A crash course, an Apache pilot, and why you’re still the one in the cockpit.
AI AI AI. That’s all we’re hearing right now.
Everywhere you look…another vendor. Another platform. Another promise that this one finally figured it out.
“Replace two employees for $8,000/month.”
“Fully automate your sales process.”
“Outsmart your competition with predictive brainwashing.”
What they don’t say?
That all of this is quietly marching toward convincing the OEMs they don’t need dealers at all.
And we’re helping them do it… by standing still.
Let me tell you what’s really going on.
Right now, dealers are getting bombarded by “AI solutions” written by AI, sold through AI, and delivered without any real understanding of what makes a dealer tick.
But under the surface?
The tools themselves are powerful. Exceptional, even.
And they’re free to start using…today.
You just need to know what kind of pilot you are… and what kind of copilot you need.
Imagine you’re in the cockpit of a 747. You’re about to take off.
Who do you want in the seat beside you?
A fellow 747 pilot who’s flown this bird in every condition imaginable?
Or an Apache helicopter pilot who’s brilliant in their own right…but trained for a different world entirely?
That’s what choosing the right AI model is like.
They’re all highly capable. But to get the most out of the ride, you need alignment with your own mission profile.
AI isn’t the threat.
Passive adoption is.
The vendors who are offering to “replace your humans” aren’t evil…but they’re building for shareholders, not stores.
Their incentives don’t include protecting your people, preserving your legacy, or strengthening the trust your team has earned on the ground.
But AI in your hands?
That’s a force multiplier.
A well-trained manager using Claude to write recruiting ads faster.
A service writer using GPT-4 to explain repairs more clearly.
A GM using ChatGPT to analyze month-end trends in plain English.
Even just an owner poking around Perplexity to research their next big move… without five hours lost in a browser rabbit hole.
These tools aren’t about cutting people out.
They’re about making your people better. Faster. Clearer. More human than ever.
Here’s the truth nuke…
If you don’t start steering this yourself, someone else will.
And their destination probably doesn’t include your rooftop.
You don’t need to become a prompt ninja or code whisperer overnight.
But you do need to get your hands on the yoke…today.
Try one. Learn it in the context of your own operation.
Not in a sales demo. Not in some LinkedIn echo chamber.
But right there on your lot, in your store, solving one actual problem.
You’re already flying.
Just make sure your copilot knows which way you’re headed.
Because if you’re not adapting…
you might be training someone else’s model for free.
Want a simple breakdown of which model does what, and where to start? Here’s a free resource built for dealers. No fluff. No funnel. Just the map
When the tide comes in, you don’t outrun it.
You learn to surf.
And maybe help a few others stay upright, too.
That’s all for now
See you next Tuesday
Stay Lit,
Bob
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