The last few weeks inside Manorisms, we’ve talked about:
- The death of the mousetrap.
- The AI asteroid that’s already in the sky.
- Why Recognition Capital is the new currency.
All of these threads connect to a bigger picture … one that’s about to hit the auto industry like a whoosh.
- Not a new CRM.
- Not a clever lead form.
- Not a vendor pitch.
An ignition.
And you can already smell the smoke.
You feel it every day:
- Bidding on 100 cars to win one because your buying model is outdated.
- Watching Carvana throw numbers that make no sense … and muttering instead of adapting.
- Paying $65/hr to techs who still leave, because they can.
- Shrinking LTV approvals while the big groups get 150% advances.
- Service backed up three weeks because of one module.
- Still dangling a $500 gift card from 2014 to sell $40K metal.
This Newsletter is sponsored by Influence.vin
Meanwhile, the customer … the one this is all supposed to serve … is slipping away.
- They’re not Googling.
- They’re not scrolling ads.
- They’re asking.
And only the names already backed by trust will surface.
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Here’s what’s coming…
Consumers, lenders, even OEMs will filter decisions through AI agents that know them better than they do.
They’ll ask:
“I’m a 42-year-old mom with three kids in hockey. I need a 7 passenger SUV in white or blue. Budget $1,500/month. Bonus points if the dealer is Christian and likes dogs.”
They won’t get 9 million paid results from a 3-4 word search
They’ll get a couple names with detailed summaries on why they fit
Those names will be picked from what I call “Recognition Capital” … your digital trust footprint.
- Not SEO.
- Not PPC.
- Not the pitch deck with the biggest adjectives.
But…
- What you’ve said.
- What others say about you.
- What you’ve shown.
- How you show up.
- And whether there’s proof you’re worth listening to.
This will feel like everything changed overnight.
But it didn’t.
Most of the industry spent the last five years putting out fires instead of looking for the arsonist.
Original Image courtesy of Bob Manor / ManorVision
Truth Nuke?
We’re still squeezing the same 2016 juice out of fruit that’s already rotten.
- “We’ve always bought at auction.”
- “We’ve always paid flat rate.”
- “We’ve always offered $500 gift cards.”
- “We’ve always lowballed public trade-ins.”
- “We’ve always blamed Carvana.”
- “We’ve always hired the guy with the best pitch deck.”
All of it is walking dead.
And deep down, you know it.
- If you don’t have a trust trail online…
- If you don’t have proof of life when AI gets asked who to buy from or work with…
- If you’re still fixing cost per click instead of credibility per interaction
Then you’re invisible.
- To customers.
- To lenders.
- To your future team.
And to the system that’s about to filter the entire world through a trust-first lens.
The whoosh is coming.
Only those who built trust before it hits will survive the burn.
This Newsletter is sponsored by Vin Syndicate
NOTES FROM BOB
This kind of piece won’t ever make it past the filters of pay-to-play publications I write for. Too risky. Too raw. Too industrial
That’s why I’m launching DealerInsider a new publication with no advertisers, no vendor bias, no “friendly edits” or “pay to play”
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VIN Syndicate will be the nucleus of real-time dealer insight.
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DealerInsider will be the pattern-spotting megaphone.
If you’re already subscribed here, you’ll be the first to know when both doors open again.
Until then build your Recognition Capital.
You’ll need it.
Stay Lit,
About Bob Manor
Bob Manor is the founder of South Ontario Auto Remarketing , Can-Am Dealer Services , and co-founder of Auto Auction Review . He’s also the creator of Influence.vin , a branding and communication studio built for the car business. With over 30 years in the automotive world, Bob specializes in wholesale, dealer services, and identity-driven brand strategy. He’s a regular contributor to well-known automotive publications and uses his platforms to help industry pros re-align with who they are, not just what they do
