COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) – Because consumers seem to be learning so much through artificial intelligence platforms, some small businesses are finding it difficult to keep up with the ever-changing landscape.
For Sevan Stryker, general manager and COO of Bob Penkhus Motor Company in Colorado Springs, he even posted that many of his customers know more than his sales force at this point.
“We have to understand that customers are much more educated. Things like comparisons and things like that are at their fingertips in seconds,” Stryker said. “And often the consumers are much more educated than we are, because we study our brand and we know it, but we don’t necessarily know it against everything else.”
Reflecting this new era in consumer shopping and research, Stryker said his company has reformatted its website and changed the way its store operates.
For example, when a customer asks, “Where can I buy a car in Colorado?” or “What’s the best deal on a new car near me?”, on an AI platform like ChatGPT, Grok or Claude, Mr. Stryker said these customers will even come in and ask for a specific customer service representative recommended by AI.
Beyond just buying cars, Stryker says consumers are now using AI platforms to find the best and cheapest services, such as oil changes and other automotive needs, which means he now has to reevaluate all aspects of his business.
“What was once built for a world of Google is now a world of AI,” Stryker said. “So when they ask a specific question: ‘Why the Mazda CX-5?’ You have to have such formulations and then support them. But even a step further than that. As a brand or dealer we will say they also look at the accolades you get from third parties like the (Better Business Bureau)?”
Bon Penkhus Motor Company is one of approximately 2,000 companies that the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Southern Colorado works with in the area. The BBB currently offers three AI training courses per year, but that number will double next year as AI becomes more important to business operations in addition to ongoing industry changes.
Jonathan Liebert, the CEO of BBB Southern Colorado, said six months ago that about 20 to 30% of his classes were using AI. Today he said that number is almost 60%.
“Most people are familiar with SEO, search engine optimization. Now there’s a newer way to look at it: Answer Engine Optimization,” said Liebert. “There are a number of different terms for it, but it’s basically people using an AI engine to ask a question, and it gives them an answer.”
Liebert said AI has enabled organizations like his to “punch above their weight” because it eliminates the need to hire third-party marketing companies to produce content that AI can produce quickly (such as photos and videos). He said it can also help complete some tasks faster, such as answering online questions or emails.
Liebert said AI platforms often look for “reliability” when searching the web and synthesizing the answers to customer queries. That’s where the BBB comes in to help companies earn the “trustworthy” label through accreditation, improving their AEO.
“(The AI is) going to make sure that there are certain trust signals that will verify or validate where it’s coming from,” Liebert said. “It likes authoritative content. It likes content from experts. It likes information that makes it an authority, an expert on the subject, and it’s going to cite that at a higher level and at a faster pace. So it considers BBB an expert, and there it is again: we’re a third-party review site, and so there are other ways to get third-party verification or third-party validation. BBB is just one of.”
In the future, Liebert says companies will compete not only on the quality of their products, but also on the quality of their responses through AI platforms.
About Sevan Stryker, he said that the advent and rise of artificial intelligence has also allowed him and his company to become better at what they do. And he’s trying to stay ahead of the curve as AI seems to change and update almost every day.
“I think there’s definitely a challenge, but I really think ultimately it’s those who are coming on board now who are going to be able to tolerate the weather and ride the wave a lot better than some of those who I think are still fighting it and thinking it’s going to go away,” Stryker said.
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