From Leads to Deals: What Dealers Want (and What They Don’t)

Straight from the Show Floor

At 2025’s Digital Marketing Strategies Conference, one message was loud and clear: dealers are ready to move past lead forms. They’re looking for websites and tech platforms that drive conversions and real revenue.

A recent survey from Brian Pasch showed that 51% of dealers want more lead forms and 64% still track leads as the top metric (Source: 2025 Brian Pasch Auto Website Survey). But the conversation at DMSC reflected a shift: Are we tracking what actually matters?

Lead gen still has a place—but in today’s market, it’s transactions that count. If your website isn’t helping customers schedule service, value their trade, or buy a car, then what’s it really doing?

What We Heard: The dealers leading the charge are moving away from vanity metrics and toward platforms built for real results.

Don’t Settle for Submissions

Dealer Soundbite: Lead Gen is Out. Real Conversions Are In.

Dealers at DMSC were clear: basic form submissions aren’t cutting it anymore. Generic websites that serve the same experience to everyone don’t drive business—they stall it.

That’s why Apollo Sites are built to convert, not just collect. Every visitor sees dynamic, personalized content—from service offers to upgrade opportunities—based on real-time behavior and history. Whether they’re a first-time visitor or a returning customer, they’re guided to take the next step.

Most dealership websites still offer a one-size-fits-all experience. Everyone sees the same inventory. The same service coupons. The same static offers. But today’s customers expect more, they expect Amazon-like personalization and a seamless journey from start to finish.

What We Heard: A site that adapts to the shopper drives more than leads—it drives sales.

The Integration Imperative

Dealer Soundbite: No Widgets. Just Results.

Another hot-button topic at DMSC? Integration. Or more specifically, the lack of it.

Dealers are done with duct-taped tech stacks, generic websites, and third-party widgets that claim to “connect” but ultimately create more complexity.

What dealers want—and what Apollo delivers—is true, native integration. Not just another tool layered on top that takes credit for everything but won’t track anything. Apollo takes a different approach by offering native integrations with key platforms like XTime, CallRevu, RunBuggy and your DMS—no bolt-ons, no extra vendors, no additional costs, no delays. That means real-time updates, fewer data gaps, and a completely frictionless experience for both your customers and your team.

Apollo combines your website, digital retailing, advertising, and retention into one connected platform, so every system works together—automatically.

At DMSC, the question wasn’t, “Who has the best features?” It was, “Who’s actually using data to drive results?” 

What We Heard: Integration isn’t a feature. It’s the foundation. 

The Rise of the CDP (That Actually Works)

Dealer Soundbite: Turning Data Into Deals

CDPs got a lot of attention at DMSC—and for good reason. Dealers are being pitched platform after platform, but most of them just collect data and leave it sitting there. No action. No automation. No personalization. No ROI.

That’s not what a true Customer Data Platform should be. A real CDP should:

• Connect seamlessly to your core systems (DMS, CRM, website, service tools)
• Update customer records in real time
• Power personalized marketing and real-time content delivery
• Automate relevant actions—not just store data

And that’s exactly what Apollo does. As part of a fully integrated platform, Apollo doesn’t just store customer data—it uses it to trigger real-time marketing, dynamic website personalization, and intelligent automation across every channel.

And because it’s built into the same platform running your website, advertising, and retention strategies, there’s no lag, no syncing issues, and no outside vendors needed.

“This isn’t just ‘data management.’ It’s data in motion—driving real outcomes at every stage of the customer journey”. – David Boice, CEO and Co-Founder of Team Velocity

What We Heard: Dealers don’t need another data warehouse. They need a smarter platform that turns data into deals.

AI Built Around the Buyer

Dealer Soundbite: Fragmented Systems Hurt. Smart AI Fixes It.

AI was everywhere at DMSC 2025—but what dealers really wanted to know was this: How does it actually help me sell and service more cars?

Here’s the reality: AI isn’t valuable unless it’s solving real problems and enhancing the human touch—not replacing it. In automotive, that means anticipating customer needs, personalizing the journey, and removing friction from every interaction. Unfortunately, many dealers are still operating with fragmented systems that make the path to purchase anything but seamless.

“When systems don’t speak to each other, your website becomes a dead end instead of a starting point”. – David Boice, CEO and Co-Founder of Team Velocity

At the core of Team Velocity’s AI experience is our AssistantAI—our virtual online assistant, powered by Apollo and Google AI. It replaces frustrating chat tools with a faster, smarter solution for online customer service, seamlessly guiding customers through routine inquiries like scheduling service or requesting a quote.

Unlike traditional tools, AssistantAI is fully integrated with your website and DMS, allowing it to access a customer’s unique profile to personalize every interaction. The result? A transaction in under 45 seconds—not a drawn-out conversation or dead-end chat. Fewer missed opportunities. And a better experience for everyone.

What We Heard: In a market where customer expectations are higher than ever, the dealerships that win are the ones using AI to create seamless, connected, and truly personalized journeys.

The Future is Fully Integrated

If DMSC 2025 made anything clear, it’s this: Dealers are done settling.

They’re done with generic websites, fragmented tech stacks, and systems that generate activity instead of results. The conversations on the show floor weren’t about who has the most features—they were about who’s actually helping dealers close more deals.

Dealers want:

• Websites that transact, not just collect forms
• Platforms that are truly integrated, not cobbled together
• CDPs that act, not just store
• AI that adds value, not noise

That’s exactly what Apollo delivers. With one connected platform, Apollo helps dealers move beyond traditional lead gen and into a new era of personalized, automated, and integrated customer experiences—all designed to drive real business outcomes.

What We Heard: No more widgets. No more vendor clutter. Just one platform that works—from first click to final transaction.