbers and practical recommendations over slogans. That's the standard we hold ourselves to.