Jeff Kershner said:

I thought this feature was mandatory. Looks like you need many more up votes.

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I love Drive but this one blows my mind on to why they refuse to add it when they are so focused on CAN-SPAM for email and TCPA on SMS.

How's this going?

BillVaughnAlWestNissan said:

I'm also going to have to break my rule on trying to go with minimal to no advertising. I feel like I'm going to HAVE to do VLA to increase our presence on search. VLA seems to be the lowest cost option for this outside of maximizing our BGP.

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I noticed that Al West doesn't come up for Used searches still. I tried this once only because my owner came back from a 20Group with a dealer who lead the composite and "doesn't do any digital advertising". I knew there were a number of other factors like he had all the Ford dealerships in the area and had been a loved dealer for 20+ years but for the sake of a grand experiment I complied and went cold turkey. This was in late 2018 and early 2019 so we were getting chunks of in-store visit data from Google at that time so could verify we dropped 700+ in-store visits and our group suffered. In fact, it took another 90 days after going dark for 90 days to just get back on track. I understand your controlling expenses but I'm a believer that going dark on digital is a high risk strategy. Have you changed your approach since March?

joe.pistell said:

CASE IN POINT.
I just completed a ChatGPT study into a technical problem in our space.

GPT's opening message:

Research completed in 7m · 13 sources · 90 searches

***DealerRefresh was cited 15 times in this study***

That report would have taken me DAYS to complete. Now, flip this scenario over to car shopping.

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Don't forget to include when OEM's get involved... cough (D2 C2) cough

Hey @BillVaughnAlWestNissan , checking in on the dealership progress.

I know you are busy and documenting as much as you have is time consuming. This isn't a request for a 2,500 word write up. Just a check in.

CASE IN POINT.
I just completed a ChatGPT study into a technical problem in our space.

GPT's opening message:

"I’ll prepare a high-level learning guide that explains how HomeNet and vAuto (as Inventory Management Systems) interact with Dealer.com and DealerOn (as website vendors), focusing on how vehicle feature data flows and where it gets lost"

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Research completed in 7m · 13 sources · 90 searches

***DealerRefresh was cited 15 times in this study***

That report would have taken me DAYS to complete. Now, flip this scenario over to car shopping.

>>> Car got totaled and salvage title – moderate damage ha!

@tniche7594 Below is a table summarizing the metrics for both posts:



This table highlights the AI-improved post's advantages in readability and scanability, with a slight reduction in reading time.

Conclusion​

The AI-improved post offers better readability scores, likely due to shorter sentences, and significantly better scanability due to its structured format. Reading time is slightly shorter, reflecting its concise nature. These findings align with general guidelines for blog posts, emphasizing the importance of structure and clarity for audience engagement.

---

Key Citations​

• Yoast: Flesch reading ease score: why and how to use it
• Elite Editing: What’s the Right Flesch Reading Ease for Content?
• Readable: Flesch Reading Ease and the Flesch Kincaid Grade Level
• Themeisle: What Is Flesch Reading Ease Score (And Why Is It Important?)
• Rock Content: Flesch Reading Ease Score: Is It Still Relevant in 2024?
• Blumint.co: The science of writing: Flesch reading ease scores
• Ahrefs: Flesch Reading Ease: Does It Matter for SEO? (Data Study)

tniche7594 said:

Ai has been that veteran sales rep who takes me under his wing

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AI rewrote your 'difficult to read' post:

Revolutionizing Car Sales with AI: A Newcomer's Perspective​

From Cellphones to Car Lots: My Journey​

I’ve spent 15 years in cellphone retail, honing my skills in sales and management. The idea of car sales always piqued my interest, so I took the plunge. Before this, I’d already embraced AI in tech roles to ramp up productivity. Three months ago, I stepped into a dealership, and it’s been a revelation.

Stuck in the Past: The Dealership's Tech Time Warp​

Right away, it felt like I’d stepped back in time. This huge operation runs on ancient systems—not just a single outdated phone for the reluctant, but a whole setup frozen in the past. Efficiency’s nowhere to be found, training’s sparse, and tools to succeed are practically nonexistent. The owners get that change is overdue and seem willing, but the management? They’re dug in, unwilling to guide the next wave of talent.

AI as My Secret Weapon​

Amid this mess, AI’s been my secret weapon—like having a seasoned salesperson in my pocket. Need to double-check a trim level? AI’s on it. Want social media posts that actually pull in customers? AI whips them up, delivering results. It even tosses out test-drive advice and digs up research to showcase a car’s worth. Some of the old-timers roll their eyes, but their doubts just push me harder—I’m crushing it with AI.

Building Better Tools: Outsmarting the System​

Here’s the wild part: I’ve coded four AI tools myself, ones I rely on every day. Imagine me out in the back lot, tapping away on my phone, building software that blows past the dealership’s million-dollar tech flops. They’ve got a whole programming team on staff, yet the systems still drag. Dealerships throw piles of cash at AI solutions, then let them rot without proper training or follow-through—total waste.

The Road Ahead: Slow Progress and My Resolve​

Progress is creeping in, but it’s painfully slow. A few fresh ideas get a nod, yet without a real shake-up in mindset, it’s all stuck. My own wins prove what’s doable with some curiosity and the right gear. AI’s no gimmick—it’s rewriting the rules of car sales. I’m soaking it all in, sharpening my edge, and quietly turning my little slice of this place upside down. The traditionalists might not clock it yet, but I’m not going anywhere—I’m dragging the future in with me.

I am at the cofffee pot, the BDC leader's getting a coffee too, she's hot as a hornet and needs to vent "I've been working with this guy for weeks, I've done the homework he asked, I answered every question, got him our best deal. Now, he just called to cancel his appointment unless I take $1000 off the price... I'm gonna choke the air out of this guy!!! I am done, so rude! I dont need his business!"

I know this is a perfect setup for AI... "Wait, before you flame him, lets let AI take a stab at this". We go into her office, copy/paste the entire thread into ChatGPT. WE give GPT context and instructions:

"You are the assistant to the BDC manager and your mission is to craft a reply for the BDC manager. See the email thread attached. The message should be heart felt yet business like. Create a reply that holds our ground on our best price. Remind our shopper we want his business. Use the email thread and review our discussions to recreate a list of all of the benefits we've created and put them into a bullet list.

She clicked submit...
She gasped.


DISC?
Hell yea.

Jeff Kershner said:

@Carluminati - nice to see you back in the forums. It's been a hot minute.

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I was just thinking the same. Are you getting back in the game?

David.Ham said:

@Alex Snyder it's been a while! Sorry I haven't checked in with you guys in so long. We were just acquired by pinewood.ai and have been busy launching new features and products but focused a lot of our effort in the international market. We are just about to launch a pilot with a large dealer group here in the US, I'll keep you posted on that. In the meantime, here's a fun little recap of our last year. And a preview into what is coming this year.

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Congrats on the sale, David! That explains a lot. I see you're going to be close to Lithia. Looking forward to hearing more.

Jan 14, 2024

joe.pistell said:

Google as we know it is TOAST.

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joe.pistell said:

the entire Auto Shopping workflow -as we know it- is TOAST

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joe.pistell said:

Classified sites as we know it... toast.

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Digital Personal Assistants (DPA)

@Sorel we’ve been wondering what happened to Seez. There was so much potential there, and then y’all disappeared. Any news on the US market?

So when the average dealer does not respond within an hour - because let's be honest, that's going to happen - they just get the lead an hour late?

If only there were studies that show what a comically slow response time does to close rates...

Personally, I believe that Car Gurus needs to work on holding their dealers accountable rather than work arounds that won't work.

Car Dealers have done a really good job of "gaming the system" with Car Gurus. It all started with the slimy pricing strategy where the price is 15,000 but to get that price you have to buy the (name the product or condition here) whatever. That gave those dealerships a tremendous advantage.

Now many dealers are simply leaving their vehicles on the 3rd Party Marketplaces after they are sold. It isn't accidental. They know that the more vehicles they have listed, the more action they will get.

So implementing this Text Message strategy won't help them because these dealerships will just reply "Yes" without even looking. Everyone in the store will be trained to handle this. No matter what the response will be "I'm sorry, that car was literally just sold. Customer had been looking at it if 2 days and just blew in and got it".

Car Gurus is likely getting frequent shopper feedback about getting to the dealership and the vehicle being sold.

EmmaTully said:

Would LOVE to hear your thoughts after reading these

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Very interesting indeed!

paulzubrys said:

The KPI Delusion: Why “More Calls = More Sales” Is a Managerial Fairytale​

It’s not a volume problem. It’s a lead quality problem. Your salespeople are throwing spaghetti at the CRM wall—and you’re applauding them for the splatter.

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I think you're directing this in the wrong thread. Your point is valid and you should just create a new thread on the topic. For those not wanting to open your link:

In his blog post, “The KPI Delusion: Why More Calls, More Appointments, and More Demos Don’t Always Lead to More Sales,” Paul Zubrys critiques the overemphasis on activity-based Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in sales environments. He argues that metrics such as the number of calls made, appointments set, or demos conducted can be misleading if they don’t correlate with actual sales outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

• Activity vs. Outcome: Zubrys emphasizes that high activity levels don’t necessarily translate to increased sales. Focusing solely on activity metrics can create a false sense of productivity.
• Quality Over Quantity: He advocates for prioritizing the quality of interactions over the sheer number of activities. Meaningful engagements are more likely to lead to sales than numerous superficial contacts.
• Misaligned Incentives: The blog highlights how emphasizing activity KPIs can lead to behaviors that don’t align with sales success, such as making calls just to meet quotas rather than to engage potential customers effectively.
• Effective KPIs: Zubrys suggests that KPIs should be outcome-focused, measuring metrics like conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and actual sales figures to provide a more accurate picture of performance.

Overall, the post calls for a reevaluation of how sales performance is measured, advocating for KPIs that truly reflect success rather than just activity.

Volie isn't advocating the outbound calls you refer to in your post. Rather they're great at focusing that outbound activity towards hand raisers as well as campaign lists that have some value prop to the customer. They're also experts on managing the inbound side of that coin. Start a new thread @paulzubrys and I'm sure you'll get some discussion because I couldn't agree more that more calls don't equal more sales in the context that you spell out so well. Thanks.

Alex Snyder said:

You should elaborate more on this!

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***PROMPT***
You are my car shopping assistant. Find me the 3 best Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE AWD (Plug-in Hybrid) under 15,000 miles. I want the lowest miles possible. clean carfax. I want it well equipped with a good price. I prefer to buy it from a toyota dealer with good reviews. Search some where within 50 miles of 13029.

Watching AI Robots Go Car Shopping

joe.pistell said:

my $0.02
AI will create a totally new car shopping UX and it'll hit critical mass and replace lead gen by 2027.

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You should elaborate more on this!

EmmaTully said:

I'm curious - what do you think is the key to making AI feel more personal and less canned from your experience with dealers?

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Data and tuning. The more data the AI has to work with the better it will respond. And the ability to tune the responses based on the data are key.

Many times the data fed to the AI is a First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, and a vehicle of interest + some dealership info. The AI doesn't have as much to go on to make a really good first response to that lead. However, the AI that receives click-path information and/or a translation of what that customer did before submitting the lead mixed with some historical purchase or service data can change the whole response!

One of the reasons we (FRIKINtech) started working with you (Hammer) was your willingness to not only ingest all the data we were compiling on a lead, but also to tune the responses the AI put out based on that data.

It was shocking to me how few companies were willing to do this. Seemed like a no-brainer and the results speak for themselves.

Rick Buffkin said:

Just curious if anyone here has a solid current Internet Sales Manager pay plan. With everything thats going on inside of todays dealerships, just looking for what you guys think is a good guide. Now a days everyone is a Internet customer so should the Internet Manager be paid like regular sales managers do? Just looking for some examples and curious what you guys think.

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Define the role. "Internet Sales Manager" can be:

1. How I started in auto. I was the "Internet Sales Manager" but that meant I was working all web leads cradle to grave, on my own, managing the site, lead sources, worked my own deals (no desk) but I was also selling and being paid on those sales as a commissioned sales person. I managed no one. This would be a rare role today.

2. Leading an Internet Sales Department of cradle to grave sales people.

3. Leading the BDC or Internet Sales Department of appointment setters.

Currently, I have seven Sales Managers (desk, TO, finance, appraise) that have titles of "Sales Development Manager" who champion their store's Internet and Phone performance because we have the floor open for all salespeople to take Lot-Ups, Internet Leads, and Phone Ups. They're managing lead flow, performance review, and holding accountability on process weekly. They do not like being called "Internet Sales Manager" because to them, that traditionally feels like a "not a real sales manager" role (example 1-3).

Regardless, if 30-40% of your Sales are coming from Internet (which they should) you should be making sure the person running that department is a legit baller and has the authority to hold everyone accountable and should have a seat at the sales manager table for the purpose of making Internet a priority. I think you pay them like a manager as well. In my experience, if you pay them off Appointment metrics, it drives a wedge between them and the floor. "You need to close better" "Your appointments are wear-outs" "You didn't log the visit" and all other mudslinging diminishes when someone in job example #2 and #3 is rowing in the same payplan structure as the sales managers. My two cents.