What Cool Sh*t Can I Do with AI Right Now? (share your AI jobs!)

I do almost all of my search through ChatGPT now. I also always ask it to give me the news of the day without any bias.

To the lurkers, most AI's knowledge is not current:.
Prompt: what is the last date of your knowledge?

Answer:
My knowledge goes up to June 2024, but I can also pull in live information using web browsing if you need something more current. Just let me know!

Be sure to click 'search the web' for fresh info.
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My New Adventure - Al West Nissan

Our inventory manager that oversees the techs that inspect them sign off on our WIS Buyer Guides. (Well, a tech does, then records inspector (inventory manger) along with the date and then the customer signs it.

We also stick them all in the exact same spot on the exact window (rear passenger window just behind the head rest so it affects your blind spot minimally, because the head rest already blocks that area.)

Why You Should NOT Link To Social Media Sites

I get trim but what about all the other filters on dealership websites, are people really searching using all those filters?

Android Auto
Apple CarPlay
Automatic Climate Control
Backup Camera
Blind Spot Monitor
Bluetooth
Fog Lights
Forward Collision Warning
Hands-Free Liftgate
Heated Seats
Keyless Entry
Lane Departure Warning
Parking Sensors / Assist
Power Liftgate
Power Seats
Premium Audio
Premium Package
Push Start
Rain Sensing Wipers
Satellite Radio Ready
Tow Package
WiFi Hotspot
Wireless Phone Charging

you even put them in alphabetical order.. impressive
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My New Adventure - Al West Nissan

Realized that that:

1. The sales manager did not fully understand how to properly fill out a Buyer's Guide

2. They have the salespeople fill them out. Too big of a fine to leave it up to salespeople IMO. Who does it at your store?

Had to go update them in all of our inventory. Do you guys make sure they are all in the same window or am I just crazy? I also hate them getting taped in the windows. I bought the sleeve that hang on the window. Didn't know those were a thing until one I bought at ACV had one.
Have a standard, and make sure your whole team knows the standard (anything with factory warranty gets that one, anything under X miles and X years get your dealership warranty, and everything else is 'As-Is'. Obviously, have them in the car first off - our office prints them off and they get placed in the vehicle once the vehicle is stocked in to our key system. The lot porters put them in the car for us. From a deal perspective, we have 3 buyers guide options as forms in our DMS and CRM. Our sales team is responsible for printing and having it signed. Our finance team has it as well as a backup in case they forget (which rarely happens).

How Much Does SEO Cost Per Month in the USA?

In my humble opinion some of the OEM's would love nothing more than to be able to get rid of the dealerships!

And during dealership hours and as long as a person can do it better a real person would be better however, AI will only get better and the time it takes to hire and train a person will only get more expensive.

As new players emerge across the globe, that largely operate without maintaining their inventory. In this era of platform competition, victory goes to those armed with superior platforms, more effective marketing, and enhanced performance.

And AI stands out as something that can help the online players transform the landscape of how dealerships handle both parts and car sales.

Things they could do...

1. Dynamic Inventory Management:

AI-driven systems excel at automating inventory management, offering dealerships a dynamic and real-time solution. These systems can seamlessly integrate with existing databases and continuously update inventory listings. This ensures that customers browsing the website are presented with accurate and up-to-date information on available cars and parts, leading to increased customer satisfaction and trust.

2. Predictive Analytics for Demand Forecasting:

AI algorithms can analyze historical data, market trends, and customer behavior to predict future demand for specific cars or parts. By leveraging predictive analytics, dealerships can optimize their inventory, ensuring that popular items are well-stocked while minimizing overstock situations. This not only improves sales but also streamlines the ordering process, saving both time and resources.

3. Automated Customer Interactions:

Implementing AI-powered chatbots on dealership websites enables automated customer interactions. These chatbots can answer common inquiries, provide information about available cars and parts, and even assist with scheduling test drives or service appointments. This not only enhances the customer experience by providing instant responses but also frees up dealership staff to focus on more complex tasks.

4. Personalized Recommendations:

AI algorithms analyze customer preferences, purchase history, and browsing behavior to deliver personalized product recommendations. Whether a customer is searching for a specific car model or looking for compatible parts, the website can showcase relevant suggestions. Personalization not only improves the likelihood of making a sale but also enhances the overall user experience.

5. Dynamic Pricing Optimization:

AI's ability to process vast amounts of data in real-time enables dynamic pricing optimization. Dealerships can set pricing strategies that consider factors such as market demand, competitor pricing, and historical sales data. This ensures that prices are competitive and reflective of current market conditions, maximizing revenue and maintaining a competitive edge.

6. Visual Recognition for Parts Identification:

AI-powered visual recognition technology can simplify the identification of auto parts. Customers can upload images or use their device's camera to identify specific parts they need. This not only expedites the search process but also reduces the chances of ordering incorrect or incompatible parts.

7. Automated Marketing Campaigns:

AI-driven tools can analyze customer data to create targeted and personalized marketing campaigns. Whether it's promoting special offers on cars or highlighting discounts on parts, automated marketing campaigns can reach the right audience at the right time, driving engagement and sales.

8. Streamlined Documentation Processes:

AI can assist in automating the documentation processes associated with car sales. From generating contracts to processing paperwork, AI-powered systems can reduce the administrative burden on dealership staff, ensuring smoother and faster transactions.

9. Fraud Detection and Prevention:

AI algorithms can enhance website security by detecting and preventing fraudulent activities, such as fake listings or attempted identity theft. This not only protects the dealership and its customers but also contributes to a trustworthy online environment.

10. Continuous Improvement with Machine Learning:

Machine learning, a subset of AI, enables systems to learn and improve over time. By analyzing user interactions, sales data, and market trends, machine learning algorithms can continually refine their recommendations and predictions, ensuring that the dealership website remains adaptive and responsive to changing conditions.
Not a criticism. Are you using AI to create, or even just fine tune your responses?

New app for marketers

**Price includes a $1000 trade assistance discount and $1,000 Financing discount.**

Ugh.
Dear Devs that hang out here on DR. Plz invent some tool to help shoppers steer away from dealers with evil small print games.

Hell, a good old fashioned social media public shaming with this info could go viral.
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What Cool Sh*t Can I Do with AI Right Now? (share your AI jobs!)

Ok Josh. Place this at the end of any prompt
Before proceeding, restate the crucial insights I’ve provided to ensure full comprehension. Additionally, highlight any mission-critical ambiguities or areas that need clarification to complete the task.
(you are asking AI to check the quality of your request)

Why You Should NOT Link To Social Media Sites

Social media can distract your customer by dragging them off the site.
Social Media is supposed to drive customers to your site, not your site sending people off to watch cat videos.

Sure, if they want that particular vin that you have then it's not an issue but otherwise ... it is.


social media icons make a site design look good because they are a filler.
Cat Videos are extremely underappreciated.

My New Adventure - Al West Nissan

I agree with you that automated requests can be slippery with unhappy customers. I considered that before I started to go automated, and came up with a template that I hoped would mitigate bad reviews and offer the customer an alternative to vent to me about a bad experience prior to giving the review. I can't say that this will work, but here is my template:

Thank you for choosing (insert dealership name) for the purchase of your ((Vehicle Type)).
I hope we provided you with great experience. If so, please visit this link and leave a Google review for us (insert google review link)
If we did not provide you with great experience, please let me know what we could have done differently to make your visit more pleasant.
If there is anything else that I can help you with, please let me know.
Thank you again. We appreciate your business and look forward to working with you again in the future.
(added my direct contact information)


I plan to give this automated message a run for a few months to see what happens, then go from there. If I am present at time of purchase, I do make an effort to personally ask for reviews before the customer leaves. This would be my preferred way, but I am not always nearby when the customer makes their purchase so I can't be consistent.
Pay your salespeople $25/review (or whatever), and they will darn sure get them!

Or, leave a review and get registered for a drawing where you can win a prepaid Visa Card for $250 (or whatever).

Please keep us posted on your automated review testing. I am interested in how you do!

Thanks Richie.

My New Adventure - Al West Nissan

I agree!
I have our CRM set up to send review requests via emails/texts to customers after their purchase. I haven't had it set up very long, but so far I'm not seeing the response I prefer. Hmm, now I need to see if I can create a report to track those. I also personally ask for reviews whenever I can.
I have given this a lot of thought Richie. Through my overthinking process, I decided that I do not want to automate reviews. There are a couple different reasons, but the most obvious is that if the process is automated then we will be asking for reviews from customers that potentially didn't have the best experience. Say they had a problem with an airbag light that came on 2 days after they purchased. Of course we are going to pay for that repair...but the airbag part is on backorder. In an effort to put this fire out as fast as we can, we decide to start calling around looking for this part at a salvage yard. Now the customer gets a review request.

If we REALLY want to boost our reviews, there is only one way that I know that actually works. When the customer is waiting with the salesperson before they go into the finance office, ask the customer to leave a review. That is the point in the journey that the customer actually wants to leave the review. They are excited about their new vehicle purchase, they are happy with everyone at the dealership, and they sitting there with nothing to do anyway.
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My New Adventure - Al West Nissan

That 5 star review is a good idea!

Too much off topic ... but are reviews part of check out? "Hey! could you scan this qr code and leave us a review?"
Some stores do actually integrate the review into the process somewhere. There always seems to be a "disconnect" as to where it should be done.

In most dealerships, the automatic answer for any of this type of thing is "Can't we have a form that we use in the Finance Office". That is absolutely the worst place to ask for a review.
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My New Adventure - Al West Nissan

I firmly believe that people who are great at putting out fires are actually fire starters.

Good operators prevent fires from even happening in the first place by putting structures in place to prevent them from starting in the first place rather than just dampening them.

I coached up my sales and services managers on this today using this powerful phrase by my mentor and previous owner Dan Anderson:

“When everyone is in charge, no one is in charge.”

When I first came to Al West Nissan, I not only had FOUR separate people bringing me recon slips, but I had times where two people bought me recon slips on the same unit. Not only that, they didn’t just bring those to me. They were taking them to one of three people. So no one was really in charge of reconditioning on either the sales or service side.

The results of this reared it’s head today. We sold a truck and within a week the truck had issues. We had the guest bring the truck in for us to look at and we received a $4,200 recon bill from service.

I asked the service manager if they had diagnosed this problem in WIP and they did claiming that the work had been declined. We got that part right anyway. Unfortunately, no one knows who declined the work. The service department also couldn’t prove that the work was declined as there was no record kept and there was only proof that it was quoted. And as you might guess, that meant that at a maximum, only one person on the sales side that knew that there were known issues with the truck. The rest of the sales staff had no idea that there was important work declined; including the salesperson who sold the truck and more importantly the guest that purchased the truck.

Fortunately, shortly after coming here, I changed process and had it set up so that only the service manager can bring recon slips and only myself can approve or decline the work. I am also reviewing these with our sales manager as well so he knows how to better manage these decisions in the future so that he can handle this later (as you might recall from previous comments, he is very green). I believe important reconditioning items should rarely be declined and only in extreme cases (very old or very high mileage units). Additionally, in these rare cases, it must be communicated to the entire staff what these issues are so that they can inform the guest so that they can make an educated decision on whether to move forward with a purchase.

It was too late to prevent the problem, but we shouldn’t have this problem again. A lot of time was wasted reviewing what happened, who was at fault, deciding what to do now after the fact, and we inconvenienced a guest. And since we sold the customer the truck knowing that there was an issue without communicating that to them, it cost us $4,200. Here is another Dan Anderson quote of value: “Every lesson has a cost.” I am, of course, also continuing to work with our sales manager so that he also knows what to look for in the future so that we catch this issue in the appraisal process.

Do you agree that the customer should have been informed of the declined work? Being that the truck was sold as is, should we have paid for it?
Yes a customer should be informed of any "Known Issues". I certainly wouldn't tell this customer about it now!

Yes the repairs should have been paid for by you.

Every lesson does indeed have a cost. Thank God that your cost is Wholesale. $4,200 is probably $1,500-$1,800 job cost.

Where these things get tricky for me...if the $4,200 had been done up front, how much more would you have sold the vehicle for? In this case, probably no more because the guy pricing the unit is pricing to Market, not from Cost (I'm guessing). So the REAL question that I invariably ask myself, should I have Wholesaled this unit? Who Appraised it as a Trade (if it was a trade). Could we have Arbitrated if an Auction unit?

Either way Bill, make damn sure this customer knows that you were in no way obligated to make this problem go away BEYOND the appreciation and respect that you have for your customers. I'd probably even arm twist a play by play 5 Star Review. These reviews are absolutely priceless!

Know this Bill, you've got company on this hill. If you die on it, I'll be right there with you. We can die together. I'll bring snacks.
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What Cool Sh*t Can I Do with AI Right Now? (share your AI jobs!)

AI EMAIL CLUSTER F*CK ASSISTANT
Dealer decision makers, have you ever been in one of those looong email chains, drawn out over days and weeks, with several players in the conversation and the conversation is 'lost in space'?

Copy the ENTIRE email thread into AI (Claude.ai is a good one), use this prompt:
(this can be sooooo helpful!)
I am [your name], I am the [your position] at [your dealership]. You are my executive assistant. You are to read this entire email thread and create the following. 1. List all names and positions of participants. 2. Create a summary of what this email thread is about and what I want from this group of people. 3. Tell if all of the questions have been answered and do we have consensus. 4. Tell me if the group is waiting for any information from me. 5. If so, you know what my position is and what I want, craft a reply for my review.

What Cool Sh*t Can I Do with AI Right Now? (share your AI jobs!)

I had Claude 3.7 create an interactive report on this hypothetical Dealer Group sales table

DealerRefresh Group Annual Performance
1742337669118.png

Year-End Analysis of All Stores' Sales Performance
CLICK HERE TO SEE INTERACTIVE REPORT <--- ITS BAD ASS


Prompt I used FYI:
I am the marketing dir at our Dealer Group, DealerRefresh Group (aka DRG). Below is monthly sales for all stores. YOu are a data business analyst. You are to assist me in creating an end of year presentation. All leadership will be present. Store leaders will want to hear about how they did. You are to deeply analyze this data, look for business based stories that speak to the total perfomance of our dealer group, then on to store analysis. This is an deep process, you are to create visuals if it will help communicate data. Our final product will be to use your 'publish to share' feature to give to all in attendance.

  • Context on Goals: It was a good year. Look at the ratio of sales of stores vs total. Did any take more or less share Month over Month?
  • Comparative Benchmarks: None.
  • Focus Areas: No, look for outliers.
  • Preferred Visuals/Format: No preference, your choice to choose the visual that best communicates the data.
  • Time Constraints: Time is only constraint if the data found is not important. IOW, small variants are to be ignored. Again, the audience are the store leaders, they're most interested in thier contribution to DRG. Be sure to create format that allows an executive review top down, then for each store, then onto the granular data.
DO you understand your mission? DO you have any questions before you begin? If not, proceed.

What Cool Sh*t Can I Do with AI Right Now? (share your AI jobs!)

AI is your assistant. I tell it "I AM NOT TECHNICAL" :unclejoe:, the model knows it has work to do ;-)
1). I create amazing Spreadsheet formulas.
2). I fix Spreadsheet formulas that are not working.

I'll give it what I know, it'll make mistakes, ask it to fix it, just paste the error message in and it'll fix it.
1742331267336.png

What Cool Sh*t Can I Do with AI Right Now? (share your AI jobs!)

:unclejoe: "OCR THIS" (Optical Character Recognition). Image to text
1742330632849.png
prompt:

Reply: I'll OCR this window sticker for the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 4WD LTZ Crew truck.

2021 SILVERADO 2500 4WD LTZ CREW​


VEHICLE BASICS:
  • EXTERIOR: MOSAIC BLACK METALLIC
  • INTERIOR: JET BLACK
  • ENGINE: 6.6L V8
  • TRANSMISSION: 6-SPEED AUTO
  • TOTAL VEHICLE PRICE: $69,445.00

STANDARD EQUIPMENT:
  • MULTI-LEAF REAR SPRING SUSP
  • STABILITRAK STABILITY CONTROL & HILL START ASSIST
  • VARIABLE STEERING ASSIST
  • ALL-TERRAIN TIRES
  • TRAILERING PACKAGE WITH HITCH GUIDANCE
  • TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER
  • AUTO LOCKING REAR DIFF
  • AUTOTRAC TRANSFER CASE
  • INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION

CONNECTIVITY & TECHNOLOGY:
  • ADVANCED TRAILERING SYSTEM
  • CHEVROLET INFOTAINMENT 3 PLUS
  • 8" DIAG COLOR TOUCHSCREEN
  • VOICE RECOGNITION
  • BLUETOOTH AUDIO STREAMING
  • WIRELESS APPLE CARPLAY &
  • WIRELESS ANDROID AUTO
  • IN-VEHICLE APPS AND
  • PERSONALIZATION CAPABLE
  • ONSTAR (R) SERVICES &
  • 4G LTE WI-FI (R) AVAILABLE
  • SIRIUSXM RADIO CAPABLE
INTERIOR FEATURES:
  • DUAL ZONE CLIMATE CONTROL
  • HEATED FRONT SEATS
  • 10-WAY POWER DRIVER SEAT
  • 40/20/40 FOLDING BENCH SEAT
  • WITH STORAGE PACKAGE
  • POWER SEAT & MIRROR MEMORY
  • HEATED & LEATHER WRAPPED
  • STEERING WHEEL WITH
  • AUDIO CONTROLS
  • RUBBERIZED VINYL FLOOR MATS

EXTERIOR FEATURES:
  • CORNERSTEP REAR BUMPER
  • SIDE BEDSTEPS
  • 12 TIE DOWNS IN CARGO BED
  • POWER ADJUSTABLE HEATED
  • TRAILERING MIRRORS
  • LED REFLECTOR HEADLAMPS
  • LED FOG LAMPS
  • FRONT RECOVERY HOOKS
  • REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER
  • REAR WHEELHOUSE LINERS

SAFETY & SECURITY:
  • HD REAR VISION CAMERA
  • TEEN DRIVER MODE

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
  • HEATED SECOND ROW
  • OUTBOARD SEATS
  • KEYLESS OPEN/LOCK
  • POWER UP/DOWN TAILGATE
  • LED LIGHTING IN CARGO BED
  • POWER SUNROOF ($995.00)
  • CHEVYTEC SPRAY-ON BEDLINER ($545.00)
  • FRONT & REAR FLOOR LINERS ($0.00)
  • 120-VOLT POWER OUTLET ($0.00)
  • INCREASED GVWR ($0.00)
  • Z71 OFF-ROAD PACKAGE ($325.00)
  • ROOF EMERGENCY LIGHT PROVISIONS W/ PASS THROUGH
  • LED ROOF MARKER LAMPS ($55.00)
  • LTZ PLUS PACKAGE ($1,745.00)
  • 18" ALUMINUM WHEELS
  • 18" MACHINED ALUM WHEELS
  • W/ SILVER ACCENTS

PRICING DETAILS:
  • STANDARD VEHICLE PRICE: $54,100.00
  • TOTAL OPTIONS: $3,650.00
  • TOTAL VEHICLE & OPTIONS: $57,750.00
  • DESTINATION CHARGE: $1,695.00

ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE:
  • California Air Resources Board ratings
  • Greenhouse Gas Rating: C (midpoint on scale from A+ to D)
  • Smog Rating: C+ (midpoint on scale from A+ to D)
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When will AI become a Personal Car Shopping Assistant?

Ok, back to the theme of car ppl helping car ppl learn about AI.

ChatGPT has 6 models. I used GPT 4.5 for this car shopping thread. Here's a look at the other models starting with the free model (o3-mini), with each subsequent model compared to it:

o3-mini (Free)

  • Fast, everyday reasoning & basic problem-solving
  • Efficient for scalable tasks and general interactions



PAID: Compared to o3-mini:​


o3-mini-high

  • Adds deeper, more accurate reasoning capability
  • Stronger coding performance on harder problems
  • Ideal for occasional complex tasks needing more depth
  • SPREADSHEETS? Good at detailed, step-by-step spreadsheet reasoning.

GPT-4o

  • Adds multimodal inputs (text, images, audio)
  • More versatile and creative across broad use-cases
  • Stronger coding and reasoning at higher complexity levels
  • Strong at understanding visual inputs (screenshots of spreadsheets).
  • SPREADSHEETS? Excellent at spreadsheet formula creation and troubleshooting.

GPT-4.5

  • Superior creativity and nuanced, human-like writing
  • Latest, cutting-edge knowledge for high-quality outputs
  • Ideal for strategic insights and detailed business content

o1

  • Specializes in deep, meticulous logical reasoning
  • Excellent for complex problem-solving and technical clarity
  • Significantly better reasoning and debugging accuracy
  • SPREADSHEETS? Exceptional at breaking down very complex spreadsheet logic.
  • Superior accuracy in troubleshooting intricate or nested formulas.
  • Ideal for spreadsheets requiring meticulous logic validation.

o1 pro mode

  • Highest accuracy for complex, high-stakes reasoning
  • Meticulous and thorough analysis beyond standard models
  • Ideal for critical, no-room-for-error tasks

When will AI become a Personal Car Shopping Assistant?

Sorry, my bad.

Forgive my cranky reply. I'm jaded. I spent 10 years in dealerships, followed by 10 years in automotive SaaS surrounded by product people with strong opinions about disrupting the auto industry.

This is why we call him Uncle Joe and he even has his own emoji: :unclejoe:


:rofl:
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When will AI become a Personal Car Shopping Assistant?

My point was the game has changed and if dealerships don't learn how to play a new game they will go out of business
I don't think anyone here disagrees that times have changed. What specifically do you mean when you say dealerships need to learn how to play the new game? Are you referring to pricing, whether to negotiate or not, or something else?

With your own businesses or side jobs, have you ever reduced the overall quote of a design or coding proposal? Ever lowered the quote for an estimate you gave someone body or service work? If so, why? I would bet that some of your reasons are the same reasons dealership's still negotiate.

When will AI become a Personal Car Shopping Assistant?

instead of attacking me and trying to insult me you might consider this being a topic worth debating, maybe we could both learn something.
Sorry, my bad.

Forgive my cranky reply. I'm jaded. I spent 10 years in dealerships, followed by 10 years in automotive SaaS surrounded by product people with strong opinions about disrupting the auto industry. Namely, that car dealers needed to be disrupted because everyone "knows" car dealers are not nice people. Their beliefs were based on their experiences as buyers, not sellers.

What?? Our Websites SUCK -more- than buying the car?
1742318998072.png

See the chart. Our websites suck and that's why Dealers suck. It's why Digital Retailing failed.

Over and over I'd hear devs state "Dealers need to change" yet they never worked in a store, never immersed themselves in this giant beast called a dealership. Try it, you'd never be the same. You'd hear 1st hand how car shoppers are forced to ask car sales reps for answers and many of the sales reps are not product ppl. It's a formula for shoppers making sh*tty decision.

If you are committed to auto retail, find a dealer near you and offer a swap. You offer some consulting advice to them, and you get to observe their store trying to make payroll. Listen to the calls, read the emails, shadow the reps SHOPPERS HAVE QUESTIONS THE INTERNET COULD NOT ANSWER FOR THEM.

Solve this problem and now you've given the shopper far more power in the transaction.

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