Sun Tracker leads pontoon brands in sales call effectiveness, according to study
Bass Pro Shops’ Sun Tracker dealers ranked highest in the 2025 Pied Piper PSI Telephone Lead Effectiveness (TLE) study, which measured how effectively dealers handled sales calls from customers interested in purchasing a pontoon boat.
Following Sun Tracker in the top five were MasterCraft’s Crest, BRP’s Sea-Doo, Winnebago’s Barletta, and Brunswick’s Harris pontoon boats.
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.”
Pied Piper said its TLE program helps OEMs and dealers uncover what phone customers actually experience, giving management data-driven insights to improve training and processes.
Where dealers can improve
According to Pied Piper, pontoon boat dealers trail their automotive and powersports counterparts in converting calls into store visits.
- Low Appointment Rates: Dealers scheduled appointments only 19% of the time on average—well below the 77% rate for powersports and 92% for automotive.
- Higher Dissatisfaction: About 11% of pontoon callers had “mission failure” experiences, compared to 4% in powersports and 2% in automotive, often due to unanswered phones or lack of engagement.
“Boat buyers’ expectations are shaped by shopping for cars or powersports equipment,” says O’Hagan. “By comparison, the boat industry still struggles to meet those expectations.”
Brand-by-brand behavior
The study revealed notable performance differences between pontoon brands:
- Quickly Reached a Salesperson (within 30 seconds):
- Top performers: Sun Tracker, Manitou, Godfrey
- Lowest performers: Premier, South Bay, Barletta
- Answered Questions Without Help:
- Top performers: Harris, Bentley, Barletta, Avalon, Godfrey
- Lowest performers: South Bay, Tahoe, Starcraft, Sylvan
- Overcame Inventory Obstacles:
- Top performers (100% success): Sun Tracker, Barletta, Godfrey, Avalon
- Lowest performers: Bennington, Crest, Sylvan
- Encouraged Visit or Appointment:
- Top performers: Sea-Doo, Sun Tracker, Crest
- Lowest performers: South Bay, Tahoe, Sylvan, Starcraft
- Mentioned Promotions or Incentives:
- Top performers: Sun Tracker, Crest, Premier
- Lowest performers: Lowe, Bentley, Tahoe, Starcraft
Takeaway for dealers
For powersports and marine dealers alike, Pied Piper’s findings highlight the importance of treating every phone inquiry as a critical sales opportunity. Dealerships that respond quickly, answer questions confidently, and invite customers in for appointments consistently outperform their peers in sales and customer satisfaction.
“Dealers who see the phone as the first step of the sales process—not just a task to handle—end up with more showroom traffic and more deals closed,” O’Hagan added.
