The targets we run dealership BDCs against: answer rate 98% or better, contact rate 60–75% of workable leads, appointment set rate 40–60% of contacts, appointment show rate 70–80%, sold rate 35–50% of shows, and 8–12% overall close on internet leads. Direct mail response runs 1–5% depending on list type, and mail-driven traffic closes at 20–30% because the intent is higher. These are Pinnacle’s own operating targets from running phone rooms and campaigns for dealers, not a third-party study — we have said so explicitly below, along with where each number moves by store type.
Where These Numbers Come From
Worth being direct about sourcing, because dealership benchmarks circulate as folklore and acquire authority by repetition. The figures on this page are the targets Pinnacle manages to when we run a BDC or a campaign for a store. They come from our own operations. They are not the output of an industry survey, we are not presenting them as a national average, and you should weigh them accordingly — they describe what we hold ourselves to and what we have seen achievable in stores that work the process.
Where a number would genuinely differ by store type we say so in words. We have deliberately not published separate numeric bands for independents, franchise stores and dealer groups, because we do not have segment samples we would stand behind and inventing three columns to fill a table is how folklore gets made.
Name the Denominator Before You Compare Anything
Most benchmark arguments in a dealership are really arguments about arithmetic. “Our set rate is 22%” and “our set rate is 55%” can describe identical performance if one is appointments over all leads and the other is appointments over contacts.
So, the definitions used throughout this page:
- Answer rate — inbound calls answered by a person, over inbound calls offered.
- Contact rate — leads where a two-way conversation happened, over workable leads. A voicemail is not a contact.
- Appointment set rate — firm appointments with a date and time, over contacts.
- Show rate — appointments that arrived, over appointments set.
- Sold rate — units sold, over appointments shown.
- Overall close rate — units sold, over workable leads. This is the only one measured against the top of the funnel.
The Benchmark Table
| Measure | Denominator | Target | Common reality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer rate | Inbound calls offered | 98%+ | Anything with an IVR in front of it |
| Contact rate | Workable leads | 60–75% | Falls off a cliff without multi-channel follow-up |
| Appointment set rate | Contacts | 40–60% | 15% of leads is the figure stores usually quote |
| Appointment show rate | Appointments set | 70–80% | 50–60% accepted as normal |
| Sold rate | Appointments shown | 35–50% | Collapses when the handoff is poor |
| Overall close, internet leads | Workable leads | 8–12% | Below 5% is common and rarely measured |
| Direct mail response | Pieces mailed | 1–5% | Varies by list type more than by creative |
| Close rate, mail-driven traffic | Responders who arrive | 20–30% | Higher than internet because intent is higher |
Why the Funnel Multiplies
Each of those rates is a fraction of the one above it, so small differences compound into large ones. Take 500 workable leads a month through a store sitting at the bottom of every band and one sitting at the top.
Bottom of the bands: 500 leads, 60% contact = 300 contacts. 40% set = 120 appointments. 70% show = 84 shows. 35% sold = 29 units.
Top of the bands: 500 leads, 75% contact = 375 contacts. 60% set = 225 appointments. 80% show = 180 shows. 50% sold = 90 units.
Same lead spend, same market, and one store sells roughly three times what the other does. Nobody in the second store is doing anything heroic — each individual number is a few points better. That is the entire argument for measuring the chain rather than the end of it.
Which Number To Fix First
Almost always show rate, for three reasons. It is usually the worst performer relative to its band. It sits late in the funnel, so a gain there is not diluted by anything downstream except the sold rate. And it responds to process rather than talent — a confirmation sequence is a thing you can install this week, whereas lifting a closing ratio means changing what people say and believe.
The store that accepts 50–60% as normal and moves to 75% has added a quarter to its shown traffic without buying a single extra lead. Our detail on how that is done is in the appointment show rate formula.
After show rate, look at contact rate before set rate. A low set rate is often not a scripting problem at all — it is a contact problem wearing a scripting problem’s clothes, because the agent is only ever reaching the easy third of the list.
Where These Shift By Store Type
In words, not invented numbers:
- Independents work smaller lists with more credit-driven traffic. Contact rate tends to run lower because phone numbers are less stable, and the sold rate depends more heavily on lender approvals than on the sales conversation. Overall close on a well-worked list can nonetheless beat a franchise store’s.
- Franchise stores carry OEM lead sources with wildly different quality, so a blended internet close rate hides more than it reveals. Segment by source before benchmarking anything.
- Dealer groups have the opposite problem: numbers roll up and the average conceals one store dragging the group. Benchmark by rooftop and by source, never at group level only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these industry averages?
No, and we would be suspicious of anyone presenting a single national average for these measures. They are the targets we operate to. Treat them as a well-founded opinion about what is achievable, not as a survey result.
Our show rate is 55%. Is that bad?
It is common, which is not the same as acceptable. It is the number a store lands on when appointments are set but not confirmed, and it is the single most improvable figure in the table.
Why is the set rate measured over contacts rather than leads?
Because it is the only way to separate two different failures. A store that cannot reach people and a store that reaches people and cannot book them need completely different fixes, and a set rate over total leads reports both as one number.
Should service appointments be benchmarked the same way?
The chain is similar but the numbers are not transferable — service intent is higher and the show rate expectation is correspondingly higher. That is a separate discussion, and the service drive library is where it belongs.
Summary
Answer 98%, contact 60–75% of workable leads, set 40–60% of contacts, show 70–80%, sell 35–50% of shows, close 8–12% of internet leads overall; mail responds at 1–5% and mail traffic closes at 20–30%. Define the denominator before comparing anything, measure the whole chain because it multiplies, and fix show rate first. These are Pinnacle’s operating targets, stated as ours rather than dressed up as an industry study.
