The lead is paid for. The response decides the sale.
Most dealers can tell you what they spend on leads. Far fewer can tell you how fast those leads get a reply, how many times anyone follows up, or whether the reply was a template. In Pied Piper's 2025 study of 4,023 US dealerships, 19% failed to personally respond to a website lead, and only 27% gave the buyer compelling reasons to buy from them.
An internet lead mystery shop shows you where your store sits.
How we shop your internet leads
- We pick a real vehicle from your inventory and submit a lead as a buyer, with a realistic name, email and local phone number.
- We submit through the source you want tested: your dealer website, AutoTrader.ca, CarGurus, Kijiji Autos, Facebook, or your OEM brand site.
- We timestamp the first reply to the minute, then track every email, text and phone call that follows.
- We reply like a real buyer would, so we can see whether your team moves the conversation toward an appointment.
- We score the full cycle and send you every detail.
What an internet lead mystery shop measures
- Speed to lead: minutes from submission to first personal reply, not the auto-responder.
- Personalization: does the reply answer the buyer's actual question, or is it a template?
- Channels: email only, or email plus phone and text?
- Follow-up cadence: how many touches, over how many days, before your team gives up.
- Inventory handling: is the vehicle confirmed available, and if it's sold, is an alternative offered?
- Appointment setting: does anyone offer a specific time to come in?
Test the lead source you're worried about. If one source is costing more and closing less, tell us. We'll shop that source specifically so you can see whether the problem is the lead or the response.
What you get
A scorecard covering 20+ criteria, a timeline of every touchpoint, copies of the replies your team sent and a written breakdown of what happened. On the Growth plan and above you also get month-over-month trends, so you can see the numbers move.
Pricing
| Plan | Price (CAD, per location) | Mystery shops each month | Works out to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $149 / mo + GST | 1 phone shop, 1 internet lead shop | $74.50 per shop |
| Growth | $349 / mo + GST | 3 phone shops, 2 internet lead shops, plus an inventory awareness shop | $69.80 per shop |
| Scale | $699 / mo + GST | 5 phone shops, 5 internet lead shops, covering every channel and every manager | $69.90 per shop |
Dealer groups with 3 to 5 locations save 10%, and groups with 6 to 10 save 15%. Every plan is month-to-month with no contract.