Turn Sales Teams Into Video Stars

Today’s automotive buyer doesn’t follow a linear path to purchase. They browse online at night, submit lead forms during work breaks, respond to text messages after dinner, and expect quick answers wherever they are. While many dealerships still rely heavily on contacting customers via email or phone during the sales process, consumers expect a more personalized approach. 

That’s where video messaging comes in.

The CDK 2026 Friction Points Study found that 72% of Sales teams use video in some form to engage, inform and communicate with shoppers. This data tells us that video is no longer experimental. It’s mainstream. However, execution varies widely. There’s a big gap between generic videos that fall flat and videos that help salespeople personally connect with customers and draw them into the dealership. 

Personalized and Social Media Videos Lead the Way

Video has already taken over the Service department with the advent of video multipoint inspections (MPI). But those videos are by and large formulaic. They need to explain a problem if one exists and show the service customer rather than tell them. The video builds trust and breaks down barriers when it comes to selling additional services. Sales teams have far more heavy lifting to do to translate a video into a tool that can convert a lead to a closed deal. But the effort pays off. 

Nearly half of dealerships (49%) report that Sales staff create personalized videos and send them directly to customers. But that’s far below what shoppers actually expect. Nearly three out of four shoppers expect a personalized video interaction according to CoVideo. Dealers who utilize video in the sales process not only see 81% in lead-to-contact rate but they also sell twice as many cars.

When customers see a real person addressing them by name and referencing a specific vehicle (even the VIN), it creates a sense of transparency, a human connection in a digital process, and increased trust before that first in-store interaction. In an industry where trust is often fragile, a personal connection really resonates. 

And 42% of salespeople are taking it further by creating personalized content for social media platforms. A consistent social presence helps Sales staff build a following within their community, position themselves as product experts, and stay top of mind for repeat and referral business. In many markets, customers are choosing salespeople — not just dealerships.

Video Use by Dealership Size 

While video adoption overall is strong, how and how often, Sales teams use video differs significantly by dealership size. 

Larger Dealer Groups (Six+ Rooftops) 

Across many streams of CDK research, larger dealer groups are often the first to leverage new technology in their stores. That proves to be true in the Friction Points study with:

• Sixty-four percent send personalized videos directly. 
• Forty percent+ create videos for social media.
• Eighty percent+ of Sales staff engage in video marketing.

As one dealer explained, “We have a company that comes to the store and does professional videos twice a week and then sends them out to the customer, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.”

Small Dealer Groups (One to Two Rooftops)

Smaller groups show energy around personalization but have room for growth.

• Forty percent send videos directly to customers. 
• Thirty-six percent of staff don’t use video at all — the highest of any group. 

Midsize Dealer Groups (Three to Five Rooftops)

These groups fall, predictably, in the middle. 

• Fifty-two percent of their Sales staff send personalized videos directly.
• Thirty-nine percent create videos for social media. 
• Twenty-three percent don’t use video at all.

Importantly, some of these differences may have more to do with dealership systems than with sales or willingness. As one dealer respondent put it, “Video used for vehicle ads but that is it. Nothing personalized. Our CRM has the capability, but it is very cumbersome.”

Ease the Path to Video Stardom

Having video as part of your sales process is one thing but having a video solution that’s directly embedded into your CRM workflow is the only way for it to become effective at scale. When your CRM allows Sales reps to:

• Record and send video directly from the customer record
• Automatically log video interactions
• Track engagement analytics
• Incorporate video into templates and campaigns

Video becomes part of a structured, repeatable sales process instead of a nice-to-have. The CRM becomes the central hub that coordinates every communication channel, ensuring consistency, accountability and performance visibility. A CRM that supports and tracks all these touchpoints in one unified system becomes critical. Without it, conversations get fragmented, follow-ups get missed, and opportunities fall through the cracks.

Video builds trust faster, drives engagement higher, and differentiates your brand. Learn how CDK CRM can transform your sales process one video at a time.