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Hey everyone,
NAMAD's 46th Annual Conference lands next month (Aug. 11-14) at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, and this year's theme is "In Concert: Driving Strategic Growth Through Strategic Alignment."
We wanted to know what that actually means for dealers, so we sat down with NAMAD President Perry Watson IV.
— CDG
Minority-owned stores make up just 6% of the country's dealerships, and 95% of those dealers are first-generation owners.
And this year's programming is built with that reality in mind.
What to expect:
Main stage sessions featuring Google, Amazon, and Bank of America
Data and market sessions led by S&P Global and CDK
F&I, insurance, and investment sessions run by JM&A Group
Dealer training and performance coaching from NCM
Beyond the agenda, our conversation with Watson covered three main pieces: How dealers sell to customers who don't all shop the same way, what it actually takes to break into ownership, and why NAMAD's pitch hasn't changed in 46 years.
Knowing your market takes rethinking your messaging, your staff, and who you're actually selling to.
NAMAD’s data shows that minority consumers now account for roughly 32% of new-vehicle purchases in the United States. That's a third of your buyers.
Watson's take: Dealers who take the time to understand the pool of customers walking onto their lot (and how often) are more likely to earn repeat business in their markets than the ones who treat every customer the same.
"I always like to say there's diversity within diversity within diversity,” he said.
Perry Watson IV
What he means: The messaging that works for Chinese consumers might not work for Korean or Japanese consumers, and the messaging that works for Mexican consumers might not work for Cuban or Venezuelan consumers.
That specificity holds up in our own reporting, too. According to a 2021 SurgeMetrix survey cited in a story of ours in May:
79% of Hispanic respondents would likely visit a car dealer who advertises in Spanish
43% stated they would travel further to shop for a car if a dealership advertised to them in Spanish.
And with referrals being some of the best leads, 79% of all respondents said that they are moderately to extremely likely to refer a customer to a dealer who speaks Spanish.
In another example from Watson: He drew the same parallel with female customers, describing a change he made on his own sales floor back during his dealer days.
When candidates were equally qualified, his team weighed one more factor: what would best reflect the customers walking through the door.
That's how his service department and sales floor ended up with more female representation.
"...I had male customers say, ‘Man, you know what? My wife never felt comfortable coming to a dealership. She feels comfortable coming here,’ and it was because we had representation on the service and the sales floor."
His point: Customers will easily drive past closer competitors to buy from a store that gets them.
“I've experienced this as a former part-owner of a dealership. We were in Mishawaka, Indiana. I had people drive all the way from Chicago; Gary, Indiana; and Indianapolis to buy cars from us..."
Why? Because his shop understood their community. And by community, he didn't just mean geography. He meant identity, culture, and the way people actually like to shop.
A quick word from our partner
Join us August 11–14, 2026, in Miami for NAMAD's 46th Annual Conference: In Concert: Driving Strategic Growth Through Strategic Alignment.
Connect with the automotive industry's most influential leaders, dealers, OEM partners, and innovators as we explore the strategies, partnerships, and opportunities shaping the future of automotive retail.
Experience the power of inclusive economics, meaningful collaboration, and industry-leading insights.
We'll see you in Miami!
Capital, not ambition, is the barrier keeping minority dealers out of ownership.
Larger dealer groups used to stick to big metro or fringe metro stores. Now, Watson says they're buying into markets they used to skip entirely.
That pushes the capital bar for entry higher, right as OEMs and lenders have had other things pulling their attention, like tariffs, rate swings, and years of market disruption.
Watson's advice for someone trying to break in:
Start with the relationships before worrying about the paperwork.
Build ties with the banks and lenders as early as you can.
And understand that the scope of responsibilities goes beyond just selling cars.
"You have to be able to not [just] sell cars; you have to manage parts, you have to manage the service. You've got to manage cash, and of course you've got to manage people."
Adding to the above: Watson said dealers should forget the idea that ownership (or access to capital) happens quickly.
He said one dealer candidate "interviewed for seven years" before landing a store. Despite the wait, that person now owns 14 dealerships.
"You kind of have to be like water on a rock when it comes to this opportunity."
Interestingly enough: We actually covered a version of this path earlier this month.
Sourced via CDG’s LinkedIn
Turns out, a 2022 NAMAD event helped connect him with GM as an approved dealer candidate.
“It took me 27 years in the auto industry to become a dealer. There were no paved roads or highways,” Jimenez said. “There were dead ends and a ton of potholes and signs saying ‘do not enter.’...But I’ve used that as fuel.”
Why this matters: Stories like that, Watson said, are exactly what the conference is built for. If most of the timeline above is really just relationship-building, packing that many attendees, speakers, and partners into one room lets a dealer candidate start those relationships all at once, even if it still takes years for the capital or opportunity to actually show up.
Keeping NAMAD's message unchanged for decades is exactly the point, Watson says.
"Not a lot has changed in terms of the messaging, the message of inclusive economics and how, if you win in the marketplace, you need to not only sell to the general public,” he said.
What has changed, he said, is who shows up.
"We've got OEMs, we've got brokers, we've got operational excellence partners. We've got independent dealers. So many more people from different segments of the automotive industry have started to attend the conference, and I think that's been the biggest change, but the messaging has been the same since day one."
He said that’s really where this year’s theme "In Concert" comes from.
"You can be a violin, but there's nothing like an orchestra. And so that's really the messaging this year is, you know, let's make beautiful music together."
Plus: He wants to clear up who the conference is actually for, since NAMAD's name throws some people off.
"If you're in the automotive industry and you want to be successful, you're invited to the conference."
Where/when is the show? The Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Aug. 11-14.
Who's it for? NAMAD dealers, dealer candidates, OEM partners, lenders, and operational excellence vendors. Watson said the conference is open to anyone in the industry, not just minority-owned dealer groups.
How do I register? Registration details are at namad.org.
