Name

NCM Associates

Legal name

NCM Associates, Inc.

Website

https://ncmassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 20 Groups Membership: Ongoing peer learning group memberships where dealers pay subscription fees for access to 20 Group meetings, benchmarking data, and peer collaboration.
2. Automotive Training Programs: Per-seat course fees for variable ops, fixed ops, and executive/leadership training courses. Courses range from $599 to $2,245 per seat. Programs like GMEP charged at $10,995 per seat.
3. Software Solutions (Axcessa, HealthCheck): SaaS products providing business intelligence, performance tracking, and benchmark reporting tools for automotive dealerships.
4. Consulting Services: In-dealership retail automotive consulting engagements where coaches review numbers, discuss processes, and develop custom action plans.
5. Travel Solutions: Corporate and leisure travel services for clients attending conventions and OEM meetings.
6. Annual Training Subscription: Annual subscription model providing access to 25+ courses for one low monthly fee for dealership staff training.
7. KPI Reports: Retail automotive KPI reports for fixed and variable operations, available for US and Canada markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NCM Associates provides automotive dealerships, OEMs, and non-automotive business operators with peer-learning 20 Groups, in-dealership consulting, fixed/variable operations training through its NCM Institute, and proprietary cloud-based benchmarking software (Axcessa, HealthCheck, NCM Echo, Benchmark Reports). The company combines 75+ years of consulting expertise with proprietary Benchmark® data to deliver accountability-driven performance improvement across North America.

Product overview

NCM Associates is a 100% employee-owned company founded in 1947 that offers a comprehensive portfolio of automotive dealership solutions organized into five core areas: 20 Groups (peer learning and accountability), Consulting (in-dealership coaching and analysis), Training (through NCM Institute offering 25+ courses for fixed ops, variable ops, and leadership), Software Solutions (Axcessa, HealthCheck, Benchmark Reports, and Echo for data-driven performance tracking), and OEM Solutions. The company serves automotive dealers and OEMs across North America, with additional offerings in travel services, performance coaching, and digital solutions. The software products work together to provide dealerships with cloud-based data management, benchmarking against industry standards, and actionable intelligence from DMS data. Training programs include bundled programs (Financial Management, General Management, General Sales Management, Service Management, Parts Management, Used Vehicle Management, Internet Management, Interviewing and Talent Retention) as well as individual courses, available in-person and via eLearn virtual sessions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• axcessa: Cloud-based auto dealer software solution for online data management and operational tracking
• Benchmark
• HealthCheck
• NCM Institute (NCMi)

Products and services

• 20 Groups Peer-learning membership groups where automotive dealers share strategies and best practices with non-competing peers, review performance against NCM Benchmark data, and hold each other accountable for success. Includes dealer-specific and non-automotive Performance 20 Groups.
• NCM Institute (NCMi) Training Automotive dealership training division delivering 25+ fixed ops, variable ops, and executive courses to dealership teams across the US and Canada, available in-person in Kansas City and Toronto or via eLearn virtual sessions.
• Automotive Consulting Holistic, in-dealership consulting engagements where retail automotive coaches review dealer numbers against NCM Benchmark comparison data, discuss processes, and develop custom action plans to improve overall performance.
• Axcessa Cloud-based auto dealer software solution providing online data management tools that track operational and financial progress against industry benchmarks by aggregating critical DMS data into easy-to-understand reports.
• Benchmark Reports Automotive benchmark reports providing comprehensive measurement of financial performance compared to similar organizations and industry averages, with multiple customizable benchmark report types for US and Canadian dealerships.
• HealthCheck Benchmark comparison tool that allows dealership owners to compare their performance against regional and national benchmarks across fixed and variable operations.
• NCM Echo Performance tracking and benchmarking software tool within NCM's dealer software suite for tracking operational and financial progress.
• Travel Solutions Comprehensive travel services for conventions, OEM meetings, and leisure travel, allowing NCM's automotive dealer and OEM clients to focus on their business and family.
• Performance Coaching Coaching services to help dealership leaders strengthen team performance and drive operational excellence across fixed and variable operations.
• Digital Solutions Digital marketing and internet sales training and solutions for dealerships to strengthen online lead handling, BDC operations, and digital retail performance.
• OEM Solutions Solutions for automotive OEMs including Core offerings and Custom & OEM Training programs designed to align dealer networks and improve overall network-wide performance.
• Fundamental Books (Fundamentals Series) Downloadable ebook series covering fundamentals for used vehicle, new vehicle, service, express service, parts, and F&I success with checklists, goals, and metrics organized by department.
• KPI Reports Retail automotive KPI reports for US and Canada covering fixed and variable operations, created using industry-leading Benchmark data to assist dealerships in enhancing performance.
• Annual Training Subscription Subscription offering providing access to 25+ NCM Institute courses for one low monthly fee, allowing dealerships to train all store managers at a discounted rate.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average dealership pretax profit remained 1.7x higher than 2019 pre-pandemic levels in 2024 (down 24.4% from 2023)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RockEDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2025Strategic partnership to provide microlearning-based training solutions to automotive dealerships nationwide. The partnership combines RockED's gamified, bite-sized learning platform with NCM Associates' 75+ years of automotive consulting and training expertise, including data-driven performance metrics and 20 Groups peer collaboration. Both companies plan to integrate the platform across NCM's existing training programs covering fixed operations, sales, finance, and leadership areas.
• Kain AutomotivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2024NCM Associates acquired Louisville-based Kain Automotive, expanding leadership training solutions in the automotive industry. The merger combines long-standing collaboration and enhances offerings in internet sales, BDC operations, and digital marketing training. The deal was a milestone in NCM's growth strategy.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Dealer Tire: Dealer tire and parts program management provider serving franchised dealers' fixed operations; adjacent to NCM's fixed-ops consulting and benchmarking focus rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Strategic Coach: Peer coaching groups for entrepreneurs founded by Dan Sullivan; mirrors NCM's recurring, subscription-based peer-group model with structured quarterly meetings and accountability.
• Dale Carnegie Training: Global corporate training and leadership development franchise with a comparable instructor-led, fee-per-seat, multi-course training model to NCM Institute's fixed/variable ops curriculum.
• Vistage: Operator of peer advisory groups for CEOs and business leaders — the same small-group, peer-accountability model that underpins NCM's 20 Groups, but at a cross-industry executive level.
• JM&A Group: Performance and training partner for franchised auto dealerships offering F&I products, consulting, and training. Closest direct peer to NCM's consulting and 20 Group-style services within the automotive retail channel.

Broad incumbents

• CDK Global: Major dealer management system (DMS) and software provider to franchised dealerships, competing with NCM's Axcessa at the system-of-record layer that anchors dealer workflows.
• Reynolds and Reynolds: Long-standing provider of dealer software, forms, and services to franchised auto retailers, overlapping with NCM's software and consulting value chain at scale.
• Cox Automotive: Dominant automotive services platform (Dealertrack, vAuto, Manheim, Autotrader) competing directly with NCM's Axcessa/HealthCheck software via DMS-integrated dealer SaaS.

Emerging players

• Affinitiv: Provider of automotive marketing, CRM, and fixed-ops retail solutions to dealers and OEMs, adjacent to NCM's performance coaching and benchmarking offerings.
• Tekion: Cloud-native dealer SaaS platform increasingly winning dealer groups away from legacy DMS systems; represents a venture-backed competitive threat to NCM's Axcessa software.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/NCMAssociates
• Facebookfacebook.com/ncmassoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncm-associates
• Xx.com/ncmassociates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NCM Associates