As a General Manager or Dealer Principal, you walk the floor and everything looks fine. Your salespeople perk up, the phones get answered, and everyone looks busy.
But what happens when you aren’t there? Or worse, what happens when a customer calls in and gets transferred to a voicemail box that hasn’t been emptied since 2021?
Mystery shopping for dealerships is not about “gotcha” moments. It is about quality control. It is the only way to get an unbiased look at your customer’s actual experience.
The Phone Shop
We listen to thousands of calls. The reality is often shocking.
- Calls ringing 10+ times.
- Salespeople rude or dismissive.
- Zero attempt to set an appointment.
- No name exchange.
You spend thousands on advertising to make that phone ring. If the person answering it burns the lead, you just lit that money on fire. Regular mystery shopping allows you to identify exactly who needs training and on what specific skill.
The Showroom Shop
How long does it take for a customer to be greeted on your lot? Do your salespeople actually do a walk-around, or do they just ask, “You wanna drive it?”
A mystery shop report gives you data, not opinions. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.
Calibration and Training
The report is useless if you don’t act on it. Use the mystery shop recordings in your Saturday sales meetings. Play the bad calls. Play the good calls. This is what Management By Fire is all about—facing the reality of your performance and fixing it.
Call to Action:
Stop guessing. Start knowing. Schedule a Mystery Shopping audit for your dealership today.
