#1 reason your dealership isn't using AI yet?

[Jamieshap]

Hey Emma, great question. The truth is, adopting AI means changing habits—and that’s one of the toughest things to do in any dealership. Many folks aren’t even aware they’re operating in habit loops, which makes change even harder.

For anyone curious about this and how to truly shift culture around AI, we’re hosting the Wowza AI Automotive Professional Study Group on Wednesday, May 14th at 2PM Central. We’ll unpack this topic and share practical ways to spread the AI gospel in your store. This is a place for professionals like all of us to engage and share stories and use cases. Open invite to everyone on this thread—join us!

Our AI Study Group for Dealership Professionals returns soon — and we'd love to see you there!

️ May 14(and every 2nd Wednesday of the month)
2:00–3:30 PM CT
Online
Whether you're an owner, manager, or on the sales floor, this is a relaxed, no-pitch space to explore how AI is showing up in the dealership world.
We’re just bringing people together to learn, swap ideas, and see what’s possible — no selling, just sharing.

https://www.wowza.biz/ai-study-grp-car-dealerships

 

[Richie K]

AI has its place. I will be the first to admit that I am personally lazy when it comes to having a desire to learn AI. My dealership doesn't use it much, but I feel we will eventually move in that direction.
At this point, AI is a lot like EV's in that it's being force fed down our collective throats.
I think it is a great tool for the younger gen because they love new tech, and anything that seemingly makes their lives lazier....er, easier.
I believe that for the most part customers prefer a more human touch and can see AI coming from a mile away, which is a turn off to a lot of people.

We really can't fully trust AI yet, Skynet jokes aside. At what point is it so well polished that we can't really tell we're using it?

Will AI replace all of us? It's possible. If one can start their shopping process using AI, then come in to the dealership and work with a concierge for test drives, then move on to F&I....do we really need a sales team? That's a discussion for a different thread, I suppose.

Hey @EmmaTully I reluctantly ask you to shoot me some info on Hammer AI so I can look at it at a later date. TIA!
richie@pendarvischevy.com

 

[EmmaTully]

Hey Emma, great question. The truth is, adopting AI means changing habits—and that’s one of the toughest things to do in any dealership. Many folks aren’t even aware they’re operating in habit loops, which makes change even harder.

For anyone curious about this and how to truly shift culture around AI, we’re hosting the Wowza AI Automotive Professional Study Group on Wednesday, May 14th at 2PM Central. We’ll unpack this topic and share practical ways to spread the AI gospel in your store. This is a place for professionals like all of us to engage and share stories and use cases. Open invite to everyone on this thread—join us!

Our AI Study Group for Dealership Professionals returns soon — and we'd love to see you there!

️ May 14(and every 2nd Wednesday of the month)
2:00–3:30 PM CT
Online
Whether you're an owner, manager, or on the sales floor, this is a relaxed, no-pitch space to explore how AI is showing up in the dealership world.
We’re just bringing people together to learn, swap ideas, and see what’s possible — no selling, just sharing.

https://www.wowza.biz/ai-study-grp-car-dealerships

Hey Jamie - totally agree, changing habits is a huge lift in dealerships, especially for larger lots with layers of employees. It's often underestimated how much existing culture influence tech adoption, even if that means a slow death for the dealerships that are reluctant to adopt. I remember when some dealers said they didn't need websites or an online presence - I am sure most of those are gone today unfortunately. :/

I'll definitely check out the session on May 14th - sounds like a good opportunity to swap insights and pick up some fresh perspectives.

What's been the most effective first step dealers take to break out of those "habit loops"? Any quick wins you recommend starting with or or do you think it truly just is a slow and steady culture shift kind of thing?

 

[EmmaTully]

AI has its place. I will be the first to admit that I am personally lazy when it comes to having a desire to learn AI. My dealership doesn't use it much, but I feel we will eventually move in that direction.
At this point, AI is a lot like EV's in that it's being force fed down our collective throats.
I think it is a great tool for the younger gen because they love new tech, and anything that seemingly makes their lives lazier....er, easier.
I believe that for the most part customers prefer a more human touch and can see AI coming from a mile away, which is a turn off to a lot of people.

We really can't fully trust AI yet, Skynet jokes aside. At what point is it so well polished that we can't really tell we're using it?

Will AI replace all of us? It's possible. If one can start their shopping process using AI, then come in to the dealership and work with a concierge for test drives, then move on to F&I....do we really need a sales team? That's a discussion for a different thread, I suppose.

Hey @EmmaTully I reluctantly ask you to shoot me some info on Hammer AI so I can look at it at a later date. TIA!
richie@pendarvischevy.com

Thank you for sharing this Richie! Interesting perspective! AI skepticism is real (and healthy, honestly). I think you'll find this interesting:

Our core product for roughly 7 years was actually a virtual BDC with 100+ real humans responding to leads. We had a strong commitment to not use any AI / bot replies, until it could outperform real humans. We resisted switching to AI for a long time because we didn’t think it was good enough yet. But in June 2023, that changed - AI got crazy-smart and finally surpassed our human team's results.

I think a massive problem is a lot of companies package their products under "AI" labels, when in reality they are using bots and canned replies, which is those types of responses that turn people off. I think that has had a big "turn-off" effect for dealers. (@Alex Snyder maybe you have some experience with this?)


But with real AI (not bots), we regularly see buyers chatting with our clients dealership without realizing they're talking to an AI at all. I'm attaching a some quick screenshots below from a recent convos where the customer had absolutely no idea it wasn't a human responding.

Would LOVE to hear your thoughts after reading these - everything we do is customizable, so maybe you have some insights we missed.

 

[Jamieshap]

Hey Jamie - totally agree, changing habits is a huge lift in dealerships, especially for larger lots with layers of employees. It's often underestimated how much existing culture influence tech adoption, even if that means a slow death for the dealerships that are reluctant to adopt. I remember when some dealers said they didn't need websites or an online presence - I am sure most of those are gone today unfortunately. :/

I'll definitely check out the session on May 14th - sounds like a good opportunity to swap insights and pick up some fresh perspectives.

What's been the most effective first step dealers take to break out of those "habit loops"? Any quick wins you recommend starting with or or do you think it truly just is a slow and steady culture shift kind of thing?

 

[Jamieshap]

Hey Emma,

The first thing we had to get the dealers to understand was that some of the things they’ve been trying for years to teach their sales people are just not going to take. Example writing emails. If their sales people haven’t learned how to write a good email after having gone to school for 12 to 16 years you’re not going to be able to teach them. With AI you don’t have to. You give them a simple level one AI tool like Chat Gpt instead of teaching them how to write an email you teach him how to prompt it. It’s much easier to do and results in customers getting good communications and sales people selling more cars. That’s what we’re preaching

 

[Richie K]

Thank you for sharing this Richie! Interesting perspective! AI skepticism is real (and healthy, honestly). I think you'll find this interesting:

Our core product for roughly 7 years was actually a virtual BDC with 100+ real humans responding to leads. We had a strong commitment to not use any AI / bot replies, until it could outperform real humans. We resisted switching to AI for a long time because we didn’t think it was good enough yet. But in June 2023, that changed - AI got crazy-smart and finally surpassed our human team's results.

I think a massive problem is a lot of companies package their products under "AI" labels, when in reality they are using bots and canned replies, which is those types of responses that turn people off. I think that has had a big "turn-off" effect for dealers. (@Alex Snyder maybe you have some experience with this?)


But with real AI (not bots), we regularly see buyers chatting with our clients dealership without realizing they're talking to an AI at all. I'm attaching a some quick screenshots below from a recent convos where the customer had absolutely no idea it wasn't a human responding.

Would LOVE to hear your thoughts after reading these - everything we do is customizable, so maybe you have some insights we missed.
View attachment 9523View attachment 9524View attachment 9525View attachment 9520

Thank you, Emma.
Not too bad. I would like to see how it handles having a full on conversation with a customer, answering any specific questions the customer has about a specific vehicle. Things like fuel mileage, towing capabilities, warranty coverages, rebates, etc..

 

[joe.pistell]

Would LOVE to hear your thoughts after reading these

Very interesting indeed!

 

[kelseyv]

Hey Emma,

The first thing we had to get the dealers to understand was that some of the things they’ve been trying for years to teach their sales people are just not going to take. Example writing emails. If their sales people haven’t learned how to write a good email after having gone to school for 12 to 16 years you’re not going to be able to teach them. With AI you don’t have to. You give them a simple level one AI tool like Chat Gpt instead of teaching them how to write an email you teach him how to prompt it. It’s much easier to do and results in customers getting good communications and sales people selling more cars. That’s what we’re preaching

I cant imagine trying to write my emails without AI now. I know, i know - thats lazy! Buttttt is it? Or is it work smart, not harder.
I still put everything I want to say in it, I still have the idea of how i want it to sound, does it really matter if I have an "editor" telling me how to structure it the best or better words to use? Same thing as using a thesaurus but thats my opinion

 

[Jamieshap]

I cant imagine trying to write my emails without AI now. I know, i know - thats lazy! Buttttt is it? Or is it work smart, not harder.
I still put everything I want to say in it, I still have the idea of how i want it to sound, does it really matter if I have an "editor" telling me how to structure it the best or better words to use? Same thing as using a thesaurus but thats my opinion

I have been working with people who start out thinking using AI is a crutch or lazy. The reality is humans have been using tools to make work simple quicker and better, their whole existence. Whether you're coming up with a marketing strategy or a sales strategy, why not use this new amazing tool called AI. Here is an example of its possibilities. Try this custom Chat GPT, called the Customer Profile Calculator. It helps sales people understand and effectively communicate with customers in real time.

ChatGPT - Customer Profile Calculator 2

A tool for determining customer types and suggesting actions based on information entered or questions answered

chatgpt.com

Just feed data about the customer, into it when you're getting Keys or coming back from test drives. It will give you strategies of how to communicate. Identify the customers buying type, create a customized thank you note and give you a strategy to try to come together and sell them a car