The Reason Your Dealership Tech Stack Sucks (It’s Not What You Think) with Nick Askew

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AI isn’t coming for your job—it’s coming for your to-do list.

When Nick Askew first plugged AI into his daily marketing work, it was like flipping a switch—from a grind to a productivity cheat code. In this episode, Nick sits down with Kyle (while Paul and Michael cheer from the sidelines) to unpack why that moment in late 2023 marked a true before-and-after for how work gets done in the auto industry. They dig into how AI went from a party trick to a power tool almost overnight—and how it’s now reshaping dealership operations from the inside out.

But this isn’t just another AI hypefest. Nick and Kyle get tactical on what needs to change under the hood—from cleaning up CRM workflows to rethinking what a “one-stop-shop” platform actually means. There’s a passionate call for the industry to rally around shared API standards (ADF-XML, anyone?), a peek into Space Auto’s ambitious roadmap, and a surprisingly strong argument for why background AI agents—not flashy bots—might be the next frontier. If you’ve ever felt bogged down by your tech stack or your task list, this one’s for you.

Takeaways

00:00 – When two AI nerds find each other

02:14 – The day AI made Nick 10x more productive

05:16 – You’re already falling behind on AI

07:46 – AI isn’t replacing you—it’s freeing you

09:08 – Why unstructured data is killing AI in the showroom

10:29 – CRMs are broken, and everyone knows it

12:33 – Your fingers are the real bottleneck

16:30 – The tech debate that splits the industry

23:56 – Automotive desperately needs a new API standard

27:02 – The biggest AI breakthrough you won’t even see

30:53 – We can’t fix AI until we fix the data

Connect with Nick Askew at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-askew/

Learn more about Space Auto at https://space.auto/

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