The AI-Powered Dealership: Deploying AI in Your Business

Protect Your Information

Before you do anything else, CYA. PROTECT YOUR DATA. This is non-negotiable. Whether you’re on a free or paid tier, you must opt-out of data training in your settings. Your inventory strategies and internal margins are your competitive advantage. AI systems train themselves on the data you provide. Keep yours proprietary and don’t inadvertently let your proprietary margins leak into the training sets of your competitors.

Pro Tip: In many professional AI tools, privacy is NOT turned on as a default setting. So check those settings now! 

The “What Am I Missing?” Filter

One of the most effective ways to use AI is as a high-speed logic check. We often move too fast and miss the obvious friction points in our communications with customers and co-workers. Use these tools to pressure-test your work before any communication hits an inbox. Whether you are responding to a complex email or drafting new internal team guidelines, running your work through an AI tool helps catch those blind spots.

Try asking these specific follow-up questions to pressure-test your work:

• Does this answer the question the author actually asked, or am I just talking about myself/my dealership?
• Who is going to hate this? Why will they hate it?
• Who is going to like this? Why will they like it?
• How can I address those concerns in one concise paragraph?
• Why am I right (or wrong) in my current thinking?

Pro Tip: To actually get your team on board, upload your staff’s StrengthsFinder (or DISC or other workplace assessment tools) results or personality profiles. It helps the AI tools tailor internal messaging so you’re engaging with your people, not talking at them.

Specialized Roles for the Big AIs

Top dealers use the specific strengths of each tool to best augment their daily operations. 

ChatGPT/Claude: The Creative Merchandiser

Stop copy-pasting manufacturer specs into posts. Use ChatGPT and/or Claude (they each have similar strengths) to solve the buyer’s problems or paint the picture of the lifestyle they want. If they have dogs and want to boondock, tell that story. 

“Write a 150-word Facebook post for this RV. Target a retired couple who wants to travel to National Parks year round. Focus on the ‘no-carpet’ flooring for their dogs, warmth for winter months, and the solar package for boondocking. Keep it punchy and relevant to them. #lifegoals”

Perplexity: The Real-Time Researcher

This can be your market researcher for technical accuracy. Use it for ‘Will it Tow?’ queries where accuracy is the only thing that matters. It gives you cited data you can actually stand behind.

• “Search current listings for 2022 Grand Design Imagine 2600RBs within 200 miles. List the lowest five prices and their mileage to help me benchmark this trade-in.”
• Provide instant, cited technical data for customers: “Find the exact hitch weight for a 2025 Jayco Eagle 319MLOK and tell me if a 2024 Ford F-150 PowerBoost has the payload capacity to handle it safely.”
• “Search the web for [Competitor Name]’s current service specials on golf car battery replacements. How does it compare to the market standard?”

Gemini (Google’s AI): Professional Communication

Use this for reputation management. Gemini is good at sounding more human. Responding to bad reviews is about empathy without admitting legal fault, turning a 1-star friction point into a 5-star recovery.

• Paste a negative 1-star review into Gemini and prompt it with: “Write a professional, empathetic response that doesn’t admit legal fault but offers a direct phone number to the GM to ‘make it right.’ Tone: Calm and helpful.”

Pro Tip: Create an “AI Tag-Team” Workflow. Rely on multiple tools in tandem for a high-stakes task. Start with Perplexity to gather real-time market data or technical specs (the “facts”), then paste those facts into ChatGPT or Claude to wrap them in an engaging sales message (the “feeling”). Finally, drop the result into Gemini to check the tone against your brand voice or translate it for a specific customer segment. Using them in a sequence ensures your output is both factually accurate and emotionally resonant.

Pro Level: Building Your Technical “Brain”

Empower your service desk. Don’t make your team dig through oily binders for a warranty code. Build a ‘Technical Brain’ that acts as a 24/7 advisor. This is my favorite part, EFFICIENCY! Let’s build a bot to do the work! 

CAUTION: The following steps give a sample framework to create a powerful tool. It is essential to have human monitoring throughout the development, deployment, and ongoing use of any such tool. NEVER blindly trust AI with your brand.

How to Build Your Dealership Agent

ChatGPT: The Parts & Fitment Assistant

Use the “Explore GPTs” feature to create a private agent. Upload your manuals and accessory catalogs to the Knowledge section. Your team can then ask for specific part numbers or fitment specs in seconds.

Best for natural language conversations where a parts manager needs to “chat” with a manual.

1. Go to chatgpt.com Click “Explore GPTs” in the left sidebar and select + Create.
2. Go to the “Configure” tab (at the top) and name your GPT (e.g., “Service Desk Pro”).
3. Scroll to the “Knowledge” section and click Upload Files. Select your parts catalogs, accessory guides, and model PDFs.
4. In the “Instructions” box, type: “You are a dealership technical assistant. Use the uploaded files to provide part numbers and fitment specs. If the answer isn’t in the files, tell the user to contact the manufacturer.”
5. Click Create/Save in the top right. Select “Only people with a link” to keep it private for your team.

Google’s Gemini: The Warranty & Policy Expert

Create a “Gem” and upload warranty PDFs. Your team can ask, “Does this specific repair fall under the 2025 limited warranty?” for an instant answer. It works best for dealers using Google Workspace; Gemini excels at reading complex legal/warranty text.

1. Go to gemini.google.com and click Gem Manager (or “Explore Gems”) in the sidebar.
2. Click + New Gem and give it a name like “Warranty Advisor.”
3. At the bottom, click Add Files and upload your 2025/2026 warranty policy PDFs or service bulletins.
4. In the instructions box, type: “Reference the uploaded warranty documents to answer coverage questions. Always include the specific policy section number in your answer.”
5. Click Save. Your team can now access this Gem anytime from the Gemini app or sidebar.

Perplexity: The Document Citation Hub

Use a “Space” to host technical documents. Perplexity will provide answers and crucially cite the exact page number in the manual where it found the information. Best  when you need absolute accuracy and a “clickable” citation for every answer.

1. Go to perplexity.ai Click Spaces in the left sidebar and then Create a Space.
2. Name it “Technical Library” and set the “Focus” to Writing (to prioritize your documents over the general web).
3. Click Add Sources or the “+” icon to upload your technical manuals and dealer bulletins.
4. Type your question. Perplexity will answer and provide small numbered citations that, when clicked, show the exact page and paragraph of the manual it used.

Future Look: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

The buyer’s journey has decoupled from the search bar in Google. People seek answers. They aren’t looking for a long list of ‘blue links.’ It’s time you evolve and ditch the ‘Call for Price’ buttons. If you’re listing, ‘Call for price’ you are already invisible to AI search. Perplexity and Gemini won’t recommend a dealer that hides the very info the customer is asking for. It’s time to evolve: Use natural language, clean schema, and transparent data to feed the engines what they crave.

How to “Feed” the AI Engines

1. Ensure your website’s “About” page and unit descriptions are written in clear, natural language. AI models prefer “The [Model Name] is ideal for [Specific Use Case].” As we’ve learned above, users are using Perplexity and other AI tools for live prices, so the days of not listing the prices and hoping an uneducated customer will stumble on the lot is a thing of the past. It’s time you evolve. 
2. Use “Natural Language” keywords. Instead of “RV for sale,” include phrases like “Best luxury RV for full-time living in cold climates” or “RV spacious enough for a family of five and the family dog.”
3. Work with your website provider to ensure your Schema Markup is validated. This is the “hidden code” that tells AI bots exactly what your price, location, and unit specs are so they can recommend you with confidence. If your website provider can’t confirm your Schema is being ingested by LLMs, you’re paying for a brochure, not a dealership website. 

Having spent 13 years in the SEO trenches with dealerships before joining the team at AIMCLEAR, I’ve seen how fast ‘the next big thing’ can leave a dealer behind. We don’t just do AI or SEO; we build the technical infrastructure that removes friction from your buyer’s journey; write content; and support ad campaigns that convert. If you’re ready to stop guessing, need help with Schema, and ready to start scaling, we’re ready to help you lead.

You know where to find me. XOXO

Lea Scudamore

Director of SEO - AIMCLEAR

Search, ranking, and finding revenue are baked into Lea Scudamore’s DNA. As the Director of SEO at AIMCLEAR®, Lea doesn’t chase traffic, she engineers profit centers. Her intensive focus on AI-driven content, technical SEO, and intent-serving UX has made her one of the most sought-after experts on the international circuit, known for challenging practitioners to reimagine SEO as a holistic survival strategy. Lea’s career is a masterclass in B2B/B2C dominance, racking up an elite shelf of hardware including the Global Digital Excellence Award for Best SEO Campaign of the Year (B2B) and Integrated Campaign of the Year, along with the US Search Award for Best Use of Search in B2B. With over two decades of hands-on experience spanning startups to iconic global brands, Lea’s work is the cornerstone of multiple award-winning case studies. Whether she’s troubleshooting complex technical infrastructure or leading the charge in digital accessibility (WCAG/ADA), Lea is focused on one thing: ensuring brands are discoverable, inclusive, and immortal in an AI-first world.