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Powersports Business
Sun Tracker leads pontoon brands in sales call effectiveness, according to study
October 2025
Study overview
To complete the annual study, Pied Piper placed 849 mystery-shopper phone calls to dealerships representing the 17 largest pontoon brands in North America. Each store received a TLE score from 0 to 100, based on 25 proven best practices that directly correlate with higher sales and customer satisfaction.
Sun Tracker achieved the highest overall TLE score of 51, seven points above the industry average. Pied Piper found that Sun Tracker dealers were more consistent in meeting customer expectations, answering questions effectively, and offering solutions when inventory challenges arose.
Key findings for Sun Tracker dealers
Highest “Mission Acceptable” Rate: 84% of calls to Sun Tracker locations were considered “mission acceptable,” meaning the caller spoke with a salesperson within one minute, had their question answered, and was invited to visit or set an appointment. That rate was 20% higher than the pontoon industry average. Lowest “Mission Failure” Rate: Only 2% of Sun Tracker calls ended with unanswered questions and no invitation to visit—a fraction of the 11% industry average. Some brands saw failure rates as high as 22%. Inventory Problem-Solving: Just 6% of Sun Tracker stores were out of the requested model, and in those cases, salespeople always offered solutions—either ordering the boat or suggesting a comparable model. Across the industry, salespeople only offered alternative solutions 80% of the time.
“One in four buyers start by calling a dealership,” says Cameron O’Hagan, vice president of metrics and analytics at Pied Piper. “That first phone interaction often determines whether the customer visits and buys — but what happens during those calls is usually invisible to management.”
